Jobs in Dubai Websites Scams

As you look for a job in Dubai, you will come across lots of websites that claim to offer a service that helps job seekers find a job. Many of these websites are, bluntly put, scams.

Here’s how an intelligent person might fall victim to these scams:

By searching online, you might end up in a very nice looking website and you will find a list of adequately named job positions, such as “Accountant,” “Project Manager,” “Human Resources Manager,” etc. You might then think to yourself, “Great! That’s exactly what I want to do.” So, you register, spend time filling out all the forms, upload your CV, and click “Apply”

Two days later, you receive a very positively sounding email that is written in a way to make you think that your application has been successful and all that is stopping you from securing a job interview and hopefully a job offer from Dubai is a relatively small fee that you have to pay to this website from which you applied for this job!

You may even be told that by paying this fee you are guaranteed to find a job or your money back. Then when you read the fine print or investigate deeper, you realize that they’ll honor this claim only after half a year had passed, if at all!

What do you get in return for your payment? Mostly, nothing of value to you.

Before you pay up, always know exactly what you are paying for and who you are dealing with.

Recruitment Agency Scams in Dubai

Many job seekers don’t fully understand the role of recruitment agencies. Recruitment agencies are not employers. Recruitment agencies work for employers. They help employers fill vacancies, and when they do that successfully, they get paid by the employer, not the job seeker.

Remember, job seekers are sellers and employers are buyers. In most cases, commission to the broker is paid by the buyer; with recruitment agencies and hiring there is no exception.

But because most job seekers are unaware of this relationship, they end up being taken advantage of.

Here’s how you might fall for a scam recruitment agency or agent:

You go to a popular online classifieds or a newspaper in Dubai and you advertise in the jobs wanted section. You put your email or your telephone number. Then, you receive a call from somebody who tells you that they are interested in getting you hired. You will naturally get excited and do as they say. Then, sooner or later, they will ask you to pay them!

At this point, you should realize that they are trying to scam you, and you should go wild on them.

There is no straightforward answer to this. Your chances of landing a job in Dubai depend largely on your qualifications and the industry you’re looking to pursue a career in. Because the Dubai job market is an open global market, competition is tough. You don’t only compete with locals or Arabs; you compete with the best in world.

Availability of specific positions also varies from industry to industry. In the IT industry, for example, most jobs are outsourced to India or the Indian subcontinent. The Dubai office is usually run with minimal staff without the usual overhead relating to hiring and maintaining in-house staff. In the construction industry, however, the opposite is true. Construction is labor-intensive and very little is accomplished off-shore. This offers vast opportunities to skilled and semi-skilled workers to actually land jobs in Dubai as their services are required here to complete various construction and expansion projects. The demand for labor in the construction industry also means a surge of demand for interior designers, architects and other talented professionals who work closely with the construction industry.

We have written a guide that will help you easily determine how much you may earn in Dubai.

Click here to go to the salaries in Dubai guide.

Yes, there are. Job hunting in Dubai is most productive at any time except:

• Ramadan/Eid holidays. Business hours are shorter during the entire Ramadan and Eid holiday month. Business is slow and general business activity inDubai is kept to a minimum. Many business owners, even UAE nationals are out of the country during this season.
• Mid-summer months (June-August). School is out these months and temperatures are up to as high as 50 degrees Celsius. Hot and humid weather sends families off to their home countries for holiday breaks as companies would normally prefer employees take their annual holiday leaves during these months. Decision-makers are usually unavailable during the summer.

The best time for Dubai job hunting is at the beginning of autumn – early October or November through winter – December through February. Business usually picks up after the summer as residents return to Dubai after their holidays.

You’d be surprised by the crazy stuff that employers in Dubai ask for in a CV. So, head over to our Dubai resume/CV writing guide and have a read over it before you start sending out your CV.

Unfortunately, an all-encompassing system that reveals to you all the companies that are currently hiring in your industry hasn’t been invented, yet. However, we have created a guide for you that will help you research all sorts of companies in Dubai.

Additionally, in our Dubai Targeting service, we provide you with tools to reach 100s of companies in Dubai and easily build a business network with hiring managers and recruiters in Dubai. With that service, you will find the most effective methods of reaching companies in Dubai that are hiring now.

Job seekers are attracted to the Dubai market because of the fact that earnings are tax-free in Dubai. The UAE federal government and the Emirate of Dubai do not levy any kind of taxes on individual earnings. What you make is entirely yours. For individual income earners, this means having more to send back home or to save.

