Just Arrived In Dubai from Cali

[shawn1125]

Hi All,

I have just arrived in Dubai, 2 days ago from cali. I wanted to ask what is the best way of going about looking for work here, specifically in software development. I have talked to a few recruitment firms, but these guys don't seem very interested in doing anything that requires any actual work or effort.

Also, do any of the expats get together on a regular basis to meet one another and network, say maybe for drinks ? if that is legal ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[qwert97]

Originally Posted by shawn1125

Hi All,

I have just arrived in Dubai, 2 days ago from cali. I wanted to ask what is the best way of going about looking for work here, specifically in software development. I have talked to a few recruitment firms, but these guys don't seem very interested in doing anything that requires any actual work or effort.

Also, do any of the expats get together on a regular basis to meet one another and network, say maybe for drinks ? if that is legal ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I suggest that you focus your efforts on "Internet City" since that is the place all the Technology Companies are located. You can start off by goggling Internet city and then focus your efforts on the list of Companies. For all the big Corporations the development has been moved to either India or is done in the US. So my suggestion is that you should focus on smaller start ups or middle sized Companies that are developing products for the local markets. You can also try your luck with one of resellers that do consulting/ system implementation since they are generally in need of developers that can customize the product to meet client specifications.

There is normally a monthly bash of all the members. Look at the announcements on the boards.

I assume that you are here to get a feel of the market. You will find this market a lot different from what you are used to Cali ( mountain view and the bay area) which are hubs of Software development.

[Maz25]

Originally Posted by shawn1125

Also, do any of the expats get together on a regular basis to meet one another and network, say maybe for drinks ?

You need to keep a lookout for our 'Nights Out' thread! We were all out last night and we actually met loads of new people - our little group is getting bigger!! We will be out again next week, so keep a look out for the threads. It's usually crazymazy or myself that posts the details and anyone can come along!

[DesertStranded]

Originally Posted by shawn1125

Hi All,

I have just arrived in Dubai, 2 days ago from cali. I wanted to ask what is the best way of going about looking for work here, specifically in software development. I have talked to a few recruitment firms, but these guys don't seem very interested in doing anything that requires any actual work or effort.

Also, do any of the expats get together on a regular basis to meet one another and network, say maybe for drinks ? if that is legal ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Dubai. I was working as a Recruiter for a while so I can give you a little advice.

Unfortunately you just arrived in one of the worst IT markets. IT salaries here are a fraction of what you would make in the states. The already small IT market here is flooded with low-wage Indian IT professionals. My Husband is a PHP programmer and makes what an entry-level secretary would make in the states.
If you think you can do it you will want to focus on sales so you will get a better salary plus commission. Or look strictly for IT Management positions which would pay about twice what a Developer would make. I'd need to know more about your educational background and sadly your ethnic background to give you more info on what kind of salary you can expect. This is Dubai, what you make depends more heavily on your nationality/ethnicity than anything else.

But pick up a copy of Gulf News. The Sun.-Thurs. editions have a section called 'Appointments' which have all the professional vacancies within major companies. As far as the Recruitment Agencies: they call you only when a client has a vacancy and your profile meets the clients criteria and the client wants to interview you. It wouldn't hurt to register with the western Recruitment agencies though.

[shawn1125]

Desert,

I appreciate your advice and thanks for the heads up. I was afraid that the IT market here would be saturated with Indian workers. Although, I must say from my experience with having outsourced work from the US to India, they do have their shortcomings in terms of delivery, but I guess for the price that people pay here, they cannot complain.

I mean I saw a job posting that was paying 500-1000 USD/month, which was shocking.

Anyhow, if you have any contacts still in recruiting here, or if you are active yourself, please PM me, so I can get some more info from you.

[DesertStranded]

As an American citizen there will be some companies that will want to hire you for the prestige of having a westerner and of course the salary they offer you would be higher than what they would offer an Indian or Filipino. And as an American you will have the possibility of getting an IT Management position that would pay around AED 20k which is enough for a single person to live on if you find a studio apartment for AED 4-5k or you could rent a room in a villa sharing with a bunch of westerners. A car rental is about AED 2000 per month. If you think you will stay here a couple of years you could buy a cheap car and pay AED 500pr/mnth. I would really encourage you to look more into the IT management as opposed to the Developer positions. Just get on Gulfnews and put a work wanted ad in emphasizing your nationality first and then your skills. Respond to any Appointments ads that you think you are qualified for even if it isn't IT related. You could always get a non-IT related position and then do Developing freelance work for extra money on the side. Send your CV off to all the recruitment agencies that charge the client rather than the applicant. You could also just drive to Internet city and go office to office dropping your CV off although that isn't so normal here. Most people just register with agencies, and respond to Appointments/Classified ads or go places where westerners hang out to network.

[badmelvin]

what are the wages one can expect for graphic design/webdesign???

[shawn1125]

Desert,

That sounds like a good idea, I will do that. I must say I am getting a little nervous tho, with all the cheap techies here, it seems like anyone in IT is almost screwed. I mean how many management positions can there possibly be.

But anyhow, I wanted to take your suggestion of going to places where westerners hang out to network. Can you suggest any such places or events and when to go ?

[karendee]

Madinat Jumeirah, Irish/Century Village, Hard Rock Cafe and many more places around town are great to hang out, depending on where you are located.

[alli]

Am i the only one who started singing 2pac ''california love'' when opening this thread?