Working in Dubai as a female expat professional

Relocating, even to familiar countries, can be an overwhelming experience, but for female professionals moving to a Gulf State it’s even
more of a challenge.

Surprisingly, it’s not that difficult to actually get a job if you’ve arrived as a professionally-qualified trailing spouse, with online job openings the best way to start. As you’ll already have realised, the expat communities across the UAE and especially in Dubai vastly outnumber the actual indigenous population, so you’ll not feel alone, but integrating at work isn’t quite as straightforward as in many other expat favourite destinations.

Dubai offers endless opportunities for a successful career, unparalleled safety and an enviable upscale lifestyle, and the bureaucratic necessities seem to be less onerous and faster for women than they are for their male counterparts. One major advantage for women with children who wish to pursue their own careers is that high quality domestic help is easily available at a reasonable cost, giving time to concentrate on the challenges of a new job without having to worry about housework and childcare duties.

Gender inequality is a concern for many women looking to work in Dubai or the other emirates but, as many employers are de facto subsidiaries of global companies, it’s not as much of a problem as it has been in the past. In the work environment, women are respected and their opinions are listened to, with achieving leadership positions not as tricky as it might seem. Nowadays, employers don’t just focus on academic qualifications, technical expertise and work experience, with soft skills such as emotional intelligence and the ability to form meaningful relationships with both co-workers and subordinates now much more in focus.