# What should I expect?



## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Hello, I'm planning on moving to work in Dubai in a few years, and I'm wondering what salary do you think I could hope for? Here's what my background, and what it will hopefully be like in a few years:

- Lebanese descent born in Canada
- Speaks English, French and Arabic fluently
- Bachelor of business administration degree
- Couple of years experience working an entry level sales and customer service position in a bank. I may choose to progress to better positions within the company when I graduate, before maybe going to Dubai, so I can get some experience. I haven't chosen my concentration yet, but I may choose IT, depending on what is in demand in Dubai.

So what could I be looking at in the business field? I could probably land a job that pays around 50k Canadian here when out of school, but if I can go to Dubai and get a better salary so that I can save a decent amount of money each year, then I'd be better.

Let me know what you guys think and any tips you might have for me that could help me get a good paying job in Dubai down the road. I realize there's a thread for these type of questions, but my post was lost in a sea of similar posts.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

You're going to plan your career around being able to get a job in Dubai at some point in the future? I really can't see how that can be a good idea.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

> Bachelor of business administration degree


Ten a penny here with individuals who would get paid a lot less than you would like. 

If you found a job, you wouldn't starve but you wouldn't be rich either. Customer Service here isn't recognised much and its certainly not valued in salary terms.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Gavtek said:


> You're going to plan your career around being able to get a job in Dubai at some point in the future? I really can't see how that can be a good idea.


I'm already half way through my business degree. I only have to choose a concentration, which here doesn't really affect greatly the type of job you can get in the business field.




twowheelsgood said:


> Ten a penny here with individuals who would get paid a lot less than you would like.
> 
> If you found a job, you wouldn't starve but you wouldn't be rich either. Customer Service here isn't recognised much and its certainly not valued in salary terms.


And what do you think the salary range would be? I can gain more experience here in other positions before looking for a job there, or even eventually get my masters. But with everything taken into consideration, what do you think I could hope for in terms of salary?


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## The Rascal (Aug 6, 2014)

Get 5 years experience elsewhere in the world before you even think of coming here.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

The Rascal said:


> Get 5 years experience elsewhere in the world before you even think of coming here.


Good, and then what could I expect?


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## The Rascal (Aug 6, 2014)

Rhaegar said:


> Good, and then what could I expect?


The streets to be paved with gold and a 100,000 a month salary.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

The Rascal said:


> The streets to be paved with gold and a 100,000 a month salary.


Lol

I understand a lot of people probably expect stuff like that when coming in to Dubai, but I realize it's not as easy as people claim it is. I'm posting here to get a realistic idea, so while I appreciate the sarcasm, I would like some serious and helpful responses. If you're willing to provide that, great. If not, please stay out of this thread. Thanks


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

How can we know what the future holds? 
You aren't in a position to move and get a properly paid job at the moment. You should really finish off your studies and get a few more years of work experience. Come back and ask what the situation is then. 
Base your decision on what you enjoy working with rather than what can land you a job in Dubai. You might be a lot better off in Canada than here.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

based on the substantial amount of information you have provided, you will get 2k AED per month. Once you come down here after 5 years of experience, it will be 5K per month. Happy?

Of course if the 5 years of experience is actually valuable and tangible then it may be a lot more. Because you know, even banks have people who only earn a few thousand $$$ based on their role, and then there are bankers who earns millions of $$$$. 

In short, you are asking a speculative question which has no answer. Being rude to people doesnt help either. 
If you are still curious, you should read the thread http://www.expatforum.com/expats/du...-salary-offer-package-questions-part-2-a.html which is on top of the forum thread list (sticky) where people have posted salaries offered for myriad roles. Also, I will let you hunt for the sticky which says "how to find jobs in Dubai"


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I'm only asking for an idea and I understand it can vary greatly. I've looked over that thread but haven't found information pertaining to my situation.

Also, I don't see where I was rude? Rude for laughing at a joke and asking to stay on topic? Your feathers are easily ruffled.

Anyways, thanks for the info.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Rhaegar said:


> Good, and then what could I expect?


'How long is a piece of string' type question.

Nobody has any idea because you haven't got any qualifications, you haven't got a market and you haven't said what the job would be.

You can expect to compete hugely, to be paid less than you probably think you are worth, t spend more than you plan and to find out what you value highly isn't of interest to people here.

Your degree is a bit vague, a lot non-specific and is an admin type of degree which people can do without after a couple of years in real life, in a real job, and will never command a premium salary.

Take a STEM subject or finance qualification if you want to make money. There's no money in Admin unless you are an Emirati.


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## The Rascal (Aug 6, 2014)

Ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Everyone's response so far is valid OP.

Your question is very vague as you probably already know. A business degree will not get you much - 5k/month is probably about right. Even if you go into IT, accounting or finance may not land you a very high paying job - even with 5 years of experience. Unless of course, you excel in the 5 years in any of those subjects and end up being in management (and I mean really excelling in your field). 

A mid level management position might get you 10-15k salary. A more senior level management position might get you 20k+ salary. Again, these are extremely rough numbers ... all depends on the industry, position, your experience and many other factors.

