Is everyone leaving??

We've been here 6 years (this summer) and no plans to go home any time soon. My kids are young -5-3 and 1 on the way and moving here and raising them here was the best decision we could have made as a family. We've bought 2 properties here, my husband runs his own business and we've had so much exposure to different cultures and people and lifestyle that we wouldn't have had -had we stayed back home. True- it is expensive, but we really really watch ourselves. I think once our kids hit secondary school stage- we might also think of going back home, but for the moment, Dubai and Dubai life suits us.

Interesting reading! I've actually lived in Dubai since 1997 and have recently left due to the cost of living. I totally LOVE the UAE and my time in Middle East has been the most amazing time ever…i Its true what I've heard from many who have left…"there is life after Dubai" and I'm only starting to realise it now. So true about there being life after Dubai. We left Dubai a few years ago and I was extremely sad at the time, thinking that I will never get over my expat life! Must admit that it took some adjusting at first but hey life has moved on for the better and we get our dose of Dubai every few years holidaying there :)

Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department Both Gargash and Emirates are local companies. There are thousands of small to larger non local private companies. I'm sure the government will try initiatives to push Emiratis to work for the non-local companies but there simply won't be enough Emiratis to pose a serious threat to expats in senior roles. Perhaps you should go on LinkedIn and use Etihad Airways as a case study to understand where emaritization is going. Their careers section screams nationals only. Have you considered the oil prices drop and how it has reduced job roles? How abundant are the executive roles to start with? On what are you basing your stats on? Because my friends in recruiting have complained this is the worst year so far. Personally i think they still need expats in some key roles for the next ten years, before they start to hand it over to nationals. I don't think you understand what I was saying either. Pointing to Etihad or Emirates or a major *local* company as an example of Emiratization only ignores that these companies are already locally owned, semi-government and prominent within the Emirati community as workplaces. Same with banks. I have no doubt that the long run will see more Emiratis working in those companies (and if those companies continue to grow, other expats too). But there are thousands of non-local companies in the UAE. The free zones are filled with them, for example. Then we have major multinationals with regional offices. These companies are not likely to discriminate against Emiratis, but they're not going to hire less qualified Emiratis over more qualified Emiratis unless in certain business development roles or token positions. Many roles absolutely need qualifications and it's still quite some time until there's sufficient (if ever) Emiratis with those qualifications to be taking away jobs from expats in significant numbers. You also mentioned a few Emiratization schemes but from the perspective of many companies it only invites government intrusion into their affairs and potential hassles, as well as the peculiar situation of having an (overpaid) employee's salary partly paid from outside the company. Companies that rely on substantial government contracts will make efforts to recruit Emiratis, but many companies here don't rely on government or even UAE based work (the free zones once again). A qualified Emirati is certainly worth his/her weight in gold (or platinum) and a bright, ambitious Emirati has so many more opportunities available to him/her if he/she goes after it in this country compared to most people elsewhere. But at the end of the day it remains Emiratis make up maybe 10% of the UAE population (or a bit higher depending on whose statistics you believe) and it's a country that's rapidly growing and attracting investment from overseas and a job market that continues to grow every year. It's a peculiar, odd country from this perspective and in the foreseeable future there is no real danger to the highly paid expatriate population on the whole.

With a population in Dubai of around 3 million and only around 400,000 Emirati's how can Emiratisation be a threat to expat jobs? ...... or am I missing something? Yes high salaried jobs are not freely available as they used to be and the lucrative packages of yesteryear are slowly vanishing but I get the feeling that expats are moving here for a long term lifestyle choice rather than a get rich quick job.

Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department Both Gargash and Emirates are local companies. There are thousands of small to larger non local private companies. I'm sure the government will try initiatives to push Emiratis to work for the non-local companies but there simply won't be enough Emiratis to pose a serious threat to expats in senior roles. Perhaps you should go on LinkedIn and use Etihad Airways as a case study to understand where emaritization is going. Their careers section screams nationals only. Have you considered the oil prices drop and how it has reduced job roles? How abundant are the executive roles to start with? On what are you basing your stats on? Because my friends in recruiting have complained this is the worst year so far. Personally i think they still need expats in some key roles for the next ten years, before they start to hand it over to nationals.

Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department Both Gargash and Emirates are local companies. There are thousands of small to larger non local private companies. I'm sure the government will try initiatives to push Emiratis to work for the non-local companies but there simply won't be enough Emiratis to pose a serious threat to expats in senior roles.

I don't think the Emiritaizason is a threat to the general overseas workforce. Their population is too small to take up that many vacancies. I do see more Emirates even in customer service role which must be a good move for the country, to be out there and seen.

Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department

Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles.

