UAE Jobs (Dubai specifically)

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

With the weak £ and increasing taxes/cuts in spending round the corner, Dubai is looking more appealing. Add to that IR35 360s and I think it's a good time to move away from the UK to somewhere where you are not working to pay government debts.

Has anybody had experience with applying for work there? Which sites, companies etc and how to go about finding work? I managed to land a few interviews in Abu Dhabi almost a year ago and with the exchange rate, the take home at the end of the month would be considerably more than my current day rate (x 21 days)... However, I've struggled to generate any leads for Dubai work.

[Lance]

If you want grandiose job titles with very little knowledge then Dubai is the place.
A junior dev can become a global full-stack senior VP of engineering.

If you want to compete with India's finest (well the ones that can afford a flight) then Dubai is the place.

There's a lot of money there but I'm not sure the wages are good as they can get the cheapest labour from where they want.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

If you want grandiose job titles with very little knowledge then Dubai is the place.
A junior dev can become a global full-stack senior VP of engineering.

If you want to compete with India's finest (well the ones that can afford a flight) then Dubai is the place.

There's a lot of money there but I'm not sure the wages are good as they can get the cheapest labour from where they want.

Agreed. They can ship over cheap Indian/Pakistani labour for a fraction of the cost. However, there must still be opportunities for the right kind of skillset and a premium on the British passport holder/UK educated & trained worker.

[Lance]

Agreed. They can ship over cheap Indian/Pakistani labour for a fraction of the cost. However, there must still be opportunities for the right kind of skillset and a premium on the British passport holder/UK educated & trained worker.

there may well be a premium based on skills. But you are delusional if you think a British passport is worth anything. The Arab nations are pretty racist, and white Westerners are closer to the top of the pile than black/brown Africans or Indians, but I think you are taking British exceptionalism to a new level.
It's not like you're going to be running a business, you are just another skilled worker.

[northernladuk]

Join the queue. People have been targetting Dubai and the AE for a decade let alone the ones trying your plan as well. Extremely difficult to get in there at the best of times.

Previous experience working there is paramount in most gigs so you will be behind anyone that has, then they've the pick of the crop regarding skills and then there are the people flexible enough to meet whatever needs the client has. The whole world is trying to get over there as well.

Give it a go and keep plugging away but treat it like a nice to have rather than a life goal as it's very difficult to nail.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Join the queue. People have been targetting Dubai and the AE for a decade let alone the ones trying your plan as well. Extremely difficult to get in there at the best of times.

Previous experience working there is paramount in most gigs so you will be behind anyone that has, then they've the pick of the crop regarding skills and then there are the people flexible enough to meet whatever needs the client has. The whole world is trying to get over there as well.

Give it a go and keep plugging away but treat it like a nice to have rather than a life goal as it's very difficult to nail.

Does seem to be like that.... A lot if it there is about connections and meeting the right people which is why I've looked at the virtual working programme which lets you live there as an expat and work remotely. Then you can navigate your way through the market. An advantage of doing this is I can pay myself a salary and avoid a large amount of tax as I'd be based there.

[northernladuk]

Does seem to be like that.... A lot if it there is about connections and meeting the right people which is why I've looked at the virtual working programme which lets you live there as an expat and work remotely. Then you can navigate your way through the market. An advantage of doing this is I can pay myself a salary and avoid a large amount of tax as I'd be based there.

Thought you were happy taking a 15% cut to do 50% of work so you could spend time with your family? Not work halfway across the world?

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

comparing apples with apples not apples with oranges there. Of course if I have to stay in the UK and pay majority of my money to tax than a 15% cut for 50% less work is worthwhile. But if I get to keep near 100% of my money, avoid IR35 headaches, escape the dying UK economy then it's worth considering.

[northernladuk]

comparing apples with apples not apples with oranges there. Of course if I have to stay in the UK and pay majority of my money to tax than a 15% cut for 50% less work is worthwhile. But if I get to keep near 100% of my money, avoid IR35 headaches, escape the dying UK economy then it's worth considering.

I think your first job is to look in to the tax situation. I think you'll find it's not as simple as that.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I think your first job is to look in to the tax situation. I think you'll find it's not as simple as that.

You make an incorrect assumption. I've done the maths.