blu93

Hi, I am a from UK i live in Wales, i have 10 years of experience in rail and construction,
I am due soon to complete my degree in BEng civil engineering at University of south wales I cant find much Information about moving to Dubai and working in civil or Construction project management or find a place to ask questions facebook groups are flooded with Indians and I do not feel confident asking there because i think Dubai offers different for western people.
is it hard to find a job in civil or Construction or project management, what are the best companies to look for, what is the salary expected in both job roles and what is the working hours?
how do i approach to find a job, should i move then look or look before hand ?

if i could gain some Knowledge from this group it would be really helpful
thank you

McNaught

Morning
I'm currently in Thailand for a visit and from Wales myself. I'm a Site/Project Manager and QS.

Let me know how you get on because I've heard you need to turn up in the UAE and find work, then the respective company gets a work permit/visa for you.

I'm looking to go with the wife in a couple of months and see if that's true because I've had absolutely no feedback from job enquiries direct from the UK.

UK now is just ridiculous for construction due to the IR35 rules, but they've been successfully challenged in the Court of Appeal in UK. However, as I only do agency work, you're at the mercy of the blanket 20% CIS under IR35, that companies are apparently terrified of!

Enough is enough!!

Regards
Bryan

Johnnyboy11

I didn't know what "Inside IR35" meant until I got a quote on a £400/day contract job in the UK. Basically you become a "No Rights Employee" and get paid £229/ day after deductions, plus you can't expense anything. A lot of construction professionals were driven out of the UK , myself included, and won't be going back to work there in any hurry.

All paths currently lead to KSA and Neom in particular. Best to look for work with one of the big international (American) consultants and avoid the local companies, particularly avoid the regional contractors. Have a look on their websites for open vacancies and find out who the recruitment officers are on Linkedin. GulfTalent is also a good place to look, as Recruitment Companies are active there. You won't get far without a Degree, unless you have very niche skills that are in high demand.

Also find out how to become and remain UK Non-Resident for UK tax purposes, it can be more difficult that you might think.

McNaught

Thanks for the reply. I have several degrees so hoping work could be available. UK is finished now for freelance work but rates slowly going up because nobody any good is prepared to work there.

Any links to US employers greatly appreciated.

Is it worth going out on spec or waiting?

Regards
Bryan