Bit bored in my current job and looking elsewhere in London. Chinny called me out of the blue with what sounds like a pretty interesting role in Dubai. Money (even if he is laying it on thick) would be incredible.
Worth doing even if only for a year or two?
Loads of factors to consider but if you are a lawyer in PP and this is a job with an international firm comparable to or better than the one you work for now then probably yes. Just remember you have to do a full tax year to get the tax benefit so if you went in the next couple of months you are looking at the best part of 2 years minimum.
Do it for 5 years it will transform your financial well-being for life
If you are bored doing your job in London, you are going to be even more bored doing a lesser job in Dubai
If you are doing it for money, fair play, but you will have to stay in and save to make it worthwhile
Plus need to consider hit to career and far more importantly your family/personal relationships
You don't have to 'stay in and save' to make it worth while you just need to not hit a five star hotel bar every time you go out.
Rof is not really a good place to get advice on this to be honest. This will just turn into another round tired tropes about 'slaves' and 'desert hell holes' and 'failed in London' etc etc.
Have a look at the Brits in Dubai facebook page. It has a range of people on a range of incomes living lives in Dubai and gives a better feel for what the place is like for expats. It also gives you some sense (for better and worse!) what the expat crowd is like...
as per usual, Davos spouting utter tripe on something he has no first-hand knowledge
if you don’t have any commitments tying you to London I’d say go for it if it takes your fancy tbh
As I said in an interview once - life’s too short to be anything other than opportunistic in your career moves
Davos - assuming that all jobs in Dubai are ‘lesser’ than the op’s job in London demonstrates your lack of knowledge or lack of comprehension.
By your own performance you’d be perfect for Dubai
life is short and Dubai is a great alternative to London. If the job is a good one and the money is good and you have nothing to tie you to London in the short term, then go for it.
this notion about it being a "hit to your career" is just utter garbage. I'd much rather recruit a lawyer in the UK who has a history of getting out of their city bubble on occasions
Agree with first part, but to me Dubai seems like a massive bubble
The usual types defending Dubai but failing miserably
I've been there. Done it
I speak from experience
Certainly if you have ties to the UK it's a no go
If you are single, childless and friendless then crack on (unless homosexual, female or trans). Couple of easy years but you won't progress much
I’ve done it and lived elsewhere in the Gulf and don’t recognise Davos’s negative view.
Don't go just to save money. Living is expensive and you will need to travel or pay for activities/going out. You can save if you are sensible with accommodation and car but don’t assume you’ll necessarily come back rich.
You could take a partner and kids if you wanted. Very safe, decent schools and things to do make it a great place for kids. But obviously schools aren’t free so factor that in.
Living there has not held back my career or anyone I know who lived there.
Of course there are challenges and frustrations but no worse than other places I’ve lived. And tbh, the quality of life for a UK national is outstanding compared to London or most places you might live.
If you fancy a change and enjoy new experiences go for it.
we've already established I think Davos you were at the bottom end of the food chain struggling to make ends meet so it is somewhat of a warped view. I do agree though it is not the place to be unless you are earning £150k+ per annum.
You've established in your mind
I was certainly bottom when I came back. The lack of progression as a junior was quite staggering when compared to progress of junior city colleague
Had to work harder, better, longer to come back
Appreciate you had everything on a plate from your posh public school
again, well established I went to state school (well from the age of 11 anyway when my prep zero fees scholarship ended)
you sound very bitter at how your life has turned out. perhaps a career change would help.
Sounds like Davos managed to fail in Dubai. Quite an achievement.
Go forth and inhale the stench of reeking ripe ezeedolla. Mainline it. But for Heaven’s sake do it. A spot on my gravel crew will be held for your return.
#Sunpat Mud Collective
Ego sun tell us about how you used to hang out and of what.
The fact that Davos thinks gays should avoid Dubai is determinative here. He clearly doesn’t know the first thing about life as a pat. Best skip his posts. No wonder he came back and kept struggling.
you know the deal sun...firmly out the back of some stunningly lithe asians. gr7 days. davos is clueless on here so I doubt his professional life is any different. some are ballas some are not udig
/\ this is what you'll end up like if you go to Dubai. An absolute fvcking chopper.
If that appeals, fill yer boots.
