Sunday, February 07, 2010

"What salary do I need?"

One of the most frequently asked questions on various forums I'm active on is along the lines of "what salary do I need to live in Dubai, and to be able to save."

Some are more specific, quoting salaries they've been offered which are often four or five thousand dirhams a month.

Answers vary, but usually say that whatever the figure quoted is, it isn't nearly enough.

I always say "it depends" and try to explain, so that the questioner can work it out for her/himself.

It depends where you come from, what your standard of living is and therefore what standard of living is acceptable to you, how you want or are prepared to live, what your current salary is and whether you're able to save anything from that.

In terms of saving, the cost of living in your home country comes very much into the picture. Transfer a thousand dirhams to many countries and it's a huge amount, in others it won't buy you much more than a few meals out.

I know people here earning Dh100,000 a month, with luxury accommodation, family air fares, school fees, top medical insurance, a luxury car all paid by the company.

I know others being paid Dh2,000 a month and sharing a villa, living ten to a room. And yet others being paid Dh600 a month and living in storerooms.

As a general rule too, I find that those at the bottom of the ladder are often providing for an extended family back home, while those at the top of the salary ladder are usually responsible only for their immediate family.

What they have in common is that they all say they're better off than they were back home.

Gulf News had an illuminating full page yesterday on the subject.

The main story is about Diane, a Filipina now working in Dubai.

In 2004 she experienced what happens to so many people; to pay the placement fee, in the Philippines, for a job in Taiwan she borrowed from a loan shark. The employment deal was a scam, the money she borrowed disappeared and there was no job.

After a year she managed to find a job in Kuwait, on a salary of about Dh1,280. On that meagre salary she managed to not only pay off the loan shark but also apparently saved 'a few thousand dirhams'.

She returned home where there was an ailing mother to take care of and siblings needing money, so her savings didn't last long.

Like so many others she came to Dubai on a visit visa, did some visa runs while she searched for a job, and eventually after almost a year she found one that paid Dh2,500 a month. This was early 2007.

The story gives details of her expenses and lifestyle. She shares a room with seven others, eats cheap take-away lunches, buys storeable food to cook at home, such as canned goods and rice, rarely goes out.

She not only lives on the Dh2,500 a month, she saves between 20% and 40% of it and is helping her brother buy a property back home. The story tells us that in three years she has almost fully paid the equity line on the new home, which is equivalent to 19 per cent of the property value. "I'm almost down to a zero balance. And I did it without borrowing money! I paid the equity line in cash".

On a salary of Dh2,500 a month.

The story ends with the fact that it's not the lifestyle she dreamed of before she moved to Dubai, with its prospect of a high salary.

On the other hand, she hasn't gone back to the Philippines so the assumption has to be that she's yet another person doing better here than she would back home. She's able to live, to save, to buy a house.

It explains my 'it depends where you're from' answer to the question of 'how much do I need'.

Let's take Diane's current Dh2,500 a month and look at it from others' perspective.

No way in the world would an Aussie be prepared to live as Diane does - nor would a Brit, an American or many, many others. Share a room with seven others? Not on your life. We'd be so much better off back home.

We wouldn't be able to live on Dh2,500 a month, let alone save. It's about A$785, or GBP435, or US$680.

We wouldn't accept that kind of money anyway, a fraction of our 'back home' salary. Again, we'd be much better off back home.

On her small salary Diane's able to buy a house back home. To do the same thing an expat Sydneysider buying a house at the median price of A$630,000 (over Dh2 million) would be paying about Dh13,000 a month on a mortgage.

To live to a standard we're prepared to accept and be able to provide exactly the same things for when we go back to our home countries, it depends where you come from.

The Gulf News story gives an insight into what a lowly paid worker can do with a small salary and it gives some typical salary ranges for various job functions.

Gulf News has it here.

32 comments:

Dubai Jazz said...

Why are you apologetic about it, Seabee? It's a fact of life, GDP per capita in Australia is 37,302$, while in Syria, for example, it is 4,800$. It is, by the virtue of supply and demand then, normal for Australian to ask for higher salaries than a Syrian (again, for example).

of course, I say that considering we're guest workers. In case of naturalized immigrant workers elsewhere it's a different story.....

Para Glider said...

"What they have in common is that they all say they're better off than they were back home."

