Finding professional work in UAE as a British Muslim female

Hi Rabia

I don't mean to sound negative but your salary expectation is way too high. Please bear in mind that while there are senior management positions here and Westerners do get them, they market is completely saturated by Asian workers who have the same qualifications or experience and who would work for a quarter of what you are expecting. As your experience is in finance and call centers, you would be up against predominantly Indian or Pakistani born candidates and as is the normal way in Dubai, certain industries have certain nationalities attached to them (not saying I agree with this, that's just how it is). For example, customer service is predominantly Filipino, finance is Indian Sub-continent etc.

You are also under the age of 30 and have no previous UAE experience so I think it is highly unlikely that you could secure the position that you need. You may be able to secure a mid-management position and work your way up, but its rare for newcomers to go straight into higher management with the allowances you are requesting, Allowances such as school fees are normally given to male candidates (again, don't agree with this but seems to be the norm) and this may be difficult to secure.

Regarding being a Muslim - if you did find a position that would not be an issue and there are no social constraints here on that point.

I hope this helps - again, not trying to be negative but as someone who has worked in HR and seen the "rose tinted glasses" that many people come here with, I thought it appropriate to inform you of some of the realities.