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Jobs in the United Arab Emirates are increasing fast; Dubai is one of the seven emirates which make up the UAE, which is a federation of states on the Arabian Peninsula situated between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman along the coast of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai City is considered one of the fastest-growing cities on the planet, packed full of banking jobs, IT jobs, and jobs in many other economic sectors. This is one of the best places in the world if you love desert temperatures, sandy beaches, and some of the hottest shopping opportunities you can find anywhere. Construction, finance, IT, media and engineering are some of the top jobs in Dubai as the city continues to grow.

The reason so many people choose to work jobs in Dubai is because of the exciting opportunities. Where other countries around the world are suffering from rising unemployment rates during the global recession, Dubai is seeing nothing but continued growth, meaning that IT jobs in Dubai as well as other types of jobs are continuing to be available to qualified candidates on a global basis.

Working a job in Dubai means understanding that you are going to be in a completely different environment than what you may be used to, but there are quite a few benefits, not the least of which is the experience of working in a foreign land. These types of experiences look great on CVs and job applications, and if you are looking for a boost up in your career, there’s no better place to look for jobs in the Middle East than in Dubai.

With English being one of the world’s most recognised and spoken languages, falling behind only Chinese Mandarin and Spanish, there is some availability for individuals to teach English in Dubai. Whilst a range of jobs in Dubai exist for foreigners, mostly in the administrative and construction industries, the increasing number of expatriates and nationals looking to learn the language have added to opportunities within the region, allowing some to find work as teachers to both adults and children.

English remains a second language in the education system in Dubai, but with a large proportion of teaching staff hailing from Jordon, Syria and Egypt opportunities for those whose first language is English in the state system are rare. Largely due to the extreme cultural differences between the Middle East and the Western World foreigners should not therefore look to teach English in the state education system, and instead look into alternative avenues of employment.

With the rise in the rate of tourism to the region English is a vital language for all those working in places such as hotels, hospitals, airports and tourist attractions. Meanwhile many will find a large proportion of fluent English nationals in the retail sector, which allows them the ability to interact with locals and Westerners alike. Advertised in newspaper supplements in addition to professional teaching publications, English teachers can find a number of options for work including private schools, language schools and private lessons, with additional work also being available as interpreters and translators.

If you are considering applying for jobs in Saudi Arabia or Dubai, or any one of the Gulf States, you should be aware that once you start work it is not easy to change.  An employee is sponsored by an employer, who will have paid a great deal of money in visa and relocation fees to bring the worker to the country, so they will not be keen to allow anyone to terminate a contract early.  When taking Gulf jobs, the worker has an obligation to remain loyal to the employer.

It has been the case in the past that some workers whose contracts have ended have found a new job while they are still in the country.  This means that the employer has obtained the services of an experienced employee and has not had to pay out for visa and relocation fees.  There are now new procedures in place to prevent workers from doing this. 

Employment contracts are now worded so that they protect employers.  Open ended contracts are used rather than fixed term agreements and the worker has to agree to leave the country for six months after the end of the contract and before they can apply for a new job and visa. 

In order to transfer to another job a worker must have a ‘no objection certificate’ from the company they currently work for, but this does not mean that they will no longer be subject to rigorous checks.  The easiest way to change jobs is to leave at the end of the contract and reapply after the six month waiting period has elapsed. 

For all foreign individuals looking into the possibilities of working in Dubai it is vital to understand the details of sponsorship. Jobs in Dubai can be readily available for those with the correct skills, but holding the right qualifications and having the inclination to move will not get individuals anywhere unless they have a sponsor.

Throughout the Gulf nations the term sponsor refers to an individual who takes care of a foreign worker living in the nation. Acting as a guardian of sorts it is the sponsor that opens a bank account, signs accommodation contracts and completes paperwork for the employee and it is they that have the ultimate responsibility of ensuring that any expatriate abides by the nation’s laws and regulations. It is therefore vital that any prospective employee ensure that an adequate sponsor can be found, allowing them to enter the country and work under the terms of their contract.

Be it an individual, an institution or a company, Dubai also has qualification criteria for would-be sponsors. Employees can normally rely on their company becoming their sponsor, whilst those looking to a future of self employment are recommended to investigate local firms operating in a similar niche, finding an experienced individual to act as a sponsor.

Used by many countries including the United States to control the immigration of workers, the sponsorship process is an integral part of moving to Dubai, and without a sponsor relocation is not possible. And whilst individuals may see the process as a negative, such a detailed approach can pay dividends in the future with increased company interest and career development being offered as a result of their sponsorship role.

The emirate of Dubai has one of the strongest economies in the world today and jobs in numerous career sectors are available in many sectors.  This is especially true where Dubai finance jobs and the banking industry are concerned.  The growth in the construction and real estate sectors has placed increasing demands on the finance industry, hence the availability of numerous employment opportunities in the region and other surrounding Gulf areas.

If you are considering applying for one of the many Dubai finance jobs, you will most likely start your search using the internet and investigate the many job posting sites.  Your best bet is to start with the larger firms in the finance sector that have a sound history and have been in Dubai the longest.  These firms tend to pay better and will assist new employees and their families with work visas and all the related fees.  This is a critical factor if you are married with children and are planning on relocating them with you when you move to the Middle East.

Be sure to update your CV or resume so that all your information is as current as possible.  Another suggestion is to attach a cover letter which emphasises why you are the employee they need based on relevant work experience and your skill levels.  Most finance jobs in Dubai are looking for higher quality employees with several years of experience in the industry.  Additionally some familiarity with the local language could also be a plus for a potential employer although this is not essential.

