# Advice for an Arab-Canadian moving to Dubai



## moesamarai (Oct 9, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I am a 28 year old Arab-Canadian male living in Vancouver, Canada. I am considering moving to Dubai for work. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. I have over 10 years of sales, customer service and managerial experience in the automotive, retail and insurance industries. I am also fluent in both English and Arabic.

I consider myself to be more Canadian than Arab as I've been living in Canada since I was 10 years old. I am considering making this move because it's impossible for a local to get ahead in the Vancouver market right now. Real estate is ridiculously high and the wages are too low to be able to afford anything.

I am not sure if this is a good move or if I am able to find anything that will make the move worth while. I have a few friends and family in Dubai that offered to help me find a position that will satisfy me. Another problem is I'm not sure what I am looking for either. I am very personable and have a special knack for business development and customer relations.

What should I be aiming for? In terms of salary? In terms of a position?

Will I be looked at as a Canadian or an Arab? (my family is from Iraq)

Should I rely on my friends and family to help me find a position or should I hunt for myself?

Any advice from any of the board members would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all in advance,

Cheers,

Moe Samarai


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## suprafromhell (Oct 9, 2013)

don't rely on anyone to search for you,because that I aint happening, salary ? it all depends on where you want to live and pay for rent,and how you live your life , are u a big spender? stingy ? have weird hobbies that you pay a lot of money for ? are u with family or alone? are you going to have any people depending on your salary as well that you'd send them money ? all that matters 

but for starters any salary between the 5000-10000 usd, should be good


regards


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## moesamarai (Oct 9, 2013)

Thanks for your reply suprafromhell.

I am going to be living alone with no dependents. Right now I'm making ends meet on $2,500 in Vancouver which is pretty tough considering the expensive and high living of standard out here. I would imagine that I want a similar standard of living but I'm definitely willing to keep my disposable spending as low as possible. I like to go out for drinks but not the type to buy bottle service at tables. 

I think that a $5000-7000 USD salary would be a good starting point. However, how realistic is it to find a position that pays that much for a BA graduate from Canada?


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

moesamarai said:


> I think that a $5000-7000 USD salary would be a good starting point. However, how realistic is it to find a position that pays that much for a BA graduate from Canada?


It entirely depends, how good you are at promoting yourself, the interview, who you know etc etc, but I would temper expectations for a $5000-7000 USD a month kind of offer for a recent graduate. 

The fact of the matter is, the marketplace in the U.A.E has become, and is continuing to be increasingly competitive. Employers aren't really giving out the kind of packages they used to, unless you have something unique in terms of specializations/experience etc.. 

Having said all this though, for you, given your age, recent graduation, the fact that you are a native arabic speaker, coming out here and giving it a try would certainly be worth your while. Good luck.


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