That’s why the Dubai job market is attracting talented professionals and skilled workers from all over the world. From Europe to America, even from Asia-Pacific and Africa, the Dubai workforce represents all five continents and over 100 countries. Besides tax-free earnings, individuals are attracted to jobs in Dubai for any or all of the following reasons:

1. Career opportunities for talented professionals. Professionals looking to expand their practice or explore new markets, even those looking to take on a new career path, find excellent career opportunities in Dubai. Due to rapid development and expansion in the region, many multi-national companies are establishing Middle East headquarters and offshore locations in Dubai. These businesses are tapping into the global talent market that brings together the best of both worlds.
2. Expanded opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workers. Dubai’s most active industries – construction, hospitality and retail – are enjoying steady growth whilst these industries are almost dormant in neighboring countries. Workers with skills relevant to these industries are naturally attracted to jobs in Dubai where these job opportunities are not available back home.
3. Experience the world in Dubai. There are at least a hundred different nationalities represented in Dubai’s community of residents and tourists. People from different parts of the world find themselves at home here because of the sense of familiarity they get. Hear people speak your native language. Walk into a grocery and find your favorite food. If you feel like exploring the exotic tastes of the Far East, Indian, Chinese and even Filipino restaurants are in town. Make new friendships with people whose backgrounds are entirely different from yours. Dubai’s cosmopolitan feel caters to fashion and trends all over the world.

We have also expressed our opinion on who’s suitable for Dubai and who isn’t. Head over to our article Dubai Employment Opportunities: Who Can Take Advantage?

Well, actually no, that is not true. While there are no income taxes, value-added taxes (VAT), gross sales taxes (GST), personal taxes, nor
capital gains taxes in Dubai, there are in fact other types of taxes levied on certain activities such as:

• Municipal property tax levied on property owners. This tax is passed on to occupants as part of the rent agreement. In effect, if you live and work in Dubai, you are indirectly paying property taxes.
• Service charges collected at Dubai’s hotels and restaurants are also a form of indirect taxes.
• Import tax of 5% is levied on all imports to the UAE. This is perhaps the only formal, direct tax levied in the UAE, although goods such as tobacco, alcohol, pork products, raw gold for manufacture and arms and ammunition are subject to higher import tax rates. Even if you’re not the importer for these goods, the import tax is normally passed on to final consumers as part of selling prices.
• Road Taxes or Toll fees (SALIK). Some of Dubai’s major routes and thoroughfares are now collecting toll fees from motorists using these routes.

Additionally, every single municipal or government sector service charges fees, even typing and translation services.

Very good question! We have written a complete guide to answer it.

Click here to go to our guide on cost of living in Dubai.

On average, expatriates stay from three to five years in Dubai. Some never leave; others never stay. With Dubai, you either hate it or love it. Dubai appeals to different people. Whether it appeals to you or not, is what you have to decide for yourself.

It is illegal to work on a visa other than a valid employment visa in Dubai. However, you may come on a visit or tourist visa and actively search for jobs in Dubai. Under recent legislation pertaining to employment visas, successful candidates who are hired by Dubai employers are required to exit the UAE pending release of their Employment Visas.

Clearly, any employer asking you to start work immediately or without a valid employment visa is not in compliance with legal requirements. If you choose to begin work without a valid employment visa, you:

1. give up you chances of using the Labour Code or having the Labour Ministry to mediate your case in the event of a dispute with your employer;
2. run the risk of being caught, fined and deported. You will also be blacklisted such that you may never return on an employment visa to the UAE. In many cases, illegal laborers spend jail time prior to deportation and their retina scans are kept active to effect the blacklisting.

No, you can’t do that on your own. Employment and residency in Dubai work within a system of sponsorship. An employer is the appropriate party to apply for an employment and residency visa for employees. This means you have to have been hired prior to the application for your employment visa.

We have done lots of research, visited lots of online forums, talked to lots of recruiters and read great informative books such as:

Tips for Working and Finding Work in Dubai

We have simply gathered all of this information, digested it, and tried to put it all in one place for you.

Click here to read more articles we wrote about jobs in Dubai.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had someone to answer all of your specific questions that you have regarding your jobs in Dubai search? Well, we actually do offer such a service as part of the free membership that we provide with the Dubai Targeting service!

If you have a general question that you think will benefit the a lot of job seekers beside yourself, we are happy to look into it for you and publish the answer here for everybody to benefit from. Fill out this contact form to send us your question…