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Finding work in Dubai without a degree?

  • 03-01-2016 1:23am
    #1
    jayjay2010
    Registered Users Posts: 505 ✭✭✭


    One of my family members is heading to Dubai (or possibly Abu Dhabi) in August as he has worked lined up. A good salary, accommodation included I think. He has connections over there who can point him in the right direction.

    I was wondering what are the chances of getting work over there without a degree? I understand that most people who go to Dubai are highly qualified. I have 8 years of experience in telecommunication and 5 years as a store manager. But I only have 2 years done in college - business management and I have no plans to complete this (not this year anyway).

    Is it possible to find well paid work based on my experience here or should I just forget about it until I complete my degree?

    Just wondering, it sounds like something I'd like to do for a year or 2.


Comments

  • #2
    wuffly
    Registered Users Posts: 662 ✭✭✭wuffly


    jayjay2010 wrote: »
    One of my family members is heading to Dubai (or possibly Abu Dhabi) in August as he has worked lined up. A good salary, accommodation included I think. He has connections over there who can point him in the right direction.

    I was wondering what are the chances of getting work over there without a degree? I understand that most people who go to Dubai are highly qualified. I have 8 years of experience in telecommunication and 5 years as a store manager. But I only have 2 years done in college - business management and I have no plans to complete this (not this year anyway).

    Is it possible to find well paid work based on my experience here or should I just forget about it until I complete my degree?

    Just wondering, it sounds like something I'd like to do for a year or 2.

    Unfortunately Dubai rates degree's and MA's very highly.
    To get a certain type of visa(ie manager) you need a degree, I needed my degree to be put down as a manager even though its completely unrelated. A friend of mine from the UK was a regional manager for a large gym chain but she didn't have a degree so her visa said masseuse. Sometimes companies will hire you without a degree but its definitely and advantage having one, even if its not related to your job. I know an optician that works as a contracts manager for a developer.
    In general its not a big deal if you do get a job without a degree but it can lead to restrictions if you wanted to have a child on your visa it may not be possible or to hire and sponsor and a nanny.

    A job like running a store here does not pay much. Perhaps look into food and beverage, if you have retail experience it might be worth a look, again it may not pay a lot but there are large hotel chains here (Marriott, Jumeriah, Hilton, Sheraton, Radisson etc..) and there may be better opportunities to move up to management without a degree.

    I would say get in touch with recruitment agencies(although don't expect too much they can be a bit rubbish) and ask your family member to suss things out for you when you move over. The telecommunications companies here are Etisalat and Du, maybe check them out and see.

    Overall with regards to UAE, the price of oil is likely to have a bigger affect on the economy here in the next year which will result in an overall slow down here. Its not necessarily a bad time to move if you get a job. We moved in 2010 after the big crash it took awhile to get work but then it was fine, rents were cheaper and the roads were quieter.

    Best of luck


  • #3
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    In the Middle East in general, people appear to be obsessed with the piece of paper. Having a degree is very important, to the extent that there are many colleges and universities in the region that are little more than paper-printing institutions where you pay your fees, go through the motions and get a surprisingly good degree at the end of it.

    The issue is not so much the employer, the issue is the visa people in the government and their fairly rigid/scripted requirements.

    The only exception to the rule I can think of is in the case of where a husband is issued a visa and the wife gets a job, and paid essentially under-the-counter. But she would be already covered on the husband's visa so would not need to apply for one herself, so the degree requirements would not apply.


  • #4
    davepatr07
    Registered Users Posts: 294 ✭✭davepatr07


    Hi there,

    Sorry to hijack thread, so if one has no degree they can still get a good job but the chances are not great? of course it would depend on the industry you were in. Currently I'm in IT.

    My wife is a nurse and is looking at Abu Dhabi for a few years however we have heard the cost of living is high and that you can spend up to 50% of your pay a month on accommodation. Just thinking is it worth even with the high pay and are you able to save if living within your means? How is Abu Dhabi for living and working and would it be a better option than Dubai?

    Thanks for reading this.

    Dave


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