When deciding on how to live and work in Dubai there are important factors you should consider before taking such an important step in your life.
How To Live And Work In Dubai Factors To Consider Before Going
Statistically, when you calculate the high rate at which young Nigerians and some other people from developing countries are rushing to Dubai searching for employment opportunities, it’s easy to conclude that getting lucrative jobs is possible there in Dubai. However, there are some factors or happening taking place in Dubai in recent years that should discourage any rational mind before taking a decision on how to live and work in Dubai.
HOW TO LIVE AND WORK IN DUBAI
However, there are some important factors you must take into consideration before making a decision.
- 1. HAVING THE NECESSARY SKILL: It is important for you to be a professional or acquire the necessary skills for your endeavour. Recently an elderly lady called this website, enquired about how to obtain a Nigeria international passport, for her four young relations intending going to Dubai to work as truck drivers. In a nutshell, the boys were invited by a friend. We politely asked her if those boys were professional drivers (b) have they handled long vehicles here before (c) do they have a professional driver licence. All answers were negative and we advised them to dropped the idea. Because we believed the person inviting them failed to explain the professionalism required to drive a truck in Dubai. That he may have other things in mind which will not benefit those potential new arrivals other than himself.
We advised that those young people should set aside some time at least 3 months, to go and learn how to drive a truck or articulated vehicles and make sure to obtain a professional certificate of competency in Truck driving and get a driver’s license.
- 2 HAVING A VALID PASSPORT: Your passport must have at least six months of validity
- 3. SEARCH FOR VACANCIES ONLINE: It’s possible for you to secure your desired job online if you go through appropriate portals.
- 4. OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT LETTER: Make sure you get an employment letter from a company or an organisation
- 5. VISA/RESIDENT PERMIT: Present your passports and relevant documents to the embassy for processing
- 6. WAIT FOR YOUR VISA APPROVAL
- 7. CONSIDER DUBAI WEATHER: Be aware of their weather, this is important because the UAE is extremely hot most of the year, and some people may not be able to stand the heat.
- 8. ASK QUESTIONS: Do not rush to travel to Dubai without adequate research of the current happening in that country. Know the level of employment and their remunerations. Ask about accommodation and the general standard of living. Finally, if you apply for a visa make sure you secure approval before travelling.
- 9. QUICKLY RETURN HOME: If by chance you realized that you processed a wrong visa or you were scammed by an unscrupulous agent, quickly return to your country. Do not wait until the expiration of your visa and overstay which may lead to extra charges or jail if you’re unable to pay. The Dubai police may not see reason with you if you are caught.
Most Nigerians going to Dubai for employment purposes do not wait to process their employment visa or resident permit. Most travelled with visiting or tourist visas, and on getting there, if they secure temporary employment they will not bother to return to a processed employment visa.
UGLY EXPERIENCE OF SOME NIGERIANS RECENTLY DEPORTED FROM DUBAI
These are a few horrifying experiences of some Nigerian deported from Dubai:
- 1) A young man was cajoled by an agent, who promised him a ready-made job in Dubai. He left Nigeria on a 3 months tourist visa, getting there, the agent’s contact disappeared with his passport. He couldn’t return but stayed to do menial odd jobs. He was later tricked into purchasing a fake passport. One day he was caught and sent to prison. Later he was charged for document fraud and overstay. According to him he couldn’t pay the charges and spent close to two years in detention and later, he was asked to buy his flight ticket for deportation to Nigeria.
- 2) A 26 years old Nigerian woman left for Dubai with her sponsor, who assured her of a ready-made stylish job in Dubai. On getting there she was told to surrender her passport to another guardian, who tricked her into prostitution, changed her name, thereby losing her identity. She keeps working day and night. Most of the money she made go to the guardian. When she demands her freedom, she was set up and ended up at a police station. She was detained and after several months in detention, she was deported.
- 3) A Nigerian man secured employment as a technician through an agent who assisted him in processing his documents, unknown to him, the agent inserts a clause in the agreement to be the one collecting the salary and to pay the technician. When the man realised that they were short charging him he protested, but nothing changed. He decided to change employment. When the agent heard, he kicked against it devilishly, he the agent ordered for his arrest by Dubai immigration authority, the man was detained and eventually deported.
