The United Arab Emirates is one of the few countries where there is career growth, and it is quite difficult for a foreign citizen to immediately get a high position.
Therefore, in this article, we will try to figure out the easiest way – to legally and quickly come to the country with minimal losses.
In our case, the most suitable option is the hotel business. It is no secret that the best hotels are located in the UAE, which is, in fact, the hallmark of this country.
Why UAE?
Let’s see why the best hotels are located in the United Arab Emirates? The country is very young, actually founded in 1971, and having almost unlimited hydrocarbons in its resource, the Arab Emirates in the shortest possible time entered the TOP countries with the most prosperous economies. Today the population of the United Arab Emirates is about 10 million people, with only 11-12% of the local population, the rest are visiting migrant workers. And at the same time, up to 20 million tourists visit this country every year!
Therefore, it is not surprising that more than a thousand hotels are located in the emirate of Dubai alone, but construction continues, bulk islands are being built, more and more new hotels are opening.
Over the past 20 years, the share of revenues from hydrocarbons has been significantly decreasing, this is due to the government’s policy to diversify the economy, that is, tourism, trade, and investment are coming to the fore. As the people say: there is demand – there is supply!
In our particular case, we have a huge number of hotels. At first glance, everything is easy and simple, but, as practice shows, if you do not resort to the services of recruiting agencies, many pitfalls cannot always be overcome. Let’s start from the very beginning…
UAE Hospitality sphere salary
The first thing you need to know is that basic salaries in the United Arab Emirates (hotel sector) are small, but rather even small, and this is because the employer fully supports his employee. Flight, accommodation, meals, work visa, medical insurance, uniforms – all these costs are fully supported by the employer. You get a clean, tax-free salary, plus the salary is “monthly service charge”, “monthly bonuses”, “annual bonuses”, “tips” and various hotel bonuses, if you deserve them, of course. Therefore, you should not create for yourself the illusion that you can find yourself a job in a hotel with a prescribed salary in the contract of 2000-3000 USD, this will not happen. On average, in the contract, the base salary will vary from 400 to 800 USD, depending on the vacancy, I described the rest of the additions to the salary above.
So, you understand what salaries await you when you are employed in one of the UAE hotels, and that suits you perfectly. So, let’s move on …
There are three standard job search options:
Newsletter resume
This is a completely free method where you send your resume to all hotels and local recruiting agencies. I would like to immediately clarify and delete this option from the list, as it is incompetent. The fact is that all hotels have their agents abroad (recruiting agencies) and recruit staff exclusively through them. Very rarely, seldom, they can afford to take a candidate from the “street”, but this is if you are very lucky. Usually, all interested resumes received by the personnel department of a hotel are sent to a shortlist folder and, perhaps, your resume will be viewed someday, the rest of the resumes, and this is the majority, are simply deleted. If you have a lot of free time, you can certainly try your luck, although the result is obvious.
Recruiting agency
Another way to get a job in the UAE. Find a reliable recruiting agency on the Internet, or in your city, which does not change the meaning, where you will be consulted and a good resume will be written competently. You, in turn, explain to the agency manager your minimum requirements and wishes. A self-respecting agency will not ask you for financial investments before employment, usually, all this is done after signing a contract, and on average it costs about 500 USD. There is also a big plus in this – you are looking for suitable vacancies, and you continue to live your normal life. Well, and most importantly, it is a guarantee of your safety and reliability of employment.
Personal presence in the country
The third option is a personal presence in the country where the employer can see you firsthand, which greatly increases your chances. In this case, it makes sense to send a resume indicating local coordinates, at some point, you will be called for an interview. But wait, how much money will have to be spent on this whole event? By my calculations, you will have to spend your 6 months salary on this search. Is the game worth the candle? Those candidates who go to the UAE to look for work have a decent money supply, and they do not try to find a place in a hotel, but immediately look for a job with a salary of at least 3,000 USD, which, in principle, is possible, although many return with nothing.