Thoughts on Dubai
You have to wonder really.
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Mar 13th 2009, 6:12 am
#52
banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 7,611
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
i actually love mythbusters. Id pump the ginger one till the bairn forced me out.
Mar 13th 2009, 6:46 am
#54
banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 7,611
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Either, depending on if adam has that sexy goatee going on..
Mar 13th 2009, 5:16 pm
#55
If I have to explain...
Joined: Sep 2008
Location: Where ever the road takes me
Posts: 3,999
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Oi, Mantrtonic bitch, clean my table now!
Just to get him back to reality. MacDonalds is a bitch of an employer!
Mar 14th 2009, 8:29 am
#56
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Cairo :-(
Posts: 376
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Hey mate
I had exactly the same issue, I had accepted a job and got a call from the HR department in the company asking when I wanted my flights booked as the had all my visas etc, as I was arranging it I said thank goodness this is all done (it took about 3months from start to finish) I just mentioned to the girl whom I had been dealing with and negotiating with over the last few months that I would buy her a drink when I arrived as she is from NZ, she said well maybe not as they have just paid 250 people off!
Wow that was like a bombshell we had booked movers everything, yet they still wanted me to go? I asked how many other people were moving over in Jan 09 she said none we have retracted all offers except yours.
I immediately asked for 1years salary upfront and a 1years notice period, she laughed, but I was deadly serious, she then went and asked her the GM who called me to ask what the issue was, when I told him about me coming over with my family in tow, he still tried to talk me into it.
Luckily I made the right choice to stay where I am, I had already handed my notice in and had been made a counter offer which was a 35% wage increase and a huge jump up the company, so thank you Leightons for making me see sense and that wonderful girl you had working for you in your HR Dept who was very very honest.
Now that was a close call, as you have said I too would like to go and work there one day, but a good bit in the future, we'll see!
I had exactly the same issue, I had accepted a job and got a call from the HR department in the company asking when I wanted my flights booked as the had all my visas etc, as I was arranging it I said thank goodness this is all done (it took about 3months from start to finish) I just mentioned to the girl whom I had been dealing with and negotiating with over the last few months that I would buy her a drink when I arrived as she is from NZ, she said well maybe not as they have just paid 250 people off!
Wow that was like a bombshell we had booked movers everything, yet they still wanted me to go? I asked how many other people were moving over in Jan 09 she said none we have retracted all offers except yours.
I immediately asked for 1years salary upfront and a 1years notice period, she laughed, but I was deadly serious, she then went and asked her the GM who called me to ask what the issue was, when I told him about me coming over with my family in tow, he still tried to talk me into it.
Luckily I made the right choice to stay where I am, I had already handed my notice in and had been made a counter offer which was a 35% wage increase and a huge jump up the company, so thank you Leightons for making me see sense and that wonderful girl you had working for you in your HR Dept who was very very honest.
Now that was a close call, as you have said I too would like to go and work there one day, but a good bit in the future, we'll see!
Mar 14th 2009, 9:20 am
#57
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Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Cairo :-(
Posts: 376
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Ok now I've read the whole thread, I'll say this, firstly there seems to be some musunderstanding that things are not as "bad" in AD, literally 1000's have been retrenched (this is a new word in my vocabulary I would like to point out) since Jan 09, obviously mainly in construction, the vast majority of projects here are either pulled back or cancelled and it it it expected that some jobs that are ongoing now a lot of them will be halted in April/May time.
Packages are changing and even if you are lucky enough to get another contract (which means sitting here paying your own rent with your fingers crossed) employers are now refusing to pay rent up front, so now you have to go take a loan for housing, assuming the bank will give you it and hope that your'e not out a job again in the next 5 mins which is also happening a lot, it seems you're no one out here until you've been paid of 3 times!!
Big problem in AD is that rents are not dropping, except in Raha which i can only assume was mainly populated by LO and Aldar workers, and is therefore explained.
If you're from UK or Ireland, then realistically there are no jobs back home, project managers here are 10 a penny so who can blame a guy for taking a big cut in salary just to keep some money coming in? Especially families that came out here late last year incurring a great expense to do so and finding there was no job for them after 3 months and they've laid out 1000's in rent and school fees?
To be perfectly honest most of us know at least 1 guy out here who couldn't run a bath never mind a project and was getting paid a fortune to do it, seems to me the locals are just clearing the decks of wafflers before they get going again. Which it will
The cost of living in terms of food and drink in AD has not significantly increased, but then I always stuck to local alternatives where possible.
