Work in Dubai without degree

[Barryboyni]

Pipe dreams ATM but would like some advice.

This is all new to me to please bear with my silly questions.

I have 11 GCSEs and 3 A-Levels but that seems to count for nothing in Dubai. I could have went on and done a degree but I wanted to go out and get oily hands and make some money instead. Good/bad idea, that's debateable.

Anyway, I have been looking at some mechanic/diesel fitter jobs in Dubai. I have no doubt in my mind I can do the work, I grew up on a stock car track lol. I am quite happy to start from scratch

I've been looking at a few jobs on Dubizzle. Going rate seems to be 2000 AED for a new start. Can you live on that there? Can you have a decent car on that money?

[IanUAE]

2000 AED is just over GBP 300, so the answer is NO.

[dxbtiger]

If you lived like a hermit, flat shared in some godawful place, used public transport etc then it would still be waaaaaaaaaay short.

That's labour camp money isn't it?

[Asterix]

Not a chance of living here on that - your competition for mechanic jobs are literally hundreds of millions of backstreet guys from the Indian sub-continent and the Philippines.

[Psychobert]

Afraid as the others have said, thats simply not an option.

I also have a very low opinion of (most of) the firms offering huge commission only packages. Typically in estate agency and finance, (no I don't want to transfer my bloody pension or take out an investment portfolio).

Some people can do very well with these and I do know some good people who do this, but I see dozens of people out here for a few months and having failed to make it go home disillusioned and broke. If you are going to make an honest living in these areas, my feeling is that it needs to be something that you already have deep experience and contacts in..

[Mattt]

Sorry, but

[Chilli]

OP, if it really is a dream to work/live here for a while then you're gonna need a bit of help.
The problem is that there are people here that will do the same job as you, but for peanuts. If you were an employer, you'd probably overlook the common sense and education you have, in favour of the guy who will happily work 50 hours a week for 300 quid a month. You will also need an expensive flight home each year, and demand top medical cover. The other bloke won't. You will also have the odd day-off due to man-flu or a monster hang-over...the other bloke won't. You are also 10 times more expensive to insure due to the aforementioned reasons, so you really need to have something that others don't.

What else can you do? Do you have any contacts here?

[Barryboyni]

Hmmmm.... That's that out the window then. I'll just have to stick to stripping wire until I come up with a better idea.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

[e21jason]

There will be a job for you here but it won't be manual labour. Lots of people out here do not have a degree but often start of with a trade. b

Bar work probably pays better than that job, also I know several people who have came over with work or qualifications as partners of people who have got jobs and they work in admin jobs or a lot them work for events management companies

[shirt]

e21jason said:

Lots of people out here do not have a degree but often start of with a trade.

agree with this. i would say that half our senior staff do not hold degrees and none of the ops or commissioning guys do.

to the OP:

- why dubai?
- what is your work history to date?
- what experience do you have as a diesel mechanic and on what engine types?

forget automotive engines. gain experience on diesel generators and there are jobs here that would pay well. look at aggreko, byrne, al taqa, GE, and APR.

[dictys]

I didn't have a degree and the only difference it made was having "officer in charge" on the visa rather than an actual profession.

As said whatever your qualifications it will be getting the job at a reasonable wage which will be the issue.