Title: Expatriate academics: an exploratory study of western academics in the United Arab Emirates

Authors: Rizwan Tahir

Addresses: Department of Business and Management, RIT Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Abstract: Internationalisation and global labour mobility have made it possible for highly qualified academics to work and live in practically any country they want. The present study, therefore, explores the motivation, adjustment and retention challenges of expatriate academics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The author conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 expatriate academics working in public and private universities in the UAE. The interviewees were motivated to take up academic positions by their desire for attractive job conditions, a high salary, international experience and the lack of job opportunities in their home countries. Interestingly, most of the interviewees were able to adjust well socially in the UAE, yet many expressed their disappointment concerning the lack of time and resources allocated to research. Additionally, issues that are deliberated here could be of some interest to researchers who are interested in the careers of such expatriate academics and the dynamics that affect them.

Keywords: academic expatriates; self-initiated expatriation; motivation; adjustment; retention; United Arab Emirates; UAE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMP.2023.133218

International Journal of Management Practice, 2023 Vol.16 No.5, pp.641 - 657

Received: 23 May 2021
Accepted: 28 Nov 2021
Published online: 01 Sep 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article