Yes and no. I've heard many say that when they go home, they are better off than if they'd never come, virtue of the money they've sent back.
But when they are here (Qatar, but same difference), they are effectively much poorer than they are at home, because of the high cost of living.
They could ameliorate this (slightly) by sending less home, but then they'd just be poor in both places.

Seabee said...

Apologetic Jazz? I wasn't apologising. I agree with your comments - I've posted several times in the past about the reasons why I think nationality being taken into account for salary levels in a temporary guest worker society is understandable.

Anonymous said...

It explains my 'it depends where you're from' answer to the question of 'how much do I need'.

Ok, then explain this, i come from a country where the GDP per capita is less that that of the Philippnies, yet when job-hunting here, I refused salaries much more than what this Philipino lady is making. Presently I receive the same as most first-world nationals in my firm, how come I didnt accept a salary of 2500?

Could it be that salaries are also linked to someone's "ability" and shock, horror (!) not every third world national is willing to share a room with 10 others?

Anonymous said...

I've got four words to epitomize the Filipina girl's predicament and those alike her (boys & girls included).

It's called:

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Seabee said...

Anon@7.42: You're doing what's known as stating the bleeding obvious and I don't know what your point is.

"how come I didnt accept a salary of 2500?".

Because you chose not to.

"Could it be that salaries are also linked to someone's "ability"

Yes sometimes they are but that's not the only factor and not the usual standard.

"not every third world national is willing to share a room with 10 others"

Yes, of course. Did anyone say different?

Anonymous said...

Could it be that you don't see the flaw of your own argument - so labouriouly built?

1. You cannot base salaries in your company or your country on someone else's style of living. Unless you are based in that country. If a country/organisation needs to grow in the long term they'll have to create their own norms, based on their realities. You can buy products from China at a cheaper rate but its wrong to bring Chinese people to Dubai and pay them half the rate.

2. There are levels of jobs, skills and training.

Countries such as the Philippines, India, Pakistan and some African countries produce immigrants at various levels. An Engineer or a professional has had the same training or better than his Australian counterpart.

What if the Indian guy is from Mumbai, which is one of the most expensive places to buy a house in? Would he get paid more?

The girl who's getting paid AED2500is probably a shop assistant or some such. You don't mention what she does. Your story does not mention that there is an Australian or any other nationality working at her level who lives poorly despite earning more...

What if she was a trained graphic designer or a photographer, great at her work? She should not be paid less than a Brit/Aussie/whoever in that job.

She may accept the job at less money but you see resentment in her work when she gets to know that someone at her level is getting double...

An Australian blue colllar worker may not even know Dubai exists, a Filipino may.

The thing with racism is not that you cannot do it. Or that you cannot get away with it. At any point there would be some desperate people who'd not protest. The thing with this sort of hiring is that 1, it's wrong; 2. it creates massive stores of resentment which affects productivity. 3. It creates gangs at the workplace and never allows the country to have its own working culture and creates little ghettos at work.

I can do a whole other story with the same filipina telling me how she can't stand that store manager who does half her work and gets paid 10 times more.

And lastly, I only this sort of argument from people who because of their country of origin enjoy higher salaries. It's like slave owners praising slavery!

Mohammad said...

It's like slave owners praising slavery!

Well put....


Seabee, do you agree that someone from Moscow deserves a higher salary than you simply because Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world?


Regarding the Filipina, while many of us may have to tighten our strings for some time, not all of us can stoop (unless forced to) to live without any self-esteem.

Some people can refuse to buy new clothes or eat proper food, trying to save every penny. Half the time, that person is being cheap instead of being needy.

If someone is saving money for some medical treatment or ailing parents, I can understand it.


But when I see people, mostly from 1-2 parts of India, working as "engineers", but refusing to buy even deodorant, switiching between 3 shirts for 2 years, never eating out, relying on "missed calls" as they dont want to spend 30 fils etc ., they are not being money-wise, rather they are being cheap, and on top of that, often screwing the salary market badly.....(i.e. engineers working for 203k)

Anonymous said...

"There are costs involved in abiding by the law, so they have to be built in to the cost of the project. That's perfectly normal business practice all over the world in every kind of business."

This is your comment from your post on sponsorship system. But by your argument and that of many officials in the UAE, these labourers are still enjoying a better life...

So how is what you are saying, justifying low salaries based on nationality any different? It's unfair and it's against laws in most countries, apart from being a normal business practice.

This is not just a heartfelt argument. If people are paid by standards of UAE instead of their country, it will go a long way in creating a country with its own ethos. As the UAE grows this disparity will need to go away.