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave Let me add to this based on the little recruiting trends i know of. I don't know how to say this without offending anyone. For the western expats from UK and Europe. Honestly the Eastern Europeans have taken over from you. They are very affordable to hire, very nice and friendly people. Have degrees from UK, AU and US. With their EU passports they can travel for work anytime. So why pay more for someone who will deliver same job performance? More than half of UAE nationals age population is between 30 to 40 years old. The working class.They need jobs. Hence emaritization. Now you find nationals at receptions, schools, every sector. It's time to realize they want to work for themselves now. In ten years i don't think they will really expat talent. I lost a position i interviewed for late last year at the last stage, the management decided it should be allocated to nationals. The UAE market just woke up to diversity. I had a government company in AD insist a managerial technical position be filled by a Nigerian. His reason been that they are very outspoken and can handle pressure. So some of the new talents may not necessarily come cheap. Plus, most businesses are targeting African economies now. Maersk, UPS for example. The medical tourism Abu Dhabi just launched targeting Africa and Asia. The days of a high school certificate and a British accent holding a managerial position are over. ( no offence intended please).The competition is fierce. You need to see resumes to know what you are up against. The Indians will continue to get jobs, they are a cabal. And they really look out for themselves. But you know what? It will still be an attractive market to all of us. :) I am still working heavily on recruiting UK/US nationals for positions and rarely have my clients asked for Eastern European candidates. The preference is still for Indian/Filipinos/UK/US/SA Most of my clients are from the UK/US or India so I do disagree slightly. I am also seeing more UK nationals from the UK applying for roles in Dubai. Sarahlou Are the pay and perks same as six years ago? It's common knowledge most of UK talents like the Middle East markets. So the influx of resume is steady.Plus you have stated "most of my clients" prefer. You have to deliver what your clients wants, yeah? But what roles are they filling compared to ten years ago? What is the retention rate of the market in general? Now you see people leaving after about three years of assignment, reasons for departure mostly used is repatriate to home country, work life balance. Remove the tax, it's almost same as home country salary, given the expensive life you have to live here. This is why you see multinationals looking for talent all around the world. Moving offices to locations where talent can be acquired and retained using the most cost effective means possible. You know finding the right talent and retaining them is a major challenge these days. This is a link to the updated website of NaukriGulf. Have a look at how they have categorized nationalities. They tactfully used the word "anglophones" meaning an English speaking person http://www.naukrigulf.com/hr-jobs-in-dubai?fa=12. I would have loved to also send a PDF copy of where talents are emerging from as researched by Deloitte. But i can't attach it here. From what have gathered and seen, there is starting to be a change in the talent acquisitions into UAE markets, hiring managers are more open to diversity,( am talking more from my multinational experience). It makes sense to fill up mid career to entry level positions using local talent and keeping "expat" packages for very key positions only. Which since this year is filled mostly by nationals. Am i making sense? LOOL Like i said earlier, it still remains an attractive market.

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave Let me add to this based on the little recruiting trends i know of. I don't know how to say this without offending anyone. For the western expats from UK and Europe. Honestly the Eastern Europeans have taken over from you. They are very affordable to hire, very nice and friendly people. Have degrees from UK, AU and US. With their EU passports they can travel for work anytime. So why pay more for someone who will deliver same job performance? More than half of UAE nationals age population is between 30 to 40 years old. The working class.They need jobs. Hence emaritization. Now you find nationals at receptions, schools, every sector. It's time to realize they want to work for themselves now. In ten years i don't think they will really expat talent. I lost a position i interviewed for late last year at the last stage, the management decided it should be allocated to nationals. The UAE market just woke up to diversity. I had a government company in AD insist a managerial technical position be filled by a Nigerian. His reason been that they are very outspoken and can handle pressure. So some of the new talents may not necessarily come cheap. Plus, most businesses are targeting African economies now. Maersk, UPS for example. The medical tourism Abu Dhabi just launched targeting Africa and Asia. The days of a high school certificate and a British accent holding a managerial position are over. ( no offence intended please).The competition is fierce. You need to see resumes to know what you are up against. The Indians will continue to get jobs, they are a cabal. And they really look out for themselves. But you know what? It will still be an attractive market to all of us. :) I am still working heavily on recruiting UK/US nationals for positions and rarely have my clients asked for Eastern European candidates. The preference is still for Indian/Filipinos/UK/US/SA Most of my clients are from the UK/US or India so I do disagree slightly. I am also seeing more UK nationals from the UK applying for roles in Dubai. yes indeed some places do still prefer applicants from UK/US i recently had to do interviews the company is in need for a project manger ( IT ) they were open to all nationalities , no specific preferences. we had a perfect match for the job from UK we had to fly him all the way to Dubai to do his final interview he has more than 10 years experience in managerial role . at the last stage of the interview he lost the position to a UAE national with 5 years experience as we need to maximize the UAE ratio in the company. looking at the internal vacancies listings in our company over the portal most senior and managerial positions are now UAE nationals only Things will change in the long run as lots of UAE nationals are in workforce age , highly educated and ready to look after their own country

