ARAB EMIRATES - A COUNTRY OF UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES. BUT ONE BUSINESS - TO VIEW PHOTOS ON THE INTERNET, AND MORE OTHER - REALLY DIP INTO LOCAL LIFE AND BECOME A RESIDENT. WE COLLECTED A FEW HISTORY OF MOVING TO EMIRATES AND ASKED PEOPLE TWO QUESTIONS: "WHY DO YOU MOVED TO DUBAI?" AND "DO YOU LIKE TO LIVE HERE?".
GREAT BRITAIN
Sophie Kesben (42, London), housewife.
“For the British, working and living in another country is in the order of things. So we, as soon as my husband (he is a lawyer) had the opportunity to go abroad, gladly agreed. There were many options, but we opted for the Emirates. This it wasn’t the most favorable period - 2008, and the whole undertaking was a bit risky, but thanks to the solid support from my husband’s company, the first years went well enough and we really fell in love with Dubai. The most remarkable thing here, in my opinion, is the opportunity to grow children, we have two of them - 6 and 8 years old It’s hard to find a better place. Although London is not the worst city in the world, 365 days of sunshine a year is a luxury for us who are not spoiled by the sun and heat. not to mention the service available to everyone, not just the chosen ones, or a villa with its own pool ... We constantly repeat to our children that everything that they see here and how they live is far from normal. To return them a bit to reality, we return from time to time to London for a vacation, where they see the "normal" life of ordinary inhabitants, and not privileged expatriates "with all conveniences." For this purpose, some of our friends travel with families to Nepal and live there for 3-4 weeks, but not in hotels, but in the homes of ordinary people, helping them in their everyday lives. Thus, children, and parents themselves, begin to understand how lucky they are in this life.
Like many others who came here, we initially expected to stay in Dubai for 3-4 years. But over time, plans changed, and six months ago we even bought a house here and took root, so to speak. By the way, huge amounts go to utilities (electricity, water, air conditioning). And the biggest expense for us is the schooling of children. In this regard, I believe that schools are a bit overdoing. But, despite this, it is a sin to complain to us. The quality of our life here is much higher than in England. "
The British - the largest contingent of European expatriates - about 100,000, which is justified by historical ties between the two states.
GERMANY
Dr. Christian Heidenreich (54, Hamburg) is the head physician and owner of the German Medical Clinic, Sharjah. Dr. Winnie Skupin (41, Leipzig) is a dentist at the German Medical Clinic, Sharjah.
Christian Heidenreich: "The reason for my move to the Emirates was not financial need, but rather the lack of a future perspective. In Germany, doctors work a lot and earn decent money, but at the same time they are under the total control of insurance companies that try to limit them in everything."
Vinnie Skupin: "That's for sure: plowing, plowing, but there is no return in terms of further development. One day is like another ..."
Christian Heidenreich: “Why the Emirates? In 2002, there was a boom in investments. Honestly, I was lucky. When I randomly came to the Ministry of Health in Abu Dhabi, I lost my way in the dark corridors of the then old building and accidentally stumbled upon the cabinet of the minister himself, who accepted me so cordially that I immediately decided it was my country, and yet it took two years to open my own clinic. In Dubai it was almost impossible, and then I decided to examine the neighboring emirates. And again, luck: in the newly rebuilt on the Cornish Al Batha Tower where I looked around for a suitable room, I met one of the owners of the high-rise - Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, in combination with His Highness Crown Prince Sharjah.He liked the idea of the German clinic, and on October 1, 2004 we started our activity. cooperation has grown into true friendship ... "
Vinnie Skupin: “It sounds like a fairy tale, right? But it's not so simple. After a year and a half after the opening, we almost closed ...”
Christian Heidenreich: “After we invested about 250 thousand euros in the clinic and after 18 months had not earned a cent, I began to show the first signs of despair. Of course, there were mistakes on our part and unforeseen difficulties, obstacles ... Thanks to my wife, which supported me at that difficult moment, we decided to continue the work that was started, and only in 2008, 4 years after the opening, we finally achieved the first plus in the balance. In the first year of existence, we had only 180 patients. day - 7730 for three doctors. We work many, 6 days a week from 9 to 21, but the return is now completely different. In every sense. So we are not going to return to Germany. "
Vinnie Skupin: “I also don’t have plans for returning so far, and I probably won’t have much for a long time. Of course, I gladly come to my family every year for Christmas in Leipzig. But with even greater joy I go back to the airport after 10 days at home, because something is beginning to miss me. I felt cramped there. "
Christian Heidenreich: "Of course, you should not let yourself be blinded by local luxury and wealth. There are things in the Emirates that need improvement. For example, traffic, especially in Sharjah, and air polluted for this reason, or limited opportunities for acquiring healthy food. Germany in this "There are practically no equal plan. But despite this, we feel at home in the Emirates and are not going to leave the country in the coming years."