Seabee said...

Anon@10.10, you don't seem to understand what you're reading or where it's from, you're confused and off on a huge tangent somewhere.

What does "your own argument - so labouriouly built" have to do with the post?

I didn't build any argument. My post says that on forums I answer questions about how much is needed to live in Dubai by saying 'it depends'. The GN story demonstrates what I mean by that and I said: The Gulf News story gives an insight into what a lowly paid worker can do with a small salary and it gives some typical salary ranges for various job functions.

"You cannot base salaries in your company or your country on someone else's style of living" you say, ignoring the fact that companies here do base salaries, amongst other factors, on country of origin.

Why are you complaining that: "You don't mention what she does. Your story does not mention that there is an Australian or any other nationality working at her level". It's not my story, it's nothing to do with me. It's a Gulf News story and I've given you the link to it.

Then you ramble on about different levels of ability, the cost of living in different cities, training levels in different countries, different job functions, staff morale - none of which have any relationship to the post. There's no point ranting on at me because you think the system here is wrong, you need to complain to the government.

Dubai Jazz said...

Yeah, there's one caveat here, Seabee: if two people have the exact same qualifications and do the same job with the same responsibilities, wouldn't giving them different salaries be a form of discrimination?

I mean, I understand that on average Australians are paid more than, say, Syrians. But what about those who are qualified? like, graduates of the same universities..etc..

I can't not see the discrimination here.

Anonymous said...

@seebee
You are constructing an argument that is justified to pay these salaries. You are not stating a reality. You are supporting it. ("I think nationality being taken into account for salary levels in a temporary guest worker society is understandable")

And I am not disputing the reality. I am saying it is wrong - not understandable. And giving reasons why it is wrong, economically and ethically.

anon: 10:10

Mohammad said...

There are many instances where the system here is wrong; however this is one of the few cases where you are defending a "wrong" system, which probbaly riled anon above.

And as someone pointed out above, the fact that you are Australian and hence your argument is indirectly to the tune of "we deserve a higher salary than A/B/C nationalities" is tainted with conflict of interest.

If I wanted to find out if India's caste system is wrong, the last person I should ask is a higher caste person, particularly if he defends the status quo

rosh said...

Seabee, I read and re-read this post, and feel the Anon 10:10 is spot on.

"We wouldn't be able to live on Dh2,500 a month, let alone save. It's about A$785, or GBP435, or US$680."

Who exactly is 'we'? I know a few Americans / Canadians, living & working in the respective home nations on monthly income of $500 or less. I also know brilliant, educated folk of South Asian origin "earn" more to American colleagues here in New York -- purely based on their skill set and the ability on top notch deliverables. People should be compensated based on skill and what they'd bring to the table. It's a NO brainier and it certainly is nobody's business where somebody comes / came from.

Similar to the Anon & Mohammad, most folks living in the UAE know how wrong the certain ways are when it comes to employment -- particularly the indirect / soft racial profiling and discrimination based on origin. Equality, irrespective of one's 'origin' is paramount for true development, coz we can slice & dice it a million ways, fact remains, discrimination based on race / background is anything by progressive. Anyway, I'm sort of stumped why you wrote this post -- and quite honesty the 'tone' implies you concur with GN's trash piece. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

What GN and you are doing is stereotyping a huge group of people based on heuristic biases such as all Indians are labourers and all Brits are managers.

The kind of lifestyle that I may aspire to should not have any bearing on what I should be paid.

It is like saying that since I'm from the UK / USA / Aust I am used to staying in a villa and should be paid enough to stay in one and since I'm from India I should be paid enough to be able to afford a room in an apartment.

I believe that as a result of this UAE / GCC ends up with mediocre staff from around the World. An Indian who is likely to be paid pretty high in Mumbai is more likely to shift to UK / USA where he is unlikely to be discriminated based on his origin. Similarly you have the Western Expat- Can't make it anywhere in the world lets try GCC / Africa where he is likely to be paid higher not based on his skill-set/ experience but his color.

Mohammad said...

From what I know, the Gulf is no longer a magnet for the smartest Indians; they either get a good job at home or move to the West.

When you said "we wouldnt be able to live on 2500 Dhs a month", you probably meant westerners through "we".
However, there are loads of Asians who wouldnt be able to live on 2500 dhs as well.