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave Let me add to this based on the little recruiting trends i know of. I don't know how to say this without offending anyone. For the western expats from UK and Europe. Honestly the Eastern Europeans have taken over from you. They are very affordable to hire, very nice and friendly people. Have degrees from UK, AU and US. With their EU passports they can travel for work anytime. So why pay more for someone who will deliver same job performance? More than half of UAE nationals age population is between 30 to 40 years old. The working class.They need jobs. Hence emaritization. Now you find nationals at receptions, schools, every sector. It's time to realize they want to work for themselves now. In ten years i don't think they will really expat talent. I lost a position i interviewed for late last year at the last stage, the management decided it should be allocated to nationals. The UAE market just woke up to diversity. I had a government company in AD insist a managerial technical position be filled by a Nigerian. His reason been that they are very outspoken and can handle pressure. So some of the new talents may not necessarily come cheap. Plus, most businesses are targeting African economies now. Maersk, UPS for example. The medical tourism Abu Dhabi just launched targeting Africa and Asia. The days of a high school certificate and a British accent holding a managerial position are over. ( no offence intended please).The competition is fierce. You need to see resumes to know what you are up against. The Indians will continue to get jobs, they are a cabal. And they really look out for themselves. But you know what? It will still be an attractive market to all of us. :) I am still working heavily on recruiting UK/US nationals for positions and rarely have my clients asked for Eastern European candidates. The preference is still for Indian/Filipinos/UK/US/SA Most of my clients are from the UK/US or India so I do disagree slightly. I am also seeing more UK nationals from the UK applying for roles in Dubai.

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave Let me add to this based on the little recruiting trends i know of. I don't know how to say this without offending anyone. For the western expats from UK and Europe. Honestly the Eastern Europeans have taken over from you. They are very affordable to hire, very nice and friendly people. Have degrees from UK, AU and US. With their EU passports they can travel for work anytime. So why pay more for someone who will deliver same job performance? More than half of UAE nationals age population is between 30 to 40 years old. The working class.They need jobs. Hence emaritization. Now you find nationals at receptions, schools, every sector. It's time to realize they want to work for themselves now. In ten years i don't think they will really expat talent. I lost a position i interviewed for late last year at the last stage, the management decided it should be allocated to nationals. The UAE market just woke up to diversity. I had a government company in AD insist a managerial technical position be filled by a Nigerian. His reason been that they are very outspoken and can handle pressure. So some of the new talents may not necessarily come cheap. Plus, most businesses are targeting African economies now. Maersk, UPS for example. The medical tourism Abu Dhabi just launched targeting Africa and Asia. The days of a high school certificate and a British accent holding a managerial position are over. ( no offence intended please).The competition is fierce. You need to see resumes to know what you are up against. The Indians will continue to get jobs, they are a cabal. And they really look out for themselves. But you know what? It will still be an attractive market to all of us. :)

Good for your friends because they are building so many new houses here they are going to struggle to fill them! Everywhere I look there are housing communities under construction ...

I have a friend that was relocating back to England 6 month ago, as the rents where too high, tired of no seasons, no greenery and the list went on. Guess what? They are now back after a miserable English summer and generally realised the grass wasn't greener and prices are high everywhere.

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave to add on that.. my company and DH company sent an email to all higher management / HR any new vacancies to be listed for UAE nationals only especially management vacancies. per the instructions of Dubai government to maximize the emiratization both of us work in different reputable place where they used to offer expats a very competitive package which includes school and housing allowance

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave And cheaper labour will not spend in the economy as they have little to zero disposable income, any of which they do have they will send home.

I think more and more Expats are leaving and jobs are being taken over by Indians, Africans and Middle East people. Yes they are cheaper to employ because they will take a lower wage, whereas Expats have spent a fortune on getting their degrees from a recognised university. Dubai is getting more and more expensive. So time to leave

We left about 2 yrs ago...I cried nearly everyday to come back to UK. My husband gave in and we returned. Now we are trying to come back to Dubai and realised the very reasons we came back to the UK...are actually the reasons we left in the first place. Here's hoping we can return soon to Dubai :) It really depends on where you come from I think. If you're from a rural or country background you will always possibly crave that. If you're from a 1 bed apt in a rough part of Lpool then Dubai will most likely be spectacular in your eyes! No offense to Liverpudlians (I love that part of the world!). Everyone has a boredom factor to consider too. We first came here almost 20 years ago, left for 6, back for 6 and now thinking of going again. There are so many things in Dubai that you have to turn a blind eye to, there are at at home also. For me, the spectacular difference in the way people are treated because of where they come from is too hard to get my hear around. You can block it out and forget about it for periods but you know its there and you know that by being here you are condoning it and inadvertently letting your children know that its ok really. @darlingboys That last part....deep

