The messages that remind us why South African teachers choose the Middle East
- SA-Recruitment
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Every year, we help South African teachers begin a new chapter overseas. Some stay for two years before returning home, while others build long-term international careers, moving between countries and progressing into leadership positions. Every journey is different, but one thing has become a tradition at SA-Recruitment.
Soon after teachers arrive, our phones begin to buzz.
Sometimes it's a quick WhatsApp after their first day. Sometimes it's a photo from a weekend adventure. Occasionally it's a heartfelt email written years later as a teacher prepares to return home or move on to their next country.
Those messages are some of the most rewarding parts of what we do because they tell the story no recruitment brochure ever can.
With South African schools currently on holiday and many Foundation Phase teachers reflecting on what the future might hold, we thought we'd share some of the themes that appear time and time again in the messages we receive.
Perhaps you'll recognise some of the questions you've been asking yourself.
"I'm settling in better than I expected."
Before teachers leave South Africa, this is almost always their biggest concern.
Will I fit into a new school?
Will I cope with a different curriculum?
Will I make friends?
Will I feel completely out of my depth?
The reality is that the first few weeks are always an adjustment. New colleagues, new learners, unfamiliar systems and a different way of doing things naturally take time.
Yet one of the first messages we usually receive tells a very different story.
Kayla had only just arrived in Abu Dhabi when she sent us this message. Yes, the Gulf heat came as a bit of a shock, but what stood out to us was how quickly she had already connected with colleagues who were helping her understand the school and settle into her new environment.
A few weeks later another teacher sent us this.
It isn't a long message.
It doesn't need to be.
Sometimes a simple "I'm settling in well" says more than an entire page of text.
Over the years, we've realised something important. Most teachers spend far longer worrying about those first few weeks than they spend actually struggling through them.
Once lessons begin, routines develop and colleagues become familiar faces, life starts to feel surprisingly normal.
Every journey starts with uncertainty
Nobody should pretend that moving overseas is easy.
You're leaving behind family, friends, familiar routines and often the school where you've spent years building your career. It is perfectly normal to question whether you're making the right decision.
What surprises many teachers is how quickly everyday life takes over.
Lesson planning replaces paperwork. Learners quickly become familiar faces. Colleagues become friends. Before long you've found your favourite coffee shop, know where to do your grocery shopping and have stopped checking Google Maps every five minutes.
Without really noticing it, life slowly becomes...life again.
That's something we hear time and time again.
Then the messages begin to change
Once teachers have settled into their schools, the conversation shifts.
Instead of talking about documentation or interviews, they start talking about weekends away, trying new restaurants, exploring different cultures and making memories with colleagues who have quickly become close friends.
Charisma, who moved to Oman, summed it up perfectly.
"It is absolutely beautiful! I have seen so much and have done so much in the two months I've been here and there is still a lot to do and waiting for me. The townspeople have been friendly and very accommodating."
Naidine, now living in Abu Dhabi, shared a similar experience.
"Living in the UAE is a blast. There is so much to do. It will exceed your expectations for sure."
These are the parts of teaching abroad that are often difficult to imagine while you're still sitting at home wondering whether to apply.
The classroom may be why teachers move overseas.
But the life they build outside the classroom often becomes one of the greatest rewards.
Growth that goes far beyond teaching
One of the strongest themes running through almost every teacher story isn't travel or even financial benefits.
It's personal growth.
Christine recently completed her two-year contract in Abu Dhabi before returning home to South Africa. Looking back, she described the experience as "an adventure filled with ups and downs, moments of laughter and tears, challenges and many mixed emotions."
She had achieved exactly what she set out to do.
She explored.
She saved.
She grew professionally.
But the sentence that stayed with us most was this:
"You are stronger than you think."
It is such a simple statement, yet it perfectly captures what so many teachers tell us after living overseas.
Teaching internationally stretches you in ways you never expect. You learn a new curriculum, adapt to different cultures, become more independent and often discover a level of confidence you didn't know you possessed.
Some teachers stay two years. Others stay five.
Not every international journey looks the same.
Some teachers accomplish exactly what they hoped to achieve before returning home.
Christine told us:
Others discover opportunities they never imagined.
Recently we received an email from one of our teachers who had spent almost five years in Oman.
Reflecting on her journey, she wrote that although the country initially felt foreign and unfamiliar, she had come to discover "its many beauties." She described Oman as peaceful, safe and welcoming, adding that none of it would have been possible without taking that first step.
Her email wasn't about completing a contract.
It was about looking back on one of the most meaningful chapters of his life.
What South African teachers in the Middle East tell us after they arrive
Some messages are only a sentence long.
Others arrive years after we first met a teacher.
But they all remind us of something.
Teaching abroad isn't simply about changing jobs.
It's about building confidence, discovering new cultures, making lifelong friendships and creating experiences that many teachers once thought were out of reach.
Every now and then we receive messages like these.
Or this.
Neither teacher talks about salaries.
Neither talks about visas.
They simply talk about settling in, enjoying the experience and being grateful for the opportunity.
Perhaps that's what tells the story best.
Why we're sharing these messages now
Over the past few weeks we've seen recruitment across the Middle East gather momentum once again. Schools are preparing for the new academic year, new vacancies continue to arrive and Foundation Phase teachers remain one of the groups most in demand.
At the same time, many South African teachers are enjoying the school holidays and beginning to think about what the future might hold.
If that's you, perhaps the most reassuring voices aren't ours.
They're the teachers who have already taken the leap.
Experiences shared by South African teachers across the Middle East haven't all been identical.
They've worked in different schools, lived in different countries and experienced different challenges.
But one message appears again and again.
Not that it was perfect.
Not that it was always easy.
But that it was worth it.
Looking ahead
One of the greatest privileges of our job is watching teachers grow long after they've accepted a position.
From nervous WhatsApp messages during the first week to heartfelt emails years later, we're constantly reminded that teaching abroad is about far more than changing jobs.
It's about changing perspectives.
Building confidence.
Creating memories.
And sometimes discovering that you're capable of much more than you ever imagined.
If you're a Foundation Phase teacher wondering whether this could be your year, perhaps these messages have answered a few of the questions you haven't quite known how to ask.
We'd be delighted to answer the rest.
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