Why am i blogging?

It doesn’t matter if you want to stay in Dubai for one week or one year. With this blog I want to give you an insight into the Arabic world like I experienced it. And I hope you will not only enjoy the reading but also that it will help you to make a decision or even with the startup. I will build up this blog step by step and try to connect helpful information with my own experiences.

I have been living in Dubai for 3 years. Or better to say, I have been working in Dubai for 3 years. I was staying in Sharjah, the neighbor emirate. Living and working abroad changed my life a lot. This is also a reason why I am writing this blog. I want to bolster you up to go out in the world make experiences. Build memories. It is not always easy and it may come a time that you miss your home, your family and maybe your friends. But all this shouldn’t keep you from going out there. This is what makes life worth it!

Directly after I finished my vocational training in a workshop, I went to Dubai. There I worked in a workshop too, as a technician. I went there with two colleagues from Germany and our company arranged everything. So I had a quite easy start. But nobody takes the decision from you. Most people, at least in my environment, couldn’t or still can’t imagine working or living abroad. Away from family and friends. Depending on your circumstances it may not be easy to leave. But the things you learn and the experiences you will make are thing nobody can take away from you. So you crow through your experiences.

And if you’re already thinking about leaving, you may be looking for something. Some changes. A better place to be. I never regret that I went to Dubai. It was the best time of my life and I love each memory about it. I made a post for each important topic, so I hope you will find quickly the information you are looking for.

Some more facts about me. I lead my life in Dubai like at home. I was working 50 hours a week, 5 days. Morning and evening with additional 1 to 2 hours driving from and to home. If you have been in Dubai already you now what I am talking about. On weekends I went to one of the beautiful beaches, for shopping in one of the numerous malls or made a trip and viewed the U.A.E. To which beach I went most or which mall I liked best you will learn in the particular post.

If you have a question don’t hesitate to send me an email. I try to reply as soon as possible!

If you like this post or the blog I would be happy if you could share it to help others to find it. Thank you!

Der Beitrag About me and the blog erschien zuerst auf The Dubai Experience.

If you are thinking about to move to the U.A.E., you may ask yourself how much money a month it takes not only to survive but rather to live there comfortable. So, how much money you need to earn depends most of all on you in the first place. But it depends also on your labor contract. Some companies provide a company-car and a flat. Others give allowances instead. Or you get just one paycheck and have to organize all by yourself. It depends strongly on the type of industry and the position you are working in.

Accommodation

So it is common in some industries that the manpower is accommodated in so called labor camps with free transportation to work. Others get company owned flats or even houses. Anyhow, if you get a company accommodation and free transport you don’t need to worry about that. Don’t underestimate the struggle of finding a flat. The rents are very high and nice flats are seldom. Especially if you want to live in Dubai you need to dig deep into your pocket. So if you don’t want to spend all your money for accommodation you might consider taking a flat in Sharjah. It is a lot cheaper than living in Dubai, but the problem with this is you will spend more time on the road. In the rush-hour almost everywhere is traffic jam. So it will take you at least one hour to reach home. So you better check out the traffic before moving somewhere. Some people with big houses sublet rooms. This is one way to stay in Dubai and a good opportunity for students or if you plan to stay a limited period only. Having an accommodation in Dubai has not only the advantage of saving time from the traffic jams. If it comes to the evening program you are also faster in a bar or restaurant to meet friends or teammates.

Grocery

In Dubai you will find almost everything like everywhere else in the stores. Almost! Two big chains of stores are Spinneys and Carrefour. There you can find above all european products. But especially with Spinneys will know where you went when it comes to the cash point. Even if the prices are lower than in Europe, which doesn’t counts for all products, some are even more expensive, it is more than you would pay in local stores. But you can buy there sparkling water from France, shower gel from Switzerland, butter from Denmark and much more. A bit more expensive are drugs, fruits and meat. I needed around 40$ a week for grocery, just that you have a reference. But don’t fix on that! Prices keep changing and you may need more or less than I did.

Fast-food is quite cheap and some restaurants too. Except your going in a hotel, there the restaurants are quite expensive.

If you want to drink alcohol there are only two ways. You can go in a bar, a club or a hotel in Dubai and have a drink there. The other way is to get an alcohol license and buy alcohol in certain stores. Either way, just be sure to not drink alcohol in public or being picked up be police drunk. Both is prohibited and could end in jail or at least with a fine. Just telling you.

Phone and Internet

Communicating in the U.A.E. is quite cheap. There are two big providers. A public one, Etisalat, and a private one, Du. But to get a sim-card you will need your passport with a valid visa-stamp or your ID-card. Also you can get DSL for your home. All flats are already equipped with the technology, so you just need to make a contract. If you don’t need that much internet or just don’t want the trouble you can use one of the many internet cafés. In some Malls they have also WIFI hotspots you can use. For current price tables I linked both companies’ sides so you can check them out.

Insurances

A health insurance you will get from your company. But that’s it. If you want to be secured beyond that you have to do it on your own. I would at least suggest a legal protection insurance and a personal liability insurance. I had them. And if you have a own car, of cause you need an insurance for that too.

