Take the job or not?

Plus the evil muslims will behead you.

There's a war on in that part of the world if you haven't noticed. Wars tend to spread. Especially religious ones. Bears also tend to get angry if you poke them with a stick. Our next president is gonna get to pokin'. 20k sounds lowball. That shit is hazard pay.

Lebanon used to be the most progressive islamic state too. I'm just sayin. That shit can change quick.

On the one hand I value your canadian tolerance and experience.

On the other hand, evil head chopping muslims.

Mostly I'm playin.

But you have to admit the risk is higher than if you stayed home.

Edit: plus I think you could probably talk them up from 20. If it was a personal offer and not just an open opportunity someone pointed you to.

Iannis_sl said:

Mostly I'm playin.

But you have to admit the risk is higher than if you stayed home.

Edit: plus I think you could probably talk them up from 20. If it was a personal offer and not just an open opportunity someone pointed you to.

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Even if you live in Missouri?

EVEN MISSOURI

Citation needed.

I have lived in Qatar for the last 9 years, been to Dubai a dozen times and have friends and colleagues that work there.

First off, that salary seems on the low side despite the fact you have housing included. Most people I know are fairly close to 6 figures. When I came over, I literally tripled my US salary from 2005. (I work as a contractor for the US Gov doing IT work) It's been pointed out, but despite the fact that Dubai has no income tax, you will still owe the US taxes. Any citizen living abroad gets the first ~$100k exempt from taxes under theForeign Earned Income Exclusion. You could get additional Housing money excluded, but I do not think you qualify if it is being provided by your employer. With your current offer, you would be 100% tax free though.

There are other considerations for coming out, if not simply for the money. I know plenty of executive types that come out from London, NY, etc that get paid a mediocre salary, but they get a title on their CV (resume) that they could never get back home. There is global networking to be had and you can make some fantastic contacts and get better opportunities down the line.

The region also makes for a fantastic travel hub. You are close to both Asia and Europe. I got dive certified in the Seychelles, which was a mere 4 hour flight. Maldives = 4hrs, Nepal = 4hrs, Thailand = 6.5hrs, most of mainland Europe <7 hrs. You have many travel opportunities from the region. Very important to note, you will get A LOT more time off compared to the US. It's pretty well known that US has terrible vacation allowances. This region is much better. You not only will get that 30 days, but there are also a ton of Islamic holidays you will get off of work too. It's quite common to take 2-3 major vacations per year here.

Nightlife is absolutely fine. You stick to the big bars and clubs and can get into just as much fun and debauchery as any other international city. They key difference is there is no public intoxication ie: drinking in the streets etc. It's kept to the hotel bars, clubs, beaches, or private parties. There is a massive western expat population from all over Europe, plus Aussies, Kiwis, Canucks, and a few Americans. You will meet some absolutely beatiful and stunning women. The ever changing "Cabin Crew" girls from the local airlines are my personal favorite. Here are a couple popular nightlife spots:
Barasti Bar | Dubai Beach Bar | Live Sports | Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort Marina
Irish Village Dubai | The only real IRISH experience in the heart of Dubai !

Cost of living is going to be your challenge. Plus side, you have accommodation provided which can actually cost thousands per month for an apartment! Gas is dirt cheap. I pay about $1.04 per gallon for 97RON fuel here in Qatar. I imagine Dubai is similar. Downsides are things like groceries. Anything western is imported and you can pay dearly for it. That nightlife can get expensive too due to the fact it is mostly inside of hotel bars. The going rate here is about $10 per beer and closer to $15+ for top shelf mix drinks. The nicer the venue, the more expensive. St Regis hotel drinks are about $20 a pop! The big weekend thing to do is the hotel brunches. You get a bunch of friends together, pay about $100-$120 per person for unlimited food and drink from ~11am-3pm. This is 5 star hotel food and champagne, beer, and a small selection of wines.

