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I don’t know if I am stupid or anything, but one thing that have been suprising me like h3ll is the salaries in this country. How logic is it – with this type of high standard in living and high rent – to have so damn low salaries? It’s crazy. It doesn’t even seem to matter what kind of education or background you carry with you; you get low salary anyway. Let me give you some examples.

Secretary – you cannot possible get so low salary as a secretary. It’s like a joke. Mostly 2000dhs per month. How can someone possibly live with that, if that person doesn’t live in a low standard apartment sharing one room with 20 people or something.

Drivers – I’m not talking about taxi drivers now, cause they even seem to get d4mn good salary comparing to these examples I am giving. I mean private drivers; all them I have got in contact with are not getting more than 2000dhs per month, and these have families to feed.

Engineers – Even though these people get better salary than those two I just mentioned, then their salary is still a joke. I mean, what they get, is what a cleaner in Sweden gets. Even though they are well-educated and been working with this for 17 years, they only get about 4-6000dhs per month. Joke!

So if a engineer get that kind of low salary, and a secretary job is like slavery.. then how the h3ll are the white people working here in UAE? What do they earn, what do they work with, where do they work? Cause I’ve met all kind of people with different experience and education, and they all get crappy salaries. Is this only for the Arabic people, or do the white people have the same problem?

I can’t even search for a job anymore, because the salary I get is so low that I don’t know what to say. Is it only me, or is this very well known? And where is the logic behind this? Can anyone explain to me?
Please?

/Someone who is a little bit – but just a little bit – surprised.

The reason is that the majority of the workers in the UAE are foriegn.
A high percentage of these immigrant workers are from poorer countries. In an effort to make to life better for their families back home they will work for a meagre wage, they will share a bedroom with 5 other people and they will not be in a position to complain or "make trouble" because they fear they will be deported and they will have let their families/dependants down.

Most civilised countries would not allow people to be exploited in such a way and would, in all honesty, be a bit more stringent on who is allowed into the country to work.
But given that the local Emirati makes up such a small percentage of the actual population of the UAE you will not have locals doing menial jobs.

This country takes the saying "It's not what you know, it's who you know" to the max. It really is extremely hard ot get anywhere without knowing someone who will get you there.

I have 4 degrees, including an MBA, extensive experience in sales and marketing (over 13 years)... and I can't even get a job!

Salaries are subjective here to the point where one person can be doing an identical job to another person and there's a 20,000 AED difference.

I see you've gone down the route of blaming the "white man" and yet many of the companies I deal with have Indians in quite powerful positions (some even owned by wealthy Indians or Asians) so I'm not so sure it's that these people are treated less off, more so it's what people are willing to work for.

If it was impossible to get a secretary for 2000 AED per month... well, people need secretaries. If it was impossible to get a driver for 2000 AED per month... people would pay more.

Do not blame the companies, blame the people willing to work for less than you are.

To give you an example, I used to be in IT (but now work in Sales & Marketing). 14 years ago, IT was paying so well I got plucked out of university to earn a very decent wage (especially for a 19 year old) doing IT work because skilled IT people were in short supply.

Now, IT people are everywhere and there are people willing to work for less to have that job. That's what competition and free market economics are about.

A company has a profit motive, and if there are people lining up willing and happy to take the job, with the same skills and experience as required and in line with other candidates, but willing it to do for less, then they will get the nod.

This is how the world was built. You may call it exploitation, but people set their own expectations. If they don't want to get paid so low, don't take the job.

Anteater, regarding Sales and Marketing positions (and only Anteater because I know her) send me a message and I'll see what I can do (no promises of course but I have some contacts).

you shouldnt blame race like you do,

an indian educated in the states, uk or aus will get a significantly higher salary than his counterpart educated in mumbai.


its about teaching methodology of thought, rather than educating with books.

Well Ian, I am with you. That's the thing. But it's annoying me cause it affects people like me who want to get a descent job and good salary. It's crazy and stupid. Because of this, I have given up. I think I'll go back to Sweden instead, cause people just don't seem to get the value of a worker here.

I am not blaming white people. I just wonder how they manage work and life here, and how much their salaries is. Cause coming from white world, the salaries are thousand dhs better than this, so what do white people do here?

As I understand, it's all about "wasta", but really.. it can't be that much "wasta". How do white people start here from first place.. or maybe they are just like people from poor country, taking any job they can?

I don't know.

i cant speak for all industries, but when it comes to engineering and architecture, its not 1+1=2

each person is different, and his personal vision, creation, and pattern of thought makes all the difference from ending up with a stock standard box to a marvel that will stand the test of time while being a functional space that breathes and evolves with its enhibitants.



so not anyone can play that role, and thats why some get higher salaries than others - you cant just teach people how to be creative...

whats more worrying is, on my way to work i stopped and got some supplies


2 HP ink cartridges
1 brother toner
1 bundle of A4 paper
some files



550 freaking dirhams!!!

the first time i came here, 100 dirhams used to fill my shopping cart to its brim, now 100 dirhams does practically nothing.

raw timber has increased 45% in the last 6 months...


and somehow salaries are the same.... i wonder how some poeple like the secretary would cope with such increases in standards of living

That's my question too. I don't think it's about how creative you are or not. I have another theory - pretty simple one too. Like everywhere; either you get in contact with crappy companies or serious companies. I see the international ones being more serious than the "local" ones. But then again, it all depends.

This simple theory can be applied to each society in the world - the only thing that suprised me here, is that the crappy ones are so many that if you really find a serious international company here, then I think you should start up a party inviting all friends and enemies to celebrate your success.

As Ian rightly said, whilst there are people willing to work for such little cash, others will continue to take advantage of that. Look at construction workers, or compound maintenance guys who take home less than 1,000 Dhs a month.

