Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

hi- can you advise me if 20 k aed for a specialist doctor is enough for a family of 5 with 3 school going kids.it is a lump sum with only medical insurance and tickets for self and family offered in addition.
if not what is the kind of package usually offered for a specialist doctor with a western qualification?
what would be the minimum acceptable to live a comfortable lifestyle and yet save around 7 k aed per month which is what were used to saving after taqxes and expenses back home?
do government hospitals usually pay better than private ones or clinics?would appreciate any help rendered

simple answer to this one

NO

NO

NO

For a spec doctor i would expect 45-50k plus benefits

do docs get paid 50k? thats great if it is so.does anyone have any definite info on how much docs are paid in dubai-- different scales for example--thanks again for your help

I dont know where you are from, but a UK/US/CDN doctor wouldn't even get out of bed for less than £50k / $75 k.

This is @ junior level.

hi arnie-am from uk where was getting around 60k ps.however after tax and other outgoings had around 48k in hand.being in london as u would know minimum 2500 ps expenses on an average per mth as we had to rent.which left 18k savings without any additional expenses factored in.tthis i think would work out to just 10k aed per mth.
i have been to some hosp sites which advertise their scales like tawam hosp and have found out that the seniormost level it tops 40k with a few allowances(excl accomodation)for my level it would be 24-30 k.i suppose they pay less here as they factor in the absence of taxation.besides this i suppose it is on par with london in terms of cost of living,maybe more expensive.
which means that allowing for a modest living expense of 15-20k aed per mth one should have at least 10 k more to save so that it makes the move worthwhile.
and unfortunately unlike other sectors where negotiation is the norm there are fixed scales for hospital jobs.
any way thanks arnie as u have made me realise 20 k is way too little

way way too little i am affraid for your job. Put into perspective the average unskilled western expat can pick up 10k Dhs without even trying.

You take schooling for kids, rent, car etc and basically you will be paying the hospital to work there.

20k with no benefits is crap and an insult.

I agree with you 100% arnie........I work at a major hospital here in Canada and that salary offer is an insult.

Thanks Kelly

yes arnie--i realise now it is an insult.bec fr us its like a hardship posting so we should be paid so we save more than we would back home and be able to live better than home while were at it.
guess its suitable for docs from asian/african countries even though i wonder how they survive as the cost of living is similar here wherever u may be from and im sure in their countrie they may be enjoying a high standard of living cpmpared to others.
guess its by leaving their families back home

I'll add my two cents to this one.....

I would say that you should at least look for an amount equal to your current gross pay in the UK.
Therefore, 20k pm would be peanuts in comparison. That's about £37k pa - way less than what you state you get for your net pay currently.
Factor in that you'll need to live in a villa, in a reasonable area would cost you 12k AED per month (probably more!!). Its not going to leave you much left for school fees etc, let alone savings!!

Now, if it was 20k pm PLUS accomodation and car etc. - That's a slightly different story!!

I agree with all what has been said, but if you are talking specifically about twam in Al Ain that the cost of living in Al Ain is much less than AD or dubai .. just something to factor in your caculations.

hi people--im a cardiologist from india.was thinking of moving there for purposes of saving some money to help me establish myself at home .i was reading this thread and wondered.is it true that doctors from the subcontinent are paid less than their western counterparts?i wonder why because in first world countries like us and uk all are treated at par.As such it is only fair that any doctor who can get licensed in dubai should be paid a similar salary keeping in mind the designation,speciality and experience of course.
doctor_no has suggested that while his package would be an insult to any western doc it would be accepted by an asian/african.Of course what he says is unfortunately true but I wonder what is the reason for this.After all all are living in the same city and have the same expenses.And having been in uk for part of my training I can say that not all doctors hailing from there were able to stay in large houses or apartments whereas ull be surprised to know that in India most docs do have a higher standard of living and except for few cities like mumbai and delhi are able to stay in large comfortable houses with all amenities.
I feel the arguement that western docs are used to staying in jumeirah type villas whereas asian/african docs are used to staying in matchbox sharjah type apartments dosent necessarily hold true.
Neither is the care offered by western docs any way superior than that by asian docs as all go thru the same curriculum and asian docs in fact have an advantage of having studied and worked in a tropical setting.
Regarding savings i agree-- western docs when their savings is converted to a common currency would expect to save more than an asian doc and hence their salary should be enough to at least assure them of slightly higher savings to that back home.
I feel it is just a practice of unfortunate bias against fellow asians by an asian country where the westerner emerges the winner.

indmedic wrote:doctor_no has suggested that while his package would be an insult to any western doc it would be accepted by an asian/african.Of course what he says is unfortunately true but I wonder what is the reason for this.After all all are living in the same city and have the same expenses.

