Why are you here in the ME?
 

Simple Question - Why are you here in the ME?

There could be a complex reason, or again simple answer.

So why are you living and working in the ME

Some suggestions that come to mind...
Income tax free
Sun
Religion/Culture.
Dubai
Weather
Your an utter disgrace and failure, and the only redemption is your passport - as none British don't realise how much of a hopeless case you are.
Hate UK
Money
Russian girls


Why is iggles here? Money.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Money
Money
Money
Money
Money
Money
Cheap sex with loose and/or lost women
Money
Money
Money
Money

Er, shallow I know, what can I say

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

The money helps but is not my principal reason. I find it sad to hear that people suck up so much shit for money as money is just is not that important.

I just didn't like working (or really living) in the UK. From the age of about 16 I made the decision to leave and studied and grew a career in order to facilitate it - didn't expect to end up here but it's good for me for now.

It's also close enough to "home" for going back frequently to see friends and the few family I bother to keep in touch with. East Asia would be my preference but it's just too far.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Don't want to live in the UK. Had enough of living in Singapore.
not paying tax does help

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

For most it's either the money or escaping from something, and often a combination of the two.

For me it's a combination of the two, although a significant part of the second factor is the first factor.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

:goodpost: What he said :goodpost:

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

for me it was purely a job opportunity...in all honesty earning tax free wasn't even considered when I took the job.....I just welcomed the opportunity to work abroad in a field that I had never worked in (oil & gas), and a field that at the time, one couldn't go wrong in...and clearly I have realised no field/industry is water tight!

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Grew up here so it's as much home as anywhere.

The sun is a huge factor for me as is the desert and the fact we can roam freely across a lot of it, although that gets less every year.

I also find the attitude of people here far preferable to the uk. I find people in the uk unendingly negative and parochial with a staggering level of global ignorance and intolerance.

I'd also add the opportunities that come up here for those willing to look for them and work for them are seldom seen in the uk or at least are far more rare.

I'm involved in a sport I love, over the last 10 years being involved with it here has allowed me to get to a level where I'm doing things that I wouldn't get to do for another 20 years in the uk.

Instead of being involved and waiting on the sidelines for old men to quite literally pass away before getting certain opportunities, we are literally building the sport here so we get those opportunities far earlier.

I know a lot of people here with similar experiences both in their hobbies and business lives. For those willing to build something, take some risks and work hard it's much easier to do these things here and people are far far more supportive about it.

its more true for long term expats as a general rule but most people I know have fingers in many different pies and constantly have side projects on the go or are looking for them. If you tell someone in the uk you want to do x half the time you'll be met with why it won't work, here the chances are you'll get a good response and a comment about they know someone who knows someone who can help or you should talk to.

Don't get me wrong it's far from paradise and there are many many things that piss me off but my annual "shall we leave next year" audit has just concluded and we'll do another couple of years at least

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

For me it was not just about the money. The expats that I saw who were obsessed with ££££££ or $$$$$$ were a pretty miserable lot.
I met lots of interesting people of many different backgrounds. I learned Arabic to a reasonable level. I read a lot, and did a lot of travelling.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

We moved to ME because we would both have jobs, and the package I got at the time (2008) was a featherbed one, which made dual career plus 2 kids under 2 very feasible.
6 years on and the 2 kids were older, the 3 month summer holidays in the oppressive heat with no friends whilst parents had to be at work was miserable for the kids. So we moved onto to a different job, and different contracts, but happier kids.

Now we have access to world class medical facilities in Singapore (a short flight away) which made my cancer treatment easier (and extremely less aggressive than that proposed in the ME) and has given us access to the right professionals for my special needs kids.

We have no regrets on our time in the ME and no regrets for moving out, either.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Cash mainly: head down, arse up. In terms of Gulf living: give me Bahrain or Doha over Dubai any day. That said, it's been good to see a new part of the world and meet a lot of Indians.

I've been expat for 19 years next month. I still think of the UK as home but keep putting back the date for a return. I understand the comments above about British parochialism but I don't think the UK should be singled out for its obsession with Jeremy Kyle etc; I think every country is parochial. It's what travel does to you.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Originally - for the cash money and the experience. I moved here a week after my 22nd birthday and haven't looked back.

Now - cash money and the experience, still. Not so much the experience of this place, although I do actually enjoy living in Dubai - despite the daily doses of idiocy you have to tolerate...it's pretty ****ing easy to live here and enjoy yourself...I mean, everything is done for you if you wish, lots of things are really cheap and there's some half decent folk to enjoy a pint with. What's the struggle?

The experience also covers the holidays we've been on in Asia mainly, they're not cheap (so we wouldn't be doing them from the UK) and they're not far away from here (I wouldn't want a direct flight from London to Bangkok - think I'd go crazy). We're exploring and ticking countries off a long list we both made before we moved here as part of the deal to make it more attractive to the mrs.

We're both happily settled, not saved as much as I'd have like (see the above paragraph) but we aren't far off where I want to be to start making property decisions and shit like that. That's why we came, but it won't make us leave (having the cash etc).

The UK is our only other option - we won't go further afield and she's not as keen on the US as I am for the time being. We'll stay here as long as she can stomach missing the family as it's not an issue for me.

The way I look at it:

I grew up in Salisbury / Southampton. If I moved to London, I'd be on my own setting up, renting, commuting, working, living, socialising, starting from scratch. If it all went wrong and I lost my job and couldn't find another, I'd be hiring a van and shifting shit home to Mum. This place, is fundamentally the same. All set up here, this is home, but if it goes wrong, you have to leave. Simple.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Initially went to Abu Dhabi for 3 years as there was a role available for me that most likely would have taken another 5-7 years to achieve in the UK. However we soon realised we would be able to live comfortably on one salary and it felt like the right time to start a family. 6 years and 2 kids later, it's all about the money. We think another 7 years should set us up comfortably for going to settle somewhere a little more normal.

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

Having someone fill my motor up with petrol is the main thing

Re: Why are you here in the ME?
 

One of my colleagues from the States spent years in the Middle East. He now finds that he cannot operate a petrol pump when he makes a rare visit to the USA. He has to let his daughter take the car to the service station to fill the tank ! Such are the perils of depending on the labour of others !