Hence your argument that "it depends where you're from" determines your salary requirements doesnt hold true for most cases.
Does it affect salary offers? yes
Does it affect what one actually needs? NO

So at the end, many companies are losing out on the smartest Asians/Africans. However there are many firms where who dont discrminate based on origin, and last time I checked, they were all doing very well.

Seabee said...

I obviously need to remind you what I actually said in the post:

What I said was that people can live and save on different salaries here based on "...where you come from, what your standard of living is and therefore what standard of living is acceptable to you, how you want or are prepared to live..."

I defy anyone to prove that's not true.

Jazz, yes of course it's discrimination and as I've said many times I don't approve of discrimination. My comment that's caused so much angst was in response to your first comment - please read Jazz' comment everyone - when I said: "nationality being taken into account for salary levels in a temporary guest worker society is understandable"

Rosh (and Mohammad), who I meant by 'we' is explained in the previous para: a Brit, an American or many, many others

You know Americans and Canadians living & working in the respective home nations on monthly income of $500 or less? I have to say, with all due respect, that I find that hard to believe. Canada has a minimum wage of about $8 per hour (varies by state). CBC News says: "Just about everyone agrees that a minimum wage is not a living wage. It's virtually impossible to live independently on $16,000 a year in any major Canadian city."

Your second para gives examples in a stable, immigrant, society, not a temporary guest worker society. They're totally different situations.

I'm not sure what you read into the GN article (and Anon@1.11), it was simply the story of how one person was doing well by her hard work, sensibly investing in her future by being careful with her (small) salary. Expats of many nationalities would do well to follow her example.

Remember Andy The Porsche Man for example? He admitted that he'd completely wasted his very good salary, about Dh35,000 a month. When he lost his job he suddenly realised he had nothing.

Seabee said...

Rosh, you said "Anyway, I'm sort of stumped why you wrote this post"

As the label says, 'thinking out loud'.

I'd actually just been on a forum which had the question 'can I live and save on Dh4,000 a month'. Answers were generally 'no you can't, you need at least Dh10,000'

I put my usual answer based on 'it depends' and then I read the GN article. I put the two things together and that lead to the post.

BTW, I've just put a similar answer on another regular forum question, 'will it be too hot in Dubai in (month)'. My reply is always another 'it depends where you're from', in this case 'it depends where you're from and therefore what temperatures/humidity you're used to'

There's nothing sinister in either 'it depends' answer, I'm just trying to be honest and helpful.

Anonymous said...

@seebee. Since you are only being honest and helpful, here is some help for you:

http://www.grapeshisha.com/typical-Dubai-salaries.html

Grapeshisha also has a cost of living indicator, so guide people to it instead of asking if they belong to the Philippines or Afghanistan!

http://www.jobsindubai.com/career.asp?qCareerID=3

Yes, 'it depends'. But NOT on "...where you come from...I defy anyone to prove that's not true". It isn't.

If you are so concerned and want to get it right, ask them what degree they have, what experinece, current salary and all that.

Your standard of life does not depend on which country you come from! (except perhaps bad roads)

Just as how hot Dubai is not about where you come from! At 50degrees/120F Dubai is hot even if you come from the Thar or Sahara. That is all you need to tell when someone asks.

Lol! This is it. I certainly can't be more "helpful and honest" than this.

Anon@10.10

Seabee said...

Anon@10.10 "Just as how hot Dubai is not about where you come from! At 50degrees/120F Dubai is hot even if you come from the Thar or Sahara"

Duh! Obviously I tell anyone who asks that the summer is impossibly hot and humid, up to 50C and 100%.

As I said in the post, they ask about specific months - this questioner was asking about late March weather. That will probably be somewhere around 30C I guess. To an Aussie, an Indian, Singaporean, Thai etc etc that's not hot, they're used to it. To a Brit, where the top ever temp was 38C, or to other northern Europeans it's very hot, and too uncomfortable for many of them.

What you're used to does depend on where you come from.

As for the Grapeshisha and Jobs in Dubai info about salary levels, that's not the question I was answering. The question is 'can I live and save on DhXXX', which is a totally different question from 'what can I expect to be paid'.

Grapeshisha shows higher-end job salaries which were taken from advertisements. JiD shows anything from Dh500 a month up to many thousands.

rosh said...

"I defy anyone to prove that's not true."

It's true. I Agree. Not just in the UAE, but just about anywhere. People like Diane, shall do fine anywhere. Nothing new here, Seabee.