10,000 Germans living in the Emirates are mainly engaged in mechanical engineering, logistics, and heavy industry.
USA
Lee Eppard (39, Virginia), elementary school teacher.
“My wife and I moved to the UAE, or rather, to Al Ain, in 1999. We are both from a very small town in Virginia, where there are only 2000 inhabitants. Before that, I never traveled anywhere. My only departure from our village he was serving in the army, and then not only a new country, but also a new continent! The reason for such a radical step was the need to earn money. We both graduated from a university in the USA, started teaching at a local school, but we were unable to repay the loans taken studying at the university, this figure was huge for us Noah - tens and tens of thousands of dollars. Life in some states of America is far from cloudless and rich, as is commonly believed. We could not afford to buy a house, our own car was also a luxury for us. And in the late 90's, my wife got an offer to teach at Al Ain University, and without thinking twice, we moved to the Emirates, without going into details, I can say that over the next 5 years we paid for everything plus bought our own house in Virginia. Of course, 15 years ago, and even in Al Ain, the cost of living was very low, and the salaries of American specialists paid sky-high by our standards, and even without taxes.
And in 2006, inspired by financial success, we decided to return to our homeland. My wife improved her qualifications by getting a Master, and I taught at a local school. The infamous crisis of 2008-2009 destroyed all our plans. The budget for education was cut, there were no prospects for a further career. In addition, I suddenly began to feel somehow uncomfortable in my own country. After 7 years in the Middle East, I began to look at many things differently, including politics. I felt disappointed, perhaps ... In general, in 2009 we returned to the Emirates, but to Dubai, where my wife started working at Zayed University, and I was back to school. In financial terms, of course, now is not as free as on the first visit. We have children, and most of the money goes to them. And life in Dubai is getting more expensive every day. But we are not going to return to the States yet. Of course, there are things in my homeland that I miss, for example, the provincial calm of Virginia. But, on the other hand, here in the Emirates, I’m already used to the excellent local service - whether it's a gas station, a supermarket or hotels. Here we can afford to babysit the children for the whole day while we are at work. In the United States, you need to be almost a millionaire. "
Currently, about 19,000 Americans live in the UAE. The main sectors of activity are finance, energy, and engineering.
ITALY
The Bettolini family from Milan: Massimo (46) - leading engineer of a large Italian energy concern, Sabrina (43) - a housewife, three sons - Alessandro (15), Lorenzo (9) and Francesco (3).
"Working in the energy sector, we regularly travel to the" oil "countries. But the Emirates are unrivaled. The firm pays the contract for all travel expenses and takes care of all local bureaucracy, including visas, medical insurance, driver’s licenses, search and registration of housing, and etc. We arrive at the ready. The main expenses, such as accommodation and utilities, school fees and insurance are borne by the company, so that the salary is spent on food and entertainment. But most importantly, the salary in Italy, as well as Photoemission contributions and experience are retained. It is clear that for such privileges have to work hard. Working days 12 hours and often seven days a week, permanent missions to the region, competition and intrigue wanting to get on the "warm" spot.
As you know, the economic situation in Italy is currently not the best: low salaries, unemployment, especially among young people, general dissatisfaction with the government (whoever is at the head) - more and more Italians are leaving Bella Italia in search of work. Although we are by nature very attached to our “boot” and to our family. After all, we Italians are the largest "mammoni" in the world, i.e. "Mommy's children." Going abroad, we first instinctively begin to look for compatriots and the nearest Italian restaurant. Many of us, moving to another country, fill our bags not with clothes, but with our favorite pasta, cheese and wine. And for most of us, moving abroad is temporary. Nobody sells their homes and apartments in Italy. The purpose of the move is to earn, save money, put the children on their feet and return home. Although many people fail to save here. "Dolce vita in Dubai is expensive, and we love this business!"
About 9,000 Italian citizens live in the UAE. Main sectors of activity: food industry and gastronomy, fashion and lifestyle, engineering.
KAZAKHSTAN
Turguna Masenova (33, Almaty), director and co-owner of the real estate agency GetReal Estate.
