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Hi all

My wife and i are going to be moving to Al Ain in the near future, problem being that i am a web developer/graphic designer with no paper work qualifications (self taught) and she is a fully qualified teacher with a bum load of experience. She is guaranteed a job at the UAE National School in Al Ain... i am not having so much luck finding a job... apparently my luck improves once im there.

So the heart of the question, she will be getting everything paid for incl. flights etc for herself and one dependent (me) - I am however not sure if i qualify as a dependent... she earns more than me, i am about to embark on achieving an architectural degree so i am wondering if i would still qualify as a student?

Well dependent normally means a child, you'd have to check with immigration regarding that.

Hate to say it but you are going to find it very very difficult without any qualifications to find a job, as for all work permits/visas they now ask for copies of attested qualification certificates. Any company would not be able to get you a visa under that job description, they'd probably have to put you down as a clerk or something.

Aargh, thats not cool. Other scenario would be that she sponsors me after she gets her residency... looks like im gonna have to find a way to get the papers to match my work experience... alternatively source diplomas or degrees in similar fields.

What is the job market like for graphic designers up there?

Thanks for your response, it is a relief to hear from someone who knows whats potting in recent times (all the advice i have recieved is from people who were up there 2 years back )

Well unfortunately there you have another problem. Women as a rule cannot sponsor their spouses unless they're in a certain profession like being a doctor.

It really doesn't matter what job title a company puts on the visa at the end of the day, sometimes you just gotta suck it up.

There's loads of graphic designers here, but not that many good ones unfortunately.

lol, im not to worried about whats on the work visa as long as i have one. I am trying to figure out what courses would be worth doing in the mean time though. Do they pay any attention to short courses, certificates and non "major" university diplomas?

women teachers can sponsor thier spouses - so in this case yes, you would be a dependant.
if you were able to find your own job you'd be able to provide your own sponsorship.
as you have no formal qualification (and you were educated in a "western" country) you can apply for work with just an attested secondary school certificate - however this is entirely dependant on the nature of the job you are applying for...

as to your question yes, they do sometimes accept short course certificates as well as long as the institution is accredited/ recognised by a proffesional training/ educational body - again dependant on the nature of the job/

Wow... finally some light at the end of the tunnel We were really starting to think we were out of options there. I should be able to pass through some courses at INTEC College quite quickly as i have already been using the graphic design software for over 2 years for print work and brochure/banner/flag design. Web Development will be a toughy though... unfortunately South Africa still thinks it is a highly mathematical and scientific field... therefor the courses are hard to get into and long to complete.

On the upside though, i can write in html, css, javascript, php and i can utelise flash, fireworks, corel draw, photoshop and mysql server. So whichever lower end job i get in the field should be a breeze

Thank you guys so much for your advice, i would love to buy you guys/gals? a beer when we are up

raesteyn wrote:Hi all

My wife and i are going to be moving to Al Ain in the near future, problem being that i am a web developer/graphic designer with no paper work qualifications (self taught) and she is a fully qualified teacher with a bum load of experience. She is guaranteed a job at the UAE National School in Al Ain... i am not having so much luck finding a job... apparently my luck improves once im there.

So the heart of the question, she will be getting everything paid for incl. flights etc for herself and one dependent (me) - I am however not sure if i qualify as a dependent... she earns more than me, i am about to embark on achieving an architectural degree so i am wondering if i would still qualify as a student?

I have the similar question, my 3 year work visa has just arrived and wonder if I can bring my 68 year old mother to stay with me here.. any one has the answer please..
many thanks
xl