Dating Life in Dubai for American Females

[salsamiami]

Hello! I, like others, am looking into the idea of Dubai so I have several questions.

1) What is dating like there? Are foreign men (Canadians, Americans, Europeans, etc into dating American women or are guys primarily into dating women with an 'exotic' look? I lived in Japan before and had a fantastic experience however my dating life suffered as an American female.

2) Can couples hold hands in public or is that forbidden?

3) If I were to make $52K/year including housing, would I be able to save some money (hoping to save at least half )and take a vacation to Europe? Is this reasonable?

4) Any suggestions as to schools to work for? I teach ESL and have experience teaching children to adults.
Thanks for your input.

Cheers,
M

[cairogal]

1) What is dating like there? Are foreign men (Canadians, Americans, Europeans, etc into dating American women or are guys primarily into dating women with an 'exotic' look? I lived in Japan before and had a fantastic experience however my dating life suffered as an American female.

While women are very much outnumbered by men in the UAE the number of "date-able" men is pretty limited. I would caution most women from coming here w/ the idea that they're going to meet the man of their dreams. THere are a good few English-speakers here. My experience was that these available men often fell into three groups: the young ones in their 20s w/ little desire for a serious relationship, the married ones w/ wives and family in tow, and the divorced ones w/ kids. There are even a good few w/ wife and kids in the home country who carry on w/ a girlfrfiend in the UAE. I won't say that the pool is great, and I've lived in the UAE as a single woman at 26 and again when I was in my early 30s. I wouldn't say that the western expat males go for the "exotic" simply because most Arab, Indian, and Pakistani women (presumably those that could be considered exotic) are off-limits in terms of dating (for the men). That really leaves Philipino, western, and Europeans women to choose from. A number of single women in the UAe do date men from Arab countries, as they tend to have more flexibility when it comes to dating than their female counterparts. I would advise you to be very careful, though. Some men in the region view western girlfriends as simply a place to sow their wild oats. This does not apply to all, but it certainly applies to many men from all over the Middle East and the subcontinent. In other words: be cautious.

2) Can couples hold hands in public or is that forbidden?

Within Dubai this is ok. I would not do this in Sharjah.

3) If I were to make $52K/year including housing, would I be able to save some money (hoping to save at least half )and take a vacation to Europe? Is this reasonable?

It's doable, but you'll find that much of your money will go towards housing. I'm guessing here, but I would say almost half. Perhaps some others can weigh in on the cost of a decent 1 bdr in Dubai these days. If you're carrying debt from home you'll find this a bit too tight. I know teachers hired on less than this, but they live paycheck to paycheck.

4) Any suggestions as to schools to work for? I teach ESL and have experience teaching children to adults.
Thanks for your input.

Do you have a teaching qualification for k-12? If not, do you have a Masters in TESOL or some related field. If it's "no" to either one of those I would recommend you consider another country. If you do have either one of thosoe qualifications I can offer some specific suggestions.

[Elphaba]

I have removed a post in this thread as I consider it to be offensive in nature. Dubai is a multi-cultural city and negative comments against any nationality will be deleted.


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[salsamiami]

Cairogal,

Thanks for the input. I have found some positions online through the government and they say that that they provide housing at no cost with a salary of $52K USD. I have a certificate in TESOL but no teaching cert for K-12 or a Masters in TESOL.

Since the economy here in the US is not doing so well right now I am looking into teaching abroad again but am looking for a viable option that will allow me to have a well rounded life and a salary that will allow me to save. Any suggestions?