Sadly for alot of people, it's take crappy money and live in crappy conditions in another country, or live in your own country and have no job or be able to feed your family.

Chocoholic wrote:As Ian rightly said, whilst there are people willing to work for such little cash, others will continue to take advantage of that. Look at construction workers, or compound maintenance guys who take home less than 1,000 Dhs a month.

Sadly for alot of people, it's take crappy money and live in crappy conditions in another country, or live in your own country and have no job or be able to feed your family.

Indeed, it all boils down to having something than nothing, their options are quite limited.

Chocoholic wrote:As Ian rightly said, whilst there are people willing to work for such little cash, others will continue to take advantage of that. Look at construction workers, or compound maintenance guys who take home less than 1,000 Dhs a month.

Sadly for alot of people, it's take crappy money and live in crappy conditions in another country, or live in your own country and have no job or be able to feed your family.

this results in below standard workmanship, because these people arent qualified to do the simplest of tasks.

i challenge anyone to find a 100% straight none pre-fabricted concrete wall in the UAE.

ebonics wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:As Ian rightly said, whilst there are people willing to work for such little cash, others will continue to take advantage of that. Look at construction workers, or compound maintenance guys who take home less than 1,000 Dhs a month.

Sadly for alot of people, it's take crappy money and live in crappy conditions in another country, or live in your own country and have no job or be able to feed your family.

this results in below standard workmanship, because these people arent qualified to do the simplest of tasks.

i challenge anyone to find a 100% straight none pre-fabricted concrete wall in the UAE.

Don't be daft. How much for the challenge?

a slab of beer

ebonics wrote:a slab of beer

Do you deliver?

delivery = 50% taxation.

I agree with burken,

Currently i was residing in Southeast Asia, just recently I was being offered a job in a well establish company in Dubai offering 6000 dirham for my basic pay and 4000 dirham for my accomodation. Do you think that the offer is very low? I have been reading a lot in this forum and to my understanding the house rental in Dubai is very very expensive.

I am bringing my wife and kid along to Dubai. Do you think that I should take up the offer. I am afraid I will regret once I was in Dubai.

Currently in my hometown I was drawing 8000 to 9000 dirham (after converting to AED) monthly.

tasmanian wrote:I agree with burken,

Currently i was residing in Southeast Asia, just recently I was being offered a job in a well establish company in Dubai offering 6000 dirham for my basic pay and 4000 dirham for my accomodation. Do you think that the offer is very low? I have been reading a lot in this forum and to my understanding the house rental in Dubai is very very expensive.

I am bringing my wife and kid along to Dubai. Do you think that I should take up the offer. I am afraid I will regret once I was in Dubai.

Currently in my hometown I was drawing 8000 to 9000 dirham (after converting to AED) monthly.

You will regret. Stay home.

hey thanks for your prompt reply...might be consider

You also have to bear in mind that they always put the basic salary as pretty much the lowest amount in the contracts, as the basic is what companies pay gratuity on when you leave, so the lower it is, the less they have to pay at the end. The rest of the salary is made up of all sorts of allowances.

The comment about substandard workmanship is correct, but it's swings and roundabouts I'm afraid, as goes the old saying, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

tasmanian wrote:I agree with burken,

Currently i was residing in Southeast Asia, just recently I was being offered a job in a well establish company in Dubai offering 6000 dirham for my basic pay and 4000 dirham for my accomodation. Do you think that the offer is very low? I have been reading a lot in this forum and to my understanding the house rental in Dubai is very very expensive.

I am bringing my wife and kid along to Dubai. Do you think that I should take up the offer. I am afraid I will regret once I was in Dubai.

Currently in my hometown I was drawing 8000 to 9000 dirham (after converting to AED) monthly.

Definetely stay home (based on your post). You'll regret it and you wife and child will resent you....

Chocoholic wrote:The comment about substandard workmanship is correct, but it's swings and roundabouts I'm afraid, as goes the old saying, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

I agree with you on this one, definitely don't ask for anything more than what one can pay for.... And some companys are even considering paying lentils.....

Hey everyone thanks for all the comments...will try to bargain with the company for more..hopefully they will want to give..

tasmanian wrote:Hey everyone thanks for all the comments...will try to bargain with the company for more..hopefully they will want to give..

the offer you got... is very low for a family.

I get more than your offer and I can hardly save any dirham... and I am a single!!!!

another example of angry workers about the low pay

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/514080-thousands-involved-in-violent-protest

quatroporte wrote:another example of angry workers about the low pay

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/514080-thousands-involved-in-violent-protest

quatroporte - May I ask where you work, how you got the job.. where you are from? Can take it in private, if you want.

I am just asking this cause I think it is d4mn important to know how people from well educated countries and experience manage life here. How they get a good job, and most of all, where can we find them!?

Burken wrote:quatroporte - May I ask where you work, how you got the job.. where you are from? Can take it in private, if you want.

I am just asking this cause I think it is d4mn important to know how people from well educated countries and experience manage life here. How they get a good job, and most of all, where can we find them!?

I am a lebanies, 25yrs old... I work in a 5* hotel chain... I work for them for the last 6 years... and they are the only company I worked for...

I started as a salesman as a part time job when I used to study in a university and now I am in charge of the IT division for our branches in the Middle East.

I used to live with my parents and I got this job from a newspaper AD... I think getting a job when I was 19yrs was very easy at that time... and I simply grow up in the company all those years.

tasmanian wrote:Hey everyone thanks for all the comments...will try to bargain with the company for more..hopefully they will want to give..

If you were single I would have said it was just enough, as you can share with someone and pay about AED 55000 each for a 2 bedroom apartment. But as you have a wife and a kid, that is no where near enough. Basically they need to add about 7000 - 8000 a month to make it a decent offer, unless you are willing to live in Ajman.