The job market in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and other Gulf States offer opportunities to foreigners to work at jobs as diverse as petrochemical engineer, bond trader, teacher, hedge manager and funeral director – there really is something for everyone, but certainly there are some job sectors that offer more opportunity than others. Since the explosion of Dubai’s tourism trade, the price of property has risen steadily, both in the sales and rentals markets. In addition, developers throughout Dubai have embarked on numerous ambitious and pioneering large-scale architectural projects resulting in the creation of thousands of multi-purpose office blocks and residential buildings, multi-million dollar hotel and leisure complexes, shopping malls and some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. These in turn have created hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Although Dubai’s prosperous property market experienced a significant slump as a result of the recent global financial crisis the emirate is still considered a wise investment as it is a gateway destination with optimal conditions for conducting business. Dubai property prices are steadily recovering and are already at 2007 levels.

Dubai has certainly been instrumental in raising the international profile of the UAE in order to maintain its ranking as the most popular destination in the Middle East for both business and pleasure. Property developers with vision have seen huge returns on their investments and there continue to be exciting openings in the real estate and property sector, including positions such as sales and leasing consultants, surveyors, negotiators and mortgage advisors.

There is a wealth of job opportunities in Dubai, one of the Persian Gulf states comprising Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, and hundreds of foreign workers make their way there every year in search of new professional and personal horizons. The prospect of tax free earnings is a major attraction of course, but so also is the higher quality of life and the great weather.

Dubai gas jobs are in particular demand. A third of the GDP comes from the gas and oil sectors, and despite the growth in other areas of the economy it remains the greatest generator of revenue for the government. For those with the desired skills, the rewards can be very great.

Dubai gas jobs and all other jobs for foreign workers can be found on internet sites for the Gulf area using a simple Google search, and narrowed down to particular agencies that deal with your skills. The so-called Free Trade Zones make searching for a job that much easier, as they are arranged according to particular industries.

So for example IT specialists will be based in Internet City and healthcare professionals in Healthcare City. It may sound a bit like Toytown but it’s an efficient way of organising the industry sectors to maximise coordination and efficiency.

Line up a job or interview over the Internet or via an expo, which are regularly arranged by Dubai employers in major cities across the world each year. Once a job is landed, sort out a temporary residency permit to enable you to live and work in Dubai or whichever Gulf state you’re headed for.

Real estate and construction make up almost a quarter of Dubai’s total economy and the majority of contract and freelance jobs in the emirate are in the construction industry (and also in shipbuilding and offshore oil installations). Dubai has around 250,000 labourers, mostly from south Asia, working on the various property development projects around the city, from magnificent hotel complexes to luxury office blocks. The demand for increasingly complex and ambitious infrastructure looks set to continue unabated in order to meet the region’s population growth and therefore jobs in the construction and engineering sector will always be available for hard-working professionals and labourers from all over the world, especially now that Dubai’s own oil supplies are declining. Opportunities in this sector across the Middle East (including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain as well as the emirates) include project management, quantity surveyor and architectural positions.

In recent years, Dubai has seen unprecedented expansion and the strength of its engineering and construction industry is renowned worldwide. Completed major projects in Dubai have included an underwater resort and the world’s first seven-star hotel – the splendid Burj al-Arab, while the Dubai Marina (the largest man-made marina in the world) and four theme parks (collectively known as World of Discovery) are being developed, along with the Dynamic Tower – the first prefabricated skyscraper with 80 independently rotating floors. These incredible ventures promise to help enhance Dubai’s already impressive profile as the most architecturally futuristic city in the world.

The countries comprising the Persian Gulf states – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE – offer a wealth of opportunities for job-seekers with the right skills who are looking for a change from the old routine, and seeking a higher level of income, enhanced quality of life and wider opportunities, to say nothing of the fantastic weather.

Jobs in Dubai are categorised in terms of the country’s Free Trade Zones, which effectively group skills sets in terms of industrial specialisations. Healthcare City, for example, is concerned with healthcare skills, and those with banking, insurance and management skills would be looking at the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), where business activities are mostly based.

The absence of personal tax levies is one big incentive for working in Dubai, and jobs in Dubai will be much better rewarded than back home, but don’t forget to inform the relevant departments before you set out that you’re no longer resident for tax purposes. 

If you have the skills that Dubai needs, it’s a simple matter to get an interview set up by submitting your CV with covering letter to one of the agency websites you can find on a Google search, or through an expo organised by Dubai employers in the UK and elsewhere.

Your employer will be able to sponsor you to work in Dubai and you can then obtain a temporary residency permit for the duration of your employment there.

Jobs in Dubai are plentiful, so take a look and change your outlook in sunny Dubai!

Over the past decade or so Dubai has become one of the most exciting economic growth areas in the Persian Gulf region.  Currently there are still many good jobs in Dubai available.  Just be aware that the career market has become very competitive, especially in certain job sectors such as commercial and residential construction, healthcare, IT, media, real estate, and telecommunications.  However, the qualified professional with considerable work experience in those fields could find very lucrative and secure employment for many years should they be hired into one of those positions.

Part of the allure that Dubai holds for the career seeker is the fact that it is a tax-free environment; in other words, you get to keep your entire pay cheque.  As an example of the benefit here, let’s assume that you live and work in the US, making $120,000 annually.  You’re going to pay about $48,000 of that in taxes or $4,000 per month.  Now imagine what it would be like if you could keep that additional $4,000 every month.  In addition to not having to pay taxes on your earnings, there are no property taxes either, so purchasing a home is also easier financially.

In order to find the better jobs in Dubai you should apply to the larger corporations and firms that have been in business in Dubai the longest.  These companies not only tend to be well established and very stable, they often pay higher salaries and will assist you with your work and sponsorship visas, as well as the fees associated with them.  The larger firms will usually let you negotiate this into your employment contract when they employ you.