Posted on: 22-09-04 22:17:39
With so many ex-Dubaiites among us I thot of sharing some of my comparisions of life in Canada and Dubai/ Middle East as I saw it 10 yrs back.
Middle East :
Business / Job:
-Unusually well paying taxfree jobs, good opportunity to save some quick bucks.
-Large MNCs perform pretty professionally , still some local nepotism kicks in .
-Uncertainity of whats going to happen nxt yr till the Labour card is renewed.
-Career planning does not go beyond next 2-3 years.
-Keep working for ever and you can never call it your own country.
-If you have a "watani" or "local" working with you , and you try to outperform him...hehe goodluck !!
- Cant do any business without sharing your hard earned profits with a local sponsor.
- Lopsided and almost non-existant labour laws.
Life :
- Very Shallow freedom level. You have a ll the freedom to shop around and quitely work with your mouth shut. Or till a "shurta" stops you and you realize you forgot your labour card at home ....Pray to God then.
- Not all but a sizable chunk of Desi workers face Open exploitation of by large corporations....no one can dare to complain. Many dont get paid in months.
- Anywhere outside you go, a heavy overbearing feeling stays with you that - this is not your country - so watch what you say - watch what you do .
Canada :
Job:
payscales are nowhere as compared to Dubai. Heavy taxation
Tough jobmarket.
Comparitively strong social, health and welfare system
Fair and just practices are encouraged. Not all is perfect but still strong checks and balances r in place.
No one cares wether you are a local or an immigrant , if you are good you will go up eventually.
Plan your next 15/20 yrs in career and work towrds it .
Even without a good paying job one can buy a place and call it you own home and pay for it over the years.
start any busineess you like , govt will even help you start it .
Govt will help you retrain andupgrade your skills....it maynot get you a job but still you can study to upgrade on Govt loans.
Life:
- The most satisfying lifestyle one can enjoy anywhere in the world
-Do what you want , say what you want ...ofcourse within legal limits.
-in three yrs you are a canadian.
-Go where you want , live where you want ,local festivals , and community involvement is tremendous.
-the list can go on on how wonderful canadian life is but for me one thing sums it all
the value of the feeling of freedom and belongingness in this place is "Priceless".
If i have to chose between Canadian life without a good job or Middle Eastern ife with a fat salary ----I'd take Canadian life in a heartbeat.
Do you guys think the same way ?
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What can be imagined, can be achieved.
Mishtar India
You dont need to be quiet all the times. Middle East demand diplomacy which is a cultural thing . It is possible to speak your mind, however there are ways to do same. Example -Same like you disagree with you BOSS and you want to explain him that he is wrong without hurting his EGO.
Indians have this fear of being thrown out, if they disagree. You seldom realize that guys on the street are not big cops.. They often only tend to bully you. You need to have a straight face, look up in his eye and speak to him , if you are not wrong.
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B+ is not just a blood group!
MI
I have a couple of additions to make to your comparison from the perspective of someone who has been in the region recently:
Today, I have gated security, an indoor swimming pool, gym facilities, a pool / billiards room, covered parking etc (things that are pretty common in condo complexes here) – I’d have to pay a fortune for that in Dubai.
In a large part of Dubai, chances are I would have to share the access to my apartment building with prostitutes doing the catwalk after 8 pm every evening. Not a very nice thought when my parents-in-law come visiting. Does not happen to me here in Canada.
Once a year, I would have to come out from a meeting, all formally dressed in my suit and tie, to line up with laborers from “my desh” to have a blood sample taken for my work permit formalities. These tests are conducted at public health centres, its common for people to have to line up outside in the hot desert temperatures and be herded around like animals. Once over there, there is no distinction between professional and peon, manager and laborer – “Yalla Ro Hindi”. Does not happen to me here in Canada.
In the Middle East, I would be forced to pay lip-service to their employment nationalization programs. I would have to train their nationals so that they would replace me in a couple of years!……..and I had to appear to feel happy about it, and talk to my senior management about the remarkable progress that they were making. I don’t do that here.
