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Working in the middle east... |
 Posted: Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:51 pm |
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| So, has anybody done it?
I can make good money in Dubai - tax free - so I'm chasing up a couple of jobs. I've been to the middle east a couple of times, and I know I can deal with the heat 'n all that, but what's the craic like over there as a worker? Is it a very sociable place to work, or do people just go to malls and sip on Starbucks in their spare time? |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 6506 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:55 pm |
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| Warrick is your man for this, I believe. Amongst other things too of course. | |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5603 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:30 pm |
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| Right up my alley that question.
Moved to Dubai from Toronto in 2004 - and love it here. Yes people will bitch and moan about things here - but they do everywhere. If you have a good job and are paid well, life here can be great. I'm very active here and go diving/fishing/offroading/etc. at least once a week (when I'm not sipping my coffee at a mall - I never do that!). Also go out several times a week with friends for drinks and dinner. Feel free to pick my brain for (what little) information I may have! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 24 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:31 pm |
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| Morning.
*Takes deep breath* I've never spent more than four weeks in the Middle East at any one time, and my main experience is in Qatar, but I can only assume that the UAE is the same, if not better, for ex-pats. As you probably know, 95% of the workforce is Indian and Pakistani. They live in some pretty harsh conditions, to be fair. They're given a month holiday every two years, and they tend to live in dorm style accommodation. This is the case with the majority of manual labour anyway. As a westerner, things are quite different. In Qatar, there are specific bars/ social clubs which are solely for the use of Westerners (obviously there is nothing stopping a local sheik from going in, but unless they are there for a business drink, they rarely bother). There is obviously the 'hotel bar drinking culture', and this is particularly evident in Qatar, but you tend to find westerners who are passing through in these places, and not those who live there. So to conclude, there's generally an excellent 'social scene' for westerners in the Middle East (Saudi excluded). You just need to know where to find it, and, more often than not, be a member. They also tend to organise things like dune biking, music festivals, and orgies, when the mood takes them. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5217 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:51 pm |
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As someone who works all over the GCC region (primarily Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman) I resent the implication that Dubai is like Qatar  )
Although, mind you - don't know of any orgies here - or maybe it's just that I am not invited to them
Qatar is an ok place for a short time - but there is really very little to do and a much smaller expat community (although that often means that they are a lot closer - aha...I figured the orgy thing out). Dubai is no longer the highest paying in the region - you can expect to earn more in Qatar and Kuwait and definately in Saudi - see the trend? Basically certain places need to lure in expats, whereas Dubai gets a steady stream. My advice would be: 1) Visit here first 2) Don't accept ANY compensation package before researching or talking to someone who lives here - rents here are astronomical at the moment. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 24 Posts |
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