Anyone been to Dubai?

SydneyBoy · 11-01-2006, 10:30 PM

Anyone been there?

My girlfriend is thinking of moving there for a year for work and I'm thinking of going with her so I need to know certain things. Apparently her work would organise a place to live in an expat-westerner style village so that is taken care of, but I'd like to know things like:

What are the people like there? Friendly to westerners? Unfriendly?

Is Dubai a cool city? Things to do?

Most importantly - can I get work there? I work in the banking/IT industry but would be happy to do English teaching - is that available? Hope I don't have to go back to bar work again??

Hang on - can I get a visa to work there?? Im an Aussie..

Any info would be appreciated.

cool bananas

W.HI.P · 11-01-2006, 11:55 PM

Most that have been there would tell you that its the best place to be on the earth, so yeah, I'm sure you'll fall in love the first few days you get there.
Just learn the laws and follow them.
I don't know how easy it will be for you to find emploment there it would depend on what you're looking for, but there are some great oppourtunities there if you place yourself in the right spot, good money.
Dubai is a place for one who seeks a false paradise on earth, its the closest you'll come to it..and even more so in a few years from now, so yeah, it is a good time to be there, lots of money there already, and lots of money pouring in.

Hagar · 11-02-2006, 12:42 AM

I've had a short stopover in the airport. All I learned from that was that the toilets are unbelievably disgusting.

Useful, eh?

Tonchi · 11-02-2006, 12:48 AM

I think you would be making a TERRIBLE mistake to send a woman there to work. And if your girlfriend is not lilly-white, it will go even worse for her. It is nothing more than slavery with a paycheck, most of which is eaten up by the agency who places you and the people they give kickbacks to. Please read the Vanity Fair article about Dubai which appeared earlier this year. It will be a real eye-opener. I have two friends from my fan club who live in Dubai and they love it, but they should: they are the college student sons of wealthy Arab men.

Stormieweather · 11-02-2006, 01:25 AM

My opinions:

I've only passed through Dubai, but have lived and worked in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia primarily. My first husband was a Saudi. So I am basing my opinions on the area in general and not so much on Dubai specifically.

Women in the Middle East are not treated well, to put it mildly. Western women are objects of curiosity and mockery as well as despised for what is seen as a blatent disregard for the law of the land (dressing modestly, submission to head of household, subservience, etc.)

Arab men, particularly rich Arab men, feel supremely superior to their western counter-parts. The non-Arabs they hire are as servants, laborers and grunts.

There are many restrictions on activities for a woman. Places she cannot go, restaurants and hotels where she is not welcome, things that are forbidden. Many are not communicated until you find yourself on the wrong side of a jail cell (or deported). Jail there is much worse than here, and unless you have a diplomatic passport, you can expect little help from the local embassy.

The only way I know of to find a job in an arab country is to go through an agency or to 'know someone'. They don't advertise or take applications.

There is next to nothing to do on a day to day basis unless you enjoy sitting around drinking chai and shooting the breeze. There are the few rare trips to go scuba diving or snorkeling. Maybe you can go exploring the coast or desert.

The good news is the pay is pretty good. (It has to be to entice people to actually go there and stay for a whole year).

Stormie

Tonchi · 11-02-2006, 03:40 AM

Stormie's got it right about that area of the world in general, but there is something else I'd like to mention from my info about Dubai.

Vanity Fair said that Dubai is unique in the Arab world, in that all the rules are in limbo once you cross the border. The Arab Sharia, as well as their versions of common law under strict Islamic interpretations no matter which country, all forbid consumption of alcohol or lending of money for gain. This pretty much eliminates bars, western-style entertainment, or banking in these countries, not to mention that women are not allowed to be seen in those circumstances anyway. All of this fails to apply once you enter Dubai. The catering to "Western" tastes is completely overboard, and from all indications most of the mullahs and ayatollas would go balistic if they could watch the decadent luxury for the enticement of moslem tourists as well. It appears that everybody looks the other way, that this place exists out of space and time in the Arab world. I can't help but wonder at what point some Islamic jihad freak will blow up one of the skyscrapers there or if the reason they don't is because Dubai's ability to launder money and funnel it to them all over the world is so much to their advantage that they leave it alone.

