Who hires shadow teachers in the UAE?
By ShadowTeacher Team · Updated 24 September 2026
In the UAE, shadow teachers are most often hired and paid by parents, who then agree the arrangement with their child's school. Some schools employ their own learning support assistants and allocate them to a child, and a smaller number of families go through a therapy centre or agency that supplies and supervises the teacher. Which route you end up on depends on what the school offers, how much control you want, and what you can afford. This guide walks through each option so you know what you are agreeing to before you start looking for a teacher.
Parents hiring directly
This is the most common arrangement in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The school tells you, usually after an observation or an assessment, that your child would benefit from one-to-one support in class. The school does not have a spare adult to provide it, or only offers a shared assistant, so you find a shadow teacher yourself, agree a salary or hourly rate, and the school adds that person to its approved-staff list.
The advantage is control: you choose the person, you set the hours, and you can change teacher if it is not working. The responsibility is also yours. You are the employer in practice, so you handle pay, holidays, sick cover and the visa position of the person you hire, and you should keep the school informed of any change.
Most families in this situation start by asking what a fair rate looks like. Our cost page is built from the salary brackets verified teachers on this platform declare, so you can see the going range before you make an offer.
Schools employing their own support staff
Many private schools, particularly the larger groups, employ learning support assistants on their own payroll. In that case the assistant is a member of school staff, reports to the head of inclusion, and is usually shared between two or more children or allocated for part of the day.
Some schools charge an additional fee for this service; others include it in the tuition. Either way the school decides who the assistant is and how their time is used. Parents have less say over the individual, but the school carries the employment and supervision burden, and the assistant is already trained in that school's systems.
If your child needs full-time, one-to-one support, ask the school directly whether its own staffing can provide that. Where it cannot, the school will normally suggest that you bring in an external shadow teacher.
Therapy centres and agencies
A number of therapy centres in the UAE, especially those offering applied behaviour analysis, place their own behaviour technicians in schools as shadow teachers. The centre employs and supervises the technician, and you pay the centre a monthly fee that is typically higher than hiring directly, because supervision and clinical oversight are included.
This route suits families who want a clinical programme running in the classroom, for example a child with an autism diagnosis who already attends the centre for therapy. It suits families less well when the main need is academic access rather than behavioural support, or when the budget is tight.
Agencies that simply recruit and place shadow teachers also exist. Ask any agency who the legal employer is, what supervision is included, and what happens if the teacher leaves mid-year.
Who the shadow teacher reports to
Whoever pays, the shadow teacher works inside the school's structures. Day to day they take direction from the class teacher and the inclusion or SEN lead, follow the child's individual education plan, and attend review meetings. If you employ the teacher, you are their employer but not their line manager in the classroom, and it helps to say that plainly at the start.
A good arrangement has three people talking regularly: you, the shadow teacher and the school's inclusion lead. A short weekly note from the teacher and a termly review with the school is enough for most families.
Getting the arrangement set up
Whichever route you take, the school will want documents from the shadow teacher before they can start: identity, qualifications, police clearance and often a school-specific agreement. Our guide on how schools add a shadow teacher to their approved-staff list explains what to expect and how long it takes.
If you are hiring directly, you can browse verified teachers by city, for example in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, message them without an agency in the middle, and agree terms yourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Can a school refuse the shadow teacher I hired?
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Yes. A school can decline a specific person, usually on safeguarding or qualification grounds, and can set conditions such as a trial period or a school agreement. Ask for the reason in writing so you can address it or choose someone else.
Do parents have to pay for a shadow teacher in the UAE?
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In most cases, yes. Unless the school provides an assistant from its own staff, the parent pays the shadow teacher directly or through a centre. Some schools charge a support fee instead.
Is a shadow teacher the same as a school's learning support assistant?
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The classroom role is similar. The difference is who employs them: a learning support assistant is normally school staff, while a shadow teacher is normally hired by the family for one child.