A Canadian moving to Abu Dhabi: Nervous and in need of some help!

Hi,

You should not be worried, all will go fine.
There is no such thing as secure jobs, specially today. I have lost my job many times in the past and  I am currently jobless.
UAE is a unique experience and honestly the best in the gulf region in terms of freedom. 
The experience of working abroad will be a good thing for you both,  who knows you might like it so much, that in some years you might end up in another country.
Another good thing is to be able to mingle with new cultures , and here, there are plenty.
If you are having free accomodation, and all those benefits mentioned; it gonna be great for your pocket, accomodation can be very expensive and specially in Abu-Dhabi.  I know many couples living in Dubai (due to cheaper rent rates) and working in Abu-Dhabi.  It is not that far traveling from one city to another the petrol is quite cheap (cheaper than mineral water), but it can be a burden on a daily basis.
Another good thing, is the easy travelling you can do; Dubai airport is a hub, and there are thousand of options to fly across the world from here. There are low costs and there are the main national companies  such as Emirates and Ethiad airways.  Emirates airlines ( has arround 150 worldwide destinations) and you will be suprised that many fly as far as Buenos Aires, Melbourne, NY, Cape Town or Tokyo and all direct flights.  You can fly low costs (return tickets) to India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Jordan and many more as much as 120 Euro. You can even just go for the weekend.
Beeing able to travel here is essential for you mental sanity, life here can be difficult as well.
The summer is very harsh, to much heat and humidity.
Many hibernate during the summer period (stay home or go on vacation). So going down to the beach or do outdoor activities can be frustration.
Lack of wild green, forest and clean fresh air can affect you, though there is plenty of gardens and greenery arround the city, it always looks very artificial.  To trimmed and planned.
People as well can be very artificial, manly because everyone is in transit... only few settle for long. Many marriages and relationships are broken; Dubai has one of highest rates of divorces between expat community.
The lack of cultural options can be frustation though many think that is not really important since their culture is to go down to the mall.  The cities are not built for human scale, so is natural you drive everywhere and that will definitely help you become less active.  Abu-Dhabi still has an exellent corniche where you can have a jogg or do a  nice walk.
Try to get active with sports or any kind of activity, it is common to put on weight when you arrive.
Going out for a drink is common and there are plenty of options, brunches are very common and there are singles and couples that have a degree on going out, in fact their weekends are spent drinking and recovering from previous nights.
If you are looking for nights out, you should head Dubai, there is more and better offer.
There are some strick laws on alcohol, drugs and crime, but in the end, all works up well, there is hardly any crime here.
Drop me an email if you need aditional info

One last thing... with your experience and in your field it should not be that hard to get a job, if you want i can send  you  a list of recruiting agencies from here.

rafael pedro wrote:

One last thing... with your experience and in your field it should not be that hard to get a job, if you want i can send  you  a list of recruiting agencies from here.

That would be really helpful! My wife has just accepted her position at Sheikh Zayed Private Academy, which will provide us with a 2 bedroom apartment, amoung other great benefits.. Now it's my turn to find a job!

I have contacted Kawader, although that has been my only step so far. If you could provide me with some reputable employment agencies, I would greatly appreciate it.

My email is [email protected]

Again, thank you very much for your help!! It really means a lot!

Hola Pedro,

Are you in Dubai. I am coming to dubai in March. Can you send me the link as well.. Thanks a ton. Let me know if we can catch up when I am in Dubai.

Muchas Gracias,

Pinto

Send me your email and I will send it to you.
Thx

CLW,  Could you please tell me a bit more about the accommodation provided?  How is the place? standard of furnishing?  location to school (SZPA)?  Any amenities ?

thanks.
Maddie.

CLW wrote:

Hi All,

I've been doing a TON of research for the past year or so, as moving to the UAE is a fairly foreign concept to Canadian's, although it's been tough to fnd information that's been helpful.

My partner has a job offer in Abu Dhabi teaching high school history. The school is supplying us with a 2 bedroom furnished apartment/flat close to the Corniche, full benefits for both of us, and a round trip flight for her.

My concern is although I have experience, and the education behind me (Univeristy of Toronto Marketing grad), I would not be able to secure a position until I'm physically in the UAE. It's tough to leave a good paying, secure job, for an unknown.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and you only live once, so I figure why the hell not go? I know I must sound like a mad man, but the fact of the matter is; no matter how much I talk to my friends and family, they haven't experienced the move first hand, and have no clue as to what's in store for me upon my arrival in Abu Dhabi. This something we`ve been excited about doing for the longest time, but now that we need to make a decision, as my wife has 48 hours to accept her offer of employment, I`m really, REALLY nervous about it all.

Has anyone (Canadian or not) done something similar to this? And how hard was is for you to secure employment once you arrived (as an FYI, I work in the Marketing, Strategy, and Operations field)?  I've done my research, I know what's out there, I just don't know what I'm up against, or if Westerners are still favoured when applying for positions.

I'd appreciate hearing your experiences

Thanks!

discreet;  thanks for the detailed response . however, it doesn't answer my question about the standard of accommodation provided by my employer -  I do not have an allowance, but instead am being provided with a furnished 2br.

Thanks anyway.
maddie