Security concerns are fucking stupid. Don't listen to the US media. I honestly feel infinitely safer here than my 6 years in London. Violence is virtually unheard of and petty crime is negligible. This basically stems from the fact that the locals are too stupidly rich in petro money to give a shit, Western Expats are quite wealthy and fill executive positions, and on the low side of the spectrum with the Asian laborers (Indian, Nepali, Sri Lankan, Philiplines, etc) they are too terrified to lose their jobs here and would never risk it. Often times they are sending money back home to support multi-generation families because there is no work back home. Again, I feel far safer in Qatar / UAE than I ever did in London or the US.

Lots of other stuff to go over, but I don't want to make this a novel. Hit me up with any other questions you might have!

Pretty cool video that was shot a couple months ago. Just shows the place isn't some durka durka hellhole:


Dubai Flow Motion in 4K - A Rob Whitworth Film - YouTube

While I would certainly prefer to work in Dubai over Qatar, there has been a lot of press about a big teacher hiring spree in Qatar for next semester. Might be something you would be interested in. There is Education City here in Doha that has some top universities like: Northwestern University, Georgetown, Cornell, University College London, Carnegie Mellon, HEC Paris, etc. There's dozens of K-12 as well if that is your area of expertise.

lurkingdirk_sl said:

Go for the money. Stay for the trannies.

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Are we trying to talk Fedor into going to Dubai too?

Barraco Bisi_sl said:

I'm hearing a lot of opinions from people who have never worked in Dubai.

Typical Americans afraid to leave America.

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Yep. So many people who are MUZLUM BAD

Kaige_sl said:

If the plane doesn't blow up!

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Or get "lost."

Have a lawyer look over the employment agreement and ask a tax professional about taxes that would be owed. This is going to be determined on how long you are there and if the company is American. Either way you will have to file taxes to take advantage of any tax breaks. Also make sure you don't have to give up your passport to your employer. Once you get all the information you need then you can make a proper decsion. It's as american of a middle eastern place that you will find. They only really take advantage of poor uneducated workers. Still check with a lawyer to be safe.

I recently watched a bio pic of someone who was a former FBI agent who was there for a while. Seems security was lax in some parts and may make you question if it isn't safe or not. Yet as an American it seemed like he was able to do whatever they wanted without consequences. Also the ability to meet a prince here and there and network it up and then the hot models who are willing to drink it up with you as long as you buck the normal standard and look like a ruggish American bad boy looked like easy work. In the end if you just decide to drive multi million dollar super cars through a skyscraper leaping one to another, it shouldn't be an issue. It sounds like a great place to live.

Abefroman_sl said:

Have a lawyer look over the employment agreement and ask a tax professional about taxes that would be owed. This is going to be determined on how long you are there and if the company is American. Either way you will have to file taxes to take advantage of any tax breaks. Also make sure you don't have to give up your passport to your employer. Once you get all the information you need then you can make a proper decsion. It's as american of a middle eastern place that you will find. They only really take advantage of poor uneducated workers. Still check with a lawyer to be safe.

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First off, an American lawyer does fuck all for you. Work contracts are laid out in pretty simple to understand terms. If they breach those terms, you have zero recourse with a US lawyer or courts. You are at the whim of the UAE laws and system. That said, I think the risk of that is fairly low. The UAE hires westerners from all over the place. It's pretty straight forward.

Also, the tax break I already laid out. US Taxes and Foreign Earned Income Exclusion has absolutely no bearing if you work for a UAE company or a US company. You need to report those earnings to the IRS, regardless of what country you are based in. It's the same ~100k deductible. The only stipulation is that you need to be outside of the USA for >330 days per year to meet the Physical Presence Test. You can become ineligible for it if you overstay in the US for too long on vacations in a single tax year.

Again:Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

Also a note about employers holding passports: This was (still is to a small extent) an issue, but really has only been prevalent in Asian laborer communities. It is now illegal for your employer to hold your passport.