Working conditions Middle East
 

Hi there,

I wonder if anyone has experience to work abroad, for example in Dubai, or a similair place. I currently work in The Netherlands as a B737 licensed engineer for a low cost airline.
I am seeking for a new adventure and inclined to companies in the middle-east. The reason for this is the assumption of astonishing salaries and a culture were most employees come from abroad from all kind of nationalities. In addition, a warm climate and a modern, state of the art city are attractive as well.

For this reason, i would like to gather some more information. Perhaps somebody can give me answers to these questions?

- How does a normal week look like? i.e.; working hours, roster, working shifts.
- Do companies include housing in their contracts?
- What about regular travelling back and forth between the middle-east and europe, do they offer an arrangement for that?
- Does somebody have experience with their culture? Is it true what they say; one european licensed engineer supervising ten Indian mechanics? What about work pressure?
- Are the salaries really that astonishing?

I hope somebody could clearify these questions. Every bit helps!

Many thanks.

Hi Wesley,

First of all, I've never lived in Dubai but I've worked there many times, so here's my opinion.

- Working hours, shifts, etc. would depend upon the company you work for, this is no different than Europe, although if you were to work a 9 to 5 job your weekend would be Friday/Saturday.
- Yes, most companies would include housing, medical insurance for you (and your family if you have one), schooling for your children is also often part of the package.
- Again, this will depend upon your employer but most contacts I've seen offer 1 or 2 flights home per year.
- A lot of the unlicensed mechanics are Indian or from the Philippines. Just like any other nationalities, some are excellent and others should not be allowed near a bicycle, never mind an aircraft. From what I've seen in heavy maintenance it is often the case that one licensed European Engineer would look after a team of these guys.
I've certainly had problems in the past trying to get some of them to understand what I wanted, for example if you were to ask "is this A or B?", you will get the reply "yes". You'll get there in the end but it can be hard work, I guess it's something you'd get used to.
- I have no real first hand experience of work pressures, but speaking to others some places appear to treat their staff as modern day slaves, again I guess this depends upon who you work for.
- I've not seen any Salaries that pay really well for a couple of years, over about the last 10 years there appears to have been an influx of Indian Licensed Engineers that have reduced the Ts & Cs.
- Remember, Dubai is a country designed to separate you from your money, so what might appear like a huge salary in Europe could just be enough for you to live a comfortable existence in the UAE with little or no savings, of course this would depend upon your spending habits. If you live like a Monk you might be able to save, but if you're into Booze, Women and fast cars you'll probably find there's not much left in the pot at the end of the month.

Finally, the Middle East is not for everyone. I have friends that have been there for about 15 years and they love it, other people can't stand the place. This, of course would depend upon you.

If you have a look here https://www.pprune.org/middle-east-44/ there's plenty of info about working in the Middle East, its mainly for Flight Crew but many of the comments would also be relevant for Engineers.

I hope this helps

Webby

Thanks a lot for this constructive response Webby. I'll have a look at the Middle-East threads you noticed.