John Tinsley : Gulf Recruitment

If you are looking for an IT job in Dubai you must be familiar with what is expected of you.  The exact qualifications you need for an IT job in Dubai will depend on the nature of the job you want to apply for.  You should certainly have some experience as otherwise you will be disappointed.  Employers are looking for people who already have some experience in the field, not for beginners.

You will come across some familiar company names as you begin your search for an IT job in Dubai.  For example KPMG and Oracle are just two of the companies you could work for.

Each separate job vacancy will have a list of the qualifications you need.  For example a recent job posting for IT support staff requested the applicants to have between three and five years worth of experience.  Qualifications required included a Bachelor’s Degree and banking experience.

Another example was for an IT director, who would need around ten years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree.  You will also find that within the body of the job description specific qualifications may be listed, so do look out for these to ensure you have everything that is required of you.

But occasionally – as with the case of an IT job in Dubai for an IT technician –no experience or qualifications at all are asked for.  Presumably in this case they would be prepared to train the right candidate.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the two main partners within the UAE and subsidise the other emirates. There is a vast array of hydrocarbon processing jobs in the Middle East, including subsea, refinery and drilling professions. Throughout this region, there have been attempts at economic diversification so non-oil business now accounts for more than half of the total GDP; however the oil and gas industry remains the very bedrock of the UAE’s economy, as it is for all the Gulf States. UAE oil jobs are widely advertised and the region has traditionally been a popular destination for petrochemical engineers and other professionals in this field.

The UAE is one of the most developed economies in the Middle East and continues to go from strength to strength, and is renowned for its oil and gas reserves (it has the seventh largest oil reserves in the world and the UAE is the third-largest oil producer in the Middle East – daily output is in the region of 2.5 million barrels). Professions in the oil and gas industry are particularly abundant in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Qatar has the world’s third-largest gas reserves and is now a powerful independent state with one of the highest GDP per capita in the world. Saudi’s oil accounts for more than 90 per cent of exports and comprises three quarters of total government revenues.

If you are a professional in the oil and gas industry with a strong CV and a desire to move to this exciting and progressive part of the world, you are in a good position to secure a well-paid job with good prospects.

Despite its open economy and very diverse businesses, the petroleum industry still has a large presence in Kuwait.  These oil operations in the emirate have been well run and profitable for many years.  This strength and superior management has led to the nation becoming one of the richest in the Middle East, with a continued gross domestic product growth rate of 8%.  There are long term opportunities in the petroleum industry in Kuwait, and the emirate is able to maintain these oil jobs in a most highly rewarding fashion for the employees. 

While other nations may be struggling to maintain a strong economy in this time of crisis, Kuwait is known for its low unemployment rate of 2.2%.  Kuwait oil jobs are in high demand, with one of the highest pay rates for workers in the industry the world over.  It is also important to note that Kuwait is a tax free nation, with the government receiving all its income from business and industry.  This excellent pay comes entirely tax free, and represents far more income than it would in a Western nation.

The opportunities in Kuwait are much like any other oil job, with the exception that these opportunities pay increasingly well, with absolutely no tax liability whatsoever.  These opportunities are open to both citizens as well as non-native workers interested in working at any one of the government oilfields, and should be seriously considered by anyone needing to earn an excellent income in the industry.

If you have only recently graduated from university, a job in the Middle East might be a viable option for you, particularly if your degree was in one of the following disciplines: engineering (chemical, construction, electronic, civil and industrial), business administration, economics, the sciences or architecture. For example, chemical engineering graduates, particularly those from a top university with a good class of degree, are well-placed to find jobs in oil-rich Qatar – there are always jobs (mostly contract) at all levels in Qatar in the oil and gas sector.

University graduates with a background in trade and tourism, hospitality and catering, PR, law, IT and telecommunications are also likely to find plenty of tempting, suitable and lucrative positions with excellent prospects in the UAE. They may also find many opportunities for jobs in Saudi Arabia.

Dubai in particular has become increasingly attractive to new graduates looking to embark on their brand new career, due to the diverse opportunities offered by its wealthy and expanding business centre. However, in recent years the UAE government has forged an initiative (‘Emiratisation’, or the replacement of expatriates with national workers) to address the problem of unemployment among native Emirates. (91.5% of workers across the UAE are expatriates.) This process of Emiratisation is becoming especially apparent in certain sectors including banking, government organisations and public relations, where local businesses are more inclined to recruit nationals over similarly-qualified and skilled foreign applicants.
 
Since the UAE government has been implementing a policy of economic diversification to reduce the region’s reliance on oil, the tourist industry and business sector have had a new lease on life, which has in turn sparked a construction boom.

A job in Dubai is what is tempting many jobseekers to up sticks and make the move to the Gulf, where the weather is great, the income usually tax free and the quality of life second to none.

Prospective Dubai residents and workers will have to make a few arrangements in advance of going, such as sorting out the UAE visa requirements and preferably securing a job before heading out. They’ll also need to inform the appropriate authorities at home that they’re no longer resident there for tax purposes.

Use Gulf States employment websites and regular employers’ recruitment expos to check out what’s available in the way of landing a job in Dubai. Dubai’s use of Free Trade Zones to organise its employment sectors simplifies the job-hunting process to some extent.

If your skill set is in IT, you’ll find the jobs concentrated in Dubai Internet City. Business and management experts will home in on the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), where companies specialising in insurance and banking are based. Healthcare City and the Biotechnology and Research Park have their own specialisations, and doing a search on their websites will yield a wealth of opportunities.

