For specialists · All seven emirates
SEN governess work, with someone behind you
One-to-one roles with UAE families. You get the plan before you meet the child, and a clinical lead to ask.
The role
What a SEN governess is hired to do.
A SEN governess is a trained specialist who works one-to-one with a child who has additional needs — most of the day, mostly at home — carrying their learning, routine and behaviour plan rather than only their care.
Families advertise it as a special needs governess, a SEN nanny, a shadow teacher at home, or simply as a governess. The work is the same: one child, mostly at home, to written goals — and records at the end of the day that somebody actually reads.
What we look for
The brief.
- Experience working one-to-one with a child who has additional needs — at home, in a classroom, or in a clinic
- A CV and two references we can call
- Comfortable working to a written plan and recording what happens, day by day
- Willing to be briefed, supervised and reviewed by a clinical lead
- Based in the UAE or able to work here lawfully
What you get
Not just an address and a start date.
You are not left alone in someone's house
Every placement reports into a clinical lead who wrote the plan and reviews it with you. The hardest part of this job is usually having nobody to ask.
A brief before day one
You meet the plan before you meet the child — goals, strategies, what has already been tried. Not a phone number and good luck.
Training that leads somewhere
Our 40-hour IBT coursework is the first step on the behaviour-technician pathway, and specialists on our books get placement priority.
Registering is free
We never charge a specialist to be registered, matched or placed. If anyone in this market asks you for a fee to be put forward, that is your answer about them.
Frequently asked
Questions specialists ask us first.
- What does a SEN governess role involve?
- Working with one child, mostly in their home, to a written plan: learning targets, routine, communication, behaviour strategies and independence skills, with daily records and a clinical lead reviewing your work.
- Do I need to be a qualified teacher?
- No. Most of our specialists come from special education, psychology, therapy assistance or early-years work. What matters is real one-to-one experience with a child who has additional needs, and a willingness to work to a plan you did not write yourself.
- Do you charge specialists a fee?
- Never — not to register, not to be matched, not to be placed. Families pay us; you do not.
- Will I be employed by Special Minds or by the family?
- Both happen. On managed placements you stay on our books under our supervision. On direct hires you are employed by the family and we step out once the placement is made. We tell you which one a role is before you interview.
- Where are the roles?
- Across all seven emirates, most often in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
- How do I apply?
- Register on the site with your CV and two references. We read every registration, and we build your profile properly rather than forwarding a CV you sent us.
Send us your CV and two references.
We read every registration, and we write your profile properly rather than forwarding the CV you sent us.