This phrases that got me debating (not angsty)

"I think nationality being taken into account for salary levels in a temporary guest worker society is understandable" AND

"It depends where you come from, what your standard of living is and therefore what standard of living is acceptable to you, how you want or are prepared to live, what your current salary is and whether you're able to save anything from that."

What about, an education, work experience, skill set and the successes in your resume? I do not see that in your post?

Any nation, city or town shall have people with varied wealth, education, skills and abilities. To attach somebody's citizen / origin ("depends where you come from") and compensation is ridiculous. It implies, everything being equal, it's "understandable" or acceptable to factor in origins for disparity. In the world of globalization and large scale immigration, this is a step backward, simple.

The UAE, if truly wish to be progressive, should do away with this sort of crap, and people like Jazz or I should never stand for this sort of stuff. While professionally employed in foreign shores, it does should not matter to the employer, the cost of living is in Damascus, a small town in Syria or here in NYC. I'd think most folks move from their home towns for better experiences and a better living -- and employers in the UAE hire people to do deliver top notch work, which has nothing to do with someone's standard of living in their home nations or the amount of personal wealth or family connections at home.

I have to post this comment in piece meal give the comment character restrictions...sorry..

rosh said...

"Rosh (and Mohammad), who I meant by 'we' is explained in the previous para: a Brit, an American or many, many others."

It generalizes -- implies, majority of the Brits, Americans or what have you, are better off to those from developing / developed nations. This is not true. My dad was raised in small town Peterborogh, east of Toronto. We have extended family in P'boro and in India (maternal side). Trust me, more than some in India are better off. Likewise, the United States is indeed more developed and wealthier to say a China or an India, but not every American is better off to the Chinese or the Indian who's better educated, employed, well travelled or skilled.

"You know Americans and Canadians living & working in the respective home nations on monthly income of $500 or less? I have to say, with all due respect, that I find that hard to believe. Canada has a minimum wage of about $8 per hour (varies by state)."

First, not everybody is covered under the minimum wage law. Ministers and members of religious orders, Taxicab drivers, sales folk purely on commissions, independent contractors, and the self employed, and some agricultural workers are not covered.

$500 (after tax), the folks I know are home based marketers on commissions.

The statement was to counter DJs and your thought, " I think nationality being taken into account...." See my thoughts above.

"Your second para gives examples in a stable, immigrant, society, not a temporary guest worker society. They're totally different situations."

Most foreign workers moving to the United States to work, have a temporary non immigrant work status. Some folks stay on whilst some move on. However, there is the due process enforced by the US immigration to ensure temporary workers are hired and paid the "prevailing wages" in the city or town of employment. When a foreigner is extended employment in NYC or say a small town in North Carolina, the employer is mandated by law to offer "prevailing wage" for similar position in the city or town.

As for the UAE, everybody is aware there is no residency or a naturalization program. However, I'm sure you know folks who've worked all or a substantial of their working years in the UAE. Many continue to live in the UAE, subsequent to retirement. How is 20 or 30 yrs a "temporary" work situation? There's the theory and then reality. Anyway, in the larger scheme of things, Immigration and Naturalization has almost nothing to do with what people truly bring to the table. It is nothing but an excuse and a myth, to exploit.

The GN article -- Diane, just confessed to a crime in Dubai i.e. sharing a room with multiple mates. That said, the piece is quite specific to that individual. For instance, Diane has minimal to zero transportation costs. How many of those working in the UAE with a take home of income under Dhs 3K have that benefit? In fact shouldn't you add on the Fair value of Diane's transport benefit to her take home income of 3K? Transportation costs are significant costs, after rents.

There are other holes in that piece, shall circle back if time permits.

Lastly, GN's article is about a resilient woman and her cost management. While this post (read the title) crossed over to compensation for a job. This is where the subtle 'blind' discrimination ways we have in the UAE creep in.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Well put, Rosh.

I had given up after an attempt at sarcasm in my last post. I did explain that if one does want to help, grapeshisha has a cost of living index as well as salaries.

And whoever says nationality decides your cost of living is living in another world. It does not. Most countries also have varied temperatures and varied income levels. Some more than others. Duh.

And GDP as a basis for salaries - I can only laugh. You are not hiring my country or hiring IN my country. You are hiring me in your country or a foreign country. The UAE will have to develop its own norms, like most civilised countries.

@seebee.
I'm taking your contention that you advise on forums in good faith. Based on that, your views seem misguided at best. Racist at worst. If I ask you what the weather in Dubai is like, you'll tell me "depends" - on my country?