Once a position is secured, your employer there can sponsor you to make the move and secure a temporary residency permit which will cover your period of employment.

Leaving home can be a wrench, but like everything else it can be a fresh start too, and a job in Dubai could be just what you need to reinvigorate your professional and personal life.

If you have the required set of skills, getting a job in Dubai could be one of the best moves you ever made. Not only is the income tax free, but the quality of life in Dubai greatly exceeds that in lots of other countries, and the weather is of course fantastic. Thousands of foreign workers make the move there every year, from English teachers and media experts to computer programmers and bankers.

Dubai banking jobs are mainly to be found in Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), one of a number of so-called Free Trade Zones. There’s Healthcare City, for example, specialising in the health industry, and if you’re an IT specialist who lands a job in Dubai you’ll almost certainly have your base somewhere in Internet City. This industry division can make it easier to look for Dubai banking jobs and other jobs, as the Zones have their own websites for searches.

You may also drop in on one of the numerous regular expos held throughout the year in various countries by Dubai recruiters looking to fill positions. You can submit your CV, have a chat about prospects and maybe even land a job on the spot.

Inform the authorities before you set off that you’re not resident at home anymore for tax purposes, otherwise your Dubai income won’t work out as tax free as you’d anticipated. You’ll also need a temporary residency permit to live and work in Dubai, and this can be sorted out once your employer has sponsored you with the Dubai government.

Since the 1960’s, the Middle East has been a hotbed of activity for the oil and petroleum industry.  With great reserves of crude oil and natural gas, there are excellent work opportunities in the resource rich nations of the Middle East.  Beyond normal field work, requiring technicians, overseers, and other roles close to the action, with the modernization of drilling techniques and international business, there are a wide variety of opportunities in a number of educational fields.  With the market for petroleum being a global one, guided by exports and trade routes, there is an increased demand for the support staff necessary for efficient supply chain management.

What’s most notable about the modern petroleum operation is the level of communications and support necessary.  Modern oil jobs in the Middle East are significantly different from the work performed three decades ago.  Information systems, telecommunications, and business management roles are necessary for a successful operation in the Middle East.  With an unemployment rate of less than one per cent, petroleum companies in the Middle East are often struggling to fill these niche positions with the right people, and are more than willing to resort to hiring non-citizens to fill these positions.

All in all, petroleum based operations are evolving, all while augmenting their workforce along the way.  There are ample positions in more modern fields, as well as traditional technician level work in the field; they simply need to be filled by the right individuals with the necessary skill sets.

Trying to find jobs in United Arab Emirates can be difficult if you are starting from scratch.  There are lots of online resources you can use to help you, but there can be almost too many in some cases.

Luckily you can start your job search for free.  There are many websites which have job boards or listings comprising lots of different jobs in United Arab Emirates.  You will usually still have to register for each site but you will not be charged for doing so.  Once you have done this you can have a log in that enables you to get quick and easy access to each site you join.

You may find it worthwhile to sign up to job sites using a dedicated email address.  If jobs in United Arab Emirates are emailed to you, it is useful to have them all coming into the same place.

You can also refine your search to make it easier to find a specific type of job.  For example if you are looking for jobs in IT make sure your search caters for this.  Whatever sector you want to work in, ensure you look on as many free sites as possible.  This will give you the best chance of finding the largest number of jobs in UAE in the shortest amount of time.

Once you have found these free job sites you will be able to check them daily for new leads.

If you want to get a job in Dubai you may think the best way to do it is to fly out to Dubai and see what you can apply for and get one while you are there.  But in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

You may be lucky and snag a job in Dubai by trying this method.  But it should be said that you are far more likely to succeed in finding jobs in Dubai if you stay at home and log onto the internet using your computer.  This might sound like a very remote way of finding the work you want, but the truth is that most people who find the job they are looking for, do it through this method.

There is still a lot to be said for research though.  Find out as much as you can about working in Dubai and what kinds of jobs in Dubai are available before applying for anything.  There are countless different websites that will help you in this respect, and there are many employment agencies who might just offer the job in Dubai you are looking for.  They all have websites so access them all and see what turns up.

The point is that you shouldn’t just fly out and hope for the best.  The chances are the answers – and indeed the job – you want can be more easily found if you access the internet instead of visiting Dubai directly.

Abu Dhabi IT jobs can be found quite easily when you go online, but you will notice that most if not all of these positions do require you to have experience of some sort.

The length of experience required will depend on the company that is offering the job and what the exact position is.  For example in a recent list of Abu Dhabi IT jobs, support engineers were required to have between three and eight years of experience in that role.  IT engineers required rather less, coming in at between one and four years required for one company in particular.  In a third example, applicants for the role of a SAN administrator would only be considered if they had between five and ten years experience.

As you can see, most Abu Dhabi IT jobs do require plenty of experience.  However with that said you should always look further into every opportunity you find.  Sometimes these parameters could be issued as a guideline; if you are six months short of having the five required years and you are an outstanding candidate, you might get lucky.

Be sure that when you are looking for Abu Dhabi IT jobs, that you only look at those where you are clear on the length of employment that is being offered.  If you have any questions at all, make sure you ask them before applying.  While you can turn down an offer if need be, it is always better to know exactly where you stand before you start applying for Abu Dhabi IT jobs.