“In the infamous year 2008, when the crisis hit Kazakhstan, I had to close my own, initially quite successful business in Almaty. The real estate market stopped, and no one knew what would happen next. I had business relations with the Emirates before that Therefore, when a friend of mine invited me to work at my agency in Dubai, I agreed. It's no secret that in the golden pre-crisis years, everyone in the real estate sector earned a lot of money for a very short time. I also hoped for it. Plans were quite simple: 6-7 months dawned in Dubai, a couple of super deals to pay debts in Kazakhstan, and then home. But only then the crisis got to this “real estate paradise.” My first months in Dubai became a real battle for survival. The dream of easy money evaporated, and the hard one started I saved on everything from living in a small apartment in Sharjah, which I shared with my friends, to the cheapest car rental, which was more in traffic jams between Dubai and Sharjah than it went ...
There were moments of despair, but there was no question of returning to Kazakhstan empty-handed. On the contrary, there was some kind of drive, a great desire to succeed, despite the difficulties. And after a year, thanks not only to hard work almost seven days a week, but also to ingenuity and innovative thinking in doing business, I decide to take a big step and open my own agency. Remembering today that very difficult period, I am aware that I would never have decided on some "adventures" now. How, for example, to travel throughout the year on tourist rights, and this is from Sharjah to Dubai and vice versa, and daily. Or, write almost by hand the announcement of the sale of apartments and personally distribute them door-to-door throughout Dubai Marina. But then there was no other way, and money too ...
Currently, after five years, I and my English partner, with whom we started our business from scratch, have 15 employees. Business is in full swing, the crisis has passed. And they, in turn, are spoiled by the number of investors interested in purchasing property in Dubai. Teaching our young employees, I tirelessly repeat that any client is important. During the crisis years, even the smallest buyer was worth its weight in gold. Dubai is a place where often you simply don’t know who the next moment will be at your doorstep. It could be some sheikh or a supermagnet dressed in shorts and flip flops, just because, returning from the beach, they decided to drop in at your agency and buy a couple of penthouses.
Now I don’t think about returning to my homeland in Kazakhstan. And for young people who decided to come to Dubai in search of good luck and earn money, I would like to advise them to be patient and persistent. Dubai is not Klondike, as many believe. This city is very expensive, you need to pay a lot and at every step. And there are a lot of temptations. Yes, and high-level specialists who came from all over the world to earn money are enough. It must be taken into account that here a European or American diploma is quoted much higher than a Kazakhstani one, and the level of salary is determined accordingly. But specialists with experience in the local market are even more appreciated. So, having held your own ambitions at first, gain experience and try to develop your business somehow original, not like everyone else. And then great prospects will open before you. "
About 10,000 Kazakhstanis currently live in the UAE, primarily engaged in private business.
RUSSIA
Katerina Zhdanova (Yekaterinburg), co-owner of the Maybury chain of supermarkets and cafes.
“Children are our future, and this future must be ensured. It is because of our daughters, and we have three of them (9, 7 and 3), my husband and I decided to move to Dubai. Safety, a good climate, excellent international education level - there is no better place for a family in combination with earning opportunities. We thought about Europe, but, as you know, it’s pretty close in terms of business, and taxes don’t allow you to turn around. And here, with the initial capital, a good business idea and a healthy desire to work normally and earn money can be achieved more shih success. The local market is evolving and expanding, so the possibilities and prospects are.
We didn’t come at random. We knew Dubai well enough, exploring the local domestic and business aspects during the many vacations spent here. Of course, there were initial difficulties, but of a purely everyday nature and more related to children, such as the search for an “adequate” school or a good pediatrician ... It is difficult to call it even “difficulties” - normal adaptation to life in a new country. In general, it’s hard for me to find any disadvantages of living in Dubai. Our social circle is very international - this is also a big plus for living in such a multicultural metropolis as Dubai. We do not "bunch" only with compatriots, as many do. In this regard, we are trying to expand the horizon, both ours and our children.
Dubai, as you know, is a luxurious city with a lot of temptations.And, to be honest, we succumb to these temptations. We enjoy spending free time at the SPA in Al Barari, where we live, or having lunch at our favorite restaurants, Petit Maison, Ronda Locatelli and Hakassan. Clubs? No, this is not for us ... We spend more time at home with our family or travel with pleasure, but more in the good old Europe or fly to the Maldives - it’s good that it’s not far. The great advantage of Dubai is that it is connected by direct flights to almost any country, and we try to use this advantage to discover the world. The only thing that I personally sometimes miss here is our Russian landscapes, changing seasons and unique colors of my native nature. After all, in the desert, no matter how many gardens and oases you plant, and sand - he will get everywhere. Well, it's like driving to the North Pole and complaining about the snow ... "
About 25,000 Russian citizens currently live in the United Arab Emirates (according to official figures). The main activities are services, energy, real estate sector and private business.
