Ins and Outs Of Work in Dubai, Part 2

Forewarning: Again, this is details (many) of how to get work here in Dubai. It will be more applicable to someone who is really thinking about it and is geared towards medical professionals!

Part 2:
Part 1 talked about the logistics. But how do you even go about finding a job? Here's the truth, I did the usual, looked online (went directly to clinic website as well as www.dubizzle.com, expatwoman.com), sent my C.V. just by googling which clinics/hospitals had PT, followed up on emails, blah blah. Honestly, I hardly got any responses. When I got here and physically went to these clinics and had some face to face, everything changed and the opportunities came rolling in.

Lesson #13: If you are looking for a job in Dubai, BE HERE!


Here are some important things I found out right away:

1. Not to took my own horn, BUT honestly, just being an American and having an American education, I was pretty much a shoo-in. Almost every person I met was like "when were you looking to start? Buutt...
2. The BIG question which everyone almost immediately asks is, "are you licensed." It was a HUGE bonus, especially for DHA, that I was doing it by myself. As you can see from Part 1, it's an expensive and lengthy process, and no one wants to deal. Pretty much if you do all the grunt work yourself, all the company has to do is sponsor you and not help with all this dirty work. 
3. Again, it helped to be here and I went on my own to clinics, submitted my resume, set up interviews, etc. Unfortunately, one of the bigger issues was basically people not hiring. They wanted to hire me, but there were no spots at the time. I really made an effort (before I sealed the job I have now) to keep following up and showing my interest. In the process, in various clinics, that a satellite clinic was going to open, someone may leave, but as you will see in Dubai, people are very good about over-promising, but usually nothing comes of it.

Lesson # 14: Be careful with overpromising. It is fairly common to that here... and nothing usually pans out. 

Before I forget, the 4-step process I mentioned in the CPQ section of Part 1 is not only needed for educational certificates, but also marriage/divorce certificates. You need to pay those fees for EACH document. HOWEVER, if you are a bit overwhelmed by all the Steps and don't want to be stubborn like me and want to do it myself, there are of course services that will help... but a price quote from Helpline was $500 USD.  Ouch. They have 2 agencies in Dubai called Helpline and Index that can do all of this for you. Helpline is in Deira (971-4-227-9916 and helplinegroup@hotmail.com) and the other one, Index, is in Bur Dubai (971-4-355-0888. Email: index101@emirates.net.ae). 

Soo.... another bit of info I'm finding out, yes, Dubai is taxfree. Although my salary here is comparable to U.S., it is more beneficial to be here because there is NOTHING taken out of the paychecks. So what they offer you... is really what you get. Most all companies will give you:

• A monthly salary (yes, you get paid monthly not bi-monthy)
• A round-trip ticket to your home country
• Medical insurance for you and your family (NOT taken out of your paycheck)
• If you are in the medical profession, medical malpractice. 

As you see, there is no retirement, so I am paying that on my own.

So, what's the catch? As you may have caught even just from skimming my Part 1, the fees. You have to pay for some kind of fee for everything, and THIS is where $$given for that adds up quickly. Many of the long-term expat locals said that to me, and now I am realizing it more and more. So although it was fairly obvious just 4-7 years ago when Dubai was totally booming and literally money was being thrown out the window with all these great salaries and packages for employees, that has definitely come to a stop. People are a lot more stingy here than I would have thought. Dubai's oil in particular ran out in late 2010 (although Abu Dhabi still has a lot), so that is not a reliable source of revenue anymore. 

All and all, I'm not kidding when I say EVERYONE, every single expat coming into Dubai deals with some kind of bureaucratic red-tape run around, it's part of the experience. I'm now 6 weeks in, and already  have had my fair share of run around with paperwork. You are told to go someplace, they tell you to go somewhere else, and on and on. You need this, no, you don't. This is where patience comes in and .... what work life in Dubai is all about!!!