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What is it about? Work in Abu Dhabi may interest job seekers from tourism, education, finance, and IT sectors. However, to secure a position, one must meet high requirements regarding qualifications and English language proficiency.
What to pay attention to? Working in Abu Dhabi has its own specifics. For instance, in the capital emirate, employers are obligated to provide medical insurance for their employees. Severance pay is also provided upon termination, and if a candidate does not pass the probationary period, companies often cover travel and visa expenses.
Before securing a job in Abu Dhabi, one needs to gather the necessary documentation package for employment. At minimum, several certificates must be prepared, then both these and existing diplomas must be apostilled. This process should be allocated at least three weeks, as it is quite time-consuming.
Let's discuss corporate benefits. Every employee in Abu Dhabi receives medical insurance coverage. In some companies, employers cover accommodation costs, meals, and transportation to the workplace. If the package of social privileges is important to you, verify this information during your job search. This way, you'll save both your time and others'.
When communicating with candidates, employers are quite demanding, especially towards those seeking high-paying positions.
Abu Dhabi's labour legislation has determined that working hours in any company should not exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. If overtime work is necessary, the employer must pay for the extra hours. If an employee has to work at night, the employer pays them 150% of the daily compensation.
The employer has the right to assign a probationary period to the candidate with a maximum duration of up to 6 months. If the employee fails to cope with their duties during the allocated six months, they may be asked to reimburse incurred expenses: visa processing and work permit fees, and sometimes even meals, accommodation, and flight costs.
The employee or company must notify the other party about the termination of the signed contract one month in advance. If an employee is dismissed, they receive compensation in the form of 21 working days' salary. In some circumstances, after contract termination, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Labour may prohibit the worker from employment for six months.
There are also instances of lifetime bans, but for these, the employee must terminate the employment relationship without explanation. It is still possible to avoid further restrictions if the termination occurs by mutual consent. However, for this, the employee must request a No Objection Certificate from the company, which will state the absence of claims between parties.
A key requirement when looking for work in Abu Dhabi for Russian speakers or other foreigners is fluent written and spoken English. While not knowing Arabic language might still allow one to secure a position in a local prestigious company, without English proficiency, this is practically impossible.
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Knowledge of foreign languages is welcomed in many sectors: IT, consulting, real estate, restaurant business and tourism, as well as medicine.
Moreover, recruiters also take into account the candidate's level of education and professional experience. Both are important criteria for selecting medical professionals, engineers, and representatives of those professions where qualification is crucial.
The city of Abu Dhabi, being the capital of the UAE, attracts visitors from around the world thanks to its high standard of living, numerous career opportunities, and developed infrastructure. Work in Abu Dhabi is also available for Russian-speaking professionals.
The UAE's capital city is one of the most popular tourist destinations, meaning the guest reception industry is actively developing. Russian-speaking personnel are in demand in hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies that are serving tourists from Russia.
Popular vacancies also include tour guides, managers, restaurant waiters, and hotel administrators. Additionally, having experience as a manager in international-class hotels will be a clear advantage.
Many international schools and kindergartens actively seek Russian-speaking teachers. To work in Abu Dhabi in education (for example, as a primary school teacher) you need an appropriate level of qualification and experience in interacting with children of all ages.
Russian-speaking teachers are valuable personnel for schools teaching in Russian, as well as for bilingual institutions. One must have teaching education and experience working in schools. Additionally, certificates confirming knowledge levels will be useful, for example, TEFL or CELTA for English teachers.
Abu Dhabi is rapidly developing its financial sector, so many banks and other similar organisations strive to attract personnel with international-level experience. Russian-speaking specialists can find opportunities in financial analysis, risk management, and accounting.
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It is very important to have higher education in finance and economics, as well as experience in these fields. Knowledge of international financial reporting standards and professional certificates such as CFA or ACCA would be a significant advantage.
Russian-speaking specialists in Abu Dhabi can find success in the high-tech field. The range of available vacancies is very wide. It includes software developers, system administrators, and those who protect personal data on the Internet.
It is also very important to have relevant higher education and experience in IT. Knowledge of programming languages such as Java, C++, and Python, along with CISSP or CEH certificates, is mandatory. Experience working in international companies and knowledge of English is very beneficial.
