UAE Jobs (Dubai specifically)

[Jolie]

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.

As someone who is in Dubai, I can completely agree with what all the other regular posters have said.

The place has been flooded with highly skilled developers from Ukraine, Russia and all the "stan" countries. That's without the workers from India and Pakistan.

You won't stand a chance, and even if you did, you would need to consider the implications of ties back to the UK.

Personally, I wouldn't work for a company here, the environment is far worse than that in the UK or US.

A better option would be to get into a large consultancy with global reach that has offices here already, in fact I met up with another girl at the weekend to have the exact same conversation, but she's already been working for them over a number of years and knows the pitfalls to coming over here.

Most contractors who move to Dubai work for companies outside of Dubai, or start their own company here.

Lastly, have you even been to Dubai for an extended period of time? It's easier for single people like me to make the move, but for a family with children it will soon negate any tax benefits. Oh and the weak pound also makes it even more expensive to live here.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

As someone who is in Dubai, I can completely agree with what all the other regular posters have said.

The place has been flooded with highly skilled developers from Ukraine, Russia and all the "stan" countries. That's without the workers from India and Pakistan.

You won't stand a chance, and even if you did, you would need to consider the implications of ties back to the UK.

Personally, I wouldn't work for a company here, the environment is far worse than that in the UK or US.

A better option would be to get into a large consultancy with global reach that has offices here already, in fact I met up with another girl at the weekend to have the exact same conversation, but she's already been working for them over a number of years and knows the pitfalls to coming over here.

Most contractors who move to Dubai work for companies outside of Dubai, or start their own company here.

Lastly, have you even been to Dubai for an extended period of time? It's easier for single people like me to make the move, but for a family with children it will soon negate any tax benefits. Oh and the weak pound also makes it even more expensive to live here.

Large consultancy does seem an attractive option which I have been exploring. I get what you are saying about the rest especially the cost of rent, schooling, healthcare vs tax savings. Something that alters the equation somewhat is that I have a profitable plan B which is currently growing and if it gets to a certain point the taxation here would be a back breaker.

[NotAllThere]

how about 10 years? I'd only come back to the UK over the summer for 6-8 weeks.

Well, ten years is doable, but you might not be able to come back to the UK if someone takes a dislike to you. https://www.detainedindubai.org/

Have you tried this calculator? https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/guida...hoose-tax-year

6-8 weeks in the UK is 42-56 days. If your only home is deemed to be in the UK, then you'll be UK resident.

[northernladuk]

IMO moving to Dubai just for tax purposes is highly complicated and disruptive. If you are planning on this then you need to plan around the family first and tax second. As back breaking as the tax maybe putting tax before your family is the worst decision you can make. Many people become wealthy and have happy lives whatever our tax regime is. If you think the UK tax situation is going to make you miserable and ruin your way of life I think you need a reset and look at the bigger picture. No probs if you are desperate to emigrate for a better way of live but planning to be in Dubai just for tax is poor life planning.

Don't let the tax tail wag your life dog IMO. The fact all this thread is focussed on tax then I don't think you should be doing it and that you actually will.

[Lance]

IMO moving to Dubai just for tax purposes is highly complicated and disruptive. If you are planning on this then you need to plan around the family first and tax second. As back breaking as the tax maybe putting tax before your family is the worst decision you can make. Many people become wealthy and have happy lives whatever our tax regime is. If you think the UK tax situation is going to make you miserable and ruin your way of life I think you need a reset and look at the bigger picture. No probs if you are desperate to emigrate for a better way of live but planning to be in Dubai just for tax is poor life planning.

Don't let the tax tail wag your life dog IMO. The fact all this thread is focussed on tax then I don't think you should be doing it and that you actually will.

mind you. If the OP lives in Manchester, Dubai might not be a terrible idea.

