DXBtoDOH

Hello Sally,

People fall into two categories. Those with proper careers / professions (construction management, finance, chartered architects and surveyors and engineers, solicitors) tend to have minimal difficulties returning to the UK and quite often go back via internal transfers or a job in hand. I came out to the Gulf twice, went back home via internal transfer, and once again I'm going back via internal transfer. My mates in these professions who quit and went home always found something soon enough.

The other category are jobs with no charterships or certifications. Think generic administrative roles. HR roles. Paper pushing roles. Low level marketing roles. It's always going to be very difficult finding jobs from abroad and for that you need to be in the UK. Think of it from the perspective of the employer. Why risk hiring someone face unseen from Dubai when you can hire someone locally? Save your money, bite the bullet and go home and spend a few months chasing after everything and you'll find something. Unemployment is so low and so tight with increasing shortage of labour that it's next to impossible not to find a basic administrative role.

DXBtoDOH

I've been to many, many weddings and enjoyed them all, but the costs are insane. If I ever get married it's nipping down to the registrar's and a nice lunch afterwards. I ain't spending all that money feeding you bland chicken when I can blow it on an amazing holiday.

scrubbedexpat141

Interestingly, your advice is the same. The engineers or solicitor friends of yours quit and found something back home 'soon enough'....similarly....Sally is obviously a pleb in your eyes and can only manage a 'basic administrative role' and she should just 'bite the bullet' and soon enough she'll 'find something'.

Good effort on the trolling though, just need a bit more attention to detail to really pull it off. 4/10.

Yeah I'm quite similar in many respects, I'd be happy with that, but then sometimes I like the idea of a proper party with friends and family over two days. We'll see.

Bahtatboy

Um.... Gotta disagree there. A friend/colleague took my wedding photos (this is well before the era of digital), and assuring me that he was experienced and competent, I lent him my top-notch gear (world's first auto-focus camera, plus a couple of zoom lenses -- OK, not Leica, but fine enough). Absolute crap. I asked him later why he hadn't used the zoom. Zoom? I didn't know you had one...

On the other hand and at completely the other end of the scale, a Korean friend recently got hitched (in Korea). Don't know how much the photos cost, but it included a day about a week before the wedding (both in full regalia), and the pics are just ... stunning.

I still get the occasional whinge after 32 years about our appalling wedding photos. Next time (ha!) I'll either have none at all, or use someone who knows what s/he's doing.

Millhouse

Norm_uk

Like anywhere a lot depends on your field, what the market is short of and how well connected you and/or how good your networking skills are.

I know people with in-demand skills who are struggling and people who seemingly do and know very little who are doing very well. Dubai is definately a harder bet now with huge downward pressure on wages - large numbers of people still come to look for work. At least in the UK you can pick up any old job to keep you busy and earn some pennies if you are really in need. I knows people who went back and worked in pubs or supermarkets to keep themselves going until something same up. Most people who go back adjust and get on with it.

I have been messed around for a while now with salary and commisions so going back is not a concern - had to scale back on the lifestyle ages ago, and was never big on it anyway and prefer the simple life.

N.

scrubbedexpat141

Don't get me wrong, I'd like some nice photos, just nothing....noddy. I'm not a model (could be though, let's face it) and will not feel comfortable doing it, nor will she - I know.

Oh well, we'll see. Had another quote come back at 50 grand. The more reasonably priced ones we can both find faults with which isn't a good sign.

eastrunner

@ OP look at contracting with day rates you'll find it's an easy market to get into and checkout the market place, contracts can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months or longer. They pay you gross you can register and setup a company and enjoy some tax benefits (there are loads of accounting firms that do all the tax etc for a few hundred pounds). And if you find an employer that you like to work its an easy way to find a perm role. This is all assuming that you are willing to quit and move back.

ER

csdf

If you get a photographer, get one who will give you the rights to the photos and transfer the final TIFF or RAW files to you (not all of them obviously, nobody wants 2000 unedited RAW photos). There's nothing worse than not owning your own photos and having to pay the photographer every time you want a copy.

Bahtatboy

Hi-res scans.

jam25mack

Was at a wedding in Boracay. They used a group of local photographers. By the time we sat down for the dinner they had already formatted enough images from the ceremony 2hrs earlier to have a few minutes long slide show. They were an epic crew.