Work in Dubai

Working in Dubai

You would have to have been hiding out under a table in a dingy pub not to have heard about Dubai lately. Working in Dubai, could be a real eye opener, from its weird and wacky developments to sordid tales of expats being convicted of fornicating on the beach or jailed for having affairs, there is rarely a week that goes by without this Middle Eastern oasis featuring in the news.

But despite the bad publicity that this real-life Disneyland has attracted lately, it still provides a fabulous quality of life for many who choose to live and work in Dubai. The biggest draw cards for Western expats are the tax-free and often high salaries, never-ending sun and fabulous social life. If you can look past the random and confusing rules, the crazy traffic and 50-plus temps in summer, you might just have the time of your life.

Everyone needs a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates, regardless of whether you intend to work or if you’re just visiting for a holiday. The great news for anyone with a Western passport - that is anyone from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the USA and Canada - is that you can get a 30-day visit visa on arrival at Dubai International airport.
There is no such thing as a minimum wage in Dubai and rates of pay vary greatly depending on your passport. Generally, Westerners are paid more than people from Asia and the sub-continent, but not as much as Emiratis (UAE natives).
Dubai, and indeed the Middle East, does most things differently to any other part of the world and accommodation and property are no exception. There are a few laws that people need to bear in mind when moving to Dubai.
While the rest of the world was suffering in 2008, Dubai was proudly flaunting its money and supposed lack of vulnerability to foreign market forces. Sadly, that all came crashing down at the end of the year, resulting in mass redundancies across a range of sectors.
The single biggest thing that anyone needs to keep in mind when visiting or living in the UAE is that it’s a Muslim country. Sure, Dubai is known for being more liberal and tolerant than its neighbours, but this freedom shouldn’t be expected, or taken for granted.

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