Dubai - The easy road to Easy Money and Easy Life?

Some people think coming to Dubai is an easy way to money. But it is not. Dubai is a hard place for people to work and live. You might get a great offer, but the downsides are getting worse and worse every day.

Job in Dubai

Here are a few items you need to consider you consider a Job in Dubai

• Salary and package might be high – but it might also be very low. Especially if you are in the service industry – your package is usually not great. But your package is usually higher if you get the job before coming here.
• But rent is equally high. Some people pay up to 50% of their income in pure rent. If you find a cheap place to live – then you might have 1 hour of “stuck in traffic” every day.
• You usually have to pay your rent in between 1 to 4 cheques pr. year. So you could face a “100.000 dhs” upfront payment to secure your place of living – excl. 5% to the agent and 5% deposit.
• It is hard for single men to find places to live – since a lot of places are “off-limits” for bachelors. And in the eyes of many officials – even an expat with a wife staying in the home country is classified as a bachelor. Sharing accommodation is illegal in many areas.
• Food is expensive now – and quality of the food in the big places are of varying quality. From time to time you might be lucky and find something good – other times – you can’t find meat worth eating.  In general LuLu hypermarket seems to be the only place where we consistently find good quality. (But even they blow it from time to time)
• On a lot of items – like electronics, TVs, perfume etc. prices are now very high – even compared with Europe and USA. Expect same prices as in Europe – INCL. European taxes. The problem here is that “exclusivity” is very popular in the UAE, and that means high prices for the consumer. So don’t bother going from shop to shop trying to get a better price on TVs and other Electronics – prices are usually fixed. If you are lucky you can find a product at a corner shop at a better price – but then forget about customer service…
• Sales people in the shops are not very well educated, and can bend the truth a lot if they think it will make a sale. (I visited EON, a very high-end “AV and home control” shop in Mall of the Emirates – and the MANAGER told me a “HD” display – was a “Full HD” display,  just because it was plasma.) So expect low standards – and be happy if you find someone with high standards.
• Cars are cheap though – and so is petrol.
• Lot of red-tape to get through to get your work-visa. Don’t get tempted to work in UAE without a proper visa. Fines and jail time can be expected if caught.
• Don’t even think of doing crimes in the UAE – the CID is tough and DNA registers are legal and used a lot in the UAE.
  

So for getting your Job in Dubai – think hard before you try – but if the above obstacles are not a concern – the place might be great for you. But just do not get your hopes up, before you have secured a Job and a place to live.  But if you are up to the challenge and have the right and needed qualifications for the UAE - then it can be a great and fun experience to live here. So don’t give up but be honest at least to yourself – that is a challenge you have ventured out on.

Good luck with your Job in Dubai