Its true cause people come from different backgrounds and have been exposed, and are used to different things. This sets different expectations between the different ethnic professionals and employers factor this into recruitment decisions.

Unfortunately as long as there are people from the above mentioned places willing to accept lower wages, equality between different class/races will remain a pipedream.

Unfortunately as long as there are people from the above mentioned places willing to accept lower wages, equality between different class/races will remain a pipedream.

This is so true and is the reality sadly.

For reasons that some of you know, I am very well placed to discuss medical / dental salaries in Dubai.

20K for a specialist is, sadly, quite normal in Dubai. The pay is, to say the least, crap in this country for health professionals compared to the west.

Yes, I would think that 45-50K is acceptable for a doctor or dentist, but in Dubai / AD / UAE (as a whole) there is not much that will pay remotly close to that.

Medical professionals from India have flooded the market here, prices for medical (especially dental) is much cheaper than the West, and simply put the market for these people is underrated.

I would say that if you really want to live in this country, 20K for what you have is normal. In the UK, USA, or Canada you would make much more.

Like I said, I know this for a fact due to association (lets keep it at that).

I personally know 2 specialist doctors who worked here in Canada where I work, that are now in Abu Dhabi working at the Al Corniche Hospital. They are making alot more than dhs 20,000 per month there. Unfortunately the salary may depend on experience as well. Depending on the number of years you have been in practice and the field you are in.

I would seriously look into this before you make any decision. Maybe talking to HR in some of the major hospitals in the UAE might help. It might be worth your while in the long run.

Some hospitals pay better than others. On the average the pay in the UAE sucks in comparison to the west in the medical field.

Al Tawam Hosipital in Al Ain pays their medical people a joke salary unless you are department head. Then you rake in the cash over there

Then you have tjhe American Hospital that pays relativly well

I have to agree with Liban on and am am quite surprised at salaries that are sometimes expected on these forums . Don't forget that Dubai is rapidly changing and so is the job market . The offer/demand in terms of opportunities is having a serious effect on packages on offer unless you are in a profession that is really struggling to attract people , I can't think of many to be honest, you are facing a lot of competition out there.
Dubai has been and is being PROMOTED everytwhere at the moment and is attracting everybody from all corners of the world. A lot of these skilled people would take a job whatever you offer them.
Believe me , recruitment companies and companies in general are bombarded by hundereds of CVs DAILY here from all continents. everybody wants a piece of this place. Would you blame them ....
Re the health sector , I personally have noticed that there are more and more doctors / surgeons / dentists from Eastern Europe for instance and that will undoubtedly have an impact offers in short and long term.
I think some people on this forum need to update their opinions as this place is and will be changing on an everyday basis.
Re differences in packages Western V Asians & Africans. I truly believe that cost back home drives expactations , most of us plan to go home after a few years here . it will cost us more back home . Also it costs more to go home on vacation . I gues that's one reason why expactations are not the same . Don't get me wrong , I am NOT AT ALL for this as I belive that if two people are doing the same job the only reason that should drive any diffrence in packages is experience and quality of work .
Not nationality , gendre or any of these stupid reasons that are making this world the sad place it is right now.

are u a doctor also liban?any way ure right.i personally know that some indian doctors accept even 12-13 k as a lumpsum package.I guess they just look at the conversion figure without thinking about what they would have to spend to live decently here.As u said this is what is driving the market down because proficiency wise they are as good as other docs,a fact borne out by their large presence in western countries where many are at the top of their profession.
i feel though the employers are exploiting this which is not healthy as after coming here the doc will be squeezed so much that they wont even be able to survive here let alone save and their performance will also be under par.
many give up practices or well paid jobs back home to make the transition.
of course if everyone was aware of forums such as these they could be well warned in advance so they could negotiate a decent package.
to indmedic--i too wish it were uniform like in the west.I too personally had to struggle in london as im not from there and had to share rooms because i couldnt afford to live in a independent apartment.i guess its just that we place a premium on ourselves and view the mid east change as a hardship posting so expect the person who wants our services to pay us more.I suggest that if u guys also adopt the same attitude and dont sell ure services cheap u will definitely close the gap.

havent you read his weekly article in 7 Days ??