Transport

Taxis are mostly everywhere to find and quite affordable. They use the taximeter. Only if you start from the airport you will pay a higher basic price. But if you need a cap after your party in a club there could be a defile.

Cheaper to ride are the public transports like bus or the Dubai-metro. A daily ticket for all zones is just around 3$. All prices you can find here.

Summary

Depending on your needs, Dubai is really affordable. And even if you don’t get rich here, it is a really nice place to stay.

If you like this post or my page, I would be happy if you could share it. Thank you very much.

Der Beitrag Living Costs erschien zuerst auf The Dubai Experience.

You like to work in Dubai, but don’t know where to start? Let me tell you, you’re not alone! I get lots of Email from people who like to live and work in Dubai, but don’t know how or where to get a visa, or even how to find a job there. But it’s not rocket science and for every problem, of course there is a solution. Lately I have been asked what job somebody could do in Dubai, so I gonna answer this one first.

Where can I work in Dubai?

What job you can do in Dubai depends on your trainings and qualifications in the first place. Basically you can say, in Dubai you can do any job you can do on every other place on earth, except special jobs, which depend on a region or something like that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a nurse, a mechanic or an IT-specialist. There is a need for everything. Important is just, that you have good eligibility and moreover professional experience. This are two important things you need everywhere all over the world and Dubai is here no exemption. Because of the flood of people trying to get a job here, it might be even more difficult to prick out of that crowd. They pay what they get and not what you wish for.

Where to find a job in Dubai?

You can buy a ticket and just take the very next flight to Dubai to look for a job on spot. This could be a really interesting adventure, but you could end up having stress. Because you don’t know which company is actually looking for new employees and you wont have the time to check every company in the U.A.E. So better inform yourself before you take a trip to Dubai. For that there are lots of job-finder in the internet. Web pages like dubizzle.com, headhunter-dubai.com, jobsindubai.com, stepstone.com or bayt.com are just some of them. Also the career page LinkedIn can be a great help. If you still can’t find anything suitable you can look on Facebook for Dubai-groups. Some people, who are based in Dubai, post jobs there at times as well. Another option are the various career pages of the companies themselves. Companies are always looking for well-trained people ready to work abroad.

How to get to Dubai?

If you have found a company to work for in Dubai, call yourself lucky. This is the easiest way to get there, because the company will get a labor-visa for you. For that you just have to send them some documents. To get a visa on your own is not possible. You always need a sponsor. That way they screen the immigration. So it is really difficult to find any part-time jobs. To do business as a freelancer you will need a trade license. With this license you will also get a residence visa. It takes around two weeks to get this visa. For the reason that visa guidelines are changing really fast, it is better to inform yourself before going to Dubai. The best way will be to find a company to get the full support.

This has another advantage. Depending on your job and position you will get a company accommodation and transportation to and from work. If not there is an allowance included in your salary, but makes things for you more complicated. Especially in the first couple of weeks, when everything is strange.

The labor contracts are up to international standards. Working hours, job specification, reward as well as the allowances are regulated therein. The period of notice and related conditions are regulated as well. The notice period lies between one to three months. An indemnity will be paid in most cases, of cause depending on your contract, mostly to the amount of a one-month salary. But as I said, this depends on your job and position. Before breaking down your household and everything, check your contract for a condition, which regulates that you are only employed, if all your documents are clear. In this case, just be sure everything goes the right way BEFORE leaving. Also check your labor contract precisely for the possibility to change the employer. Some companies don’t like taking all the difficulties of getting new staff from abroad to shortly lose them to a competitor. So it could be a condition that you have to leave the country for a while, before you can start working for another employer. I just want you to be aware of this. It is still not that easy. To change the company you need a so-called “letter of no objection” from the first employer.

If you found a company, got a visa and arrived in Dubai, you have to undergo a medical test. The blood will be tested and the lungs x-rayed. If a HIV test is positive, the country must be left.

How much could I earn?

This depends, of course, on your job, position and so on. Basically I would say that the payment is fair, so that you can live well in the U.A.E.

But don’t be driven by any illusion about working hours and conditions. Especially in the service sector, 50 hours a week are normal and. In a 6-days-week maybe even more! Vacation is mostly 30 days, means 4 weeks! Just be aware of that.

If your accommodation is not in Dubai, you might calculate some travel time. If you are living in Sharjah, it could take you 1 to 2 hours for one track! But this really depends on the location of your flat. Some accommodations, build in the desert behind Dubai, you can reach in 15 to 20 minutes.

Also be aware that any trouble with the law can affect your labor contract. All companies are owned by locals, so better think twice before taking any action against a company or a local. There is a labor law, but it is not at the same level like for example in most western countries.

That sounds like a lot of struggle. But sitting on the beach or going to the clubs on weekends can be a good reward to make it worth living and working there. My opinion!

If you like this post or my page, I would be happy if you could share it. Thank you very much.

Der Beitrag How to startup erschien zuerst auf The Dubai Experience.