Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Hi,
I'm a newbie to this forum.

I would like to find a job in IT field during next year.
I currently occupy a steady job but for professional reasons, I would like to experiment the private sector.

I already did some research regarding the employment agencies, the packages/salary and everything. But what I would like to know, is the condition of work in Dubai. Let say an individual paid 7000-9000 a month with accomodation allowance, 5 weeks vacation, does this individual work 40 hrs a week or could he found himself easily doing 60 hrs a week?

Before proceeding with any action, I would like to know what is the reality in the workplace for an expat.

Thanks in advance for any information/opinions.

Welcome to the forums Poutine... I like poutine with smoked meat, I think the Quebecers call it an Italian poutine (not that poutine is Italian in any way)

Anyways... It all depends on what your contracts says. If it says 40hours + OT then expect to be paid for it. If its says nothing regarding OT work and pay then assume you are not paid extra if it happens, and if it says no OT work al all, well thats self explanatory...

Everything is negotiable in Dubai. Make sure you put as many little details in your contract as possible!!

Under UAE labour law a "working week" is defined as 48 hours, how this is achieved depends on your contract and sponsor. Some companies have a two day weekend, others only one day off.

If you work in the retail, security or entertainment industry in the UAE the working week is 54 hours, after which OT is paid.

OT, by law is calcualted at normal rate + minimum of 25% (yes only 25%) if the OT falls between 4am and 9pm. If the OT falls between 9pm and 4am the rate is calculated at normal rate + a minimum of 50%.

This is the legal guideline, but implementaion may vary from company to company - check that this rate is covered in your letter of appointment!

I'd check on the vacation time, the norm here is 30 days per annum. You need to check when you can take it, some industries in the UAE give 60 days and a plane ticket every 2 years, others give 30 days and a ticket every year. Under UAE law your employer is not obliged to pay for your leave ticket each year, although most do as part of the "package".

Also note for your first 6 months of employment you do not accrue any leave benefits! this means that if you leave before your first 6 months is up, don't expect to be paid out for it! Leave can only accrue for a maximum of 2 years. If you don't use it you loose it!

if you are scared by the idea of a 48 hour week then don't come to Dubai, most people come here to work and make money! if you don't work hard at it there is always someone else ready to take your place. although the adage "work cleaver, not hard" is true here!

personally i put in about 72 hours a week - but then i choose to

just a short comment on your labour contract comment. i agree make sure that as many things as possible are covered or clearly spelt out to make sure there is no miss-interpretation..... but now the big BUT ....

if it is not covered in the Official Labour Contract that is lodged at the Department of Labour it is not legally binding!!!! and of course only the arabic part of the contract is legal, not the english translation!!!!

most employers will give a new employee a "Labour Contract" or "Letter of Appointment", this is a written agreement between the company and the employee (on a company letterhead).... but it is not legaly binding (unless lodged with the Official Labour contract at the Dept. of Labour). At best it is a written "understanding" of the rules and regulations between the employer and employee.

an example of this is.... if in your letter of appointment is states you will get a company car, but this does not appear on the Official Labour Contract (Labour Dept.) the employer is not obliged to provide you with one and there is nothing you can do about it!

Any significant changes in your status at work, such as a promotion, position amendment or major salary increase should be ammended on your Labour Contract at the Dept. of Labour..... make sure that the PRO does this, if its not recorded there, officially it didn't happen!

the downside to the Letter of Appointmenent is that if you sign it, you are acknowledgeing the company's rules.... if the employee breaks the company rules causing embarrisment or monetary loss to the company they can be TERMINATED under article 120 if the labour law

My God... You are a walking, talking, breathing textbook on Dubai law and society...

if you get put through the legal labour grinder you tend to pick up a few things although i see from your posting above that they are changing the job-hopping situation again!

the sad thing is the poor sods at the immigration counters are the last to know that the law has changed, so they spend the first week stuffing everyone around

Thanks a lot Dbxsoul and Liban for all this information. It give me an excellent and accurate portrait of the situation.

Regarding the employment, I've noticed on this forum that people suggest to go in person in Dubai rather than doing business with an employment agencies abroad.

However, my budget and vacation will allow me to go in Dubai around Mars/April 2006 for 3-4 weeks (including maybe a little escapade to Bahrain for Formula One). For now, my plan is to send my CV with JobsInDubai agency located in Canada. I heard some positive and negative comments on this company. Anyway I don't have the choice since it's to soon to send my resume to Bayt.com and Ten jobs as example.

The other thing that concern me is the tax free situation. I've notice Liban that your're canadian citizen. Is it a nightmare when you come back in the country in terms of tax/income report? Did you get stolen by the federal and the provincial?

P.S. Liban, a spaghetti sauce replace the juicy brown greavy on an Italian poutine;-)

Thanks again for your informations

hi there, i would suggest that you use the time before your visit to get your educational qualifications attested. if you are married and your wife intends working at some point, have her documents (qualifications)attested at the same time. if you are not married then you probably have all your hair and most of your money i've also noticed some canadian complaining about how long it takes to get done due to the accessability of the uae consulate in canada.

bring the attested documents with you. i interview people regularly, the first question is "do you have an attested qualification" .... if they have the qualification and it is not attested they go into the "b" pile, due to the delay in have the documentation processed.

pile "a" people with the attested paperwork. Pile "a" generally means that the applicant, if sucessful could theoretically start working within a week.

pile "c" as a matter of intrest are those employed in the uae already with a sponsor - due to the problems in transfering or cancelling an exisiting sponsorship without incuring a ban!

Poutine wrote:The other thing that concern me is the tax free situation. I've notice Liban that your're canadian citizen. Is it a nightmare when you come back in the country in terms of tax/income report? Did you get stolen by the federal and the provincial?

P.S. Liban, a spaghetti sauce replace the juicy brown greavy on an Italian poutine;-)

Thanks again for your informations

Yes I have the Canadian passport in addition to my Lebanese passport.

You have to declare yourself a non-resident of Canada and then you pay no more taxes and you are not hit any taxes on your return. Note that you lose all benifits once you do this. There is a form that you fill out. But to declare yourself a non-resident you have to sever all ties to this country. No home and no rent.

Spagetti sauce with meat or no meat?

dbxsoul wrote:i've also noticed some canadian complaining about how long it takes to get done due to the accessability of the uae consulate in canada.

There is only the embassy in Ottawa and no other local consulates in the other cities. But I beleive that Poutine lives in Ottawa so he should have no problems....

In Montreal and Toronto, the Saudi consulates have a UAE interests section. That does that task too...

Thanks again for the info,
I'll have to do some reading now.

...spagetti sauce with meat