GEMS Education has welcomed 1,550 new teachers as it begins the 2026/27 academic year. The group’s educator community now stands at more than 10,000 across its network, another step in its long-term push to attract and develop teaching talent.
The new teachers joined GEMS through a global recruitment process. They become part of a workforce spanning more than 112 nationalities, and add to a group that receives over 500,000 job applications a year.
A day built around Family First
The new cohort was welcomed at GEMS Awareness Day 2026, the group’s annual gathering for incoming teachers, school leaders and senior leadership. This year’s theme, Family First, put the focus on something schools everywhere talk about: the relationship between teachers, students and families.
Sunny Varkey, Founder and Chairman of GEMS Education, said the people GEMS hires matter as much as what they teach.
“The future of education will be shaped not only by what we teach, but by the people we entrust to inspire and prepare the next generation. That is why we are investing significantly in attracting exceptional educators from around the world, developing their potential and equipping them with the tools, technology and environment to deliver the highest standards of academic excellence.”
He added that GEMS’ ambitions go beyond growth in numbers.
“As GEMS looks to the future, our ambition extends far beyond growth in scale. Inspired by the progressive vision and ambition of the UAE and its leaders, we are building an institution designed for the decades ahead: one that combines strong academic foundations with future skills and meaningful opportunities for students to apply their learning in the real world.”
“Buildings and technology matter, but teachers remain the greatest investment we can make. When we invest in outstanding educators, we invest directly in every child’s potential and in developing the confident, capable and compassionate leaders our world will need.”
Where the new teachers are coming from
GEMS’ recruitment draws on both UAE-based and international talent, with a healthy balance between the two. Teachers already working in the UAE bring knowledge of local curricula and communities. Those joining from overseas bring perspectives from major education markets around the world.
That scale, more than 500,000 applications a year, gives GEMS a wide pool to recruit from. Rather than depending on one market, it can tailor hiring to what each school, curriculum and community needs.
Careers that don’t stop at the classroom door
Joining GEMS isn’t the end of the story for these teachers. Staff can move between schools, curricula, roles and countries within the network, and progress into leadership. More than 40% of principal appointments over the past 12 months went to internal candidates, a sign of how much GEMS invests in developing its own people.
That focus on career growth sits alongside a strong push on wellbeing, professional development and engagement. GEMS says it has recorded its strongest teacher retention to date, with turnover falling year on year. More than 3,000 employees have been with the group for over a decade.
GEMS is also investing in local talent. Its Emirati Teacher Assistant Upskilling Programme has now trained more than 330 Emiratis.
Looking ahead
As the new academic year gets underway, GEMS says it is expanding future-focused learning, technology and AI-enabled approaches across its schools, while keeping academic rigour, character, wellbeing and real-world preparation at the centre of the experience.
The Family First theme reflects one more piece of that picture: recognising parents as partners in education, not just recipients of updates. GEMS says the aim is to strengthen ties between schools and the communities they serve, so students are supported both academically and beyond the classroom.
The group enters the new year with confidence in the UAE’s education outlook, having secured around 95% of its targeted student places through a mix of new registrations and re-enrolments.
For the 1,550 educators who joined this year, GEMS Awareness Day marked the start of a new chapter, and a reminder of the organisation’s wider ambition: building a community where people can build lasting careers, families feel they belong, and students are equipped to thrive in a changing world.
