Moving to the Arabian Gulf
May 10, 2009 7:54 PM   Subscribe

I am planning on moving to the Arabian Gulf temporarly, for reasons I don't want to go into. I am an Architect by profession, mid career. What are my chances as an American citizen? Let me simplify the question.

1- As a US citizen what countries I should be looking at to move to, where would I find the least cultural shock? If I say UAE, Bahrien, Qatar, Kuwait, what 2 countries would you choose? 2- I am finding difficulty finding jobs in that part of the world (taking into consideration the economy), I hear they rely a lot on agencies to find employees. Where can I find such agencies? Is there US recruiting agencies that you recommend that recruit to that part of the world? I did try a couple websites but I am finding it hard to tell scam jobs from real ones. And unfortunately craigslist is not that popular there.
posted by anonymous to Work & Money (10 answers total)
 
I've been to Dubai, and found it to be very Western. If you are an architect, I would think UAE would be tops on your list of places to see, if not work.
posted by Houstonian at 8:42 PM on May 10, 2009


Dubai may not be the place to go right now. The article also notes that most infrastructure projects are on hold right now.
posted by special-k at 9:02 PM on May 10, 2009


That Hari article is a little doom mongering, but you're right that Dubai is not the place for an architect right now. The projects that have broken ground are mostly being built, but the ones that are being planned and designed are all cancelled or on hold, so I can't see much room for an architect.

I would choose the UAE and Qatar out of those two.

Take into account that as an American you will be more expensive than equivalent European staff by whatever your tax rate is because Americans have to pay income tax globally even while living in zero tax jurisdictions.
posted by atrazine at 9:48 PM on May 10, 2009


Hello from Kuwait. It's a lovely morning. I turn to my right, look out over the Gulf, see that about a dozen dhows are out there fishing. I'm writing this now because I was laid off from a large construction company. A good number of people here have been laid off. It's not so much the economy as political wrangling jamming up construction projects.

First, I have not seen any companies in the region paying Americans more--oh I wish it were so. As you've probably realized, Americans aren't taxed on the first $85,000. Maybe it's a shade less.

Yes, a whole lot of big projects in the UAE are on hold, some that have started, some that were still on the drawing board.

That said, it's not on your list, but it's worth taking a look at Saudi Aramco. Yes, the country is not on your list and the kingdom has its moments, but the Aramco environment is professional and, er, it has its Western side. Too, it's an easy-enough trip across the causeway to Bahrain. Coincidentally, I had an American architect for a neighbor during my time in the land of sand.

That aside, Qatar seems your best bet, what with the growth, projects there never reaching a bubble stage--unlike the UAE. Bahrain's pretty cool, though not a ton going on for good or ill; construction/projects never got crazy like they did in the UAE.

More generally, with the exception of Aramco, the majority of Western expats are British; a sense that when they have a say in the hiring process, for personal and professional reasons, they often go for people from their country.

Yeah, a decent measure of regional scam jobs are posted. Some companies do hire directly, though (to include the two that hired me), and some agencies are legit. Have you checked gulftalent? monstergulf?

As an aside, have you been to this part of the world, know anyone who has? It's... a lot of things. It can be exasperating beyond words.

Feel free to MeMail me if you have more curiosities.
posted by ambient2 at 11:13 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]


A few points:

First of all and to correct misinformation upthread, as an American, you won't be more expensive than equivalent European staff by whatever your tax rate as your employer doesn't pay your US taxes - you do. Therefore your nationality and your tax rate don't matter to your prospective employer at all.

Typically we do see new ex-pats with unrealistic salary expectations, particularly those on local (i.e., non ex-pat) contracts, but I suggest you carefully inventory positions on offer so you'll have an idea if you're being offered fair compensation should your search be fruitful.

Second, the best course of action clearly would be to get hired by in the United States by a multinational, then transfer, either securing an ex-pat contract (tough in this economic climate) or going onto a local domiciled employment contract. Lots of problems (i.e., fair salary, relocation expenses, etc) disappear this way.

Third, and only if you don't go via the multinational route, strongly suggest you determine what process is used in the country of your choise re: work permits before traveling to the region.

While some nations (e.g., Saudi) will exclude based on sex or religious orientation, other countries allow you to apply for a work permit while in country.

However some nations require work permits be applied for from outside the country. Also be prepared for the downside of employment in a foreign country on a work permit. Many times if one can't find a new job in a specific period of time they must leave the country. Once again, a full ex-pat contract would protect you from this downside (i.e., most contracts will cover relocation costs both ways) but if your field is anything like banking, these contracts would be very difficult to obtain at present.

Finally, overall heatlh. Many Gulf nations require a health examination as part of the visa / work permit. If you test positive for HIV or TB they won't progress your application.
posted by Mutant at 1:04 AM on May 11, 2009


Thanks everyone, a lot of information to take in.
I have lived in Lebanon for a while and I am familiar with Beirut, I tried to seek a couple recruiting agencies in Beirut but they did not promise much mentioning the economy and lack of jobs.

The websites that I have been using so far are:

http://www.gulftalent.com/
http://www.monstergulf.com/
http://www.bayt.com/
http://www.careerjet.ae/

If you have any additional ones that you recommend, please let me know.

