originalacidman

Hello,

I am an Architectural Technician and due to the current economic climate in the UK I find myself about to be made redundant (again!). I am fed up with finding work and then finding that my job goes after working for a few months.

So now I've decided that the UK aint for me anymore and am looking into getting a job in Dubai as I believe that the construction industry is booming in the UAE region.

There are probably quite a few similar threads to this which I am currently looking through to find out the basics.

I have spoken to a recruitment specialist and he informs me that I should expect a salary of about £40k basic which seems to be good, and I should expect the company to supply all the relevant help with accomodation payments and flights and healthcare.

Any info from someone who is "living the dream" would be apreciated

Cheers

Blue Cat

hiya and welcome to BE. Sorry to hear about your redundancy. Why do you think we are living the dream? is that how residents of Britain now view those of us who are here? Can't help on the work front. I am sure some of the guys on here might be able to point you in the right direction though.

Hello.Kitty

ah-ha! "The dream"!

Sorry to hear about your pending redundancy - been there, done that - and I hope that good things will come of it!

I'm an architect and my husband is a landscape architect. I'm not currently working, but he is... and there is a shortage of technically-minded people out here.

The thing is, most of the Cad-monkies and technicians are from the sub-continent, cos they are cheaper. Most, but not all. I'd say that if you have 10yrs + of technical experience, then companies would be interested (like they would be in GB in normal circumstances)... if you have 5-10 years, then really big up your knowledge.

Things to big up anyway over here (cos they are severely lacking in the current technicians) are:
- knowledge and adherance to QA systems
- working details (or rather, details that work!)
- the ability to think. Yes, it's tough!

Also, The Powers That Be have decided that DDA is "a good thing", so they want some. If you've got experience in that, it's worth mentioning.

As for salary, don't be too in awe of the nice numbers, especially if the accommodation package is "only" to the tune of £15k (about half of what you'd actually need for rent). Flights home are a legal requirement, not a perk, and healthcare is standard.

happy man

Yes it's not that great in Dubai but I think it's still better than the Uk and less affected by the financial crisis

originalacidman

Thanks for the advice! Really appreciate it.

Just thought i'd add that although im 24, I do have a broad spectrum of experience gained from working on large scale residential projects and also more recently on commercial projects.

I have sent my CV off to a few companies with work samples so fingers crossed i'll get some feedback.

I have been looking at jobsites but am finding that most refer to the salary on offer as negotiable, so if anyone knows what the normal sort of figure for an Architectural Technician or CAD Technician is that would be helpful as I dont want to price myself out.

Thanks for your time

happy man

try also recruitment agencies such as bbt and anderselite

Hello.Kitty

how many years actual experience do you have? Don't worry, I'm not about to pooh-pooh you, but it's just to get an idea of depth of knowledge. Broad spectrums are lovely, but most companies look for real depth of knowledge in their technical people, whereas if you were concept-based, then broad is better.

If I was an employer right now, I'd be thinking something along the lines of "ok, he's been given lots of various projects to do, but hasn't really been given the opportunity to really get stuck into anything..."

Actually, you don't need to answer any of the questions I'll put to you... it's just to get you thinking about how you can sell yourself best.
- Was there anything that you were given responsibility for?
- Was there anything that was a real challenge (but you sorted it out good and proper!)?
- Have you had any relevant experience to the UAE construction situation (housing and commercial is a good point - an entire set of details based on rain-water disposal may be not!)

As for salary, negociable is obviously both ways. Have your business head on when you talk to them about expected salary - don't try and aim for something you think is reasonable for them to pay, aim for what you need (and a bit more to allow for the negociations!). Keep an eye out on dubizzle for rental trends - they are the key factor as to whether you'll make money or lose money.

I've put some links to decent recruitment agencies on the wiki

originalacidman

Cheers Kitty,

New member so didnt spot that wiki section before. Thanks for your useful advice and help.

In response to your question, I have worked my way up from office junior level when I was 16, qualified with a HNC Building Studies in 2006, but have been working in this role for about 6 years properly. I have sucessfully run conversion jobs for house builders and produced drawing packages for new build houses. Also on the commercial front, recently I have been working on BMW and MINI showrooms.

Hopefully I dont get pigeon holed into doing door schedules for eternity

Thanks again

Hello.Kitty

no, you see, they'll get low-paid juniors to do the really cakky stuff - and by that, I mean the chaps from the sub-continent. It's a weird thing, but it's all part of the Dubai experience, that you will come in above, and on a higher salary than someone who has equal experience, but who, let's say, isn't European.

Also, you'll never have to make the tea - there are such things as Tea Boys here. Oh yes!

New build housing packages are a good thing, as is your showroom experience. Clients here love showeyness. If you haven't already done so, take a peek at what's being built over here (and by who) to get a feel for it and align your portfolio to suit.