I'm not at EK but work in the UAE and have to say that the advice to "come here with your eyes open" and "work out what you want from the job" is absolutely spot on.
I'm here because a) I wanted to earn more money than was available to me in the UK and b) see answer a)! The UAE is not a democracy and some of the rules seem pretty odd to a westerner but the standard of living is good, we have the freedom to buy beer and bacon, crime is practically non-existant and areas such as schools and healthcare etc are pretty good (I speak as someone married to a teacher and who recently had his life saved by a first class surgeon on Abu Dhabi).
It will drive you mad at times and at other times you will look around you and say "I'm glad I'm here" - but then there is a strong chance that your home country will do the same to you.
Overall I'm glad I'm here but then I'm in Al Ain which (in my opinion) is a better place for someone with a family than Dubai. If I was single, I would want to live in Dubai!
