Middlesex University Dubai

[Ellie]

I was job hunting and noticed that Middlesex University Dubai has lots of vacancies on its website - does anyone know why that is?

I heard that it was not a good place to work but couldn't get any details - is anyone able to provide some more information for me?
Are the academic staff supported? Do they get paid properly?
Their website says there is a new Director - has he made any improvements?
What about research?

Any information would be appreciated.

[Ellie]

I read somewhere that Middlesex University Dubai was not accredited by the UAE Ministry of Education; is this still the case?

In my quest for more information I stumbled across the university rankings from The Guardian newspaper. Middlesex appears in 111th place out of 120 institutes see education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2009. The teaching score is virtually the same for 2008 and 2009 at a derisory 37.88% and 37.90% respectively. As Middlesex Dubai's website talks about providing high quality British education can this really be true?

Does anyone have any experiences or knowledge they can share to shed some light on the situation?

[zelda]

answers to some of your questions ......

they are always looking for new staff 'cos staff turnover is high


they pay better than other places but that doesn't mean its a good place to work.

are you thinking of applying from overseas?

[zelda]

As far as i know - it is still the case that they are not accredited by the UAE.
They may be relying on the fact that students come out with a UK degree.
If the rules change they may have to seek accreditation at some point although I'm not sure how easy this would be to achieve.

Yes their ranking is low. They don't offer all the UK courses at the Dubai campus....so it's not clear how one could accurately assess the ranking of the Dubai campus as a separate unit.
There are mentions in Dubai about the university being highly ranked - but this appeared to relate to their nursing programme - but this is not offered in Dubai. Make any sense to you?

Good luck with your quest for information.

[dhtem]

Do not walk away from a job in this place....RUN! Staff turnover is almost 100 percent since this institution appeared here in Dubai for a reason, in fact for many, many reasons. This is a poisonous place where staff are badly treated. Do not believe whatever they say to you or offer you---they are completely untrustworthy.

[zelda]

I do have to say I agree 100% with the last writer - but perhaps I wasn't as explicit as I should have been.

If you are even thinking of moving from overseas to go there - yes i agree - it would not be the wisest move you could make. You never know how your contract could change.

If I were you I'd do some of your own research into living costs too, rather than believe what you are told.

If you happen to be in Dubai and really need some extra cash - then it would not be unfeasible to take up a temporary post there - as long as you can keep your head down - and then try for something better.

Howeever staff turnover really does speak for itself. Especially when the staff include those who are highly qualified and have moved overseas especially for the job.

Good luck.