Originally Posted by carcajou

OK, wow. Not saying this to have a dig at you but -

1. UAE is not similar to the UK in any way, shape, or form. Saying it's the most British of the GCC countries is like ordering steak instead of hamburger or mutton, because you reason that of the three, steak is closer to a garden salad. Throw this out as a consideration for moving to the UAE.

2. Nobody is allowed to "settle" in the UAE. There is no such thing as permanent residency, and no path to citizenship. Living there is a continuous series of work visas that can be stopped at any moment and for, literally, any reason, including things that would be illegal and grounds for a lawsuit in the UK. When your employer ends your contract, you usually have 30 days to get out of the country. But, beyond that, very few Westerners last more than a few years there. Your thinking should be in 3-5 year cycles, and then re-assessing, not as a "forever" move or even a decade-long move. Throw in the economic downturn and things are really, really tough in a lot of fields.

3. This also means you can't move to the UAE first, and then find a job. You have to be sponsored by a company first. You won't be able to rent an apartment without a work visa (or do just about anything else). UAE employers are generally not amenable to "pop-ins" by job aspirants.

4. I think it's exceedingly unlikely you would find employment in the UAE on a CELTA with no experience, which is why I said in the other post that if you choose to go down that path, you probably would need to work a few years in the Far East or Southeast Asia first, and a comparatively low salary. You will also restrict your options if you focus only on the UAE. On a CELTA pathway you are looking at a multi-year strategy for getting into the UAE, but that's better than no chance at all I suppose.

5. Another angle to look at would be security contractors who sometimes need mechanics - they can hire Westerners on Western salaries for certain projects, because they can have specific contracts with foreign governments. But, again, very little shot at this if you are going to restrict yourself to only the UAE.

I would highly recommend you find someone in your town or neighbourhood who has worked in the UAE and can talk to you about what things are like in the Middle East.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by reddiva

I agree with most of your post, however visa on arrival means he could come without a job, however without a job he could not rent a place alone or open a bank account etc I know of multiple people who came/come here without a job ( myself included all those years ago) and managed to find one and also find places to stay. He would need a large cash reserve to set himself up. If you lose your job you do not have 30 days to leave. I have candidates who lost their jobs anything from 2-16 weeks ago and are still here looking for work Some companies are happy with pop ins. Many people i have worked with found their roles that way. Saying that, it helps if you work in a field which is appealing to companies. I work in recruitment and the vast majority of my candidates come here for 3 months to look for work however as i stated earlier it all depends upon what line of work they are in

Originally Posted by Millhouse

Well... technically yes, but they are not hard and I think that most places in Dubai will put you through the basic one - or you can do that in the UK. Ultimately it’s a sales job.

1500quid a month won’t cut it here. You’ll need 10k aed/month to survive and 15k/month to thrive. A low grade teacher gets 10k + housing.

Originally Posted by UKcit

My partner is also coming with me so we were both looking at 1500 each to start with. So potentially financial advisor could be a possibility especially if looked in to beforehand in the UK then? Do these online courses in the UK have any value in the UAE by the way? Thanks!

Originally Posted by carcajou

OK, wow. Not saying this to have a dig at you but -

1. UAE is not similar to the UK in any way, shape, or form. Saying it's the most British of the GCC countries is like ordering steak instead of hamburger or mutton, because you reason that of the three, steak is closer to a garden salad. Throw this out as a consideration for moving to the UAE.

2. Nobody is allowed to "settle" in the UAE. There is no such thing as permanent residency, and no path to citizenship. Living there is a continuous series of work visas that can be stopped at any moment and for, literally, any reason, including things that would be illegal and grounds for a lawsuit in the UK. When your employer ends your contract, you usually have 30 days to get out of the country. But, beyond that, very few Westerners last more than a few years there. Your thinking should be in 3-5 year cycles, and then re-assessing, not as a "forever" move or even a decade-long move. Throw in the economic downturn and things are really, really tough in a lot of fields.

3. This also means you can't move to the UAE first, and then find a job. You have to be sponsored by a company first. You won't be able to rent an apartment without a work visa (or do just about anything else). UAE employers are generally not amenable to "pop-ins" by job aspirants.

4. I think it's exceedingly unlikely you would find employment in the UAE on a CELTA with no experience, which is why I said in the other post that if you choose to go down that path, you probably would need to work a few years in the Far East or Southeast Asia first, and a comparatively low salary. You will also restrict your options if you focus only on the UAE. On a CELTA pathway you are looking at a multi-year strategy for getting into the UAE, but that's better than no chance at all I suppose.

5. Another angle to look at would be security contractors who sometimes need mechanics - they can hire Westerners on Western salaries for certain projects, because they can have specific contracts with foreign governments. But, again, very little shot at this if you are going to restrict yourself to only the UAE.

I would highly recommend you find someone in your town or neighbourhood who has worked in the UAE and can talk to you about what things are like in the Middle East.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Millhouse

The course I did wasn't online but that was 20 years ago... chartered insurance institute level 3 (level 2 is all you need for here). A qualification will put you ahead of at least half of these scum bags.

What does she do? You're not married I guess so you both need a job each.

As for people having jobs before they come that's BS. Loads come for 3 months to see what they can find and go home poorer or stay at the end of it.

Originally Posted by UKcit

Ok thats good to know!

Shes got a background in hospitality and sales. We're not married by law but out of interest, does the UAE class a nikah the same as being married or do you still have to be legally married as well?

Originally Posted by carcajou

The two most recent posts, I did not see until after my post.

If OP speaks Urdu (or Arabic) that will make a significant difference and changes a lot of the advice given, I think.

Originally Posted by carcajou

Yes, and it also might be a lot easier to find something in the 5-6k AED range that comes with accommodation, to at least stabilise them and buy time while they look for something more suitable.

OP, can you also advise on if you are a dual national?

Originally Posted by UKcit

Hey promising feedback, in regards to fields appealing to companies what would you recommend? Also I have been looking in to the recruitment field and it seems reasonable to get in to in the UK.. could you advise considering you are in the recruitment field yourself? Many thanks!

Originally Posted by UKcit

Yes we both speak urdu. She also does sign language and both in the process of learning arabic too. Not dual nationals no, just british