# Engineering Salary in Dubai



## marksmalls (Sep 8, 2016)

Hey everyone
I am an Australian citizen and am currently completing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (in Australia). I was always interested in applying for civil engineering internships overseas to gain experience. 
I heard Dubai was a nice place for civil engineers, so I was shocked when I read online that the average salary for civil engineers in Dubai was US$40K :confused2:.
In Australia the average starting salary for civil engineers was US$60-70K. And after a couple of years, project managers are expected to earn US$100k and above.
Is there any Western expats here who completed their degrees in the West but are now working in Dubai? What is your approximate salary? Is anyone earning near 90 to 100K ($US)? 

Any other civil engineers here working in Dubai who are earning close to US$100K?
I would love to work in Dubai but if the pay is really low (compared to Australia) then I would prefer living in Australia.


----------



## marksmalls (Sep 8, 2016)

Just to clarify a quick google search showed me that the salary for a civil engineer is 100 000 AED which is equivalent to US$30K. 
I understand there are a lot of workers from the 3rd World who are employed and underpaid in Dubai, but can an Australian engineer be expected to be paid the same or more?


----------



## mv5869 (Apr 12, 2016)

marksmalls said:


> Just to clarify a quick google search showed me that the salary for a civil engineer is 100 000 AED which is equivalent to US$30K.
> I understand there are a lot of workers from the 3rd World who are employed and underpaid in Dubai, but can an Australian engineer be expected to be paid the same or more?


As with all jobs, they will pay you what they have to pay you.

You are right at the start of your career so as far as they are concerned your skills and experience are low, and you are too junior (and young) to manage a larger team of engineers. You are competing with engineers from India who are happy to be paid half to a third of what you are looking for. 

In Australia and other countries they may pay you a good salary as an intern in the hope that you stay with them for a long career. But they’re not going to do the same here.

You’re better off staying in Oz, working hard for minimum 5 years and building valuable experience, then come to UAE and take a well-paid tax free job at the point that they need your skills and are prepared to pay for them.


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

marksmalls said:


> I understand there are a lot of workers from the 3rd World who are employed and underpaid in Dubai, but can an Australian engineer be expected to be paid the same or more?


Why would an employer pay an Australian more, for doing the same exact job when they have the same skills as a person for another country ? You get paid more in Australia as you live in a protected employment market.

BTW, using the expression 'third world' betrays a certain world viewpoint. You aren't competing against third world countries - you're competing against qualified individuals with plenty of international experience who are happy to work for $30k.

Its not as if Australia is a beacon of civil engineering expertise renowned for its volume of huge high rise buildings, vast estates and complex infrastructure is it ?


----------



## Dave-o (Aug 23, 2015)

What they said, stay put for a few years. If you want international experience, the big civil engineering consultancies do exchange schemes with European engineers - when I was at Hyder and Arup there were always Aussies in the office and we shipped a few of ours off down under. 

Make the most of the graduate training budgets and schemes in Aus while you are still eligible for them, get yourself chartered/ incorporated with a recognised institution, do a PhD, milk the training schemes for all they're worth while you can because you won't get a penny here.

Then in 5-10 years time with a bunch more letters after your name, a good technical grounding and some managerial experience under your belt, who knows what state the Dubai job market will be in. Who knows how many big projects there will be. The 2020 Expo rush will be over, they may still be building crazy mega projects, they might not.


----------



## ThunderCat (Oct 28, 2015)

marksmalls said:


> I understand there are a lot of workers from the 3rd World


I don't believe you would survive much in Dubai with such an attitude.

There are loads of engineers who can do your exact same job for less. Nobody really cares where they're coming from.


----------



## Jasmine_Flower (Aug 26, 2012)

:biggrin1:


twowheelsgood said:


> Why would an employer pay an Australian more, for doing the same exact job when they have the same skills as a person for another country ? You get paid more in Australia as you live in a protected employment market.
> 
> BTW, using the expression 'third world' betrays a certain world viewpoint. You aren't competing against third world countries - you're competing against qualified individuals with plenty of international experience who are happy to work for $30k.
> 
> Its not as if Australia is a beacon of civil engineering expertise renowned for its volume of huge high rise buildings, vast estates and complex infrastructure is it ?


  Thats it!! Preach! Talk about hitting the nail right on its head!


----------



## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

Westerners here are brought in and paid more for their experience and often times better education, but the experience part is key. No one wants to pay an Australian wage to someone who needs to learn their job.

Get a job with an international contractor like Leightons, prove yourself and have them send you over somewhere on a good package.


----------



## marksmalls (Sep 8, 2016)

twowheelsgood said:


> Why would an employer pay an Australian more, for doing the same exact job when they have the same skills as a person for another country ? You get paid more in Australia as you live in a protected employment market.
> 
> BTW, using the expression 'third world' betrays a certain world viewpoint. You aren't competing against third world countries - you're competing against qualified individuals with plenty of international experience who are happy to work for $30k.
> 
> Its not as if Australia is a beacon of civil engineering expertise renowned for its volume of huge high rise buildings, vast estates and complex infrastructure is it ?


Hey, I wasn't trying to offend anyone. Australian universities are ranked among the top in the world for engineering. Australian engineers are also among the highest paid...at least Australia doesn't have to rely on 3rd World slave labour. Many Australians are aware of the disgusting conditions laborers are held in Dubai. My parents are of Indian background so I also well aware of the prejudice Gulf countries have of Indians.
What I meant by "3rd World" was would an Australian university degree carry more weight when it comes to a paycheck...


----------



## marksmalls (Sep 8, 2016)

mv5869 said:


> As with all jobs, they will pay you what they have to pay you.
> 
> You are right at the start of your career so as far as they are concerned your skills and experience are low, and you are too junior (and young) to manage a larger team of engineers. You are competing with engineers from India who are happy to be paid half to a third of what you are looking for.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your advice and other people who have given similar advice. I think I will try get internship here in Australia and then after a couple of years possibly go overseas. 
Thanks everyone


----------



## marksmalls (Sep 8, 2016)

Dave-o said:


> What they said, stay put for a few years. If you want international experience, the big civil engineering consultancies do exchange schemes with European engineers - when I was at Hyder and Arup there were always Aussies in the office and we shipped a few of ours off down under.
> 
> Make the most of the graduate training budgets and schemes in Aus while you are still eligible for them, get yourself chartered/ incorporated with a recognised institution, do a PhD, milk the training schemes for all they're worth while you can because you won't get a penny here.
> 
> Then in 5-10 years time with a bunch more letters after your name, a good technical grounding and some managerial experience under your belt, who knows what state the Dubai job market will be in. Who knows how many big projects there will be. The 2020 Expo rush will be over, they may still be building crazy mega projects, they might not.


I will certainly be setting my sights on Arup and Hyder. Thanks for your advice


----------



## aussi.construction (8 mo ago)

Hey Mark,
I stumbled across this post and am in a similar situation where im on a hunt on working in the middle east. Was wondering how your search went.
Thanks


----------



## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
You have resurrected an old thread from 2016 and the person you asked has not been on this forum since then!
Best you create a new thread with your spe questions - so that you get an up to date answer
Cheers
Steve


----------

