Surviving Dubai

Dynamic life

Dubai is a dynamic place, with a young, international and professional crowd. Building professionals, architects, designers and planners come here from all over the word – from the Far East, the rest of the Middle East and Europe – making it a very dynamic environment. You can be more creative here and work on larger projects than anywhere else. It’s also excellent for networking.

Never ending boom

I conduct daily research here and know that there is enough work for the next 20 to 30 years. Everyone expected the construction industry to have a seven-year boom, but they underestimated the momentum. We are now talking of a 15-year boom in Dubai and a 20 to 30-year boom in the rest of the UAE region.

Soaring living costs

Prices have risen sharply. Only a few months ago there was a 15% increase in rents. Another problem is schooling. Until recently, non-nationals were not allowed to attend state schools and had to send their children to extremely expensive French, German or English schools. Also the government is very clever with hidden taxes for businesses – it charges a lot for water and electricity.

Unique driving styles

The downside of being so internationally diverse is that everyone has their own unique driving habits

Traffic is horrendous and the downside of being so internationally diverse is that everyone has their own unique driving habits. Nowhere on earth will you find a city that was built from nothing in the middle of the desert in such a short time. Therefore Dubai is forever being confronted with highway issues, with bridge issues, and the authorities learn and overcome them as they go along. Also it can be like living in a never-ending construction site.

Where to live

Only recently the government introduced long-term freehold for ex-pats wishing to purchase properties. This is great as before the only option was renting. In 2004 there was only a single apartment building here that was open for non-nationals to buy. It was used as a testing ground to see what the locals thought of it. Now we are seeing it extend throughout Dubai and the rest of the region. These are amazing houses in beautiful luxury complexes and Dubai has set a benchmark for the rest of the UAE.

Keeping in touch

This is my third summer in Dubai. Before moving here I used to work outside Berlin where life was very different. The only way to survive in Dubai is to come back home at least twice a year, once in the heat of August and once for Christmas.

Mitch Lee is business development manager at International Contracts Consultancy

For more background on living and working in Dubai, go to qsnews4jobs.co.uk