Ask Anna

Dear Ruslan: Thank you for your message. Even if your residency visa expires, you can stay in Dubai for the next six months or longer. For example, expats can stay on an expired visa for approximately 4-6 months and when they finally get another job, and it’s time to transfer it to a new sponsor, they go to the courts to lower the fine. I know it’s been done and it’s normal. This is one option. The other will be to renew it by exiting and returning back to Dubai. The fines are usually 100 AED per day over stay. My advice is to speak with a PRO there who can guide you in the right direction.
Thanks for your question.

Dear Amit: Thank you for your question and your feedback! We will do some more research at our end to find out about salaries for the graphics and arts profession and be sure to update that on our site. We create our salary index based on the research we do on the profession in Dubai. We also refer to different news paper sites and also to the job postings we receive from employers. It’s pretty challenging to get up-to-date salaries because many employers do not post a salary on the job posting. We will keep your suggestion in mind and update the site soon! Thank you!

Dear Michael: Thank you for your question. I’m not sure what kind of contract you signed when you were hired or if you have an open-ended contract or a fixed term contract. If you are on a fixed contract, the UAE lbaour law allows for an end-of-service gratuity payment for employees, for the most part. Regardless of your contract, employers in Dubai do have the upper hand to hire or fire employees and, in most cases, the UAE Labour Department with favor the employer. My advice is for you to get in touch with the UAE Labour Department, which outlines employee rights, for further details.

Dear Danny: Unfortunately, the truth is that Dubai is a very expensive city. While there is a huge economic boom, property prices are similar to that in Western Europe and rental prices are extortionate. Dubai is also a major hot spot for shopping so it’s easy to get distracted and “shop till you drop!” So, yes, it is very easy to go into debt very quickly.

You will find everything from high-end designer clothes, shoes, furniture, art, cars and bungalows. My advice is not to get taken away by all the glamour. Really think about buying something unless you absolutely have to.

Food is not too expensive in Dubai unless you plan on going to an international restaurant every night. Utilities are moderately priced as well, except from the months of May to September when your air conditioning bills will rise. A word of advice: don’t leave your air conditioner on if you leave your home!

If you are single, you can expect your expenses (housing, food, utilities, transport, insurance, and clothing, leisure) to be around $2500.00 per month. For a couple, you can expect your expenses be around the $3200.00 mark and for a family of four around $4200.00 a month. In the end, your cost of living depends entirely on your lifestyle.

Don’t forget to get complete details about your work contract especially the salary and benefits to help you decide if the job is actually financially attractive or not. It also helps to network with your friends and colleagues. Dubai has an enormous range of accommodation options and if you do some networking you can also get more information on which areas are a popular choice for expats over others.

Thank you for your question and good luck!

Dear Monika: Thank you for your question. The trend in Dubai is that employers move more towards job seekers with high levels of education rather than experience. Remember that education does not equal intelligence and no matter what education you have it will never equal to hands-on job skills. While both can eventually get you a career, the experience should be preferable to education.

Since I do not know which profession you are targeting; I would recommend that you do some research into that first. Find job postings of your desired profession from different websites or the newspaper and find out what employers look for the most. If the employer has targeted minimum work experience and you don’t have any, focus on the experience you do have and find relevance to the job you are applying for. For instance, use your volunteer experience or community work experience or even any major projects you worked on in school.

If the employer is targeting education, an MBA for example, and you only have a BA, don’t loose hope. For example, indicate your willingness to join school part-time for your MBA and underscore the coursework you completed during your BA which is relevant to the position you are applying for. If you are a recent graduate, do not get discouraged if you start at the bottom of the ladder. Once you show off what you can do on the job, I’m sure you will get promoted.

Hope this helps!