car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Hi Everyone...

Im new to the forum and wanted to know if anyone can give me information on the car bodywork trade in the uae.. e.g work availability, salary etc. Also is speaking arabic a must or beneficial in relation to work opportunities?

Currently I'm in the uk but looking for opportunities to move there and most of my experience is in the car industry.

Any advice or guidance would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance :)

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

All the bodywork shops in Abu Dhabi anyhow are in Musaffah and done by men from the sub-continent. I've never seen a western in any garage in Abu Dhabi. I imagine there salaries are between 2-4K AED a month and not something a Western expat could consider. It's not a professional for UK Nationals

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Thank you for your feedback..

I understand the small independent garages wouldn't pay very well as its the same in the UK, I was looking more towards working for car dealerships or a company with big financial backing e.g at the moment the company I work for purchase and repair cars to then sell them on a national scale so I was hoping the UAE may have something along the same level?

Out of curiosity, where do car hire and insurance companies get damaged vehicles repaired in the UAE?

On the other hand, isnt the UAE big on cosmetically enhancing vehicles like wrapping or tinting? Is that a possible trade to do as a westerner?


Once again thanks in advance for any feedback given by anyone!

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

The car dealerships and car hire companies also only use people from the Subcontinent or Africa, though occasionally you might see an Arab Expat (from Egypt etc) in there. I've never seen a Westerner.

Though I think the salary sman987 quoted is very, very high. I leased a car for 5 years (I put about 5,000 to 6,000 km on it every month) and got to know the folks at the company I leased from very well - the branch manager showed me his monthly pay slip once and it was 1,500 AED. That was the manager . . . one of the regular staffers who was East African was making less.

Those companies, employ people in-house to do the repairs, they have big lots in multiple places across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and they are also not staffed by Westerners.

Tinting and wrapping is the same, your resident car owner goes to the little shop in the industrial area or has a friend do it. The big companies who hire cars out, have that done at the start but if for some reason they need it re-done their in-house people do it.

Sorry this just isn't a profession for Westerners in the UAE, and you will have to try some other avenue.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

i thought it was illegal to have tinted windows in a leased/hired car.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

I seem to remember mine having it, I think it's illegal to have it tinted past a certain darkness? The point is the same. They're not going to hire out a Westerner at Western prices to do anything.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

UKcit - for work in this sector you would need language ability in English and Arabic. And expect a thousand Dirhams a month as salary.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Actually more likely Urdu and Jinglish.

I know a Brit-Indian who runs a garage. Only able to do this by exploiting his homeland brothers and using the language.

It’s cheap too. A panel is about 300dh.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Thank you for your replies..

what other avenues are available in this field that you would recommend. Or even not in this field but speaks English and is from UK?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Financial advisor or estate agent.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Hey Millhouse, do you not need to be qualified for financial advisor?

Any roles that pay atleast £1500 to begin with would be great? Maybe jobs that require taking a short course in the UK to get certified even?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Teaching English through one of the British Council courses like CELTA etc that are about a month long.

They aren't "real" teaching qualifications and can't be used in place of a PGCE to teach in a "real" school, but lots of after-school academies etc in the Gulf hire people with those. You may need to get a year or two of experience in Korea or Southeast Asia first before becoming competitive in the Gulf. It would also be helpful if you broadened your horizon to include other Gulf countries like KSA. You could probably get 1,500 GBP in the Gulf on that (you won't get that in the Far East).

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

I have my mind made for it to be the UAE as coming from the UK the UAE is the closest country similar to the UK out of the whole of the GCC. Im looking to move and settle there hence why I wouldn't mind looking into courses that could kick start a career for me there as bodywork does not seem to be as beneficial as it is in the UK unfortunately :(

I will look into CELTA though thank you, it would be satisfactory to attain work in the UAE still right?

Any other advice or help would be highly appreciated.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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!

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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!

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

What I meant by saying the UAE is most like the UK is that out of all the GCC countries it is the most western and seemingly the most promising one to establish a life there. It wasnt said on a literally term, just in the sense that it is a go to for many westerners as I am aware there is quite a large western community there in many locations.

I am aware that they do not give citizenship or permanent stays hence the other plans I am putting in place to secure some what of a life there.

But many thanks I will take your feedback in to consideration :)

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

are you desi? can you speak urdu?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Indeed. Maybe a manager of a garage/ floor man could be an option. That's probably an 8-10 AED month job.... maybe.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

the accommodation at that range would be savage. cockroaches in the cereals. :lol:

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

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 :)

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Unless you have an extensive client base and MENA recruitment experience here i would not think of going into recruitment. For someone starting out, it is very tough and you are competing against hundreds of people with years of experience. Not many cut it and end up bouncing around at different firms
( Job hopping is a big no no to clients here) My clients are very choosy when it comes to candidates, i work across the tech field, mostly oil and gas however extensive experience is required and there are so many people worldwide that are unemployed that clients have a big pool to fish from. Gone are the days when you could rock up here, meet someone in a bar and find a job. Unless you have the relevant experience ( Finance, accounting, HR, sales, marketing, engineering roles are busy) it is hard to get your foot in the door via an agency. Clients pay our bills so they want the best.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

If the Western route is not being fruitful, the non-Western part of the UAE is very factionalised along tribal and regional lines. Try finding Urdu-speaking communities where people come from the same region as your ancestors (not the same country - the same region inside the country) and see if they can help you. You won't get anything Western-standard along those lines (in salary or hours), and with "passport politics" (racial and ethnic discrimination in the UAE is both legal and encouraged) they may not be even allowed to hire you legally. But it could be a start, and you might be able, as I alluded to earlier, find something that will tide you over at a minimum baseline until you find something Western-standard in salary and hours. This strategy also depends on how badly you want to be in the UAE. As I think I said earlier, go on leave, don't quit, your UK job until you actually have something firm in the UAE.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

"Real" jobs teaching English as a Foreign language require a first degree plus an MA in Linguistics. A 4-week CELTA will not cut the mustard.

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

That's quite high-risk... many local companies (I am not saying all of them, but definitely more than a few) will demand a salary certificate or copy of a bank statement whenever hiring an expat from within the country, and then try to offer you a lower salary (their logic being that if you are looking for a new job, and already have one, you are probably unhappy and willing to take a pay cut to get out of the old one).

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

do you by any chance know any specific recruitment companies or sites that show jobs along these lines?

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Most of these roles will be word of mouth. My company ( And many others) for example will not advertise junior roles. Research high end garages here and call the Managers to ask if they have any roles

Re: car bodywork jobs in uae
 

Thanks for the help reddiva :)