The "beauty" of Dubai requires telescopic vision to appreciate, because there is no plan, no theme, no design, it just HAPPENS. For one thing, every square mile of this "city" is a roaring construction zone. Everything is fabricated, completely overboard in design and execution, it is Las Vegas on steroids and meth at the same time. There are no words to describe the separation between the men who finance this thing and the virtual slaves, the worker ants, who service this monstrosity in the desert. There are sheiks and potentates staying in $100,000 per night penthouse suites while Filipino construction workers are locked up at night, their passports in the hands of the agencies who brought them in, so that they can't run away or mingle with the "nice" classes. Anything goes, anything is available, so long as you have money. Money beyond anything you can conceive of, money which would make Bill Gates and Warren Buffet blanche. If WE are the "Ugly Americans" while abroad, there is not yet any word to describe the "ugly" excess which the hoards are flocking there to indulge in. Why do you think Michael Jackson has fled to this mega-hyper-Disneyland of luxury?

But if you are not the wife of a wealthy Arab in this place, you can be in real trouble. As Stormie said, you are fair game to all men because you are, to them, obviously a person of no morals or character or you would not be there working as a servant. ALL women are servants. And if one of those men decides he will change the way you will "serve" to his whim, you do not have any choice about it unless you have a protector just as powerful.

Sundae · 11-02-2006, 06:59 AM

The married couple I work for on Saturdays go to Dubai for Christmas every year. They love it - but wouldn't consider relocating there as they have a young daughter and are concerned about prospects for her in an Arab country.

My male boss, is ex RAF and worked in the Middle East in the aerospace industry for years. He has often raised the point that Arab men are arrogant, difficult to train and believe they are above most types of work. I appreciate this is a generalisation, but it comes directly from his experience.

He often found that training was shrugged off, "Do you understand?" "Yes, yes, yes!" and then expensive equipment would be damaged because the man in question had NO idea what he was doing. This happened on a regular basis, which was why so many foreign staff were employed and the contracts were so lucrative.

I can't imagine teaching English as a foreign language would be very rewarding there - it would be difficult for you to get a position teaching women, and if the men are as described you would have an uphill struggle.

Bar work may also be difficult to come by - although Dubai is incredibly lax by UAE standards, I understand alcohol is still mostly bought by tourists and ex-pats. These jobs will therefore be high tipping positions (low paid and highly sought after). I may be wrong here - I'm going on second hand information and my experience in another Muslim country.

Western men are treated with respect, as although Dubai has been an important trading port for centuries, the extreme wealth is relatively recent. Therefore there is a certain cachet for them in paying Westerners to work for them. As previously mentioned this does not extend to women. They really are seem as second class citizens, and Western women even lower due to their supposed lax morals. Although the city is a reasonably eclectic mix of nationalities you need to remember it is still the UAE and human rights are routinely denied.

On the other hand if you have the money to enjoy it, Dubai is as described by other posters - absolutely hyper with anything available any time. Apparently the shopping is amazing (not my bag personally) as are the sports facilities.

It's frontier land in many ways, if the frontier was ever this well funded I mean. Personally I'd take the chance and go - it will be an experience to remember whatever happens

Pie · 11-02-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tonchi

I have two friends from my fan club ...

You have a fan club! Cool!

wolf · 11-02-2006, 05:41 PM

Yes, Tonchi is that cool.

SydneyBoy · 11-02-2006, 07:26 PM

Ok, thanks for all the input.

My girlfriend is a nurse and apparently there are very highly paid jobs available in Dubai for nurses that trained in the UK, US, etc. Work there for a year tax-free with accomodation paid for, get a juicy bonus after a year, then move back home and buy a house... She is white, from the UK and hopefully would not cop too much disrespect when working in a hospital environment. We are also planning on getting married before we go which may offer some protection?

But if it really sucks, then we will leave

But from what some of you have written above, it could be an AMAZING experience. And my girl and I have done a fair bit of travelling before so we have fairly thick skin when it comes to other cultures.

The biggest problem I can see is finding a job for myself - I will have to do some research.

Cool bananas.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-03-2006, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SydneyBoy

Ok, thanks for all the input.
~big snip~
Cool bananas.

AND, you'll be the Cellar's inside man, Dubai-wise.

Tonchi · 11-03-2006, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pie

You have a fan club! Cool!

The kids only THINK it is my fan club. Actually it is Thalia's

(NoBoxes is forbidden to comment on this)

11-05-2006, 01:07 AM

xoxoxoBruce · 11-08-2006, 06:08 PM

Dubai? Let's see...my recollection is foggy....

brady_44 · 11-17-2006, 06:01 AM

That's an awesome picture. Anyway, isn't Dubai supposed to be very different from most places in that area? I thought Dubai was very diverse, and making a big push to become a travel destination. From the things I've heard about it, I would love to check it out.