- 4) A Nigerian trader was arrested and detained for producing and selling alcoholic drinks, he confessed that the materials were brought from Nigeria. He was recently deported.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The purpose of this piece is to prepare you very well if you intend to live and work in Dubai. Furthermore, it’s important to know that Dubai is a Muslim city regardless of the current transformation or modernization taking place in Dubai if you are living there in order to avoid arrest and detention which may lead to your eventual deportation, respect their culture, play by the rules, avoid identity fraud and overstay, do not involve in drugs and alcohol of any form, in order not to be blacklisted and deported if you want to live and work in Dubai successfully. Please be careful in all your undertakings.
Working in Dubai can be lucrative for many, with high wages and low taxes, it is a mecca for anyone wanting to earn big bucks. That being said however, it is still important to bear in mind that Dubai is an Arab city, situated within a Muslim country. With both tradition and law held in high regard, it is important for anyone living and working in Dubai to know exactly what they are walking into and what will be expected of them.
If you plan on finding jobs in Dubai in the near future, here are five things you need to know before working in Dubai:
1. Clothing Is Very Conservative
Although considered very liberal when put into context compared to other places in the Middle East, Dubai still maintains conservative dress codes. Any clothes that are somewhat transparent, low-cut, or short should be left at home, and what’s more, it is absolutely imperative for women that the stomach, shoulders, and back are completely covered when in public. Men must cover their chest, and all underwear should be out of sight. Such rules are more relaxed when it comes to the beach and at swimming pools owned by hotels, but topless sunbathing is a big “no” in any location. At the end of the day, make sure you are maintaining modesty in your dress everyday, no matter what job in Dubai you find.
2. Premarital Relations Are Illegal
Crime rates are particularly low in Dubai as the laws are strict and there are severe punishments for people who break them. One of these laws is sex outside of marriage, which can also be applied to expats and visitors from any country too. In fact, even if you have been living with your partner for decades, you cannot legally live together while living and working in Dubai – even in hotels. It is important that you do not take any risk in regards to this law, as you can be jailed and then deported from the country. You should definitely consider this before you begin your search for jobs in Dubai, especially if you already have a long-term partner you plan to move with.
3. Public Displays of Affection Are Rarely Tolerated
Along the same lines, although holding hands is generally okay (if you are married), kissing, and hugging is not tolerated in public. In regards to dancing, however, the rules are slightly different, as it is allowed in the privacy of your own home or at licensed clubs, but dancing in public is deemed to be provocative. It is deeply frowned upon for men to take photos of women without permission, be sexual or harassing in nature toward them, or even randomly speak to a woman. If you are a man searching for jobs in Dubai, make sure you are aware of these gender expectations.
4. Islamic Values Must be Respected
Muslims pray five times a day, which is when mosques call people through their speaker systems. During this time, it is important that you turn off all music so that daily prayers can be given. During Ramadan, it is also important to know that drinking, smoking, playing loud music, and dancing during daylight hours are strictly forbidden. Nothing can enter your body, not even your finger, so no picking your nose or nail biting. Breaking these observations can result in heavy punishments – even for non-Muslims living and working in Dubai.
In general, any disrespect toward religious beliefs or practices is considered deeply offensive and is likely to result in a heavy fine and or imprisonment. That being said, all religions are respected in the UAE, and may therefore be followed by expats working in Dubai. An aversion toward other religions and cultures is perhaps the biggest misconception people have about the Middle East.
5. Alcohol Consumption & Inebriation Is Illegal in Public
It is forbidden to drink alcohol in Islam, although this was not always the case. At first Muslims were only forbidden to be intoxicated during prayer, until finally, some years later the Qur’an stated that, “intoxicants and games of chance” were “abominations of Satan’s handiwork,” and so Muslims were ordered to abstain. This means that public consumption and inebriation in public is illegal, though it is legal for non-Muslims to enjoy alcohol in licensed premises, as long as they themselves have their own liquor licences to drink. Non-Muslim residents must even attain a liquor licence in order to drink alcohol at home. What’s more, the licence that you are issued is only valid in the Emirate in which you applied for it.
You will be able to buy and consume alcoholic drinks within licensed hotels and clubs, but remember that doesn’t change the legality beyond the doors. It is strongly advised that if you are leaving the premises, you get straight into a taxi and do not wander around the area. If you are a social drinker or enjoy a glass of wine or bottle of beer at the end of the day, be sure to consider this law before working in Dubai.
In Dubai the legal drinking age is 21, but this is not consistent throughout the Emirates. For example, the legal age to drink alcohol is 18 in Abu Dhabi (although a by-law allows hotels to serve alcohol only to those over 21). In Sharjah, drinking is totally illegal. It is also worth mentioning that passengers in transit through the U.A.E. under the influence of alcohol may be arrested, so don’t take advantage of the free wine and beer on-board your international flight too much.
