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Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
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Preferred city in UAE
Abu Dhabi
37%
 37%  [ 9 ]
Dubai
45%
 45%  [ 11 ]
Sharjah
16%
 16%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 24

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TT-Kira



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 10:20 am    Post subject: Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah? Reply with quote

Which would you pick & why?

Possible role has come up & being offered the choice of the three towns ... in terms of 'life' outside work, where would you choose - those that have been in UAE for a while ..

Thanks
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Role?" Are you going to pretend to be a teacher? Laughing

If you are young and single, probably Dubai... if you are into the party scene and don't mind horrendous traffic. Personally I never saw any appeal to Dubai at all. Too much pretension to being an "Asian city" but I always found it rather the Disney version of the Middle East. Sharjah has few advantages that I know of... except that some lived there in the past because it was cheaper.

Which leaves Abu Dhabi, but it too has become large and crowded... perhaps the lesser of evils?

If I were you, I would learn what I could of the three work locations and ease of getting there every day from the housing.

VS
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Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dubai: housing options are great, but it depends on your employer
always something happening, public transport not bad,
stretches out from Jubail Ali to Sharjah
lots of places and things to waste money on
"Don't look at glamor magazines; you will only feel ugly."

Abu Dhabi: housing options are getting better, but still not as lavish as Dubai
more, more cultural opportunities all the time
Easy to get around. The island is kind of like Manhattan without
a subway system. Buses are not bad. You learn what
traffic nightmares to avoid.

I would choose Dubai, but Abu Dhabi is not all that bad.

Again, it depends on how your employer sets you up with housing.
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TT-Kira



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2012 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's looking to be Abu Dhabi on a long term basis

Technically it's not a teaching role although I'd like to still keep my oar in ...

Just waiting to hear more, sounding interested, so it's a big move to make!

Any pointers on Abu Dhabi I'd be keen to hear - thanks!
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Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2012 3:50 pm    Post subject: Dubizzle Reply with quote

You can get some idea of the market on dubizzle:
http://abudhabi.dubizzle.com/property-for-rent/
It depends where your work is. There are some lovely new places now on the island and you can get by without investing in a car. Taxis are not too bad in Adu Dhabi, and even the buses are not too bad. If you get further off the island, you'll probably want to get a car. There are also great places along the Corniche, too, and much more reasonable than in the past. However, the Corniche can have a lot of traffic and parking problems.
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TT-Kira



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2012 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gulezar - thanks for the link, been doing a lot of research on this ...

Role sounds interesting, it's in my specialised field, including English plus other areas of training.

BIG question, a friend who moved to Oman a few years ago from UAE seems to think that there's a difference between one type of contract & a 3 year contract the NOC doesn't count; but I see the laws have changed recently ... been googling it but not sure if the new laws in early 2011 changed this! To be honest I'm not clear on any of it, particularly the use of the NOC although if I do leave, it probably won't be to another Gulf/UAE employer!

Any other HR issues I should be aware of? They're keen to sign for 3years - if I walk ... then what?

Thanks again
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2012 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TT-Kira wrote:
BIG question, a friend who moved to Oman a few years ago from UAE seems to think that there's a difference between one type of contract & a 3 year contract the NOC doesn't count; but I see the laws have changed recently ... been googling it but not sure if the new laws in early 2011 changed this! To be honest I'm not clear on any of it, particularly the use of the NOC although if I do leave, it probably won't be to another Gulf/UAE employer!

I have no idea what you are really asking here. If you move from a UAE employer to an Oman employer... or vice versa... an NOC is irrelevant. It was more a factor in changing jobs in the same country. The rules on this change so much that it seems no one knows. Supposedly they are not used any more in either country, so that one can freely change jobs. (key word... supposedly) Based on your final comment, it doesn't matter for you anyway, does it...

TT-Kira wrote:
Any other HR issues I should be aware of? They're keen to sign for 3years - if I walk ... then what?

Contracts are normally 3 years in the UAE. But, all contracts have a clause that directs on how to leave early. In teaching, it is normally a one semester notice. It makes sense that they don't want teachers bailing out in the middle of a semester when it is not easy to recruit. It also takes about 6 months to complete the process to bring in a new teacher from outside.