Thanks again,
M

Originally Posted by cairogal

While women are very much outnumbered by men in the UAE the number of "date-able" men is pretty limited. I would caution most women from coming here w/ the idea that they're going to meet the man of their dreams. THere are a good few English-speakers here. My experience was that these available men often fell into three groups: the young ones in their 20s w/ little desire for a serious relationship, the married ones w/ wives and family in tow, and the divorced ones w/ kids. There are even a good few w/ wife and kids in the home country who carry on w/ a girlfrfiend in the UAE. I won't say that the pool is great, and I've lived in the UAE as a single woman at 26 and again when I was in my early 30s. I wouldn't say that the western expat males go for the "exotic" simply because most Arab, Indian, and Pakistani women (presumably those that could be considered exotic) are off-limits in terms of dating (for the men). That really leaves Philipino, western, and Europeans women to choose from. A number of single women in the UAe do date men from Arab countries, as they tend to have more flexibility when it comes to dating than their female counterparts. I would advise you to be very careful, though. Some men in the region view western girlfriends as simply a place to sow their wild oats. This does not apply to all, but it certainly applies to many men from all over the Middle East and the subcontinent. In other words: be cautious.



Within Dubai this is ok. I would not do this in Sharjah.



It's doable, but you'll find that much of your money will go towards housing. I'm guessing here, but I would say almost half. Perhaps some others can weigh in on the cost of a decent 1 bdr in Dubai these days. If you're carrying debt from home you'll find this a bit too tight. I know teachers hired on less than this, but they live paycheck to paycheck.



Do you have a teaching qualification for k-12? If not, do you have a Masters in TESOL or some related field. If it's "no" to either one of those I would recommend you consider another country. If you do have either one of thosoe qualifications I can offer some specific suggestions.

[cairogal]

Salsamiami,

Be very careful when it comes to internet ads. I don't want to sound cynical here, but if this is through a recruiter I'm afraid that this is a scam. Also, there has been one scammer who pretends to be hiring at the Ministry of Education. When it comes to jobs in education in the UAE you should always be dealing directly w/ the employer. 52,000 USD/year works out to almost 16,000 dirhams/month. The highest paying gigs are for MA TESOL and phd holders w/ experience are at the tertiary level (starting wage-not including positions of responsibilty or those who've been in the UAE for years and received salary increases). Some of them are coming in around this range-many are coming in around 11,000-13,000 dirhams/month. Non-qualified teachers and those w/o the MA are just not getting gigs that pay this much-if they can find a job at all.

You need to check the email address they provided. Is it a yahoo or a hotmail? What does the web site end in? .tk? Does their email look like this: INFO@UAEMINISTRYOFLABOUR.TK

Check out this discussion on Dave's ESL Cafe. This site is generally a good resource for prospective teachers. I hate to sound negative. Based on your qualifications I'm afraid the Gulf isn't a good match for you.

[kariem1510]

Cairo gal, I think you are being too pessmistic, there is still the occasion of some good apples in the pool,, here I am .. 27 and I 'm under the impression thast I could somehow meet someone here and settle down with her...

[cairogal]

Kariem,
I'm not saying it doesn't happen at all-I certainly have a friend or two who've ended up marrying men/women they dated in the UAE. Generally speaking, though, the pool is limited. I hope you get lucky! WHen you meet the woman of your dreams, do come back on the board and say, "I told you so!"

[kariem1510]

Cairogal:
Thanks for wishing me luck
well i'm kind of fedup with not finding her, cause I have been her for 7 month and I still haven't met her, don't have a clue where I would meet her though,
Like you said, I go to work from 8 to 6 and come back by 7 in the evening,
the only chance of doing some social activities would be on the weekend.
I'm an outgoing guy and i'm struggling to find thingd to do everynight.
I have thought about continuing my french courses here and I will starting from next month...
I do really hope to meet her so she would fill my life with bliss and tenderness
i will most certainly come back to post the good news about finding her if i did.
hope I will.

[cairogal]

I'd hate to be a downer, Kareem, but the topic was "Dating Life in Dubai for American Females". In theory, women would have a much better pool of applicants to chose from than men, and yet, as an American female who lived in Dubai as a single woman, I can tell you that I felt the pickings were slim. I just don't think that the UAE is conducive to match-making, but I hope you'll prove me wrong.

[kariem1510]

Thanks for the tip Cairogal , guess i'm more of the adamant type, and I won't give up.