Jay2018

Hi all this is my first post.

I am some what looking to move abroad somewhere around the Middle East and lookin for qs job. Can you any one point me in the right direction of any angency or what to look out for.

Currently I am working for a tier one contractor in the uk with 5 years experience under my belt in building construction.

Thanks

littlejimmy

Hi Jay. Welcome to the bored. I'm a QS / Contracts Manager with 30 years experience and am on my second stint in Dubai. This may come across as a tad harsh and blunt, and maybe someone in the recruitment game will correct me, but I don't think it's a good time to be looking for a QS job here, either in terms of the projects or in terms of your experience. There are projects going on, but there's a lot of nervousness about the way things are going. Also, you probably need another 5-10 years under your belt, to be honest. Companies generally employ the more junior level QS people from India and similar countries.

I could be completely wrong...just my view. Good luck with the job hunting.

jam25mack

Do we need another brick counter?

Good luck in your search, however, I expect as LJ says your experience may be a bit short for a western QS role.

You never know though, try either hitting up the recruitment agencies or looking on the websites of the big consultancies / contractors.

scrubbedexpat141

Young British QS candidates do get employed here, we hire with as little as 2-3 years experience....but 5 is the target minimum.

More likely to happen if you've got MRICS and a good QS Degree and 5 years with one contractor on big schemes.

That's not set in stone but I'll gloss over anyone who's a job hopper or no attempt at RICS or an unrelated degree etc etc.

littlejimmy

So you've seen my CV...

scrubbedexpat141

I wondered if I was too subtle for you to notice mate....

littlejimmy

I often think I'm paranoid, but as they say, that doesn't mean they're not out to get me.

scrubbedexpat141

I'm only joking about being mean about you.

I'm just giving some advice based on what we would want to hire as a consultant.

littlejimmy

Fair enough. I think we've scared him off anyway!

Jay2018

Thanks for getting back to me.

I have been in touch with serveral companies mainly Abu Dhabi and received a offer from one. I wanted to ask what are the working outs and how flexible are they for you to travel back to the uk.

Bahtatboy

Just make sure you do as much due diligence as you can on your prospective employer. Hopefully you've had a good look round this forum to understand the pros and, in particular, the cons of working in the UAE (and the region generally). I'm certainly not advising against it, but just make sure you understand the risks. (I was there for 4 1/2 years in a contractual role, and generally enjoyed and profited from it, but with a featherbed contract.)

scrubbedexpat141

Working hours? It should be in your contract or at least they can tell you?

Make sure you do your research as Bahtat says.

Are they a contractor? 6 day week?
Happy to reply to a private message if you want any thoughts on it.

If you need more than average travel to the UK then it's worth discussing with them before accepting.

littlejimmy

Good stuff. As Scamp says, make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your offer. You should at a minimum get health insurance, mob and demob flights and 30 calendar days holiday plus public holidays. There is also some good cost of living info on here if you search for it.