Moving to Dubai

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woollycat

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Lots of people are moving to Dubai and for those of you who have moved or are considering it, i would like to hear your reasons for moving.

Is it because you wanna live there for 1/2 years and save alot of money on tax?
Do you want to live there for longer?
Do you already have alot of friends out there?
Is the job opportunity better?
Are they paying you more?
How did you get the job?
 
I worked in the Middle East for an year.

1/2 year won't save tax. You have to live in a foreign country for at least 300 days to get tax exemption.

If you are going from the US, things there won't be very attractive. Yes, there are a lot of big buildings, 7 star hotel, tallest building in the world etc. But they are fun to see, not a reason to move there.

It's not easy to get a nice job paying $80,000 and up. They will pay you lots of benefits such as housing allowance, travel etc.

CFA is a highly recognized designation there only among those who know what it is.

Search job sites on the web. There are plenty of search firms focusing on the Middle East.

Hope it helps
 
tom18606 -- did you enjoy your time there?
Do you know how long the average expat stays for?
Im from HK and I can understand the expat culture being attractive etc but the expats have been there since mainly the 80s so the community is v huge and established. I heard there are tensions between the expats and muslims in Dubai is this true?

Are you saying that apart from the 'things to see' there aren't alot of thing to do?



level1_dec -- I have no clue about sharia law. What is this allowance? Will look it up now thanks
 
my friend moved there b/c of taxes and the job market in US sucked. he was intl so he had visa pressures. his plan is to save $ and work for a start up
 
The job scene in Dubai is pretty solid right now. Sell side research jobs requiring 2-3 yrs experience pay about 70 k all in, which works out to about 100k NYC money. Comp is a bit lower for junior roles but overtakes US averages at AVP and higher. However there is 100% job security and a real chance for rapid career enhancement. e.g. Many ppl who start out as jr. associates manage to double their comp and make AVP in 2-3 years.

The major downside is quality of work and experience gained, which can really vary depending on the company. You might find yourself being paid a lot of money without creating much tangible value, which can get frustrating surprisingly quickly.
 
nirjraina Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The job scene in Dubai is pretty solid right now.
> Sell side research jobs requiring 2-3 yrs
> experience pay about 70 k all in, which works out
> to about 100k NYC money. Comp is a bit lower for
> junior roles but overtakes US averages at AVP and
> higher. However there is 100% job security and a
> real chance for rapid career enhancement. e.g.
> Many ppl who start out as jr. associates manage to
> double their comp and make AVP in 2-3 years.
>
> The major downside is quality of work and
> experience gained, which can really vary depending
> on the company. You might find yourself being paid
> a lot of money without creating much tangible
> value, which can get frustrating surprisingly
> quickly.


Wow surely that is nothing to complain about given the current market situation! lol

nirjaina I think it was you who posted before that you worked out in the middle east and that you suggested it was better for finding jobs if you were already in the country? Do alot of people do it that way? Because I would imagine it is hard to get a visa?
 
where are the best places to find jobs?

i mean which sites or placement companies are good?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Friday, August 1, 2008 at 01:44PM by tmackenz.
 
i have lived in the Middle East for 18 years of my life. So I am basically addicted to the tax-free, luxurious, less-work more-money lifestyle. So those folks who want to go on vacation more than once a year or want to have a perfect family life and even social life (since you are going to have much more free time than anywhere else) then MiddleEast is the place to go. And its not just dubai. it could be Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc. All these nations are developed with rich booming economies(oil on the house). Therefore, all you will be spending your money on is at food & clothing. because all the other crap like housing, cars, insurances(medical,auto etc) etc will be provided to you as benefits apart from your HIGH regular salary.
 
Woolycat:

It depends on. I wanted to focus on emerging markets, and I am open to different cultures, like to see places, so I did not have any problem. I think all places in the world has it�s own advantages and disadvantages. However I couldn't find those places anymore attractive than places in the U.S and Europe.

Some expatriates stay longer than others do. It depends. One of my coworkers was from Edinborough/Englad and he felt it was so boring there. So he left after 5 months.

Nirjraina is correct to a great extent. But think about, it's an emerging market. All developed markets went through the same phase before.

Pay is good and you get lots of benefits such as housing allowance, travel allowance etc. But pay is not everything.
 
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