Can't think why a gay man may not be that keen on Dubai, I really cant
@Goe are you implying Davos is gay? I thought he had biological kids?
Say Ego, tell us more about your sexual exploits amongst the Filipino housemaid community.
I think we all know deep down whether we are the type who would enjoy going to the ME or not. The middle east based posters on rof should give you a clue.
Heh @ spreadsheet ebit
a gentleman never tells m6. was not maids.
there's those who have the balls to make the move overseas, and those who deride it for being soulless etc (insert usual crap)
You lot just trolls
"\ this is what you'll end up like if you go to Dubai. An absolute fvcking chopper."
I laughed at this
So true
Wow, air hostesses! whattaballa!
not your thing?
You see, this is what I meant about Rof not being the best place for this...
you were right. an internet forum full of predictable plodders. posting on here is their version of excitement.
The only one predictable is you Ego
I wouldn't say moving abroad to get laid is a good thing. Most normal people can get laid in the UK
Guess that's why Dubai is full of sweaty fat men, bulging out of their suits
not a single word of what you said there can be gleaned from my posts. I now understand why you struggle.
"you know the deal sun...firmly out the back of some stunningly lithe asians"
The furthest east rof's most prolific ex-pat has been is the Blackbird Leys estate in east oxford...
Ego is a legend.
chiz sun. bakatyer.
I've absolutely pwned Dubai's best lawyer
Not even hard
Wouldn't call taking a facial that.
He has absolutely taken a facial
That's the issue with poor lawyers
It's too easy to run rings around them
The difference between the city and Dubai is stark. Ned stark
you used me saying that I enjoyed banging asians in their numbers (true) to conclude that is why I moved to Dubai
you also concluded that meant I couldn't get laid in UK (wrong), actually very wrong :-)
and that Dubai is full of fat sweaty men (no more than UK/US) to imply I am one (also wrong)
I've had bigger bukkakes from my dog m7
*by accident
Sorry but this facial outranks anything a dog could deliver. Davos drowned.
pass him a snorkel someone
Isn't ego the one who was a wife swapper and accidentally outed himself ? Disappeared after that for years
Hanging out the back of… is one of the all-time rof lines of all time. After that he couldn’t really go wrong.
If you are single you will knee deep wading through hostess clunge.
If you have a young family you will have much more time as you have affordable staff.
Either way you will have more money because you will not be paying income tax. What you choose to do with the extra cash is up to you. Spend it, save it, give it away – it is your choice.
The idea that you will be a worse lawyer etc – who gives a [email protected]#$%? Oh no someone in London pushes more important paper than me. Oh my goodness woe is me.
I found that not having to do boring jobs allowed a lot more family time and ability to do fun stuff. Very cheap taxis are great. The service culture is amazing and cheap. And I made a lot more money. There is no way I would have paid off all my mortgages if I had stayed in the UK.
As for the exploitation of wage slavery – look in the mirror at the sad City drones or poor sods working in a call centre in Ipswich or some other god forsaken provincial town.
As Donny says – check out some of the Facebook groups. Dubai British Dads is very helpful.
And to reiterate if you are single and like stupid hot Insta types then you should get on the next flight …
If you are into girls who are cerebral and into renaissance art then it is probably not the place for you.
If you are gay it is fine – the place is heaving with gays.
If you are into public crossing dressing / pre or post Op trans then you should give it a miss.
"I've had bigger bukkakes from my dog m7"
Heh. Very possibly the worst most counter productive attempted put downs I have ever seen.
Lamlong...so much truth it hurts.
Girls who are disabled and into art sounds very niche tho
I was at a random cafe on Sheikh Zayed Road a few months ago at 3am night - it was full of random Russians discussing the War in Ukraine, US global imperialism, woke trends.
Dubai is going to become a hotbed of intellectual debate, like Vienna was in the early 20th century. Because unlike the modern West it allows a plurality of views.
Ego scrambling after conceding his whole case
Barry saying it's full of alt right khunts
It's another, massive, win for London lawyers
bless you Barry. don't ever change.
Hey hey - I have very special needs.
The Russians are in on masse.
Golden visa in three days. Need to have $500k to deposit in a bank locked up for two years (but the bank will loan against it!).
i am sure this has been said before, but who is grading lawyers between city? Does it matter? I have been successful in both places, and have seen failure in both places. how you define failure is up to you - to me its working a 100 hour week - regardless of rem.
