Marta

When Marta came to Dubai just over a year ago she was no stranger to expat life.  Born in Hungary, she spent much of her childhood living in America and then Greece.  Even so, when she and her husband first arrived in Dubai they found it “quite a culture shock” she says. 
 
Her husband had been transferred by his company, but Marta says that for her “Finding a job was more difficult than I thought it would be.”  Despite her Master’s degree 90% of her applications didn’t even receive a response.  “I think companies and agencies get bombed with so many applications that even if you do qualify they may miss it,” she says.  Visiting companies in person was not the solution, as invariably no one was available to meet with her.
 
Alone in her Bur Dubai apartment, Marta found it a struggle for the first few months.  Initially she didn’t even have a phone, internet or TV as it was a brand new building, not yet connected.  Her days were spent visiting Internet cafes and wandering the malls.  “There didn’t seem to be a place to meet people” she remembers.
 
Finally a Google search led her to the ExpatWoman website and she attended some of the events.  She found a common bond with the women she met and was even able to pick up some job contacts.   “We were all in the same boat, away from our homes and countries,” she says.
 
Looking back, networking was definitely the best job hunting strategy as finally, seven months after arriving, she secured a job with an international bank and so far it has worked out well.  She and her husband have made friends through her workplace and their social life is starting to blossom.  “At weekends we usually go to the beach and in the winter we go camping” she says.
 
The first year in Dubai wasn’t easy for Marta, but now she feels happily settled.  She has just received her first promotion at work and is looking forward to a steady stream of visitors from home over the coming months.