How This Accountant Found a Job in Dubai Within 14 days and you can do it too

• Are you a qualified CA or semi-qualified accountant and thinking of moving to the UAE?
• In fact, in this article, Bharat Sharma, a part-qualified chartered accountant from India, provides an in-depth insight on how to find finance job opportunities in Dubai for accountants moving to the UAE.
• Presently, Bharat works in the accounts team of a well-known organization in Dubai and is pursuing a CPA (USA) degree.

My Journey: Moving from India to Dubai

Before I decided to move from India to Dubai, I was working as an assistant manager of accounts and finance in a corporate organization in Mumbai.

I was pursuing a Chartered Accountant degree, but after multiple attempts, I still did not clear my CA final exams.

To become a qualified Chartered Accountant from the ICAI, India, one must pass three levels of exams (CPT, IPCC, and CA Finals) as well as three years of articleship. I had cleared the first two levels, CPT and IPCC. I had also completed my three years of articleship at a chartered accounting firm in Mumbai. My only hurdle was clearing the CA final exams, and I just kept failing them after multiple attempts.

I am a hardworking and efficient person, but in this case, my hard work wasn’t paying off. I always got stuck and kept failing the exams by a few marks. That was when I decided to quit pursuing CA.

Do I regret quitting CA? No. I had had enough of it and wanted to move on. Most of all, I was optimistic that even if I was not a fully qualified chartered accountant, I would succeed in life.

Aside from becoming a Chartered Accountant, there are numerous other paths to success in finance.

Now, I did not clear any group in CA Final (CA Final has 2 groups), so the motivation to complete my CA was no longer there. My advice to students in a similar situation is:

1. To try to clear your CA final exams—especially if you have cleared one group or have an exemption. Do not give up.
2. But if you try and it doesn’t work out for you, then shift your focus to some other things.

What’s Next After Quitting Chartered Accountancy?

Just like every other young person, I had always wanted to work for a good company. However, the fact that I did not have a chartered accounting degree was a great stumbling block for me.

While still in Mumbai (India), I applied to so many MNCs for a job, but I was not called for interviews just because I was not a “qualified” Chartered Accountant.

Each time I applied for a job at any of those reputable companies, they always gave me the same response: “You lack the requisite qualifications.”

I was not even given a chance to prove myself. It was heartbreaking because I was good at my job and I knew everything that a qualified chartered accountant should know. I had cleared two levels and also done three years of articleship.

That’s when I realised that I either had to get back to studying for the CA again or pursue another professional qualification, or maybe even pursue an MBA.

Going for an MBA seemed more probable, but on second thought, that meant investing two years of study. I had already invested so much of my time in pursuing CA and did not want to repeat the same mistake. I did not want to do a part-time MBA because I thought that it might not add much value.

Luckily, I met a friend who was pursuing a CPA (USA). I asked him about the job and monetary scope of this qualification, and he gave me a very positive review.

I went home and did my own research and realized that nowadays a lot of US companies in India are looking for CPAs from the AICPA.

CPA (USA) isn’t so advantageous in India. In fact, a qualified chartered accountant from the ICAI has more job opportunities in India than someone with a CPA . However, the CPA (US) does have global recognition.

So, considering that CPA US is more of a global qualification, I decided to pursue a CPA from the AICPA instead of an MBA.

Now, the only issue with CPA is that there are no centers in India to write the exams. A few Middle Eastern countries are the closest centers to India. I decided to pursue CPA and take the exams in the Dubai (UAE) center. I did not know that I would soon be applying for jobs in the UAE and researching the Indian CA salary in Dubai.

About CPA US Exams

Here are some facts you may need to know about the CPA:

• There are four papers in CPA—Audit, FAR, Tax, and BEC (i.e., Costing, FM, IT, and Economics)—and all four papers are compulsory. No exemption is available to either CA (ICAI) or CA Inter. I’m not sure about other professional bodies, though. So kindly check if your professional body has an Moue with the CPA (USA).
• I enrolled with Miles CPA in Mumbai, where I was guided through the whole process of CPA credits, classroom lectures, notes, etc.
• The Parametric tests for the CPA exams were earlier conducted only in a few selected countries (not in India). Even though the tests were online, they required the Indian candidates to take the exam from the U.S.
• However, there has been a steady increase in the number of Indian applicants in recent years. This compelled the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) to allow Indian candidates to take the CPA exams from the Middle East Parametric centers.
• Indian candidates can appear for the CPA exam in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

Finding a job in the UAE

When I was about to come to Dubai to write my CPA exams, I got in touch with a friend who’s a chartered accountant working in Dubai, UAE. He advised me against coming with a one-week visa and instead asked that I get a three-month visa. so that after writing my CPA exams, I could start looking for chartered accountant jobs in Dubai.

