Working in Abu Dhabi

[Half Colin]

An American friend of mine has just accepted a job out in Abu Dhabi and has asked me to go and work with him. I was wondering if anyone on here had any experience of working in the UAE and it's problems/pit falls.

For info I've just got back from nearly 2 years working in Afghanistan so I've already gone through the non-resident tax issues.

 

[Anonymous]

Put it this way, it's better than working in Saudi......

Not as exciting as Dubai but on weekends it's only 90 mins away....get membership of a hotel if going with family, to use the beach etc.....

 

[AlanJ]

Have worked in the UAE for the last 2 1/2 years but in Ajman north of Dubai. It can be a frustrating place with the horrendous amounts of bureaucracy to get anything done. Getting a driving licence can take several hours as you get shoved from pillar to post in a complex system of form filling, getting documents translated into Arabic etc. And it all costs……. ! The life style can be good but again expensive depending on wht you want to do. The pubs, clubs and restaurants are again expensive if you choose the 5* life style but there ae plenty of cheap places to go if you are prepared to look. As for the beaches - move out of the main popultion areas and there are some great 'fee' beaches on the coast. Not a great fan of hotel membership as it can be costly unless you are a regular user of the facilities. Far better to explore and find the local 'free' facilities.