And if you never plan to take another job in the country, one can always just take a taxi to the airport one night and not come back. One only needs an exit visa in Saudi and Qatar. Not terribly professional, but sometimes necessary. Unless one robs a bank on the way out, one has only burned the bridges in one country.

VS
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Gus Barkley



Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since I don't follow boards from other countries I have not heard of an exit visa. Please explain VS! An American (or British or Australian, etc.) passport is not enough at the airport? You have to have an export visa to leave the country for vacatiion? Wow. Shocked
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TT-Kira



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

VS - sorry, worded that wrongly - my friend is now in Oman & isn't sure of the latest UAE Employment law. When she was there if you had a 3 year contract & left early or tried to change jobs, you could be banned from working in the UAE for a year - has this changed??

Any other UAE Employment law issues I should be aware of?

Thanks
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Eisenhorn



Joined: 25 Oct 2009
Posts: 146
Location: HCT Land. UAE

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Generally the ban wasn't for a year, but it was for 6 months. It meant that legally you couldn't work in the UAE during that 6 month period, but people from the states, uk etc can easily do work under the table and make the border run every month.

The law and the NOC have changed in the past couple of years... but the gist (as I understand it) is that if you have completed 2 years with the same employer you can walk w/out notice and they cannot ban you. Anything before that and you need to still get an NOC from the current employer before you can jump ship to another company.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2012 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gus - An exit visa is just that... one must get an exit visa stamped in the passport by the government in order to leave. They will not allow you to board a plane without it. This is done in Qatar and in Saudi Arabia. When I was in Kuwait, it was required for teachers at KU, but not other places. (?) If you wanted to go to Dubai or wherever over a weekend, you had to plan ahead so the office could get you the visa. It normally took 2-3 days and I never heard of anyone being refused. I haven't heard of any problems in Qatar, but there are stories told here about people refused exit visas by the bad employers in Saudi... even for emergency medical problems and family issues back home.

TT-Kira - The key word in your friend's comment was "could." The reality is that in any Middle East country, if your past employer has the "wasta" (connections and power), they can ban you from another job in the country. Burning bridges at a major government employer can mean that you will never get a job again in the country. The key to transferring jobs is to leave under the clause in your contract. In other words, give required notice in writing. I know of people who have transferred jobs in the UAE and Oman by giving proper notice - even in the past, when the NOC was in effect. (I also know of people who were refused transfer because of no NOC... in the past.)

There are always risks in overseas jobs. But this is not something that I would have ever worried about then or now. If you are too worried about this being a job that will turn out so badly that you must leave early (or in dark of night Cool), perhaps it is not a good choice for you.

VS
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TT-Kira



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks ..

I've worked in a variety of corners of the world; I've never once done a midnight flit out of a job - that's just not me.

But this role is 'different' & more than just a teaching role; it would involve a massive 'change' from my perspective.

I've tried to do due diligence on this company, but have found little reference to them ... which is possibly a positive.

For my own security, I just want to understand what I'm getting myself into regarding employment laws etc (& will probably be hiring people if I go ahead with this role so early learning will be helpful!)

To be forwarned is to be forarmed - is it not?!

Thanks again
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dunteslin



Joined: 20 Jul 2010
Posts: 20
Location: australia

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2012 3:34 am    Post subject: poll Reply with quote

Come on, folks--give Sharjah a break. Put me down for one vote.

It hasn't got Dubai's hideous traffic problems. It is easy to get out of to explore other emirates. And its drivers are not quite so bad as in other emirates. My own personal private poll, conducted over eight years in the UAE, has the worst drivers of all coming out of Abu Dhabi, with AD plates. Next in line, Dubai drivers.
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musaafira



Joined: 27 Jan 2012
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Al-Ain.
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madrileno



Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 270
Location: Salalah, Oman

PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dubai. Hands down.

I can easily live without conservative bearded ones constantly haranguing me, so Sharjah is a definite "no"!

Abu Dhabi is too quiet for me, and beyond the corniche there's really nothing to do. Even the concerts they manage to have in AD tend to suck. I'll take Sandance in Dubai any day over Yas Island.
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