We came to AD so my husband could get experience that he just couldn't get at home, we gave up jobs there and I got a job here very quickly, we didn't run out and spend the relocation money or buy 2 new cars and max out our credit cards at the duty free in the airport, because frankly we didn't behave like that at home and managed to remember to pack our brains and bring them with us
Just my 2 euros worth but maybe some insight into AD
Packages are changing and even if you are lucky enough to get another contract (which means sitting here paying your own rent with your fingers crossed) employers are now refusing to pay rent up front, so now you have to go take a loan for housing, assuming the bank will give you it and hope that your'e not out a job again in the next 5 mins which is also happening a lot, it seems you're no one out here until you've been paid of 3 times!!
Big problem in AD is that rents are not dropping, except in Raha which i can only assume was mainly populated by LO and Aldar workers, and is therefore explained.
If you're from UK or Ireland, then realistically there are no jobs back home, project managers here are 10 a penny so who can blame a guy for taking a big cut in salary just to keep some money coming in? Especially families that came out here late last year incurring a great expense to do so and finding there was no job for them after 3 months and they've laid out 1000's in rent and school fees?
To be perfectly honest most of us know at least 1 guy out here who couldn't run a bath never mind a project and was getting paid a fortune to do it, seems to me the locals are just clearing the decks of wafflers before they get going again. Which it will
The cost of living in terms of food and drink in AD has not significantly increased, but then I always stuck to local alternatives where possible.
We came to AD so my husband could get experience that he just couldn't get at home, we gave up jobs there and I got a job here very quickly, we didn't run out and spend the relocation money or buy 2 new cars and max out our credit cards at the duty free in the airport, because frankly we didn't behave like that at home and managed to remember to pack our brains and bring them with us
Just my 2 euros worth but maybe some insight into AD
Mar 14th 2009, 9:35 am
#58
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 872
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
i like that expression! sums up the attitude you need to take to a relocation such as this one.
there is a concern that, at least from the magic kingdom, that some employers are taking advantage of the climate in 'the west' and offering much smaller packages to get people over here. the thought pattern seems to be, "i can offer you far less (33%) and have my choice because there's no/little work where you come from". unfortunately, the packages before the 33% pay cut weren't flash and were pretty tight for some, so now there far too small an amount to really 'survive' the magic kingdom. (SAR75k for a family housing allowance? even if there were spaces on compounds, that's not enough!) it'll be interesting to see who takes up the offers and how it pans out. i would imagine that those who didn't consider the ME before the down turn will be the first ones heading back as soon as the market in 'the west' looks good. (which, may optimistically be teh end of '09/early '10)
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there is a concern that, at least from the magic kingdom, that some employers are taking advantage of the climate in 'the west' and offering much smaller packages to get people over here. the thought pattern seems to be, "i can offer you far less (33%) and have my choice because there's no/little work where you come from". unfortunately, the packages before the 33% pay cut weren't flash and were pretty tight for some, so now there far too small an amount to really 'survive' the magic kingdom. (SAR75k for a family housing allowance? even if there were spaces on compounds, that's not enough!) it'll be interesting to see who takes up the offers and how it pans out. i would imagine that those who didn't consider the ME before the down turn will be the first ones heading back as soon as the market in 'the west' looks good. (which, may optimistically be teh end of '09/early '10)
<end dribble/>
Mar 14th 2009, 9:48 am
#59
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Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Cairo :-(
Posts: 376
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
it'll be interesting to see who takes up the offers and how it pans out. i would imagine that those who didn't consider the ME before the down turn will be the first ones heading back as soon as the market in 'the west' looks good. (which, may optimistically be teh end of '09/early '10)
Thing about the market picking up at home is that there are an awful lot of guys sitting there at the moment without jobs that said ME experience always looks good on the CV
Mar 14th 2009, 9:54 am
#60
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 872
Re: Thoughts on Dubai
Suspect the MK may go back to what it was 30 years ago when only the men came out as it wont be viable to bring the wife/kids with you anymore.
Thing about the market picking up at home is that there are an awful lot of guys sitting there at the moment without jobs that said ME experience always looks good on the CV
Thing about the market picking up at home is that there are an awful lot of guys sitting there at the moment without jobs that said ME experience always looks good on the CV