London Radar, you have to understand they will always go the extra yard to get a local validated here, and understandably so. For that reason they give them at least 18 months training, whereas the expats get 3 months with no simulator training, just straight on the job. To be honest you need to be experienced to make it here, because as an expat they expect you to slot straight in and do the job. You can't compare the locals with the expats because the expectations as far as time frame for validating is completely different.
In defence of the locals though, your post gave the impression that the locals are a lesser controller than expats, and in UAE centre at least, that is far from the case. The locals I work with are some of the best controllers I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
In response to invictus, I accept the financial and regulatory constraints placed on Dubai, but my issue, is why doesn't the Coordinator spend more time working out the sequence and proactively asking for specific 20 NM spacing rather than letting East and West provide 10 NM spacing and then realising overhead Dubai there are not enough slots for aircraft. No WhizzBang new system needed for that, just work the sequence out and communicate it to us, and we will do the rest. This blanket 20NM or 30NM is overkill to the extreme. But agreed generally that within the parameters provided things run pretty smoothly most of the time.