Personally, I would suggest to major in the field which interests you the most (not from Dubai's perspective) then work in that field for 8-10 years. Maybe even get further credentials within that field eg: certifications, masters etc. When you are in a senior position, then come to Dubai.


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

I only started thinking about coming to Dubai after 9 years of experience, 4 of which were in the GCC.

I am amazed to see people asking about how much they will earn after an unknown 5 years of experience. After 5 years who knows even whether the GCC will still be there !


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## futureshock999 (Dec 9, 2014)

OP, let's be clear - banks in the Emirates do NOT import Western workers.

They import cheap, mainly subcontinent-born WORKERS.

From the West, they import EXPERIENCE. Unique experience that they do not have locally, and can best be found in a Western banks, having been trained in Western banking "Best Practices".

They don't give two darns about your paper qualifications. They will ONLY care What have you done, Where have you done it, and How much can you teach or grow their business for them by working in their bank.

So you need QUITE a bit of experience to be worth that much to them, because right now the banking market here is FLOODED with Greek bankers, amongst others, that will work for comparatively little and have up to 20 years experience doing real banking.

And IT, as a career path, is even worse.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Tough crowd here. 

Thank you to those who gave a respectful, honest reply. I obviously made this thread just to get an idea, not to be told I'm going to get paid 100k$ for having little to no experience. I hear every now and then of friends or friends of relatives who supposedly get a good paying job in Dubai and that don't have THAT much experience, so I just wanted to see how common that was. Judging from this thread, it looks almost impossible to make it there under those circumstances.


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## futureshock999 (Dec 9, 2014)

Rhaegar said:


> Tough crowd here.
> 
> Thank you to those who gave a respectful, honest reply. I obviously made this thread just to get an idea, not to be told I'm going to get paid 100k$ for having little to no experience. I hear every now and then of friends or friends of relatives who supposedly get a good paying job in Dubai and that don't have THAT much experience, so I just wanted to see how common that was. Judging from this thread, it looks almost impossible to make it there under those circumstances.


No, don't give up that easily. Firstly, don't set your sights on Dubai. Set your sights on being a professional EXPAT. Over the years I have lived and worked in Paris, Rio, Mexico City, Ha Noi, Hong Kong. Two years ago I was in Australia for a year, living in a 5 star corporate apartment on the client's dime. Now I am in Dubai. Next year...Singapore? Beijing? Moscow even?

The easiest route to that is to join a management consultancy: Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, etc. Get some decent, hardwearing luggage. Be prepared to live in a hotel 5 days a week, for 5 to 10 years. If you are willing to do international travel, they are rarely short of opportunities, even with limited experience. And you will gain experience VERY quickly in a consultancy, versus working internally. Just be sure to join one of their practices that is in demand in developing areas: banking and insurance usually are near the top, but right now so is mobile. 

It can be a tough life...but then many expat lives are. I had drinks last night with a lovely woman, in her mid-fourties, that has been doing VIP-helper work for some of the billionaire families here in the Gulf for many years. She has just realised that she was so busy catering to their wishes (she put off our date the night before because she was out until 11PM buying yet more presents for her employer's kids) that she hasn't really dated enough, and has missed her chance to have a family...almost. She has a string of investment properties in the UK, and has a pretty nice lifestyle...but no attachments. But then, THAT is typical of the expat lifestyle for many of us...mine ain't much better right now, and I know more than a few in similar situations.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Thanks a lot futureshock. Yeah, I'd really enjoy to travel around for work. I already work in the banking industry, albeit a entry-level position, but with pretty good prospects when I finish school.

I was wondering though, do you think one of the concentrations you choose (ie: Management, Finance, etc.), has a big effect on the type of job you can land internationally, especially for management consultancy? Would you favor one or the other? I enjoy most of my courses, I don't really have one preference over another so I'm not 100% sure yet which I will choose.

Thanks!


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## futureshock999 (Dec 9, 2014)

Rhaegar said:


> Thanks a lot futureshock. Yeah, I'd really enjoy to travel around for work. I already work in the banking industry, albeit a entry-level position, but with pretty good prospects when I finish school.
> 
> I was wondering though, do you think one of the concentrations you choose (ie: Management, Finance, etc.), has a big effect on the type of job you can land internationally, especially for management consultancy? Would you favor one or the other? I enjoy most of my courses, I don't really have one preference over another so I'm not 100% sure yet which I will choose.
> 
> Thanks!


The banks own the global economy. They are now larger and more powerful than the governments that would/should regulate them. Meanwhile, general management degrees are a dime a dozen - although TECHNICAL management degrees (i.e., usually a BS/MBA in Management with a strong minor in Computer Science, or Electrical Engineering) are pretty strong, but may not globalise as well. 

BTW - at some point, don't forget to do something you LIKE doing...you will be doing it 60-80 hours a week, even more in sprints.


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## Rhaegar (Apr 15, 2015)

Yes, of course. Thanks! If I were only after the money I would have chosen a STEM degree . I like the business field, but it's so large that you can either make no money or lots of money.


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