Charles Bonas cautioned against relying solely on school brands, a trend commonly seen in Dubai’s rapidly expanding education sector.
For many families in the UAE, selecting a school is no longer just about the next academic year — it’s about positioning their children for the job market a decade from now.
In an interview with Khaleej Times, Charles Bonas, founder of UK-based education consultancy Bonas MacFarlane, noted that parents in expatriate hubs like Dubai are increasingly motivated by long-term employability considerations.
“Parents genuinely feel that, nowadays, degrees will make their children more employable, but we are currently facing a crisis around employability,” he said, adding that even “top graduates are struggling to find jobs,” a reality that is “filtering through into the education system.”
For UAE-based professionals — from pilots to bankers — this concern is heightened by the prospect of eventually returning home.
“If you’re moving back to live in, say, North London from Dubai, you need to ensure that you’re up to that standard,” Bonas said, highlighting the intense competition in major financial centres, where education systems often struggle to keep pace with rapid population growth.
UAE School Choice Driven by Trust, Future Jobs, and Global Perspective
In the UAE, school selection is strongly influenced by community trust.
“If you’ve got friends in Dubai recommending a school, you’re very likely to go and have a look, and probably put your child there with them,” said Charles Bonas, emphasizing that word-of-mouth referrals and proximity to home remain key factors.
However, Bonas cautioned against relying solely on school brands, a common trend in Dubai’s rapidly growing education market.
“You can have impressive facilities and buildings, but without good teachers, the brand doesn’t matter,” he added. He noted that some long-established UAE schools consistently outperform newer, high-profile names in university placements. While brand recognition may help schools launch quickly, it does not guarantee long-term quality. “I don’t know how much longer this brand recognition environment will ensure success,” he said, highlighting the need for substance over marketing.
Planning for the Future Job Market
Parents are increasingly taking a long-term perspective, focusing not just on transitions at ages 11 or 13, but on where their children will be at 23, 24, or 25.
Bonas noted that this shift is partly driven by uncertainty in the job market, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence.
“The careers your children are going to do don’t exist yet,” he said. “I don’t really think the schools know about it either.”
Despite this, he stressed the importance of a strong educational foundation, particularly as mid-level professional roles face growing pressures.
“If you want to enter professions like law or accounting, you’ve got to aim for the top,” he explained. “It’s the mid-range professional jobs that are being threatened.”
He also urged parents not to overestimate what any single school can achieve. “Parents often put too much emphasis on the school,” he said. “They think the school will do everything — it won’t.” Education, he emphasized, is a shared responsibility between schools and families, with many parents now complementing school learning through tutoring, enrichment activities, or home support.
International Schools and Global Citizenship
In Dubai, where many British families are experiencing private education for the first time, this long-term, holistic approach is particularly evident.
“There are many British parents who culturally have not been in the independent sector themselves,” Bonas said. “This is the first time their family has… dived in the deep end of independent education.”
He believes that international schools in the UAE offer a unique advantage beyond academics: a global perspective.
“What I really like about international schools is that they give a dimension to a child’s life that is unrelated to nationalism,” he said, describing internationally educated children as ‘citizens of the world’. Even a few years in an international environment can foster confidence, adaptability, and perspective.
“If anyone has the chance to live abroad for education, it’s a very good thing to do,” he added.
