It's time to go to Dubai/Canada

Brianb8802

Hi guys just looking for a bit of advice.

I'm a 25 year old Civil Eng graduate with 1 year on site experience. I have been looking for work for the last few months but as we all know there is very little going around. So I've decided to take the plunge and go abroad. Im considering Dubai or maybe Canada. Both have their merits but Dubai seems to swing it for me because of the tax free living. My girlfriend wants to go to, shes an engineer aswell with 2 and a half years on site experience.

Over the last week we have been looking up jobs on the net and contacting Irish recruitment agencies. Practically all the jobs advertised are for more senior roles, and out of our reach.

We are slow to directly contact agencies in Dubai, because of the uncertainty of the quality of jobs we may get and the quality of business they run.

This is where we are looking for abit of advice. What is our next step? Do we keep on the lookout for jobs here? Who else can we contact? Or just go for it and head out to dubai for two weeks and try to secure a job while there?

The thing is you hear of alot of people who are after heading out there with jobs secured and employers sorting out their accommodation, and visas before they get there.

If there is anybody here who can point us in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long post, tried to get everything in there

W0LFMAN

My Advice would be to continue to search on the internet and gather information.

Me My my Step-Bro are off to Dubai in a early december for a week...If you chase deals you can get a package deal for around 500 quid (hotel+Flights)

The Recruitment agenties we spoke to told us that we just needed to get over there... there call centres have been in-undated with hundreds of requests for jobs, but very few actually follow them up. People what the job before they go over there, few years ago it would have been the case, but now with it being so popular, they have more skilled people to choose from, We've been told that if we arrange interview dates over there during the time we are over.. we would double our chances.

Im in infastructure design and my Step-bro is in Architect design. Were loading up our CV's with our best work, donning on our best suits, crossing our fingers and hoping to land a nice tax-free salary. Dozen interviews booked... just a matter of time...

PM mid december and ill tell you how we got on...

dingdong1234567

Brianb8802 wrote: »

Over the last week we have been looking up jobs on the net and contacting Irish recruitment agencies. Practically all the jobs advertised are for more senior roles, and out of our reach.

Stay away from KCM Recruitment what ever you do, unless you enjoy getting a saddle on your back and gettin rode!

pagekarl

How you doin lads,

I believe that justengineers.net is the best website for jobs in UAE.

Do you have any information on what its like to live over there? I believe that living with the girlfriend out of wedlock is frowned upon but to what degree? Walkin around under dressed is a no no?

Are there comunities where non nantionals live? heard summit that there was but nothing since.

Do you get taxed when you get back if you work a certain amount of time in the ire tax year 1st? I heard you can be taxed on all you earned when away when you get back.....

Hard for women to get jobs over there?
Its illegal to drink?

Cheers lads

Brianb8802

We contacted hays recruitment in Cork and luckily one of the women that my girlfriend dealt with before was transferred to their Dubai office. We contacted her the other day, she said that most of the junior positions are filled by people graduating from universities from the region around the UAE. The thing is that they will work for half the salary we are used to. But she did say that the more senior rolls are very lucrative over there. This was only aimed at civil engineering so not sure about any other disciplines.

She also said that women wouldn't usually be accepted for site work in Dubai. So thats Dubai out of the loop

pagekarl wrote: »

Do you get taxed when you get back if you work a certain amount of time in the ire tax year 1st? I heard you can be taxed on all you earned when away when you get back.....

Was looking up all the other threads about dubai and i think this post clears it up
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=56593094&postcount=28


Looks like its time to start researching Canada now

dan_d

I've a friend in Canada since Feb, working in a consultancy on the west coast.She loves it, they've a great life.Experience is fantastic because the topography of the country is so different to Ireland.She gets to work on loads of stuff that she wouldn't here.She's got a 3 year contract there,she transferred within her own company, which was a geotech firm.She's on site every couple of weeks...she spent the last 2 weeks on site in a remote place in the mountains and had to get a helicopter there every day!Engineer's are paid pretty well...not a fortune, but a very respectable salary. I gather the Visa was pretty easy to get too.Canadian health system is excellent, their standard of life is great, and her office is 20mins away from her apartment on the metro everyday.
I don't know if thats been any help but best of luck, I think Canada's a good option.Might be heading there myself soon too!

pagekarl

yeah but is it not harder to get a visa in Canada? Do you not need a load of cash in the bank.....

They not feeling the world recession?

niceirishfella

but the heat in Dubai - Feck!

She Devil

Hey OP, My uncle has been living in dubai now for three years, He is head of the Dubai project for Laing O'Rourke, and recruits people from India China and the UK, my best mate is going out to start employment there in two weeks time! I can get on to my uncle and maybe forward your CV if you want?????

nogoodnamesleft

There are positions available over there when I was there with work (only for a few days) BUT some of the jobs advertised in the local paper request certain neccessities e.g. fluent arabic and fluent english speaker, experience of working in the Middle East before and they arent shy over there about being slightly racist they require you to be a certain nationality for some positions I saw advertised as well as a certain gender.

You must realise that there are people applying for jobs from less well off economic regions of the world for jobs there. India, Pakistan, Filipino. Id compare it to common slave labour over their being honest, men working 12 hours 6 -7 days to week for very little money compared to our standards.

Regards female dress they are queit liberal compared say Saudi Arabia for example.

irlbloke

was there earlier once... nice for holiday but wouldn't like to live there and yeah the HEAT!!!

niceirishfella

irlbloke wrote: »

was there earlier once... nice for holiday but wouldn't like to live there and yeah the HEAT!!!

+1 - a mate of mine works out there in an office and he said the humidity is unbearable. I can only imagine what it would be like on a site or in a portacabin on site!:eek: