Living in the UAE as an Expat: A Worthwhile Experience?

Living in the UAE as an Expat: A Worthwhile Experience? | Cuty Rose

Hey there! Welcome to my little corner of the web. I'm your working Mom, and I'm excited to share a glimpse into my life with you.

The question of whether it is worth it to live in the UAE as an expat is one that I am frequently asked by colleagues, friends, and family back in the Philippines. I worked as a Business and Client Assistant at Cebuana for three years and thoroughly enjoyed my tenure at the company, given its excellent working environment and the amazing support of my colleagues, who became like family to me. Nonetheless, for personal and professional reasons, I chose to move and immerse myself in a new world.

In 2014, I arrived in Abu Dhabi, UAE on a visit visa, which was sponsored by my Aunt. I am immensely grateful to her for making it possible for me to be where I am today. Sadly, my Aunt passed away this year, and I never had the opportunity to repay her. I can only hope that she knew just how thankful I was for her generosity.

The task of finding a job during that period was not an easy one. I only had a limited amount of time, three months in total, to secure a job that would grant me an employment visa. My days were filled with visiting offices and handing out my CV, in hopes of landing a vacancy. At night, I turned to various job portals such as Indeed.com and NaukriGulf.com and pathologically sent out my CV to potential employers. With my prior experience as both a cashier and money remittance officer, I had hoped to acquire a job within an exchange company.

However, fate had other plans, and I was offered a role in outdoor sales, which was not my preferred area of expertise. Yet, given that my visa was to expire in two days, I accepted the offer, submitted my documents, and prayed for the best.

The following day, I received a phone call from a remittance company, inviting me for an interview. My prayers were finally answered; I had landed the job of my dreams on the day of my visa expiration. My excitement was insurmountable. However, I had to backtrack and decline the outdoor sales position to take up the new role. My cousin graciously lent me the required funds to exit Abu Dhabi and enter Kish, allowing my employer to process my employment visa.

I have found working in my ideal job to be tremendously motivating, as I approach each day with a sense of happiness and gratitude. The salary offer from this job was significantly higher than the previous one, and for that, I feel immensely blessed to have secured a position in this company. I am more convinced than ever that my faith is what has guided me along the way, and I remain ever-grateful to a benevolent God who has consistently helped me achieve my goals.

Furthermore, I can proudly testify that my four-year stint at this company has been fulfilling, and I have honoured the promises I made to my mother.

I must say that working in the UAE has been a vast improvement compared to my former experience, commuting by bus and jeepney every day for over two hours just to arrive at work. Here, in the UAE, my workplace is conveniently located right beside my building, and I cherish the work-life balance that comes along with it. I am proud to work alongside great colleagues and a truly supportive management team who actively encourage me to achieve my professional goals.

Despite the four years of fulfilling work, I eventually decided to resign and take a break. I returned to the Philippines with a newfound appreciation for the time spent working in the UAE. However, the instability of the Philippine economy and urgent financial obligations forced me to reevaluate my situation, and I was compelled to resume working again. It only took a month for me to realize that, without sufficient savings or a small business to generate income, it was hard to survive in the Philippines.

Therefore, upon my return to the UAE, I was fortunate enough to secure another job that I had my sights on even before my departure from the country. I have been working there for the past five years, and I remain content and fulfilled in my role to this day.

Hence, I firmly believe that being an expat in the UAE has been very rewarding and worthwhile. My journey here has enabled me to achieve all my dreams and presented numerous opportunities to me along the way, which I obtained by consistently working hard and remaining positive. As I move forward, I recognize that having a clear focus on my goals has been the key to my success, further reaffirming just how amazing the UAE is for those committed to making their dreams a reality.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!

- Cuty Rose