We left about 2 yrs ago...I cried nearly everyday to come back to UK. My husband gave in and we returned. Now we are trying to come back to Dubai and realised the very reasons we came back to the UK...are actually the reasons we left in the first place. Here's hoping we can return soon to Dubai :) It really depends on where you come from I think. If you're from a rural or country background you will always possibly crave that. If you're from a 1 bed apt in a rough part of Lpool then Dubai will most likely be spectacular in your eyes! No offense to Liverpudlians (I love that part of the world!). Everyone has a boredom factor to consider too. We first came here almost 20 years ago, left for 6, back for 6 and now thinking of going again. There are so many things in Dubai that you have to turn a blind eye to, there are at at home also. For me, the spectacular difference in the way people are treated because of where they come from is too hard to get my hear around. You can block it out and forget about it for periods but you know its there and you know that by being here you are condoning it and inadvertently letting your children know that its ok really.

I'm going to be in a position in Q1 next year where I can base wherever I want for work. Literally wherever. At first I was excited, and tried to think what do I really value, what do I want? I prefer close to this time zone as I can easily deal with Asia or North America, getting up a little early or staying up a little late. Seeing as it is a huge tax break, and DH needs to be in MENA 2 weeks a month...guess we'll just stay here. It ticks all the boxes. 1. Tons of international flights out of DXB 2. English being ubiquitous 3. Restaurants, pubs, beach, gyms, golf course within 10 min taxi ride or walking distance 4. Tax break! 5. Safety and security. 6. Convenience of delivery whatever. 7. Yes it's hot, but no freaky storms or weather Only real drawback is being far from family but that isn't new. Seriously--Dubai is it for now.

The best place to be in Qatar: the departure lounge at Doha airport :party:

Geordieexpat, Qatar is great for a long weekend. It's a slower pace of life but has some really lovely areas. i especially enjoyed walking down the Cornich and we stayed in a very nice hotel. Not sure i would like to live there but we had a great time for a weekend. As long as the hotel's are good that's the main thing, as that and the MotoGP circuit will be all I'll see ;) I love Doha and would move there in a heart beat. Have been there several times and never had any problems. Issues can happen in any place in the world not just Doha. Go and see the place and enjoy yourself. I love the fact that many hotels are dry, I can stay somewhere nice and not have a club or bar with loud music nearby.

The desert is a great place to reflect And truly time spent there Few ever regret The far reaching dunes and endless blue sky Transport to a vision more clear than the eye Though beauty there is in desolate view The need to see green oft rises anew Such yearning stirs up for woodland and trees Then sand though majestic can no more appease When temperate zones are native by birth It draws like a magnet to guide on the earth No matter how long we stay in Dubai There will come a time we must say goodbye Some leave forever then find themselves drawn To sunsets in sand dunes and sounds of the dawn Perhaps once recharged with coolness and leaves Its hard to resist the magic it weaves

There is no place in the world, quite like Dubai sometimes you don't know it until you say 'bye And although other places have pastures green and wet Life in the desert, we will not regret. :)

Remember some of the hotels are dry... That doesn't bother me in the least, but thanks for letting me know.

Remember some of the hotels are dry...

Geordieexpat, Qatar is great for a long weekend. It's a slower pace of life but has some really lovely areas. i especially enjoyed walking down the Cornich and we stayed in a very nice hotel. Not sure i would like to live there but we had a great time for a weekend. As long as the hotel's are good that's the main thing, as that and the MotoGP circuit will be all I'll see ;)

Geordieexpat, Qatar is great for a long weekend. It's a slower pace of life but has some really lovely areas. i especially enjoyed walking down the Cornich and we stayed in a very nice hotel. Not sure i would like to live there but we had a great time for a weekend.

I left Dubai just over 2 years ago to move to Qatar, we are happy to say we are moving to AD on 24th. Never lived in AD so am looking forward to it, Ive visited at weekends whilst in Dubai. Cant wait to get out of Qatar, its **** on earth, well for us it has been. I spent the weekend in Qatar and have to say I've never, ever been so happy to leave a place in my life! Everything I tried to do was extraordinarily difficult - from having lunch where the staff over-charged me by adding an extra zero to my bill and then couldn't work out how to fix it to checking into the hotel where half the lights in the room didn't work and they couldn't work out how to fix it or find a different room - just absolutely everything was painful. In the end, I changed my flight by 3 hours - and even though the earlier flight was empty and we were flying without baggage - they charged me 600 dirhams, more than the original flight. I paid it because I was just so happy to get out of there! This does not bode well for our propsed long weekend there next year :(