What is unique about being an expat in the UAE?

Michael Smith has worked in recruitment for over 10 years, specialising in the Engineering sector. He is experienced in onsite recruitment, working across multiple areas and therefore understands the unique variations in culture between countries. 

This experience is invaluable to his role at BPS World, as he is often recruiting across many countries. In this blog he shares his first-hand insight of working in the Middle East.  

Why did you decide to work in the Middle East?

The Middle East wasn’t a place that was on the top of my list of destinations. I did, however, always have the interest in venturing overseas to work and experience a different lifestyle. The opportunity came about through an ex-colleague and friend that knew someone looking for an experienced recruiter to be based in the Middle East. The opportunity to join a top 100 architecture and engineering firm and to be the lead recruiter on a multi-billion dollar mixed use development project was something I couldn’t turn down.

Did you find that the majority of people you worked with were expats or native to the region?

The Middle East is heavily populated with expats, the majority working in engineering and construction firms. For example 92% of the population in the UAE is made up of expats. The main reason for the high percentage is due to lack of skills available locally. (ref:www.expatarrivals.com/dubai/moving-to-dubai)

Were there any communication issues?

In the workplace I rarely experienced any communication issues. In fact most native nationals and non-expat professionals have attended universities in either the UK, Europe or America to study engineering, construction or architecture.

Outside of the workplace you will face communication issues. In particular, I found trying to direct or explain a location to a local taxi driver to be my greatest communication challenge in the whole time I worked and lived in the region. 

Is there a skill shortage everywhere?

The Middle East has been attracting talent from the UK specifically for many years. With the continued construction of large landmarks and investment in key infrastructure projects across the whole region, this has caused a constant need for qualified engineering and construction professionals from the UK in particular. The tax free salaries and significant expat packages, which include housing, school fees, car allowances etc. make it very attractive for professionals to relocate to the region. Plus the opportunity to work on some of the biggest projects in the world is an added benefit. There is also a great demand from professionals wanting to relocate overseas.

This doesn’t help the situation we already face across the UK where the huge skill gap continues to increase due to the low number of apprentices/graduates entering the market, the earlier retirement age and lack of investment in developing new talent.

How did you find the cultural shift while you were there?

The culture is something that is a major difference compared to living in the UK. The Middle East is a developing region and one which has very traditional and religious views and beliefs. This effects everyone in their day to day living, for example there are not many opportunities for expat women to work in Saudi Arabia no matter how qualified they are. As a female in Saudi Arabia you are not able to drive. That means anytime a female wants to leave home they need a driver, taxi or their husband to drive them.

Most are happy with their decision to move to the Middle East, but occasionally I noticed that people discovered their life abroad isn’t what they hoped it would be. This is why it is important to research the culture and environment before making the huge life decision of becoming an expat.

How did you adapt to a different working environment?  

Before leaving the UK I was working for a BIG 4 accountancy firm where the work environment was incredibly corporate and professional.  It was visible from the beginning that the work culture in the Middle East is a lot different to the UK. One of the major differences I experienced was the lack of urgency and relaxed way of working. It’s like comparing the English premiership to the Spanish La Liga – two very different paces!

The decision making process in the Middle East can be very frustrating as it has a knock on impact across different departments and projects. This was certainly one of the things that I struggled to deal with initially as I’ve always been used to a streamlined and fluid decision making process.

Another difference was working in an office where my co-workers were originally from all over the world. For example in the recruitment team I worked in, I had colleagues that were from Australia, UK, Philippines, Iran and India.

Would you return to the Middle East to work in the future?

Definitely, it was a good experience and I made many new friends and colleagues while there, but ultimately the timing was right to return to the UK – the Middle Eastern market is in a state of decline at the moment but this will not be permanent and I would happily return in the future.

Do you have any experience of working in a foreign market?  For more information please contact Michael Smith on 01925 747398 or michael.smith@bps-world.com