GEMS Education has welcomed 1,550 new teachers to its schools as the 2026/27 academic year begins. This major round of hiring has taken the group’s total number of educators to more than 10,000. It is another important milestone in GEMS Education’s long-standing effort to attract talented teachers. The group’s goal is to build stronger partnerships with families and prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
Now a part of a diverse community made up of educators from more than 112 nationalities, the new teachers who joined GEMS Education went through a competitive recruitment process. They receive more than 500,000 job applications every year, showing the strong reputation they have built as a preferred choice for people working in international education.
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Uniting Leaders and Families for Future Growth
The new educators officially came together at GEMS Awareness Day 2026. The annual event brings together new teachers, school leaders, and senior executives. This year’s theme was “Family First”, with a focus on the importance of strong relationships between schools and families. GEMS Education believes that great teaching depends not only on what happens in the classroom, but also on the connections schools build with families.
Sunny Varkey, Founder and Chairman of GEMS Education, spoke to the new educators at the event. He said that the future of education depends greatly on the people who have the responsibility of inspiring and guiding students.
He also highlighted the importance of investing in teachers, as strong and well-supported educators can help every child reach their full potential. Looking ahead, the group wants to build an organisation that can continue to grow and serve students for many years to come, while giving them a strong academic foundation as well as practical skills they can use beyond the classroom.
Attracting Top Domestic and Global Talent
GEMS Education uses a mix of local and international recruitment. It hires teachers from within the United Arab Emirates as well as from major markets around the world. Local teachers bring a strong understanding of national curricula and the needs of their communities. Teachers coming from overseas bring new ideas and experiences from different education systems and classrooms.
Because GEMS Education has such a large network of schools, it can adjust its hiring approach based on what each school needs. Its international reach also means that individual campuses can bring in teachers with the specific skills and experience they are looking for.
Rather than depending on teachers from one particular country or recruitment market, the group looks for talent across different regions, giving it access to a much wider pool of qualified educators. This mix of local and international experience helps give students a broader learning experience while maintaining GEMS Education’s focus on high-quality international education.
Internal Mobility and Career Development
The size of the GEMS Education network also gives teachers plenty of opportunities to grow their careers within the organisation. As they gain experience, teachers can move between different schools, take on new roles, or work with different curricula. The organisation’s focus on promoting from within is also clear from its leadership appointments.
Over the past 12 months, more than 40% of principal appointments were given to people who were already part of GEMS Education. This shows that the group is not only hiring new talent but is also focused on giving its existing teachers and staff opportunities to move forward in their careers.
GEMS Education also places importance on employee wellbeing and engagement. Teacher turnover has continued to fall year after year, with the group reaching record retention rates. More than 3,000 employees have now worked with the group for over ten years. The organisation also continues to develop local talent through programmes such as its Emirati Teacher Assistant Upskilling Programme, which has trained more than 330 UAE nationals.
Preparing Students for the Modern World
As the 2026/27 academic year gets underway, GEMS Education is continuing to look at new ways to improve how its schools teach and support students. Across the network, schools are introducing more future-focused learning, making greater use of artificial intelligence tools, and bringing technology further into the classroom.
However, the focus is not only on new technology and modern teaching methods. School leaders are also continuing to place a strong emphasis on academic standards, character development, and making sure students can use what they learn in real-life situations.
Parents remain an important part of this approach as well. GEMS Education sees families as active partners in their children’s education, rather than simply people who are kept informed about what happens at school. The group believes that when schools and families work closely together, students are more likely to feel supported and do well both academically and emotionally.
As the new academic year begins, GEMS Education is also entering the term from a strong position, with 95% of its targeted student placements already secured through a combination of re-enrolments and new admissions.
A Strong Legacy of Educational Excellence
GEMS Education was founded in the UAE, with its roots going back to 1959. Since then, it has grown into a global organisation in international education. Today, it educates more than 200,000 students from 176 countries across its owned and managed campuses. The family-led group is guided by Sunny Varkey, along with Dino Varkey and Jay Varkey, and offers a wide range of curricula.
Over the past four years alone, more than 3,500 GEMS graduates have secured places at the world’s top 100 universities. Its alumni have also been accepted into all eight US Ivy League institutions as well as leading Russell Group universities in the UK. By starting the 2026/27 academic year with 1,550 new teachers, GEMS Education is continuing its focus on preparing young people to become confident and compassionate leaders.
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