Ask Dr Liban.


Dear Doctor Liban

I have read much about the effects cigarettes and passive smoking on our health, my friends are always telling me to stop or put my ciggie out.

what is your opinion.


Dear Concerned

I agree, cigarettes are very bad for you health. I would suggest you consider Shisha smoking as a much more pleasurable way to enjoy an evening with your friends.

I have to agree with breeze and even though kelly may be right too its the exception and not the norm from what ive heard.your friends may be lucky to get a good package but for the most case supply is more than demand in most specialities and especially in the hundred of private clinics that have mushroomed all over the uae they wont have much say in the matter.
here again the western docs can opt not to come but for asian docs even a low salary is a draw and its only when they get here and realise the cost of living is similar to cities like london and nyc that they realise they have been taken for a ride.
just for your info guys--i have some colleagues in saudi arabia who have just emailed me that the salaried of docs there have been increased by 70% which means a consultant would make over 30 k sr with accomodation.which is excellent as the cos t of living even if u have to spend for accomodation is less than half of uae.

hi again--was just reading thru the comments after my post.and although i agre with almost all things i disagree with the assumption that western docs get more bec they have to go back home either for vacations or for good and need more than docs from asia would.
us and uk are welfare states.there is social security.as such it is very hard and more expensive for an indian doc to reestablish himself after a stint here than a western doc.and reg expenses on vacation --well maybe the indian doc would like to visit Europe or US and not go back to india where also the expenses are not exactly less.
I agree that cost of living is less in India than in Uk or USA and that should be factored in for sure.But since all are going to be staying and working in Dubai where expenses are similarfor all i feel there should be a basic liveable salary so all can live a similar lifestyle and in addition there should be some savings which can be higher for a westerner based on a slightly higher scale

I am not disagreeing with you on that indmetic at all. What I wrote was what I percieve as the reason why such expectations are out there. I totally agree that that shouldn't be a reason to be paid more as an expat. I think I did state what should and shouldn't be a reason for salary differences in my post.

That is disappointing. A few clarification questions:

When you are talking about salaries as 40K-50K, for example, is that AED/month? or USD/year?

I know Dubai Healthcare City is scheduled to open soon with an affiliated Harvard Medical School teaching institution. Will this have any impact on salaries?

I am a US citizen and plan on completing my medical education in the US before (potentially) moving to Dubai, because I think the city is amazing. But I don't think I would be able to seriously consider it unless the salaries were at least somewhat competitive with those in the US.

So with that said, are salaries like those of radiologists in the US, for example (which are around $500K/year), even remotely possible in Dubai?

SGMD1 wrote:That is disappointing. A few clarification questions:

When you are talking about salaries as 40K-50K, for example, is that AED/month? or USD/year?

I know Dubai Healthcare City is scheduled to open soon with an affiliated Harvard Medical School teaching institution. Will this have any impact on salaries?

I am a US citizen and plan on completing my medical education in the US before (potentially) moving to Dubai, because I think the city is amazing. But I don't think I would be able to seriously consider it unless the salaries were at least somewhat competitive with those in the US.

So with that said, are salaries like those of radiologists in the US, for example (which are around $500K/year), even remotely possible in Dubai?

Quite unlikely!

No. Such a salary is quite impossible unless you are the personal physician of the ruler of Dubai.

I knew I should've went for radiology studies

XRW-147 wrote:
Unfortunately as long as there are people from the above mentioned places willing to accept lower wages, equality between different class/races will remain a pipedream.

Oh, you are back? That was a very short "good-bye"! hahahahahahaha

Sorry, back to topic.