How Dubai private school teachers can move schools under new KHDA guidelines

Dubai: Dubai private school teachers and leaders now face stricter rules when joining or moving schools, aimed at boosting teaching quality and reducing staff turnover.

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has introduced new guidelines that change how teachers and school leaders are recruited, supported, and held accountable in the emirate’s private schools.

The Technical Guide for Appointing Teaching Staff by KHDA sets out stricter requirements for qualifications, experience, and professional conduct. It also requires school owners to carry out thorough background checks, interviews, and ongoing reviews of staff to ensure they meet UAE norms, values, and standards, including responsible use of technology and social media.

A key update is the introduction of an Appointment Notice, which formalises a teacher’s commitment to one school at a time. Teachers and principals will only be allowed to move between schools at the end of a term or semester, reducing mid-year disruptions and strengthening stability.

Departing staff must also complete a standardised exit survey, providing KHDA with data to better understand and address teacher turnover across the sector.

Alongside this, KHDA is rolling out a new deregistration policy for education staff to safeguard student welfare, prevent malpractice, and protect the reputation of Dubai’s education sector.

The new measures aim to raise teaching standards, cut turnover, and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for high-quality education.

To work as an approved teacher in a Dubai private school, candidates must first receive an Appointment Notice from KHDA. This document ties a teacher to one school only and is not transferable.

Before an Appointment Notice is issued, both the candidate and the school must meet strict requirements. Schools are responsible for verifying qualifications and proven teaching experience, alongside carrying out full due diligence. This includes:

These steps follow international best practices in safer recruitment and ensure only qualified and competent teachers are appointed.

The Appointment Notice is valid only for the school that applied for it, and teachers must hold a copy. If a teacher changes schools, their previous notice is cancelled, and a new one must be issued before they can start work.

This process, in addition to teachers’ contractual obligations, strengthens accountability and safeguards the quality of teaching across Dubai’s private schools.

Teachers or school leaders wishing to move to a new school must follow these steps

If a teacher is dismissed for conduct or capability, or resigns while facing a likely dismissal, the school must notify KHDA. KHDA may then investigate and consider adding the teacher to the Deregistration List under its Deregistration Policy.

If any of these steps are not followed, KHDA will enforce a 90-day waiting period before a new Appointment Notice can be issued. This period starts from either the resignation date or the date the teacher leaves without completing the required notice.