Posting resumes on various resources and attending multiple interviews significantly increases the probability of securing good employment in Abu Dhabi. However, not everyone will be successful. You might fly to the UAE, spend a lot of time searching for your dream job, but still achieve nothing.
The best solution to this situation is to search for options remotely and build a database of suitable positions. When you have enough vacancies, you can fly to Abu Dhabi on a visit visa and attend interviews. You cannot work in the UAE without a work visa, but job searching is not prohibited.
The main resources for job searching in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other Emirates are:
International recruitment agencies are responsible for personnel selection in areas such as finance, trade, high technology, and engineering. However, one should remember that their services require payment.
They can receive profit from the job seeker, either as a one-time payment or in the form of regular deductions from salary upon successful employment.
A good option for a job seeker is to send resumes to several licensed recruitment agencies in the UAE. If a suitable vacancy is found, agency staff will contact the candidate and explain the next steps.
An important detail — the UAE Ministry of Human Resources only licenses recruitment agencies whose staff consists exclusively of UAE citizens. When working with such agencies, job seekers are not obligated to pay for employment services, as employers should cover these costs.
Since the Internet and social media reached a new level, job searching has become significantly easier.
There are many communities and websites on this topic, but there is also a high probability of fraud, as only official resources verify advertisements before posting. Others often offer candidates fake vacancies, choosing which can not only fail to increase your budget but actually decrease it.
An exception to this rule is the LinkedIn platform, as it represents a space specifically for job searching, connecting people with similar goals. But it's best to search for vacancies in official groups and on authentic internet pages of influential companies.
If you are already in the Emirates, we recommend attending a career fair. There you can personally meet with potential employers, present yourself properly, and discuss all the nuances of employment in more detail.
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Business events and meetings initiated by special associations and professional clubs will allow you to find work much faster thanks to new useful connections. And, of course, you can offer your candidacy directly or through a recruitment agency.
To work legally in Abu Dhabi, one must obtain a work visa. The employer plays the key role in its processing: they submit an application to the consulate for providing a visa to a foreigner.
The employer must receive the following documents from the candidate:
The documents are then submitted to the consulate along with the application. The immigration service evaluates the information, after which its staff decides whether to invite the foreign specialist to work in Abu Dhabi or reject them.
Upon a positive verdict, the candidate receives a special notification. It must be printed in A4 format and presented during passport control. The consulate, in turn, sends the original visa with a unique number to the border checkpoint, which can be used to verify if it was issued legally.
Another criterion for obtaining a visa is mandatory negative HIV test results. Entry of HIV-positive individuals into Abu Dhabi is prohibited by law.
The work visa in the emirate is valid for two months. After this period, the work visa is changed to a residency visa. A plastic card is produced for the employee, which confirms the legality of residence in the country and allows them to work there. Subsequently, it is automatically extended along with the work contract.
The salary of an employee in Abu Dhabi directly depends on their qualification, position, and company. Working for a large company in a solid position in the UAE guarantees high earnings, but with increased income comes greater competition.
When submitting a resume, the candidate must demonstrate to the potential employer their professionalism and other reasons why they should be the one chosen.
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From 2022 to 2023, the following earning levels were maintained in the most promising fields:
While anything is possible if there's a will, it would be quite problematic. One should understand that to find work in Abu Dhabi, Russians must have perfect command of foreign languages. Despite the current abundance of Russians in the UAE, you will have to communicate extensively with local residents, partners, and authorities.
UAE citizens have mandatory medical insurance, but insurance for foreign citizens is not provided by law. However, some Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) require employers to insure both foreign workers and their family members.
UAE legislation does not include a clause about income tax collection from workers. This means that the salary goes entirely to the worker's disposal. Moreover, the UAE has signed agreements with several countries about exemption from double taxation. The list of these countries includes Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Regarding unemployment, its level in the UAE equals 2.75%, which means that labour resource employment remains normal and there are enough opportunities for foreigners to earn. Work in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and other emirates is suitable for both highly qualified specialists and trainees, as well as those working in tourism.
This country is distinguished by a high standard of living, high salaries, and abundant growth prospects. With the help of experienced lawyers, getting a job in the UAE is much easier than doing it on your own.
Article header image source: SmartPhotoLab / shutterstock.com
