# Salary and Jobs according to nationality



## Khaleejeeyah (Dec 4, 2015)

Hi Guys,

Happy New Year.

I understand that certain roles are reserved for those of certain nationality etc in Dubai/UAE in general.

My question is, does it also depend on your race? So say for instance, you are a British Arab born and bred in London or an Asian born and bred in London and British, when applying for jobs would you be seen in the same 'category' as someone actually from Asia or the Arab world and as if your from that nationality and will be offered roles and salaries according to that 'category', or would you still be 'treated' like the same as a white/western expat?

Thanks


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## Standanista (Sep 26, 2014)

Hi and Happy New Year.

If you're a British born and educated expat here who happens to be of Asian race, I would say you come into the "British" category in such cases when it comes to role and salary.

I can speak about three Indian blokes (all also Indian born incidentally, but not necessarily Indian educated) who I have worked with either in the past or currently. All three are presently working in the Middle East in mid-senior management/specialist level positions.

The first, who is British curriculum educated in private schools overseas as his father travelled with work, makes very good Western money in Qatar (certainly better than me, a white Brit at a similar professional level).

The second, in Dubai, also makes Western-equivalent money for his qualifications/skills/experience. In the case of both him and my mate above, I would say that race and nationality don't come into it; at the end of the day, they're both very competent individuals with Master's degrees from Western universities, and earn accordingly.

The third guy I mention is more your typical engineer from the subcontinent that you find in the Middle East. He makes less than the others but I don't think he's worth any more for his abilities. He has an Indian uni degree, long experience, is a steady and reliable performer, and knows what he's talking about as long as you stick to the nuts and bolts, but I find he will not take risks, stick his neck out and show leadership on stuff, nor have many answers when a bit of innovative thinking is needed. I think that that is at least as much cultural as it is down to him as an individual however, as there are many others like that here (in fact they're the norm - I appreciate that that's a stereotype but wait till you get here and see if I'm wrong!). They are the ones bumping along on AED 20k-30k a month who are never realistically going to do much better, but if you're from Britain, regardless of race, you don't come into their category in my opinion/experience.

As a British Arab in this neck of the woods, I would expect that your chances are at least as good if not better than a British Indian's.


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## da_shiznit (Apr 20, 2014)

for future reference anyone following this thread - This issue is not going to be resolved anytime soon


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## Khaleejeeyah (Dec 4, 2015)

Thats a really really useful insight, thank You! Do you know what the situation would be for an Asian passport person, who has british reaidency and British qualifications? Would they be able to command the same package as a western expat? 






Standanista said:


> Hi and Happy New Year.
> 
> If you're a British born and educated expat here who happens to be of Asian race, I would say you come into the "British" category in such cases when it comes to role and salary.
> 
> ...


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## Khaleejeeyah (Dec 4, 2015)

da_shiznit said:


> for future reference anyone following this thread - This issue is not going to be resolved anytime soon


Thats unfortunate.


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## T'challa_Udaku (Nov 14, 2014)

Khaleejeeyah said:


> Thats a really really useful insight, thank You! Do you know what the situation would be for an Asian passport person, who has british reaidency and British qualifications? Would they be able to command the same package as a western expat?


It's all down to what you bring to the table. I know for a fact they would rather have a white westerner in my position but there are not many murex experts trolling around the streets of uae. I hold a Kenyan passport with 15 years western experience and western education. I am on expat salary but my job is forever being advertised lol.


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## Standanista (Sep 26, 2014)

Khaleejeeyah said:


> Do you know what the situation would be for an Asian passport person, who has british reaidency and British qualifications? Would they be able to command the same package as a western expat?


Yes from what I've seen, IF they've got the requisite experience, skills and qualifications for the job. The second bloke above is an example of that. One of the very senior expats at our work is British Pakistani. He drives a Maserati and takes home (I am told) AED 100k a month, but again, he's Western educated, very on-the-ball and has plenty of relevant experience to back it up.

The fact is though that the great majority of Asian passport holders here don't come to take up Western expat package positions, and the lower their skill level, the greater the competition and the exponentially less they earn. This place runs on expat labour, and the system works because people do better here, money-wise, than they would do back home, so are attracted to come. However, if you compare what a French design engineer with 25 years experience makes in a consultancy in Paris, compared to some kid on a farm in rural Uganda who's just landed a job in Dubai as a security guard, there's obviously a huge difference in back-home earning potential, and those differences are reflected in the huge disparity in wages that you find amongst Middle East expats. There are Bangladeshi cleaners aplenty on AED 600 (£110) a month, out of which they need to feed themselves and send money to support their families. You would blow that in Leeds or Birmingham on a good night out.

On a positive note, however, the young bloke from Uganda might be making ten times here what he was making before, and as the truism goes, if you think you're well off, you're well off.

Hopefully there are others who can shed more light on this topic.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
An Asian who has grown up, gone to school and worked in the UK will naturally have a different outlook on life, work ethic and work experience than the equivalently qualified person who has grown up and studied/worked in India or Pakistan.
The mindset is simply different and that is why you can instantly tell if someone has experience of working/living in Europe or USA.
Those that have "western" work ethics and experience will command a higher salary than those without - regardless of passport or original nationality.
Cheers
Steve


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

Sometimes race and sex affects matters in the UK let alone elsewhere.

The fact you have to ask the question should give you a clue to the rather straightforward answer.

Do you think a British white person going to India will be offered the same as a British Indian?


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## Shane81 (Jan 10, 2016)

Well one thing is crystal clear if u got western passport u gonna get high salary as compare to Asians..


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## Khaleejeeyah (Dec 4, 2015)

Thanks guys for your inputs. Apologies for late posting. I had forgotton my password to the forums :/


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