People seem to forget that before Dubai people worked for airlines all over Europe and were considered fairly well paid and lived reasonably comfortable lives. What happened?
Working in the ME has certain benefits thats for sure, one obvious one being cash. Some will argue that with the rent and grocery prices, the amount of available cash to save is being diminished annually. Add to this the day to day sh*t that one simply has to put up with in order to get through the day, begs the question, is it worth it?
How many pilots have left Dubai over the last 12 months? I for one have lost count. 95% of the guys I know that have returned, have done so to fly for UK based airlines on the derisory salaries that you mention. Those that I still talk to are very happy and glad to be away from Dubai.
I am surprised that as a captain in the UK, with a salary of 100,000 c.a. you can't make ends meet. I understand that Ryanair pays in Euros for bases outside the UK (125,000).
As I said, each to there own.