HOW TO GET A JOB IN DUBAI

Ms Doris Muronga was working in Kenya before she lost her job. And since she could not secure another employment, she ventured into entrepreneurship that also did not pan out as planned.

“Sometimes, Kenya can be very hard to get a job if you are not connected. So I decided to go to Dubai, where I did not know anyone,” Ms Muronga who holds a Bachelor of Commerce (finance option) says.

“Literally, I just asked someone how I can book a visa for Dubai and then someone who was in Kenya but previously in Dubai told me how. I booked my visa and then my ticket and I went to Dubai without knowing anyone. Within two months, I got a job,” Ms Muronga who is in her 30’s says.

When she arrived in Dubai, she worked in the hotel industry as a waitress at the JW Marriott despite having not majored in the realm.

Within 11-months she quit and started working in the corporate world where she did marketing in other countries.

Her advice is that as long as you have a skill and are willing to work, Dubai offers numerous opportuni – ties. “It is easier to get a job in Dubai than in Kenya,” she says. However, she says Covid has made job opportunities in the Gulf nation scarce.

“There many opportunities especially in the hotel industry because Dubai is a tourist attraction. So definitely you will get more jobs in the hotel industry and they pay way better than Kenya. For example, a waitress in Dubai gets Sh70,000 (2,000 dirhams per month) with accommodation, transport and food.

In Dubai, there is no income tax.” However, it also comes with its own challenges such as being away from your own family, competition and high cost of living.

To help others, Ms Muronga started a Youtube channel (Doris Muronga) in 2019 that offers Kenyan tips on the job, business, and personal life in Dubai.

“I started using Youtube to learn how to use LinkedIn because all my jobs I got from LinkedIn. So I started researching for staff on Youtube and I realised that I have learned a lot over the time and I just wanted to help people,” says Muronga.

She says the response from the channel has been overwhelming across the continent as she receives feedback from anonymous people how her channel has helped them get jobs.

Ms Muronga adds that there are many strategies for looking for a job in Dubai from Kenya such as the use of agency, LinkedIn, coming to Dubai on a three months visa, and Gulf Talent, a job browsing site.

By Nation Africa