One of the hottest spots that draw people is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I had to chat with one of ours over there and he shared his experience with me and how the journey has been for him.
Hadassah: Hello Richard, thank you for doing this.
Why The UAE?
Richard: I decided on UAE because I think back then it was still quite easier to come here as an expatriate to get a job and also it was still budget friendly as compared to going or paying for a master’s degree. So the idea was to come here to work, save up money for my master’s degree and move out once the goal has been achieved, so that’s why I picked the UAE.
Hadassah: What Has The Experience Been Like?
Richard: Well, it has been a bittersweet experience. There are challenges as much as there are opportunities. I’ll say a bittersweet experience is the best way to put it.
Hadassah: What Are Some of The Opportunities That Opened Up For You?
Richard: After I did my certification, I did a Human Resources course that’s when I got a job as an HR administrator, then I also got another offer from a semi-government company that is into shipping as an assistant HR manager. And then there’s only networking. open for an office administrator. But they were looking for a full-time person. I was not ready to do full-time, so they’re pretty much open opportunities or available opportunities that have. Okay,
Hadassah: What Are Some Of The Challenges?
Richard: One of the challenges right now would be getting work. Because of the Nigerian issue here in the UAE. It would be to get work and also get a visa, which is still related to work.
Hadassah: Work how? What Do You Do Over There And How Easy Was It For You To Get A Job?
Richard: Work in the sense that it’s a very competitive place and you know it’s filled with migrants so the job space is actually competitive. I am an HR administrator here.
I got in here in 2021. I got this HR administrative job last year in June because before you get a job, you have to get your own resident visa so between when I came in and when I got a job I was getting my visa.
Hadassah: How Easy Was It For You To Get Your Resident Visa?
Richard: Asides from putting the money together, I would say there was no glitch in the process. If everything goes well, you check out fine and all the documentations are in place it’s a very smooth process to get it.
Hadassah: What Was The Process Of Getting Your Resident Visa?
Richard: For the process of getting it, now it has changed though because of the new types of visas that they have introduced but back then I was on a visit visa, So to change from a visit visa to a resident visa you would need your passport and pay.
It is basically through agents so I didn’t really have a first-hand experience of doing it, so I did it through an agent, but I think what happened was that you have to first change from your visit to a resident on paper and then from that, you would need to do your medicals. I think that’s basically it. You just have to check out, with police clearance and all. But now the whole process is different from when I did mine.
Hadassah: How Much Did You Pay Back Then?
Richard: A million plus. I don’t know the amount now though.
Hadassah: What Have Been Your Favorite Parts Of The UAE?
Richard: My favourite parts of the UAE would say Jumaira, I’ve lived in Dubai Investment Park and also Dubai Marina. So I would say, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, Dubai Investment Park and Jumaira.
Hadassah: Let’s Talk About Food, Tell Me About Your Favorite Meals
Richard: That would be chicken Khotu. I am also a fan of chicken Palau and chicken fried noodles.
Hadassah: Can You Make Them?
Richard: Nope
Hadassah: Do You Buy Nigerian Groceries?
Richard: Yes
Hadassah: How Do You Shop For Groceries?
Richard: There are African grocery shops
Hadassah: Which Ones Do You Normally Buy?
Richard: Egusi, red pepper and beans.
Hadassah: How Expensive Are They?
Richard: They are not expensive. It is all a fair price.
Hadassah: That’s nice
What About The Social And Night Life
Richard: It is quite eventful but I am an introvert. I barely go out.
Hadassah: What Are Five Things You Wish Anyone Coming To The UAE Would Know?
Richard:
- Don’t trust half of the people parading themselves as agents. They’re out for your money.
There are a lot of people that call themselves agents here. They’ll tell you that they will do your visa for you, they’ll get a job for you, get housing for you but in the end, they are just out to get your money and in the end, you won’t see any of those things.
You might just arrive in Dubai and notice that nobody comes to pick you up from the airport, so you should be careful with who does your visa or promises you different things In Dubai and now that the system has even changed, if you are coming for a visit, your purpose would be to visit. They have different categories of visas now. They have job-seeking visas, there are visit visas and so on.
2. Get all your documentation right.
Now, if you want to work, you need to attest your documents, your certificates and all the other stuff.
3. Be ready to work and put in long hours.
Be ready to put in long hours of work. There are 9 to 5 jobs here but then on average, you spend about 11 to 12 hours on your job. Most jobs here require you to spend.11 to 12 hours.
4. Be ready to face rejection because you’re a “Nigerian”
You should be ready to face rejection because of the tag of “Nigerian” I don’t know if you have seen in the news how because you are a Nigerian somethings are happening somethings are not happening, I don’t want to go into details because I really don’t want to say much about the country here since it’s my host country but then you have that tag of Nigerian, everybody wants to run from you and this is mainly because most have experienced one or two Nigerians that are troublesome. So they fear Nigerians. They generalise everything because of the attitude of one person.
5. Slow and steady, with the grace of God, you’ll definitely win
Slow and steady, everyone leaves their countries to come for greener pastures but it is not going to happen overnight. You need to be patient and take the right route and everything will come to fruition.
Hadassah: Would You Move Back To Nigeria?
Richard: No, I don’t plan to. Only for visits.
Hadassah: What Has Been Your Favourite Part Of The Whole UAE Experience And Moving Out Of Nigeria?
Richard: My favourite part of the whole UAE experience would be that It’s like a leveller for everybody. The rich, the middle class, and the poor. UAE is just like a level ground. You might see someone walking on the road, but you don’t know that this person is probably one of the richest people in the world. That’s one of my favourite experiences.
You can get to meet anyone and there is no sense of… even if there would be but so far I have not seen… there is no sense of way upper class. It’s like a leveller for everybody.
My experience of moving out of Nigeria was hitch-free and I’ve been able to access some of the opportunities I couldn’t access back home.
Hadassah: Thank you for your time.