Hi Jack,
Airlines in UAE generally give your a residency permit. It's an orange stamp that inserts in your passport and has a whole bunch of arabic stuff that basically says that you are entitled to live there permanently for the duration of your employment with XYZ airlines. With this you then come and go as you please. It is the same in Bahrain.
I can't speak for Qatar but I have heard they have something similar to Saudi arabia where you will get a residency permit but it is useless without the extra multiple exit / re-entry visa, if you don't have this you cannot leave. It is renewed every 6months at a cost of about 140USD and many companies will not pay for it, opting instead for the cheaper single entry visa that allows you to leave and come back again one time only.
Getting a multi visa does require the approval of the company so if they feel you don't need it (insane I know) then they may not grant it.
Getting visas in the first place can be a pain in the neck. This is where a good HR dept comes in. You see you will have to submit your passport to get the residency permit and this can take days or weeks or sometimes months. It depends on the sleep deprived nut who is handling it. The longer it takes the longer you will be stuck.
The HR department is a favourite haunt of the locals as it requires close to zero smarts, they are underworked so it suits their sloth like pace and they thrive in that kind of environment that is drenched in beaurocracy and in fact many of them relish the opportunity to screw the expat.
Most companies offer Z class and ID fares based on your grade in company. Eg. A flight attendant or check in agent might be eligible for ID90 for Y class but an engineer or pilot may use it for J class, stuff like that. The larger ones like Emirates have family discounts etc, I supposedly get ID 90 with them as a family member works for them (although I have never used it). Those companies also give mid year tickets and overall good staff travel benefits incl other carriers if they are in an alliance.
One thing about earning in Gulf currencies (with exception of Kuwait) is that they are pegged to USD so if you are saving in USD's or sending them back to US then you won't feel it too much if the greenback troughs as it currently is doing now. If you are saving in GBP / Euro you will be more concerned with watching exchange rates and trying to figure out the optimum time to wire it back home.
Taxes, these are 101% your problem and you will get zero support if you are supposed to be paying them back home. They will not lie for you or try to help you in anyway as a pal of mine found out when his tax authority in home country sent him a letter asking where he had been for 2 yrs.( He had been commuting home alot, enough for him to be elligible for income taxes and when he asked the company to tell a little white lie on his behalf and give him some paper to say he was in one place more than the other etc, they refused...fair enough I suppose)
Americans and many other nationalities are required to pay taxes on their income earned abroad. The rules are different say for someone who is working in another country that already taxes it workers but in a place with no taxes I believe uncle Sam wants a cut. Check this out also as there are limits.
You're right about cost of living, it does depend on you. If you enjoy the finer things then you will pay and often pay more as most of them are not made in this part of the world.
I'm trying not to paint a gloomy picture about the region, like everywhere it has its up's n down's. But if you move, do your research and be ready for anything.
In the Gulf region you are pretty central so it's a great way to explore beyond into East Africa, Lavant, India etc. Plenty of carriers and the fares are not so bad. Lots to see and do if you just put your mind to it and get out there.
All the best,
D.O.G
Last edited by desertopsguy; 30th May 2009 at 10:18.