With the high number of construction projects, restaurants, hotels and shops in Dubai it is only natural that there are also a lot of staff members. Workers in service jobs in Dubai are largely from other countries such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Syria and other places in Eastern Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, there is a big class divide in Dubai (maybe other places in the UAE but I’ve not visited yet!) which means that generally, those that occupy these jobs will have a much lower pay than expats from the west that are working in offices in large companies for example. Although for most people it is pretty much unthinkable to move abroad from the UK for a wage as little as £200 a month, the reason people move to Dubai is because they are still earning more than they would at home. An interesting story I read was of a woman from the Philippines who earned a small amount each month after getting into debt, but saved for a number of years and bought a house back at home after years of seriously impressive budgeting.

One thing that is noticeable about people working these jobs is that on the whole, they seem to be so much friendlier than their counterparts in the UK. I’d also like to point out to anyone in the UK that I don’t think everyone at home is unfriendly! I think part of the reason for this is that in the UK, depending on where you are, a lot of service staff are largely made up of part time workers and students who see it as a temporary job before moving on elsewhere.

Everywhere we go here, we are always greeted with “Hello mam” or “Hello sir”, or if we are both together it is usually “Hello mam sir!”. Restaurant and shop staff have always been friendly and if ever there is something not quite right with the food or order for example, they are always happy to help. Obviously it is also in their best interest for us to spend money at the said restaurant or shop so you would expect them to be friendly.  I’m sure it is true that not everybody here is so friendly, but I’m yet to encounter any particularly rude waiters or shop staff that have put me off revisiting any places. I have heard of instances where people may be turned away from nightclubs etc because the bouncers don’t like the look of you, but keeping this mainly to restaurants and shops for now I have not had any issues. When I do, I’m sure there will be another post!