In my country it's snowing in one state and hot (32degrees) in another.

Like I said, if you are so keen on giving advice to newbies bother to find out what their contexts are. Or find out real standards in the UAE - people who get hired in groups are the ones who get paid less, usually. These are also the people often get company acco (even group sharing), sometimes food and certainly travel. You need to add that to their proposed salary to understand what is the cost to company. Compare that with the norm in Dubai, add factors like minimum spend, and then you are in a position to advise people.

Maybe everyone who comes from Australia or the UK can be painted with the same brush - if you produce only professionals as guest workers. But from other countries, which have varied skill levels in their immigrant population, this is not true.

I have asked this question once when I was moving to the UAE and I can tell you that "it depends" did nothing for me. I would have been happier if someone told me what rents to expect - like if a studio was 35-50k a year at least... I can decide whether I want to share or not, thank you.

If these concepts are too much, I can only guess that you didn't need that degree to come to the UAE :P

Anon@10.10

Seabee said...

Anon@7.11 your comment really should be deleted under my heading of 'stupid'.

Asking people what kind of weather they're used to is racist? Stupid comment No.1.

I didn't say 'it depends on which country you come from'. I said 'it depends where you're from', a totally different thing, very very simple yet obviously you don't understand that. Stupid comment No.2.

I also, very obviously, didn't give you the entire answers I give to people who ask for information about Dubai. That's so obvious I shouldn't have to point it out to you. Stupid comment No.3.

"if you are so keen on giving advice to newbies bother to find out what their contexts are" Trying to find out context is the whole point of asking them where they're from - amongst other questions. Stupid comment No.4.

"people who get hired in groups are the ones who get paid less, usually. These are also the people often get company acco (even group sharing), sometimes food and certainly travel. You need to add that to their proposed salary to understand what is the cost to company" All blindingly obvious and naturally are part of the questions I ask and answers I give. Stupid comment No.5.

"I have asked this question once when I was moving to the UAE and I can tell you that "it depends" did nothing for me. I would have been happier if someone told me what rents to expect - like if a studio was 35-50k a year at least".
If you wanted to know the rents that's the question you should have asked. Again, an idea of rents, costs to share and all the rest of it are follow-up answers when I know more about the person and what s/he is expecting. There's no point telling them the cost of bed share if they want their own apartment, no point telling them salary levels without knowing their nationality (because that's a fact of life in the Gulf), no point giving them a cost of living estimate without knowing how they expect to live.

On general travel forums it's exactly the same answer to the tourists who ask 'how much money per day do I need in (city or country)'. The answers from people always say 'it depends on what you want to do' in an attempt to get more information for context.Do you want to stay in 5 star or hostel, do you want to eat in top restaurants or McDonalds, do you want to go on guided tours or walk around by yourself.

I sincerely hope you don't give advice to people looking for information relevent to them about holidaying anywhere or moving to Dubai, you'd give them totally irrelevant or misleading information.

Anonymous said...

:) So delete it.

And try to delete your response too. Otherwise anyone searching for 'stupid' will be directed to it. lol!

Goodbye.

rosh said...

Ay Caramba! Ez up folks. I think it's fantastic there is such debate on the certain ways in the UAE. I enjoyed this debate. It is a healthy way to express, exchange and be heard, to bring about change. In a place like the UAE, certain changes start with the common man.

joye said...

Thats not the prime issue that how much i need , reason should be in how much you can survive here,this also verily with vast difference that so many times without luxurious activity enjoyed in your life, you can happily live your life in 1000 Dh
http://www.awayholidays.co.uk/dubai/

Dubai Property said...

it is now becoming more and more and more difficult for expatriates to lead a standard with low wages in an expensive city like Dubai. Also, they have burden to send a considerable money back home and feed their families in homeland. All these factors are making Dubai NOT a good place for expatriates.

Dubai model said...

Well, Dubai may be not the most hospitable city in the world, but after a few years here, with quite an average salary, I would not even think about living anywhere else. For me Dubai is like a magnet - once somebody really falls for this city, there in no way back...

Hasan said...

Hi,

I am an Australian citizen with a South Asian background. I've done my Masters in Civil Engineering from New South Wales University in Sydney. I also have few years work experience in Australia. Can I expect a higher salary in Dubai than most South Asians.

Seabee said...

Hasan, I would expect your salary to be based on what Australians are paid, not your ethnicity.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.