[Jolie]

IMO moving to Dubai just for tax purposes is highly complicated and disruptive. If you are planning on this then you need to plan around the family first and tax second. As back breaking as the tax maybe putting tax before your family is the worst decision you can make. Many people become wealthy and have happy lives whatever our tax regime is. If you think the UK tax situation is going to make you miserable and ruin your way of life I think you need a reset and look at the bigger picture. No probs if you are desperate to emigrate for a better way of live but planning to be in Dubai just for tax is poor life planning.

Don't let the tax tail wag your life dog IMO. The fact all this thread is focussed on tax then I don't think you should be doing it and that you actually will.

+1

If you are looking for a better life, and you like the lifestyle that Dubai would offer you and your family, then it's something to plan ahead for. Dubai is not for the faint hearted, and is quite a shock to the system if you're not used to it.

Doing it just to lower your tax bill right in the middle of an economic crisis is not going to end well.

[mogga71]

+1

If you are looking for a better life, and you like the lifestyle that Dubai would offer you and your family, then it's something to plan ahead for. Dubai is not for the faint hearted, and is quite a shock to the system if you're not used to it.

Doing it just to lower your tax bill right in the middle of an economic crisis is not going to end well.

A friend of mine has just been offered a move over to Dubai with 4 times his London salary. He has decided against it as too much of an upheaval ... but also because its just miles too hot over there for most of the year. Yes, all of the buildings are plush with nice air conditioning but it's very difficult to do anything outdoors for large parts of the year. My ex-big boss also moved over there 2 years ago and can't wait to get back to London. He was a bit of a party animal and says the social side of things is understandably rubbish in comparison to London. He has lost 2 stone.

[Jolie]

A friend of mine has just been offered a move over to Dubai with 4 times his London salary. He has decided against it as too much of an upheaval ... but also because its just miles too hot over there for most of the year. Yes, all of the buildings are plush with nice air conditioning but it's very difficult to do anything outdoors for large parts of the year. My ex-big boss also moved over there 2 years ago and can't wait to get back to London. He was a bit of a party animal and says the social side of things is understandably rubbish in comparison to London. He has lost 2 stone.

Depends on what you like to do ... and when. Month for month in comparison, you have a lot more time to socialise outside in a hot country compared to London. Yes it gets too hot June-September, but outside of those months you can pretty much do anything outside.

What do you get in London? A few months of 20-22 degrees, and a week or two when it hit's 30+, and that's the daytime temps. The rest of the year it's too cold to do anything outside, especially in the evening. Here, you can comfortably sit outside, go to outside parties, restaurants, visit the beach and pool parties, go to theme parks, hiking (yes there are mountains here!) etc etc for 8 months of the year, without worrying about rain, wind, ice and snow.

There's a fantastic social scene here, most are very much young focused, but as I said before, it's not for everyone and I get that.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

IMO moving to Dubai just for tax purposes is highly complicated and disruptive. If you are planning on this then you need to plan around the family first and tax second. As back breaking as the tax maybe putting tax before your family is the worst decision you can make. Many people become wealthy and have happy lives whatever our tax regime is. If you think the UK tax situation is going to make you miserable and ruin your way of life I think you need a reset and look at the bigger picture. No probs if you are desperate to emigrate for a better way of live but planning to be in Dubai just for tax is poor life planning.

Don't let the tax tail wag your life dog IMO. The fact all this thread is focussed on tax then I don't think you should be doing it and that you actually will.

I agree with you that if the move was purely about tax then it's not worth it. If that was the case I would consider other places. I have a lot of family in the region and I enjoy the culture (I am one of those that believe the UK culture is going downhill rapidly). I've been there many times and have a good feel for the lifestyle and the challenges (lots of pros and cons).

[PCTNN]

I agree with you that if the move was purely about tax then it's not worth it. If that was the case I would consider other places. I have a lot of family in the region and I enjoy the culture (I am one of those that believe the UK culture is going downhill rapidly). I've been there many times and have a good feel for the lifestyle and the challenges (lots of pros and cons).

and what do your wife and kids think about such a great change in their lives?