I might pick up a couple of flats there during the next downturn.
BTW - does anyone have any recommendations for the top chinnys I should speak to?
Ta
Gulf chins are the same as the rest. Some don’t even live here. Deal only with those that do and choose one or two that have been here for 10+ years. They know the deal, the scene and the kit. Most have live-in Asian fitness model girlfriends but that’s an aside. See you on Insta!
Most chinnies have been there about a week
WTF?
Speak to Shane Morton at Taylor Root
G'day Shane
heh @ the dog bukkake thing
Terrible lawyer, who is having rings run round him by working class hero lawyer, turns to his own dog giving him bukkake as some sort of comeback
This is the quality we are dealing with
My point has been made, very successfully and very easily, by the ROF Dubai contingent
Hth
Heh! There are a fvckton of Russians in London discussing all these things.
In London you have to watch what you say. Basically illegal to support Serbia. Illegal not to support Ukraine.
In UAE you have freedom of expression - you can actually discuss the things that are prohibited in the West.
Even you must be getting a bit tired of this persona Barry
I think we've established that Barry is a bit, ahem, limited. I reckon that sort of introspection is beyond him - he's a simple man, with simple needs.
In UAE you have freedom of expression, Barry says
I think Barry means you can legally rape your wife, have slaves and it's illegal to be gay, in UAE
They don’t let chippy working class types into patland. You need a growth mindset.
“Basically illegal to support Serbia. Illegal not to support Ukraine.”
And, of course, this is completely correct and morally righteous and absolutely anyone with a brain or a cock that still works agrees.
Heh at laz
GC doesn't understand who fuels UAE - that's local working class types you are taking advantage of
You come the city and those types are out doing you
And you don't like it
Cuck mentality
Posh public school upbringing
I’d hate to see you angry.
You'd love to see me angry
"Here"? You mean you've figured out where you live?
Remote McDote.
All of the ex-pats I’ve ever come across in the UAE seem jaded after a few years, and most end up fat with serious drink problems. Do it for a year or two, anything more than that would be tragic. It’s a sad place underneath it all. There really is no culture and it is filled with Russians these days (and I mean filled with them) avoiding sanctions and conscription. Hope you have a conscience. I lived there in the early 2000s.
And the idea that any of the Emirates “air hostesses” (note to the solicitor from 1935, they are flight attendants) would be interested in sleeping with some boring English solicitor gave me a major laughing fit. Those girls are with the (actually) wealthy Arabs. They’re also very cosmopolitan and do not hang out with the Brits. Sorry to disappoint you.
Heh PJ delivering pj pwns
It's 'Cabin Crew' as it goes...
And they are, you know actual people who are different from each other and like different things and hanging out with/sleeping with different people depending on their individual personal tastes and preferences. Weirdly enough that includes Brits and god forbid, even English solicitors...
how many expats have you come across?
This thread really does deliver everything a well thumbed and sticky paged edition of late 90s FHM never could.
Heh! Just a reminder of the comments upthread
but the person who gets the sniffy “they’re people you know” comment is the one saying er actually they might be interested in you
Not*
I love the way people get hated on on here for saying a spell in Dubai looks like a reasonably fun way to spend a few years while earning big dingding and not working that hard for it, especially if you don't have family commitments. I mean you might not agree, but the moralist shrieking is hilarious.
It’s not moralist shrieking. It’s unapologetic judgment for having no taste in life. That’s unless you consider “taste” to be spending all day posing at the Mall of the Emirates in Balenciaga high tops and trying to surf down a sand dune at the weekend. Or drinking yourself into an oblivion at a brunch with weathered Brits that have been in Dubai twenty years too long. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous maybe you’ll take a taxi into another emirate. I couldn’t handle the excitement in the early 2000s, I might pass out today.
you know, I’ve never been tempted by the Gulfpat lifestyle, but it does seem tempting when you put it like that.
Most Emirates trolley dollies I've come across in business class have been non-UAE e.g. British, South African, etc.
There have got to be hardly any actual Emiratis working as cabin staff - it'd be totally beneath them, especially women. That's what they pay (a pittance) South Asians and Southeast Asians to do.
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