Working in UAE

Question

Has anyone here worked as a Data Scientist / MLE in the UAE and can provide some feedback on how it is to live there?

How much can you earn with 5 YoE? I see a large range from 70k USD per year, to 10-15k USD per month for Dubai and I don't know what to expect as an experienced Data Scientist from Germany.

Is it a good place to earn a lot of money for ~2 years and then look for greener pastures back in europe, or will the salary be low enough so the cost of living will eat away all the money and you end up with two shitty years in the desert?

Vx87 · Accepted Answer

Lived 4 yrs in Dubai, tech is non existent. Companies still use main frame and advanced excel users are called Data Scientist. As an Indian you would end up reporting into European or British with way less experience and way less tech stack. Systemic racism is quite prevalent and open,hence they would rather buy than innovate. Hard sell for top tech talent to move UAE

Cjspchakcb · Answer

I’ve been working in Dubai for several years now for small and big companies. Overall it looks like a very nice place to live. Pros: - salary without taxes - safe place to live - relatively cheap life - amazing winter Cons: - in summer you can go outdoor- IT culture has a lot of room for improvement, it’s like you return 10 years back - most of the companies pay very low salary(4-6k$) but they still have a lot of engineers who is ready to work for them Overall, I’d say it’s a good place for living. Once you found a good company (not saying 15$k, it’s extremely good I think) you feel very comfortable, specially if your family is not very big. Good luck in your search and next steps !

19g6uky2my9wu · Answer

I live and work in the UAE, and the UAE is a fantastic place to live. Lots of opportunity here as the UAE leadership looks to diversify the economy, with a large focus on science and technology sector work. I would for sure recommend including the UAE in your job search.With 5 years of experience, $15k seems very much on the high end, especially for someone from Europe. This is general advice and not specific to the UAE: I would recommend not sharing your existing salary (push hard not to share your actual salary, but do share salary expectations). If you do share your actual salary, you’ll get a personalised offer of barely enough to convince you to move rather than an offer at market rate. This is especially important if you’ve been suffering from salary depression (e.g. staying too long at one company and getting lower than market raises because “the economy doesn’t look good so we don’t have the budget”).In practice, pay is highly correlated with the country you are moving from: it is very common for folks from India to be paid less than Europeans, and Europeans less than Americans, even for the same YoE and value they can bring to the employer.Do compare total compensation and cost of living. Your salary will need to stretch further as many things are paid for yourself instead of through income taxes or payroll withholding. Depending on your personal circumstances, you may not need to pay income tax while living and working in the UAE, so that can help make your salary stretch. However, salary is just one part of TC. As a Microsoftie, you likely get a large part of your TC from stocks and bonuses, including a good amount from a retirement matching scheme. Expect smaller bonuses. Stock tends to be more rare as well. Retirement matching schemes are not common here.For retirement savings, keep investing in your home country (even though you probably won’t have a company match). There is no pension for expats in the UAE, but you may be able to keep paying for your home country’s national pension.Healthcare is great here, but private; your employer will often help with insurance like in the USA. Schools are also great here, and again private for expats; your employer may offer to help pay tuition for your children.Regarding transportation, I hope you enjoy driving. Hybrid or remote work is not as common as in Europe, and public transportation options limited, so expect to commute by driving or taxi.Best of luck on the job hunt. I hope you find fulfilling work.

kost2kost · Answer

I have travelled to a research conference in UAE (Abu Dhabi) and talked to some local researchers, a lot of whom came there from Europe/Russia, and they were actually saying really positive things about UAE. I think this may be less of “two shitty years in a desert” and more of a “two years in a cool new place” kind of situation.

Working in UAE

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