11-01-2006, 10:30 PM	#1
SydneyBoy Pithy Euphemist Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19	Anyone been to Dubai? Anyone been there? My girlfriend is thinking of moving there for a year for work and I'm thinking of going with her so I need to know certain things. Apparently her work would organise a place to live in an expat-westerner style village so that is taken care of, but I'd like to know things like: What are the people like there? Friendly to westerners? Unfriendly? Is Dubai a cool city? Things to do? Most importantly - can I get work there? I work in the banking/IT industry but would be happy to do English teaching - is that available? Hope I don't have to go back to bar work again?? Hang on - can I get a visa to work there?? Im an Aussie.. Any info would be appreciated. cool bananas __________________ At night rave near the guard's compartment naked with a blue light.

11-02-2006, 12:48 AM	#4
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	I think you would be making a TERRIBLE mistake to send a woman there to work. And if your girlfriend is not lilly-white, it will go even worse for her. It is nothing more than slavery with a paycheck, most of which is eaten up by the agency who places you and the people they give kickbacks to. Please read the Vanity Fair article about Dubai which appeared earlier this year. It will be a real eye-opener. I have two friends from my fan club who live in Dubai and they love it, but they should: they are the college student sons of wealthy Arab men. __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true. Last edited by Tonchi; 11-02-2006 at 12:51 AM.

11-02-2006, 01:25 AM	#5
Stormieweather Wearing her bitch boots Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Floriduh Posts: 1,181	My opinions: I've only passed through Dubai, but have lived and worked in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia primarily. My first husband was a Saudi. So I am basing my opinions on the area in general and not so much on Dubai specifically. Women in the Middle East are not treated well, to put it mildly. Western women are objects of curiosity and mockery as well as despised for what is seen as a blatent disregard for the law of the land (dressing modestly, submission to head of household, subservience, etc.) Arab men, particularly rich Arab men, feel supremely superior to their western counter-parts. The non-Arabs they hire are as servants, laborers and grunts. There are many restrictions on activities for a woman. Places she cannot go, restaurants and hotels where she is not welcome, things that are forbidden. Many are not communicated until you find yourself on the wrong side of a jail cell (or deported). Jail there is much worse than here, and unless you have a diplomatic passport, you can expect little help from the local embassy. The only way I know of to find a job in an arab country is to go through an agency or to 'know someone'. They don't advertise or take applications. There is next to nothing to do on a day to day basis unless you enjoy sitting around drinking chai and shooting the breeze. There are the few rare trips to go scuba diving or snorkeling. Maybe you can go exploring the coast or desert. The good news is the pay is pretty good. (It has to be to entice people to actually go there and stay for a whole year). Stormie __________________ "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." - Mahatma Gandhi

11-02-2006, 03:40 AM	#6
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	Stormie's got it right about that area of the world in general, but there is something else I'd like to mention from my info about Dubai. Vanity Fair said that Dubai is unique in the Arab world, in that all the rules are in limbo once you cross the border. The Arab Sharia, as well as their versions of common law under strict Islamic interpretations no matter which country, all forbid consumption of alcohol or lending of money for gain. This pretty much eliminates bars, western-style entertainment, or banking in these countries, not to mention that women are not allowed to be seen in those circumstances anyway. All of this fails to apply once you enter Dubai. The catering to "Western" tastes is completely overboard, and from all indications most of the mullahs and ayatollas would go balistic if they could watch the decadent luxury for the enticement of moslem tourists as well. It appears that everybody looks the other way, that this place exists out of space and time in the Arab world. I can't help but wonder at what point some Islamic jihad freak will blow up one of the skyscrapers there or if the reason they don't is because Dubai's ability to launder money and funnel it to them all over the world is so much to their advantage that they leave it alone. The "beauty" of Dubai requires telescopic vision to appreciate, because there is no plan, no theme, no design, it just HAPPENS. For one thing, every square mile of this "city" is a roaring construction zone. Everything is fabricated, completely overboard in design and execution, it is Las Vegas on steroids and meth at the same time. There are no words to describe the separation between the men who finance this thing and the virtual slaves, the worker ants, who service this monstrosity in the desert. There are sheiks and potentates staying in $100,000 per night penthouse suites while Filipino construction workers are locked up at night, their passports in the hands of the agencies who brought them in, so that they can't run away or mingle with the "nice" classes. Anything goes, anything is available, so long as you have money. Money beyond anything you can conceive of, money which would make Bill Gates and Warren Buffet blanche. If WE are the "Ugly Americans" while abroad, there is not yet any word to describe the "ugly" excess which the hoards are flocking there to indulge in. Why do you think Michael Jackson has fled to this mega-hyper-Disneyland of luxury? But if you are not the wife of a wealthy Arab in this place, you can be in real trouble. As Stormie said, you are fair game to all men because you are, to them, obviously a person of no morals or character or you would not be there working as a servant. ALL women are servants. And if one of those men decides he will change the way you will "serve" to his whim, you do not have any choice about it unless you have a protector just as powerful. __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

