Parents struggling to keep up with UAE school fees

School fees paid in lump at the start of each academic year are straining family budgets, parents say.

Rosie Seldon, a parent with two children at Cranleigh. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // Parents say they are feeling the pinch with rising tuition fees and other costly back-to-school expenses.

After rent, parents say school fees – usually paid in a lump sum at the start of the academic year – is their biggest outlay, and for many, writing the annual cheque to their children’s educational establishments leaves them with a financial headache.

Rosie Seldon, marketing and digital consultant for a UK online marketing company, is one such parent who said tuition fee hikes often leave her family squeezed for cash.

“September is always a challenging month as we have to pay the first batch of school fees for the year,” said the Briton, who has two children, aged nine and 11, returning to Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi. “As the kids get older, the school fees increase.”

The 42-year-old said the heavy financial cost of school fees and add-ons are a constant worry for her and her husband, who works in the banking sector, as well as fellow parents.

For each of the three school terms, school fees for her two children amount to Dh50,000.

“While my children love Cranleigh – the teachers are enthusiastic and confident, and there is a lively and welcoming atmosphere – Dh150,000 is expensive every year,” she said.

That amount comes on top of out-of-pocket expenses such as shopping for school uniforms and stationery or paying for after-school activities.

“It is always a financial burden when the invoices come in. A lot of companies contribute to school fees, but as the school fees increase exponentially each year, the average allowances offered by companies in a lot of cases only covers a third of the fees,” Ms Seldon said.

“Many employees pay the schools directly and then claim a refund from their company, so you always have to have the money in your back pocket.

“Some employees are lucky enough to have the school fees paid directly by their company, but this is becoming less common.”

Ms Seldon said she knows several parents who have moved back to the UK as they were finding the UAE school fees too high.

“With the exchange rate moving in favour of the UAE, it means that UK schools are actually cheaper now than two years ago for expats who send their kids abroad – and of course in the UK there is the option of an outstanding state school education, which is free,” she said.

Al Ghadeer resident Cindy Black is also feeling the pressure from paying fees.

“It is crazy how expensive the cost of schooling is here in Dubai,” said the South African. “It is almost crippling on the budget.”

While she is grateful that her company negotiated a corporate discount for staff, schooling is still “shockingly expensive”.

“Once I have two children in school soon, I am scared of how little disposable money we will have left for the month. It almost makes living in Dubai too difficult.

“We are here because our home country is not safe, so we stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“We love our lives here in Dubai, but the cost of schooling makes us have to cut back a lot on non-essential spending so we can cover the high cost of schooling.”

Jennifer Sharp, a 41-year-old Briton, said school fees are also a worry for her and her family.

“We have twin girls and we are definitely feeling the pinch,” she said.“We are out of pocket nearly Dh60,000 on school fees and adding in our twin girls activities, the costs have nearly broken the bank.

“At this rate we will end up having to leave the UAE. Our allowances aren’t high enough to cover the cost of living here for a family.”