Retaining Our Best Talent: Strengthening Careers Within GEMS Education 

During Academic Year 2025, we were thrilled to see so many of our talented colleagues take the next step in their careers across GEMS schools—185 moves in total, including promotions, lateral moves and transitions between different curricula. These movements show not only the exciting opportunities available across our group but also the importance of supporting our high-performing staff in their growth and development. 

Our goal is clear: to retain and engage our best teachers and leaders while staying true to our employee value proposition, the unique breadth, scale and impact of GEMS Education. We aim to foster a culture of transparency, opportunity and inclusion, where every individual feels empowered to grow within the group. 

How we’re making this happen: 
Increasing visibility of internal opportunities: All teaching and leadership roles will now be advertised on our internal career site, with a simpler, more user-friendly application process. 

• Increasing visibility of internal opportunities: All teaching and leadership roles will now be advertised on our internal career site, with a simpler, more user-friendly application process. 
• Fair and inclusive processes: Policies are now clearer and ensure leadership support when considering talent mobility across schools. 
• Supporting schools contributing talent: Schools that naturally feed talent to other parts of the group will receive additional recruitment support to maintain balance and continuity. 

Building Pipelines for Future Growth: 

During October, we launched an early registration of interest survey for staff who have completed at least two years with strong performance feedback. We were thrilled to receive over 500 notes of interest, an incredible response for our first time piloting this approach. Eligible staff who submitted their interest will now go through a structured process over the next few weeks, with the opportunity to speak directly with a member of the Talent Acquisition team. 

We are also pleased to be working closely with our Education colleagues to ensure a world-class approach to talent development. We are excited to support this work with the introduction of the GEMS Pathway to World Class, which focuses on identifying the right leadership and training opportunities to support all teachers in developing consistent, high-quality practice at a world-class level. 

Performance Management and Goal Alignment: 

As part of our commitment to staff growth and retention, the 2025–26 Performance Management Cycle has now been launched and continues to focus on aligning individual and school goals with our shared commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Teachers and leaders are concentrating on curriculum impact, stakeholder engagement, contribution to school priorities and professional growth, while Principals, Brand Ambassadors, and EVPs are also focusing on operational and people excellence. 

The GEMS Way Behaviour Charter continues to be a key element of our performance management approach, helping to define expectations around professional behaviours and leadership standards. Looking ahead to Term 2, we will introduce further opportunities for developmental feedback through 360-degree assessments based on the GEMS Way, providing meaningful insights to support ongoing growth and development. 

Through these initiatives, internal mobility, transparent career pathways, structured performance management, world-class development programs, and the GEMS Way Behaviour Charter, GEMS Education is committed to retaining top talent, supporting professional growth and maintaining a culture of excellence across our schools. 

Recruitment for 2026/27 

Recruitment preparations for Academic Year 2026/27 are also well underway. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be holding a series of online and overseas campaigns, with GEMS Education set to visit 10 cities across 4 countries.  

As always, you play a vital role in helping us connect with outstanding educators. Your referrals have been instrumental in bringing high-quality practitioners into our schools, and we’d love for that to continue. If you know talented teachers considering a move to Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, or Qatar, please encourage them to share their CV with your HR Manager, who will then forward it to SSC. Thank you for your continued support in helping us grow our GEMS family.