# South African moving to Dubai



## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

Hi all 

I'm a 29 year old male from South Africa starting work in the UAE in August, and I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks and I have a few general questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:

1. I'll be working midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and I've been told I'll be looking at about a 50 minute drive to work. Is this realistic? If I were to live in AD would that reduce the driving time significantly?

2. The company I'm going to work for has suggested that I live in the Dubai Marina area, and judging from what I've read on here JLT or JBR would also be suitable. Are these areas all pretty much the same or would you recommend one over the others?

Also my housing allowance is about 100000 AED per year, but I'd like to save some of that if possible, whilst still being reasonably comfortable. Is there a big difference between a 40k apartment and a 90k apartment in an area like Dubai Marina? I mean in terms of basic facilities rather than cosmetic stuff like views and proximity to the malls etc. Would it seriously affect my lifestyle choosing the former over that latter?

If there is a big difference, which are the buildings I should be looking at?

3. I am an avid martial artist, :boxing: specifically kung fu and wushu. Are there any good schools in Dubai? I've found a few online, but some of them look distinctly McDojo-ish. I would be open to changing disciplines if the quality of instruction is better.

4. Finally, there is a tattoo I've been planning to get for a few months, but I may decide to postpone getting it if it will cause me trouble. It would be a piece of Sanskrit scripture on my upper back, so obviously it would only be visible at the beach and similar places. Would anyone hassle me over it? I haven't been able to find any information about the attitude towards religious tattoos in the UAE.

Anyway, apologies for the essay, and I will be grateful for any advice or input, :clap2:

Artrat


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## HamishUK (Oct 20, 2009)

Artrat said:


> Hi all
> 
> I'm a 29 year old male from South Africa starting work in the UAE in August, and I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks and I have a few general questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:
> 
> ...


Hi there
1) 50 minutes is realistic, I live in JBR and commute to Abu Dhabi Corniche and it takes 1h15. Living in Abu Dhabi may save you time as most of the rush hour flow is going from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in the morning and visa versa in the evening.

2) JBR and JLT are both suitable. The JLT side is cheaper but there is less to do and it is further to the beach. JBR/Marina side is more expensive but you are right by the beach, shops and hotels for bars etc. You will probably save about 20k/year on a 1 bed by living in JLT.
100k will get you a nice 2 bed in JLT and a nice 1 bed in JBR, possibly an OK 2 bed also. Have a look at Dubizzle to get an idea of prices.

3) There are quite a few martial arts places from what I have seen. The one I noticed in the Marina is KO Gym, but there are others in Dubai e.g. Team T.S.G Dubai MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).

4) I doubt you will cause offence with a tattoo, lots of people have them. However I don't think there are any tattoo parlours in Dubai/UAE so you will have to get it done elsewhere.

Hamish


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Artrat said:


> 4. Finally, there is a tattoo I've been planning to get for a few months, but I may decide to postpone getting it if it will cause me trouble.


Tattoo's are haram in Islam however most people are used to seeing them on non-muslims and will rarely give you a second look. There are no official parlours but have seen a couple of people operating through facebook and word of mouth. 

Personally, I'd rather get work done in a certified, sterile parlour rather than in someones apartment.


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

Thank you both for the replies 

And don't worry, I would be having the tattoo done here before I leave


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## bigbang70 (Apr 9, 2010)

If your working midway between A.D. and Dubai you would be better off in Dubai, the prices are coming down. 100k will get you a really nice place. 1000 sq ft. like Marine pr. sea view very nice. I could try and get it for less if you could pay with one check???? let me know what you think


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

Thanks for the reply bigbang. I'm still not sure if I want to spend the whole allowance yet, and I think it's unlikely that the company will advance me enough for one cheque, but I won't know till I get there, which should be in about 2 weeks. They'll be putting me up somewhere in the Marina for the first 3 months though, so there will be plenty of time to look around before I decide


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## triumph (Apr 2, 2011)

Hi Artrat,

I'm curious to know how you got on as I have almost the exact same questions - even down to the religious tattoo 

Where did you end up renting and was it the right place? The other thing I'm questioning is to rent furnished or unfurnished and ship out (though I'm thinking this may be quite a hassle)

Thanks!


