Legal Career in Dubai

Hey,


I would really appreciate if anyone could help me to make a right decision. To give a bit of a background, I finished my LLB (Hons.) from a very good UK university and moved to Dubai in December to work with a mid-tier law firm, mainly specializing in Commercial/corporate. My pay is ridiculously low, 6000 AED (I was initially offered 5000, but I negotiated and they raised it to 6000), and it is barely enough to live comfortably. I am originally from India (holding Indian Passport), but finished two degrees in the UK (Accountancy and Law). Before I planned to move to Dubai, I had applied for several training contract positions in silver circle and city firms. Unfortunately, because of the economic climate and inability to crack interviews and assessment centers led me to branch out, and explore opportunities abroad-Dubai.


After working for almost three months, I have reached a stage where I have realised that this is the worst decision I ever made and frankly I am regretting it. It is not just because of the ridiculous pay, but because of the working culture and quality of work. I also learnt that most of the western expats from legal field earn substantially well compared to others. In fact, I came across a couple of fresh UK graduates who are earning four times (if not more) as much as I am. Is it because of my Indian passport?


In the midst of cultural shock, I was offered a three-months Internship in the Intellectual Department with a very reputed law firm in Bangkok, Thailand. The Internship is due to start in April. And at this juncture, I am thinking of quitting this job and go to Bangkok for this internship. The only issue is the internship lasts for three months and it doesn't guarantee me a full-time job.

What do you guys think? Should I take this up?


Also, should I start looking for Legal Assistant/paralegal kind of jobs in International law firm--for the hope of a better pay and working culture? Or; it would be best for me to move out of Dubai, and apply for jobs in India or UK--for the better working culture/quality and possibly pay?

I am sorry for such a long message. I would appreciate your honest opinion.

Thanks