Moving school from UK to Dubai

Hi, so I’m heading to Year 10 and will be moving to Dubai at the start of the academic year and will be going to a private school which I have heard is a like a normal state school here. I’ve started doing a bit of GCSE coursework in y9 and was wondering what differences are IGCSE’s are compared to GCSE’s and I also want to know what to study during the holidays so I’m not behind when I join. If anyone has moved schools to Dubai, how is the school life there.. Are people friendly?

Hi, so I’m heading to Year 10 and will be moving to Dubai at the start of the academic year and will be going to a private school which I have heard is a like a normal state school here. I’ve started doing a bit of GCSE coursework in y9 and was wondering what differences are IGCSE’s are compared to GCSE’s and I also want to know what to study during the holidays so I’m not behind when I join. If anyone has moved schools to Dubai, how is the school life there.. Are people friendly?

Hi, I've just finished year 11 at a private school in Dubai. I'm going into my 10th year in Dubai so I think I can help with this. IGCSEs are really not that different from GCSEs, it's more like doing a different exam board. The main difference I would say is in coursework as some subjects that don't have coursework in the UK have optional coursework for IGCSEs that your school may do. For example, most schools here do English coursework (mine does at least). Some do only Literature coursework and do the exam for Language but others do coursework for both. This would mean that you only have one exam paper for each instead of two like they have in the UK. This is soooooo much better since you don't have to remember as many quotations as only one book is tested in the exam.

A lot of schools in Dubai have three years of GCSE so you start learning content in year 9. Find out if your school does this and if it does, I highly recommend learning the year 9 content over the summer. If not, then you really shouldn't worry about studying over the summer. Also, if you don't mind me asking, does your school do IB in sixth form or A levels? If it's both like my (soon old) school then maybe have a think about what you want to do, although since you were in the UK you'd probably pick A levels.

In terms of school life I don't really know what to say since I've lived here for most of my life. I would say that the schools are like the UK (even though I haven't lived there). They're very similar to my old school which was a British school in Belgium. I would also say that there is are different qualities of schools and some schools are much better than others. I know you have already picked a school but this is good to know for sixth form as well. The KHDA is kind of like Ofsted in the UK and they inspect schools. Each school is given a rating such as outstanding, very good, etc. Although these ratings are usually accurate, I would say that they can be quite misleading. My school has just been rated outstanding for the first time and from my experience it absolutely isn't. The best way to judge a school is with the results that they receive. My school's IB results have dropped this year and although it used to have the second-best results in Dubai, it is now around tenth. Another thing that I would say is that if you are not happy with your school, don't stay for sixth form. I know this seems obvious but it isn't very common to switch to a different school for sixth form here so I thought I would mention it. I don't mean to scare you by the way. You will probably love your school next year but on the off chance that you don't I thought this would be good to know.

I know how nerve-racking moving schools and countries is as I have done it a few times. I'm in the middle of switching to a different school for sixth form after having been in my current school for 9 years and I'm quite nervous even though I'm not moving to a different country. You get lots of different people here. Some people are very friendly whereas others are not (just like any other country). One thing I would say is that if you are left-leaning politically, you will come across a lot of people who will disagree with you so be careful with who you express your views to. Also people here tend to be quite wealthy (upper-middle class to upper class) and a few people are millionaires so a lot of people say that we are living in a bubble. I think this is quite accurate. A lot of people who haven't lived here think that Dubai is like other places in the middle east in terms of its views of women and things like that. This is not true at all and it is extremely progressive compared to those places. It is actually one of the safest cities in the world and you don't hear about any crimes happening here. Since you come from the UK you'll probably have a huge shock with the weather here. It rains very very rarely (only a couple times a year) and it is extremely hot. You probably enjoy the heat now but I promise you, you will hate it when you get here. Ask anyone in Dubai and they'll say that the heat is one of the worst parts of living here. In the summer the temperature is over 40 degrees celsius (it is 41 right now). There technically are seasons since the winter has a lower temperature but it is still around 25 degrees. However, you'll realise that the seasons are just: not hot or cold, hot, very hot and "oh my god I'm dying" hot. You cannot go outside in the summer (as you will realise immediately once you leave the airport) and have to stay indoors. There are a lot of things to do here and most people will go shopping in the endless number of malls (especially Mall of the Emirates and recently Dubai Hills Mall).