In the Emirates and in Saudi, nationals who return from an education in the west, almost automatically enter mid-level management positions. I would be forced to share my position with a johnny-come-lately, who had the same western qualification that I did, even though he had far fewer years of experience. Does not happen to me here in Canada.
Most of the ‘Al’ (local) companies are run by an arbitrary management. If the Arab sponsor does not like your face in the morning, chances are you are out. In theory you have rights, in practice, you have no redress. I was spared that during my days, but I know many people who were not.
Many Indian expats from the Middle East feel bitterly about Canada. This is because a lot of them rose to higher positions over time (very often in excess of 10-15 years), even though many did not necessarily have professional qualifications to back up their Indian university graduation.
Some 'sucked up' to their Arab sponsors and 'bosses' pampering their egos to get their raises.
Today, their experience, especially when its with an Al company is not transferable to Canada, since employers seldom recognize that. However, chances are, the same would be true of India as well – where these people would get second preference in their own home countries.
Some people may be motivated to like their lives in the Middle East. Thinking about all the points quoted above, I sure love mine here in Canada.
Thanks for giving a comparision of life in Canada vs ME. It seems to be that all three members who posted in this thread prefer canada in the end. I wonder if one's pay or labour certification requirement changes if you r a canadian or american national. Also, is job security a problem even in multinational or banks in ME.
The drawback, i see in Canada that there is hardly any savings. Though i have enver worked in ME but people who moved from Me to canada have big chunks of savings.
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Windsorguy
Life: Love it or Change it!!
Quote:
Orginally posted by windsorguy282003
Thanks for giving a comparision of life in Canada vs ME. It seems to be that all three members who posted in this thread prefer canada in the end. I wonder if one's pay or labour certification requirement changes if you r a canadian or american national. Also, is job security a problem even in multinational or banks in ME.
The drawback, i see in Canada that there is hardly any savings. Though i have enver worked in ME but people who moved from Me to canada have big chunks of savings.
For the most part, the big chunks of savings come from living very frugally.
Its not as if everyone earns 150k US over there, those jobs are rare and much sought after. People from the sub-continent, with an Indian qualification, end up being treated like cattle.
As a professional with a western qualification, I can tell you that if you carry your Indian passport while being hired from here, you will not benefit too much. If however, you already have your Canadian passport, you could leverage that in combination with your Canadian experience to your advantage.
Life’s best for people with intra-company transfers into the Middle East though. For example if you were employed by Shell here in Canada and then get a transfer to one of their operating companies in the Middle East, the facilities, salary (Canadian standards), allowances, etc would be terrific.
Also if you are considering a position in the Middle East on the basis of your income being ‘tax-free’ I hope you have thought about your ‘world income’ being taxable as a Canadian citizen / PR. It is possible to get away from that, but you would have to do some gymnastics (severing your connections, closing bank accounts, etc).
It amazes me how well some people put their thoughts in paper. as an Ex. Dubaitee Mr. India you are simply right. I wonder why majority of Indians don't see that way though, is it the slavery of 200 years ?
U earn better money than Canada on average in the ME .
U save more here as compared 2 canada .
Ur lifestyle (vastly debated n another thread) is as comfortable . I aint sure of UAE but here in CAD 1200/- u can get furnished apartment sans the secure parking though as in a condo complex.
Ur work is more professional and technical perse ur qualifications unlike major Canadian Immigrants .Job satisfaction is higher .
World income rules dont apply if u r serving in another country & respecting their tax laws for eg if a Canadian resident is serving in Europe he doesnt pay double taxes . However u may have 2 close ur bank accounts .
U r close 2 India and get a 30 day paid annual leave plus the Air Ticket .Now thats invaluable isnt it ??
Culturally ur close 2 back home & u dont feel like an alien with 40% Indians around.
Yes u pay 4 all this with ur "tight lip service and no mess" practise . Insecurity of future also looms large .
How about a middle mantra .Spend couple of years in the ME , make ur lifetime savings & then shift 2 Canada eventually & completely . However when 1 shd do this is a subjective question .
Manasvi .
