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Hello. My husband has been offered a job in Dubai (he's in construction) and we're seriously considering it. The thing is, i need to work too and we're worried i won't be able to find a job. I've been working as an office manager for a medium sized publishing company in the west end for the last 5 years and would ideally like something similar though would consider sec/admin/pa jobs too. Do you know what jobs might be available in Dubai and do you have any info on wages etc?
Natalie P
David Morel of Tiger Recruitment offers the following advice:
A very good question and one that is cropping up time and time again as more and more people are looking to move abroad and particularly as a result of the adverse market conditions we have experienced in the UK.
The short answer is that the market in Dubai is in a worse state than ours and it is extremely difficult to find work over there in the secretarial field, particularly if you are based in London at the moment. The market in Dubai dropped significantly in September/October 2008 and it is only in the last month or two that there has been any sign of recovery. When the market collapsed, wholesale redundancies were made across many sectors and there was a significant movement of expats leaving Dubai to return to the UK.
Those that stayed out there were naturally given precedent over "newcomers" for job vacancies and this is a trend that is still continuing today. Salary levels have also been affected and are roughly about 20% less now than they were in the Summer of 2008. You must also remember that there is an informal "two tier" system within the secretarial/administrational market in Dubai. An employer has the choice of recruiting someone born locally or recruiting a Westerner. The latter is usually far more expensive than the former and therefore there has been more of an inclination by employers to recruit locals although on the whole they tend not to have the skills and experience of support staff coming from otuside the UAE.
In conclusion, you will find it far easier to find work in Dubai when you are out there. This means taking a risk in the first instance and you need to make a decision about whether your Husband and yourself can survive in the short-term on one income. Your experience is ample for roles in Dubai - the point is that there is still a shortage of jobs, although it is expected the "pick-up" will gather pace in 2010. Salary wise, you should be looking between 16000AED and 23000AED per month, depending on your experience.
David Morel
MD, Tiger Recruitment