RE: Working in Dubai

Emilee — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 20:24:13 GMT

Hi,

I worked as VN out in Dubai for a while, i only recently moved back to the Uk so if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

RE: Working in Dubai

Katie Anakin — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 17:11:56 GMT

Hello,

I have a vet friend that is working in a hospital in Dubai. She says it is amazing working over there, and I'll be honest the photos she posts are amazing.

My friend sets up and runs CPD type things for her hospital. She mentioned having to use sugar bandages on a wound as they didn't have any of the specific creams or bandages you can get here...

In terms of lifestyle and stuff though. Awesome. :)

RE: Working in Dubai

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 16:59:42 GMT

I've worked in the Middle East - grew up there, in fact. It's very much a different kettle of fish compared to the EU!

Dubai is one of the most liberal of the Emirates, but it's important to remember that liberal is relative. The emirate is very pro-business and pro-west, with a lot of 'let's make a deal' ethos. If you're looking to work for a clinic out there that hires western staff, it means they tend to cater for a majority expatriate clientele - but you will still have a large number of local clients. (Citizens of the emirate.) Work wise the vet will likely do the majority of consults and unless there's a specific focus on VN consulting, your work will likely be exclusively back of house.

This is not due to anything against vet nursing; it's mainly that the big push is getting the people in the vet clinic full stop.

Many of the common veterinary medications are available in the Emirates - the veterinary licenses are there and the bread-and-butter antibiotics, antiinflammatories, day to day stuff should be reasonably easy to get hold of. The vet licensed meds issue doesn't rear up as much over there - human medications are frequently used in veterinary medicine, because some of the rarer meds are not imported. (due to lack of demand, mainly.)

Effective, high quality medicine is definitely practiced in Dubai. It may not be the latest and newest product on the shelf in a London referral clinic but it won't be 1890s vet medicine by any stretch of the imagination.

In terms of living there, it is a more conservative society, but not impossibly so. You know those stories of people getting arrested for public drunkenness and 'romance' on the breach? You probably don't want to do that. But then again, you probably don't want to do that here in the UK, either.

Licensed restaurants are available to drink, if you fancy a tipple - don't drive under the influence. (Again, hopefully not a big ask.)

Drug smuggling? Don't do it.

Women can drive in Dubai, no problems there. The drivers there are certifiable lunatics (expats and local citizens alike) and it's nothing personal if they cut you up, speed, hang out their windows with flags (footy fanatics), and generally drive like they ignore the laws of physics. They do it to everyone, male and female.

As any city, there are probably areas where you don't go after dark. Crime does exist, and if you do go exploring, the first few times you do it, go with friends who know the area, or who can recommend good places to go.

The desert is beautiful, and if you fancy dunes and hills things like that, the Middle East is lovely. When camping, watch out for snakes, rock scorpions, spiders, biting flies, and a few other odds and ends.

Learn to SCUBA dive. Some lovely aquatic life out there, and you can find some lovely boat excursions out there.

Dubai is one of the most expensive Emirates, though - the cost of living is very high if you do a lot of restauranting and entertaining. Foodstuffs and general living is cheaper than UK, but it's well worth to check with potential employers about that - my numbers on cost of living date back a few years and are no longer up to date.

Finally, know your legal rights. The Emirates have a labor law ( http://uaelaborlaw.com/ ) and brief outline is available on the website i've linked to. A basic salary may include a housing allowance, but they are not required to give you a housing allowance or transportation allowance. If they offer, it's a nice bonus, if they don't, it's worth an ask.

Coming to the animal welfare side of things, the people who bring their pets to a vet are generally very pro-animal welfare. Euthanasia is very tricky; many Muslims consider it forbidden by their religion, so great sensitivity must be displayed. Few will consent to outright euthanasia. Experienced team members can talk about how this can be managed; many websites exist that discuss the religious background to animal welfare and some owners can come to understand that what you are proposing is in fact religiously acceptable.

Short version: it's a very different world but one well worth seeing! Definitely has challenges but if it's a good job then certainly worth some time out there.

Cheers,
Mark

(is there a particular clinic you're interested in?)

RE: Working in Dubai

enigmaticat-uk — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:11:09 GMT

I don't have personal experience but my understanding is:

Pros - tax-free decent salary, hot weather, up-market lifestyle eg restaurants/shopping (if you are into that sort of thing), good location as a travel base to explore middle east & experience different cultures.

cons - cultural attitudes to animals are often different, language barrier (although most speak good english), expensive accommodation, use caution to dress & behave appropriately, terrible driving - get a sturdy car/4x4! Excessively hot weather (but a/c usually everywhere).