Originally Posted by lanarkwitch

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

Originally Posted by still.unsure

am of two minds about the ME experience. guess it's good if you get a couple of years, but if you've been here for too long, you may lose your commercial edge/experience when returning to 'the west'. (taking on the 'local' approach to things can not be good for working back at home!)