Thinking about the UAE

[Theflyingshutter]

Hi

DH and I are both in professional jobs in the U.K with a household income in the U.K. off around 400k. We are in the very early stages off thinking about moving to the UAE (Dubai or Abu Dhabi). I have a couple of questions I was hoping for help with so we can think about whether moving really is an option for us:

Is it common for both parents to work or is a trailing stay at home spouse situation more common?

What is workplace culture generally like in terms of hours, commutes and flexibility? I currently have a lot of flexibility and family support which is helpful as my DH works long hours and we have a young family. Not sure how likely it is that I would be able to find the flexibility element out there? Do working parents rely on maids/helpers for school drop offs/pick ups? Is there good after school and holiday club provision in most schools?

What is the job market like? Is it very saturated and competitive ? I’ve seen a few jobs advertised in my area on LinkedIn and there are often over a hundred applicants within a few days!

How easy is it develop friendships out there? Where do people find their circles? Is it mostly through work and school?

Thanks!

Do you enjoy supporting slave labour and human rights violations?

Be prepared for multiple responses similar to the above.

To answer your question, whilst obviously it varies based on company and sector, the reality is that Dubai is a long work hours culture. Working parents are heavily dependent on live in help, and because it's the norm employers are used to having employees who have a live in nanny at home. Not saying that there aren't flexible employers but I'd expect it to be worse than the UK in this area.

Job market is extremely saturated and competitive but it depends on what you do and what you're experience is. Reality is there are few very strong candidates. There are a lot of ok candidates. And there are a lot of ok candidates willing to work for very little (because the market is saturated and people get desperate). It can be hard for employers to distinguish the very good candidates and LinkedIn is close to pointless as a job application tool because of the volumes of completely unqualified candidates that come through - you need to network so that someone looks at your CV.

It's increasingly common for both parents to work but I'd still say (for primary at least) it's still the norm for there to be one stay at home parent. That's partly because salaries are often higher overall for the main wage earner, partly because of the difficulties of finding work overall, and partly because in a lot of areas salaries are very low (can be below UK minimum wage in some common trailing spouse jobs like admin) and it's hard to justify the impact of the expected hours and restrictions on travel over the summer holidays etc.

Friends come around in several ways. It can take a while to find your niche but if you're prepared to get yourself out there it shouldn't be an issue.

This is all for Dubai but I'd say the same for AD. Only difference with AD is that the big employers are more often government related and these can be much more 9-5 focused jobs.

@lopsidedfalcon Thank you! That’s really helpful.

How does it work in terms of live-in Nannies helping with drop offs/pick ups? Is it easy to find someone who can drive? When you talk about live in nannies do you may mean something different to what my friends from single income households refer to as “maids” who seem to be more helpers for the SAHM?

There are currently half a dozen jobs in my area advertised on LinkedIn. I’ve no idea what they are looking to pay though. It’s not a huge area in the ME but it’s growing and I feel like I’m a fairly strong candidate. I have over a decade of experience working in large multinationals. What I don’t have is any sort off network out there.

I was threatened with being arrested, my passport seized and told not to leave the country - so they could investigate me drinking alcohol (inside the Fairmont Hotel, during dinner) when I raised to the hotel and police that we had been robbed….. so basically don’t ever get robbed / attacked / in any altercation as if you do - you’ll be investigated first and threatened until you sign something that states no crime was ever committed.

This is so serious, and terrifying. Awful awful country built of blood and tears

You can get nannies who can drive but they obviously command a higher salary and can be hard to find. I'm talking about the similar category to maids/helpers - not fully qualified so often not a 'true' nanny but equally (and again depends on what you are looking for/how much you pay) not necessarily just a helper. Roles vary a lot - obviously having sole care of an infant in a household where both parents works is a very different job to someone who is supporting a stay at home parent (and so is effectively a cleaner with occasional babysitting duties). You can also hire fully qualified nannies (who will generally drive) but that will be closer to what you would pay in the UK.

Happy for you to PM me if you want to share more info on what you do.

@lopsidedfalcon Thanks! We had a nanny when the children were young but we are past the infant stage now. I’m thinking more about how we would manage school drop offs/pick ups if we are both working long hours and didn’t have flexibility.

ill drop you a PM about my job. Thanks so much!

There are school buses, you can live walking distance from school (for some schools) or there's the option for the nanny to pick up by taxi.

Leave the helper at home and put the kids on the school bus. The only issue with this can be that you'll have to make other arrangements if they stay after school for a CCA/ECA.

Workplace culture is generally inflexible, especially in the local companies.

Trying to get a job from a posting on LinkedIn is very difficult. Your network is very important, as in most cases, especially at a senior level, this is how roles are hired.

I’ve got 10 years experience in the Middle East from living and working in the UAE. I was the global lead for my function for a US Fortune 50, and I’m struggling to get interviews. There is a lot of competition and downward pressure on salaries.

Feel free to PM me.

@TheNiftyHedgehog Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you mean developing a virtual network is the way to go (given I am not in country) or do you mean that you need to spend some time there first in order to develop that network?

I guess the job market competition (and resulting pressure on salaries) is down to the influx of people into the region? My concern is that we have missed the boat a bit in terms of timing.

A bit of a nasty remark

i wonder why on those combined Uk salaries you are interested in a move to the UAE? You haven’t said why you want to go. Many people who go plan it for the short term for financial reasons. Eg. Pay off debt, clear a mortgage in the UK, a few high earning years before retirement. On those sort of salaries I’d imagine you are more than comfortable here?

I agree with pp. On your salary I wouldn't want to move to Dubai. The weather is rubbish for 8 months of the year, and it's just so shallow and soulless. If I had to live in the UAE, it would be Abu Dhabi.

Apologies if hearing the truth offends you.

Having worked in the UAE I totally agree that a long hours culture is absolutely the norm - particularly as having live in domestic help is also considered to be the norm. In terms of salary and opportunities I tend to think you may have missed the boat a bit as roles at all levels - including the more senior roles that used to be filled by Europeans/ Americans are now being filled by South Asians who are happy to work for lower salaries.