11-02-2006, 06:59 AM	#7
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	The married couple I work for on Saturdays go to Dubai for Christmas every year. They love it - but wouldn't consider relocating there as they have a young daughter and are concerned about prospects for her in an Arab country. My male boss, is ex RAF and worked in the Middle East in the aerospace industry for years. He has often raised the point that Arab men are arrogant, difficult to train and believe they are above most types of work. I appreciate this is a generalisation, but it comes directly from his experience. He often found that training was shrugged off, "Do you understand?" "Yes, yes, yes!" and then expensive equipment would be damaged because the man in question had NO idea what he was doing. This happened on a regular basis, which was why so many foreign staff were employed and the contracts were so lucrative. I can't imagine teaching English as a foreign language would be very rewarding there - it would be difficult for you to get a position teaching women, and if the men are as described you would have an uphill struggle. Bar work may also be difficult to come by - although Dubai is incredibly lax by UAE standards, I understand alcohol is still mostly bought by tourists and ex-pats. These jobs will therefore be high tipping positions (low paid and highly sought after). I may be wrong here - I'm going on second hand information and my experience in another Muslim country. Western men are treated with respect, as although Dubai has been an important trading port for centuries, the extreme wealth is relatively recent. Therefore there is a certain cachet for them in paying Westerners to work for them. As previously mentioned this does not extend to women. They really are seem as second class citizens, and Western women even lower due to their supposed lax morals. Although the city is a reasonably eclectic mix of nationalities you need to remember it is still the UAE and human rights are routinely denied. On the other hand if you have the money to enjoy it, Dubai is as described by other posters - absolutely hyper with anything available any time. Apparently the shopping is amazing (not my bag personally) as are the sports facilities. It's frontier land in many ways, if the frontier was ever this well funded I mean. Personally I'd take the chance and go - it will be an experience to remember whatever happens __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

11-01-2006, 11:55 PM	#2
W.HI.P Free Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,513	Most that have been there would tell you that its the best place to be on the earth, so yeah, I'm sure you'll fall in love the first few days you get there. Just learn the laws and follow them. I don't know how easy it will be for you to find emploment there it would depend on what you're looking for, but there are some great oppourtunities there if you place yourself in the right spot, good money. Dubai is a place for one who seeks a false paradise on earth, its the closest you'll come to it..and even more so in a few years from now, so yeah, it is a good time to be there, lots of money there already, and lots of money pouring in.

11-02-2006, 12:42 AM	#3
Hagar Master of the Domain Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 220	I've had a short stopover in the airport. All I learned from that was that the toilets are unbelievably disgusting. Useful, eh?

11-02-2006, 05:41 PM	#9
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Yes, Tonchi is that cool. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

11-02-2006, 07:26 PM	#10
SydneyBoy Pithy Euphemist Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19	Ok, thanks for all the input. My girlfriend is a nurse and apparently there are very highly paid jobs available in Dubai for nurses that trained in the UK, US, etc. Work there for a year tax-free with accomodation paid for, get a juicy bonus after a year, then move back home and buy a house... She is white, from the UK and hopefully would not cop too much disrespect when working in a hospital environment. We are also planning on getting married before we go which may offer some protection? But if it really sucks, then we will leave But from what some of you have written above, it could be an AMAZING experience. And my girl and I have done a fair bit of travelling before so we have fairly thick skin when it comes to other cultures. The biggest problem I can see is finding a job for myself - I will have to do some research. Cool bananas. __________________ At night rave near the guard's compartment naked with a blue light.

11-08-2006, 06:08 PM	#14
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Dubai? Let's see...my recollection is foggy.... __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 04-07-2007 at 05:49 PM.

11-17-2006, 06:01 AM	#15
brady_44 Recruit or Something Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Arizona Posts: 4	That's an awesome picture. Anyway, isn't Dubai supposed to be very different from most places in that area? I thought Dubai was very diverse, and making a big push to become a travel destination. From the things I've heard about it, I would love to check it out. __________________ Offbeat News \| Personal Finance Blog \| Pac 10 Sports

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11-05-2006, 01:07 AM	#13
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