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Hello all,

I have been reading this forum for a few weeks now and I would like to thank people for the picture of Dubai 'Worts and all'.
My wife has been offered a job in Dubai by her English employer and we are considering coming out for around three or four years. We still have a lot to think about but on the whole I think everyone seems quite positive.
She will get accomodation so we do not have to worry about that.

Are there any other things you can tell me about Dubai?
Are things like getting a bank account, utilities etc. easy??
Do you get Marmite here?
Also how do the local people percieve expats?

I have been to Dubai a couple of time before but things are always better on holiday



Any pointers would be useful to me.

You also have to get a job. Your wife cannot sponsor you unless she is in the medical field. She will be a resident and you will have to pop in with a visitor visa and, during its validity, get a job too in order to become a resident.

My wife is in the health sector but I do need a job.
To be honest that is probably the part I am most naive about.

I am currently an IT project manager for a French Investment bank and I have no idea what is out there that will suit me. I have heard many scare stories about the state of the IT job market in Dubai - is there a good agency people know of? Or is it better to try and contact the companies directly?

I also need to know if I can change jobs when I want to or does my work permit tie me to an employer?

There are good agencies out the... Clarendon Parker for one.... You could contact comapnies directly but from my experience most companies go to recruitment agencies to fill their openings....

As per your other question, yes, your work visa (residence visa) is tied with your employer. If he lets you go, it is terminated. If you switch jobs make sure your current employer signs a consent form for residency transfer or you could find yourself banned from the country for 6 months...

PS - being banned from the country only means that you cannot get a residence visa during that time. Since your wife is there, you can step out of the country and then come back in the same day on a visit visa valid for 60 or 90 days (I forget) and it is renewable. Once it expires, step out for one day (go to Oman or something), come back and another one is issued. Then in no time your ban period ends and you can get a job and another residency...

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I need to start job hunting soon.
I suppose the part that is worrying is that (understandably) I will not be offered a job until I am in Dubai - but I don't want to leave my job here and commit to moving there if I don't have a job.

It is risky no doubt.... I am in Canada right now but would like to move there... I am taking about 3.5 weeks off work (trust me that was hard to do because we can't do that in Canada easily) just to go down to Dubai soon and hope to find something....

If that fails, I will try my luck later down the line....

Well I'll try and contact some agancies just now and then arrange a visit.

Thanks for all the advice.

csv

yes, we have marmite

What is marmite?

[quote="Liban"]It is risky no doubt.... I am in Canada right now but would like to move there... I am taking about 3.5 weeks off work (trust me that was hard to do because we can't do that in Canada easily) just to go down to Dubai soon and hope to find something....

If that fails, I will try my luck later down the line....[/quote]

Hehe are you talking about the job or the marmite there Liban? Anyways am pretty sure I've seen marmite in Spinneys

Nik wrote:
Hehe are you talking about the job or the marmite there Liban? Anyways am pretty sure I've seen marmite in Spinneys

Yes, I am gonna come down next month to search for marmite.... Even though I don't really know what to look for since I dunno what it is....

No, I am coming down for a month (approx.) to find a job in my field. I am hoping that lady luck will be smiling down at me and I get something!!!!

What is marmite???

Liban wrote:

Nik wrote:
Hehe are you talking about the job or the marmite there Liban? Anyways am pretty sure I've seen marmite in Spinneys

Yes, I am gonna come down next month to search for marmite.... Even though I don't really know what to look for since I dunno what it is....

No, I am coming down for a month (approx.) to find a job in my field. I am hoping that lady luck will be smiling down at me and I get something!!!!

What is marmite???

Marmite... well you have to see/try it to understand. You really can't "translate" marmite.

As for Lady Luck, I would recommend Liban that you schedule meeting with companies that are in your field. Let them know that you are going to be in town and are interested in moving here and interview them per say. You will be really surprised at how many companies are open to this as long as it is scheduled and you are meeting the right people in the company if done properly. There are literally tons of people that just walk in companies on visit visa providing there CV (resume) or asking to meet someone in HR or the department they are looking for. You should be able to reach most of those people before you get here and schedule a meeting with them... be upfront as to why you would like 15 minutes of there time.

Anyway, I am rambling on at this point and probably telling you stuff you already know, so I will shut up now...

Marmite.... ummmm

Stainless.

Thanks Stainless... I will check up on this marmite thing when I come down to Dubai because we don't have it in Canada....

As for the advice, I was going through the recruiters and never thought of going to the companies because my field is so large and vague and could be in any industry in the accounting/finance/treasury and/or project office...

Financial Accounting Analysis and Project Management/Coordination are my fortays!!!

marmite is..um... this paste..that you put on toast...salty as hell..but yummy...can't really do it justice describing it

Marmite, is a yeast, vegetable based paste, like the Ausie Vegimite or Bovril.

Marmite - you either love it! or you hate it!

I think I am gonna be the "hate it" type... But then again, I will reserve judgement until after I try but it doesn't sound too appealing to me

Chocoholic wrote:Marmite, is a yeast, vegetable based paste, like the Ausie Vegimite or Bovril.

Marmite - you either love it! or you hate it!

True true, and one other thing that is proven is that Marmite is great for hangovers.... Go Marmite!

ok thanks to google !!!! marmite ...


mar·mite ( mär ' mit, mär-met ' ) n. A large covered earthenware or metal cooking
pot. A small covered earthenware casserole designed to hold an.


or

english bread spread !!! yum !!! see
http://www.marmite.com/


or
in english slang ...
Noun. A homo.s.e.xual male.

Noun. The anus. The expression, the British equivalent of the U.S. slang hershey highway, can be heard expressed in phrases such as up the marmite motorway, meaning up the anus.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/m.htm


so ... after learning about the last bit of info ...

in dubai forum term .....
sniper420 is a marmite
if your gonna reply to this sniper420
then i say ... up your marmite motorway you marmite !!!!!


haha i wonder what happened to sniper420 .... liban where did you burry him ???

Just for clarification Liban, Marmite is available in Canada go to any Loblaws, Safeway or Superstore and ask.

Also I know 2 people that came under their wife’s sponsorship and the wives are not in the Health sector so I don't know if what Liban said is true (One is an IT support person, the other works for the Canadian Embassy). Being on your wife’s sponsorship is to your advantage in searching for a job as the company will love the fact that they don't have to give you as many benefits (housing, health, education, etc.) just try to negotiate a better salary in lieu of these forfeited benefits.

good for hangovers?! Wish I knew that today.. i was..eh.. not behaving too well. and unfortunately, there are witnesses