This is probably the longest post I have ever written on TSR but I had so much to say lol. I hope you have a good time in Dubai and your new school. Please reply or pm me with more questions as I would be more than happy to answer them

Hi, I've just finished year 11 at a private school in Dubai. I'm going into my 10th year in Dubai so I think I can help with this. IGCSEs are really not that different from GCSEs, it's more like doing a different exam board. The main difference I would say is in coursework as some subjects that don't have coursework in the UK have optional coursework for IGCSEs that your school may do. For example, most schools here do English coursework (mine does at least). Some do only Literature coursework and do the exam for Language but others do coursework for both. This would mean that you only have one exam paper for each instead of two like they have in the UK. This is soooooo much better since you don't have to remember as many quotations as only one book is tested in the exam.

A lot of schools in Dubai have three years of GCSE so you start learning content in year 9. Find out if your school does this and if it does, I highly recommend learning the year 9 content over the summer. If not, then you really shouldn't worry about studying over the summer. Also, if you don't mind me asking, does your school do IB in sixth form or A levels? If it's both like my (soon old) school then maybe have a think about what you want to do, although since you were in the UK you'd probably pick A levels.

In terms of school life I don't really know what to say since I've lived here for most of my life. I would say that the schools are like the UK (even though I haven't lived there). They're very similar to my old school which was a British school in Belgium. I would also say that there is are different qualities of schools and some schools are much better than others. I know you have already picked a school but this is good to know for sixth form as well. The KHDA is kind of like Ofsted in the UK and they inspect schools. Each school is given a rating such as outstanding, very good, etc. Although these ratings are usually accurate, I would say that they can be quite misleading. My school has just been rated outstanding for the first time and from my experience it absolutely isn't. The best way to judge a school is with the results that they receive. My school's IB results have dropped this year and although it used to have the second-best results in Dubai, it is now around tenth. Another thing that I would say is that if you are not happy with your school, don't stay for sixth form. I know this seems obvious but it isn't very common to switch to a different school for sixth form here so I thought I would mention it. I don't mean to scare you by the way. You will probably love your school next year but on the off chance that you don't I thought this would be good to know.

I know how nerve-racking moving schools and countries is as I have done it a few times. I'm in the middle of switching to a different school for sixth form after having been in my current school for 9 years and I'm quite nervous even though I'm not moving to a different country. You get lots of different people here. Some people are very friendly whereas others are not (just like any other country). One thing I would say is that if you are left-leaning politically, you will come across a lot of people who will disagree with you so be careful with who you express your views to. Also people here tend to be quite wealthy (upper-middle class to upper class) and a few people are millionaires so a lot of people say that we are living in a bubble. I think this is quite accurate. A lot of people who haven't lived here think that Dubai is like other places in the middle east in terms of its views of women and things like that. This is not true at all and it is extremely progressive compared to those places. It is actually one of the safest cities in the world and you don't hear about any crimes happening here. Since you come from the UK you'll probably have a huge shock with the weather here. It rains very very rarely (only a couple times a year) and it is extremely hot. You probably enjoy the heat now but I promise you, you will hate it when you get here. Ask anyone in Dubai and they'll say that the heat is one of the worst parts of living here. In the summer the temperature is over 40 degrees celsius (it is 41 right now). There technically are seasons since the winter has a lower temperature but it is still around 25 degrees. However, you'll realise that the seasons are just: not hot or cold, hot, very hot and "oh my god I'm dying" hot. You cannot go outside in the summer (as you will realise immediately once you leave the airport) and have to stay indoors. There are a lot of things to do here and most people will go shopping in the endless number of malls (especially Mall of the Emirates and recently Dubai Hills Mall).

This is probably the longest post I have ever written on TSR but I had so much to say lol. I hope you have a good time in Dubai and your new school. Please reply or pm me with more questions as I would be more than happy to answer them

Hi there! Thanks a lot for sharing your insights about studying in Dubai. Your explanation about IGCSEs and GCSEs was really helpful. I just looked and my school starts IGCSE content in y10 so I won’t be behind! As for sixth form, my school offers A levels. I'll definitely keep in mind your tips about school quality and choosing the right path. Thanks for the heads up about the weather too, lots of people have told me that the one thing that ruins all the fun is the soaring heat. I'll be sure to reach out if I have more questions. I’m really nervous about moving schools but excited to see Dubai and the opportunities there. Also I’m new to TSR so sorry for replying so late!