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

Hi Triumph,

The tattoo hasn't caused any problems so far, just the usual questions about what it means etc. I had a nice long conversation with the Indian doctor who did my medical about the Upanishads .

Apartment-wise I ended up renting in JBR, I would definitely recommend it. I have everything I need within walking distance: supermarket, video store, pharmacy, Du, etc. I managed to get a 1300 sq ft 1 br with sea views on a high floor for 80k. Beach is 3 mins walk away :clap2:

Lots of kids around though, which can irritate a bit if you're a single guy, and the traffic in the evenings is a nightmare, but generally getting in and out is ok as long as you don't go onto JBR walk. Some of the other Marina buildings like Majara or Park Island are good too, but the apartments seem to be much smaller, and it's a bit further to walk to the beach, supermarkets etc. I've seen 1 beds going for 60k in Park Island.

If you're going to be here more than a year I'd recommend getting unfurnished, it's not that expensive to furnish a place simply. I did my whole place for under 20k, mostly from Home Center.

Are you interested in martial arts as well? If so, I still have not started training anywhere yet, due to a combination of illnesses and laziness, but I have found a couple of good places. I'm planning to train BJJ at ContenderMMA, place is run by a Royce purple belt and ranked UFC fighter. There are several other good Brazilian Jiu Jitsu places as well. I haven't found any kung fu places that impressed me though.

Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you


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## triumph (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks Artrat, all helpful stuff, cheers.

I was looking at JBR as well to be honest, like the idea of being close to the beach.

I'm going to get a quote for shipping bits of furniture out and perhaps buy soafs, etc. The difference in rent looks to substantial between furnished/unfurnished - do they unfurnished come with white goods or have you had to buy washing machine, fridge, etc?

I'll be coming over with the other half, though we're not married (yet ) and were going to look for a 2 bed so that we could have visitors. I get 2 weeks in company accommodation gratis so will use that to find somewhere.

The martial arts - ha - I've never tried but I could be persuaded, I'm quite an active person and was looking for a new challenge - climbed Kilimanjaro a few weeks back which was awesome so now looking for the next one 

Thanks mate!


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

JBR is mostly unfurnished, and the furnished ones I saw had pretty horrible decor . As far as white goods, the kitchens in JBR are not built-in, so it's hard to find apartments with appliances. However, there are always exceptions, or if you can find an apartment where the previous tenants are willing to sell you their stuff that will work too.

A lot of the Emaar buildings like Park Island and Majara do come with built-in kitchens though.

Have you been to Dubizzle yet? In the advanced search options you can choose to search for only apartments that have appliances.

Good luck with the move!


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## LAX>LHR>DXB (Jun 18, 2011)

Artrat said:


> Hi Triumph,
> 
> The tattoo hasn't caused any problems so far, just the usual questions about what it means etc. I had a nice long conversation with the Indian doctor who did my medical about the Upanishads .
> 
> ...


Did you end up training in Dubai? How is it? I would like to pick up BJJ again. I have been out of practice for over a year (I was not an expert but enjoyed the training).


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

LAX>LHR>DXB said:


> Did you end up training in Dubai? How is it? I would like to pick up BJJ again. I have been out of practice for over a year (I was not an expert but enjoyed the training).


Unfortunately still fat and lazy at the moment . I have been dragging myself to gym a few times a week lately though, in an effort to get out of the slump. Still planning to train at Contender when my energy levels have improved a bit.

The UAE is a very good place to train BJJ from what I can make out. Sheikh Mohammed of Abu Dhabi is a black belt under Renzo Gracie, so you can be sure there are always a few high-level coaches around. Abu Dhabi is also the birthplace of the ADCC World Submission Grappling Championship. Apparently BJJ is even taught in some government primary schools .

So in short, if you're going to take up BJJ again, Dubai is one of the better places to do it


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## sa_girl (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi Artrat

I trust that you've settled in quite well by now.