Also, I did not mention Saudi Arabia from what I know about life there, it scares me and I can't see myself living there, does anyone have any previous experience? It seems there are more jobs in SA than other surrounding countries.
posted by convex at 11:09 AM on May 12, 2009


convex -- does anyone have any previous experience?

Not direct experience but two of my colleagues have worked there. Each lived on a compound, surrounded by other ex-pats. While contact with the broader population wasn't encouraged it wasn't totally impossible either. It just didn't happen that much as you tend to work (at least in banking) long hours, then crash out in your own flat, socialising with other Westerners in the compound. Wouldn't work for me (I spent a lot of time working in Lagos, and to the dismay of my security guys insisted that I go on walk about to see the place) but there you go.

Typical contract had three to four trips home per year (fully paid airfare), I believe ten weeks or so paid holiday annually, nothing really exceptional by European standards. Living expenses were fully covered, local (Saudi) taxes are zero. US Citizens, as long as you stay under $80K in earnings, should be able to accumulate darn near their gross in savings, local day to day expenditures aside.

Watch out for taxes on paid trips home and housing; yes, ex-pats must pay US taxes on these perquisites (benefit in kind) but aside from that a full ex-pat package, in a place like Saudi can be very lucrative.

I had two good friends that both went to work for a few years in Saudi and were able to sharply advance their retirement dates directly as a result of that decision.

Flip side - there is a reason why there are lots of jobs available in Saudi. Many people won't accept living in a compound, traveling with security staff, etc. The region is indeed a flashpoint, and you'd have to factor in some risk of working there. Every now and then there are localised incidents (shootings, other messier forms of violence, all targeting Westerners) that you more than likely don't hear of back in The States. Overall, the place is more than a little unstable, and there is always the question of how you'd get out if things got totally dicey, very, very fast. Hey, it happens, sometimes in less than 24 hours or so.

Keep in mind that some (many banking) contracts in Saudi offer a completion bonus at the end of your term, one to X months salary; that alone tells you they've got problems retaining folks once in country.

Finally, I prepped to go into Saudi a couple of times but didn't have to travel in the end. Recall from my orientation warnings about NOT bringing in religious material, at least not the right kind. Its their country, after all. If someone observes a religion they don't approve of, and tries to bring in books, etc, Customs will confiscate your reading material at the border. Fair enough. And you seriously don't want to be proselytizing, etc, once in Saudi if you are a religious sort.

Aside from that, seems like it would be an interesting place to work for a few years.
posted by Mutant at 4:08 PM on May 12, 2009


Very helpful Mutant, thank you. Did your friends find those jobs through a recruiting agency?
posted by convex at 4:36 PM on May 13, 2009


convex -- Did your friends find those jobs through a recruiting agency?

No, both were already working for their employers outside the region. One was employed by HSBC here in London, and found the position internally, which wasn't difficult as Saudi is considered by many a "hardship posting" because of the complexity of having a family in a decidedly non Western nation.

The other was recruited in New York explicitly for his position, and relocated to Saudi after six months.

Not sure what type of job you're looking for, but ex-pat packages are almost never offered to folks already in country. I came to England in 1997 on a full ex-pat package, and when I left my employer in 2002 I moved into a local contract (i.e., no paid housing, no business class airfare back to the US twice a year, etc). The only time I've been offered ex-pat packages since was for jobs in other European nations.

You know the more I think about this it might be more productive to work backwards: I'd suggest looking for companies with a presence in the countries you're interested in relocating to. Then approach these employers in the US, mentioning during recruiting you're open to relocation / travel. That would clearly differentiate yourself from others who might not want to move, and might just help the initial hiring.

Most multinationals have at times urgent needs to get resources into another country. Their preference would be, of course, a known entity. If you're already working in the US for a company with a strong presence in your country of choise, chances are probably pretty high you could internally transfer after a period of time.

Bonus points if you can demonstrate strong interest or personal ties to the country or region you'd like to relocate to.

I've worked in a fair number of non Western & very US hostile countries, and the last thing an employer needs is to have to evac someone who went in without full knowledge of what they were getting themselves into. I've seen this happen more than once and while clearly something went wrong during recruitment it sucks all around. Costly, and nobody wins.

If the company you target has a strong presence in your country of choise, and if you can show you'd adapt quickly and be happy living there, I'm sure you'd be a strong candidate for an ex-pat assignment.
posted by Mutant at 1:57 AM on May 15, 2009


It's been a while, and I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but for the record I just wanted to clarify.

First of all and to correct misinformation upthread, as an American, you won't be more expensive than equivalent European staff by whatever your tax rate as your employer doesn't pay your US taxes - you do. Therefore your nationality and your tax rate don't matter to your prospective employer at all.

Obviously you and not your employer are responsible for actually paying the tax. However if I have an American and an Englishman looking for the same after tax compensation, then I can spend less by hiring the English guy.

Assuming an American and Brit who both want $200,000 after tax, and a 25% flat tax (for the sake of argument) on the earnings of the American:
It costs me $200,000 for the English fellow,
The American costs me about $266,000.

Now, if the American is willing to work for $200k before tax, then it doesn't matter. I didn't mean to give the impression that employers will care about this, and Mutant is right that it won't matter, but it does affect the labour market for expatriate staff.
posted by atrazine at 5:32 AM on June 10, 2009


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