I've been considering moving to Dubai for a while, but haven't managed to find a suitable job as yet 

I was wondering if you'd be willing to share some information regarding South African-based recruitment agencies or sites that I could have a look at. Alternatively, do you know of any places in the UAE that I could contact in this regard?

I'd really appreciate it.

Take care
sa_girl


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

Hi sa_girl,

I was quite lucky in that I was contacted directly by the company I'm working for, who were looking to fill quite a specialised position.

So fortunately I did not have to deal with the recruitment companies, although I did in South Africa, and they were all pretty horrible. I know that there are a few specialised recruitment firms that source a lot of candidates from SA for the Middle East. There are a couple for financial jobs and at least one I know of for the medical industry. But I have not dealt with any of them personally I'm afraid.

Your best bet is probably to approach potential employers directly. If you don't mind telling us what field you are looking to work in, we may be able to suggest some companies to contact.

I've also heard that Dubizzle  can be a good place to look. Apparently many of the local recruiters look at that site.

The general consensus seems to be that it's much easier to find a job once you're here. It may be worthwhile coming over for a week or two and arranging a few meetings with local recruitment agencies and potential employers.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, good luck with the job search


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## tallbaldblue (Apr 11, 2011)

Artrat said:


> Hi all
> 
> I'm a 29 year old male from South Africa starting work in the UAE in August, and I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks and I have a few general questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me with:
> 
> ...



Tatoos are no problem here, I'm not sure where Motor City is but my western friend has a studio there for 36000, maybe lower: [email protected]

good luck and welcome!


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

tallbaldblue said:


> Tatoos are no problem here, I'm not sure where Motor City is but my western friend has a studio there for 36000, maybe lower: [email protected]
> 
> good luck and welcome!


Haha, thanks for the welcome , this thread is a bit old though. Been here for over a year already .

And I'm sure Motor City is very nice, but it's a bit isolated for my tastes.


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## tallbaldblue (Apr 11, 2011)

Artrat said:


> Haha, thanks for the welcome , this thread is a bit old though. Been here for over a year already .
> 
> And I'm sure Motor City is very nice, but it's a bit isolated for my tastes.


lol, yes, realized after. Had a great S. African friend here before so hope to meet you 1 day. Let anyone know about Motor City as he is desperate,

thks!


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## sa_girl (Sep 20, 2011)

Hi again Artrat

I hope you're well today, and thanks for the prompt response.

Well, ideally I am looking for opportunities in the financial services industry as this is where most of my work experience lies, but I am open to alternatives.

Currently I am an MIS analyst/specialist in the financial services industry, typically working with call centre metrics and operations, investment and long-term insurance new and existing business volumes and sales figures, claims data, data extraction for marketing campaigns, scorecards, SLA measurement and reporting, and internet marketing, with a bit of SQL and Access thrown in for good measure 

My previous education/training and work experience include Accounting and Information Systems studies, banking, life and disability underwriting, call centre specialist (telephony and processing), and investment and insurance product support and administration.

As you can see, I would be quite comfortable in the financial services industry, but I'd really rather not limit myself to it. Please feel free to suggest any companies that you think would be able to make use of my particular skillset.

Thanks for your advice thus far. I have been monitoring Dubizzle for a while, but have yet to strike it lucky  I'll definitely keep at it though.

Have a good day.
sa_girl


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

I'll do a bit of digging and see what I can come up with, it's not really my area but I'll see what I can find out .

As a start though, most of the big audit firms have branches here (PWC, KPMG etc, most of the big IT firms have branches here (IBM etc), and most of the big insurance firms have branches here (Marsh, Willis etc). Duabaifaqs.com has a list of local recruitment agencies and a list of local banks. The information on there is not always up to date though.

Your best bet is probably to send your CV to the HR department of as many companies as you can. Staff turnovers tend to be quite high here, so most large companies are continually on the lookout, even if they're not advertising for positions. It's a bit hit and miss, but if your cv crosses the right desk at the right time you're in luck. And the chances are probably better than going through the recruitment firms. Although you should probably do both .


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