I was skeptical at first, but my friend insisted and kept assuring me that there were lots of finance jobs, even for semi-qualified CAs, in the UAE. After much consideration, I decided to give it a shot. He gave me stepwise instructions about the entire process, and I felt very positive about it.

The company I was working for in India was not ready to give me study leave to write my CPA exams, so I decided to quit my job and focus on my exams. Since I had no pressure from work, it was easy for me to decide to come on a 3-month visa and apply for CA jobs in the UAE.

So I decided to apply for a 3-month visa and look for a finance or accounting job opportunity in the UAE.

I never thought that I would have reasons to move to Dubai from India. My intention was to just come to Dubai to write my exams and go back home.

The intention of working out of India was never there, and now here I was, all ready to move to a new country on a three-month visa.

Some Important Things I Did Before Moving to Dubai from My Home Country

If you’re considering moving to Dubai from India or any other part of the world, you may have the mindset that you’ll figure it out when you get there. While this may be a positive way of thinking, you “should” have a few things figured out before moving to the UAE.

You could have an amazing life in Dubai in a short time if you know what to do and how you’ll be living here. This is what I did before moving to Dubai:

• Write a professional CV: A great resume should summaries and highlight your strengths, skills, and experiences in a way that grabs the attention of the recruiter. Therefore, invest a lot of time crafting a proper CV.
• Please bring all of my certificates.
• Sign up for various job sites and upload my resume to various job portals.
• Book an Airbnb space to stay for a few days in Dubai (which I could later change for a bed space on Dubizzle).
• Share my updated CV on all job portals in the UAE.
• I did exactly the same and came to Dubai on August 18, 2018, on a 3-month visit visa.

After writing my CPA exams (I wrote 2 papers out of 4), I started looking for a job as recommended by my friend. I was looking out for CA fresher jobs in UAE because I felt I had gained a little more experience to give me an edge even as a Part/Semi qualified accountant.

If you’re a semi-qualified accountant with at least 5 years of experience in finance or accounting (including writing), you’d stand a good chance of getting well-paying jobs in the UAE.

Semi-qualified CAs are also highly valued here. Why? Most companies in Dubai value your experience and your learning as an employee. So if you have good knowledge and can help the organization, you will be selected.

If you are a part-time (semi-)qualified accountant with no plans to further your education, you can still earn and do well in the UAE.

However, it is important to remember that if you are a fully qualified accountant, you will obviously earn more money and be in higher demand. Of course, the qualified CA’s salary in Dubai is higher.

“What is the basic salary in Dubai for accountants?”

Usually, companies here pay way more than consulting firms or CA firms. But roughly, these are the salary ranges:

For a fresher, part-qualified CA with a minimum of 3–4 years of experience (this experience includes articleship), the salary could be a minimum of AED 5K plus benefits.

If you have done your articleship at a big CA firm, you can even expect AED 7–7.5K as a semi-qualified fresher.

There are many companies that even provide accommodation and food, so in this case, they will offer a salary of say, AED 3.5–4K only.

If you are a fully qualified CA, you can expect a minimum salary of AED 8K plus benefits, or even AED 10K if you are amazing in finance or accounting.

So it all depends on what you can bring to the table and how much value you can add to the company.

Your salary can nearly double if you have at least two years of UAE experience and are skilled in finance or accounting.

Usually, the employment visa is for 2–3 years.

“How to Find a Job Once in Dubai?”

I was lucky that I had a CA friend who meticulously guided me step by step—from getting my CV done correctly to getting interview calls coming in.

I followed all the instructions he gave me and found a job in the UAE within 14 days. Very quick, isn’t it?

There are the things he asked me to do:

1. Get a local SIM card and update details on all job sites.

• Firstly, get a local SIM card.
• Then update your local UAE number on all the job portals where you have uploaded your CV. From what I have observed, you will only get an interview call if you have a local number.
• When you send bulk emails to recruiters and online job portals, it takes at least one week for your CV to be circulated in the market.
• Personally, I would advise anyone to take the paid version of the Gulf salary. However, the registration process on this site can take up to 2-3 months at times. Note, however, that this site does give you a return on your investment. I did not register because I only learned about it later.

2. Email various recruiters

• My friend gave me a list of recruiters.
• I used this data to segregate and send emails to various recruiters.

3. Dress well and have confidence.

• In the UAE, the working conditions are a bit different from your home country.
• Your appearance and command of the English language are very important.
• Having a good command of English makes it easier to communicate with people of different nationalities (since the UAE is a multi-cultural country with more than 100 nationalities). But again, that is not the only factor for getting a job in the UAE.
• If you are at an executive level, please wear your formal blazer for the interview.

4. Do not over expect on the salary front.

• My friend told me not to expect too much on the salary front.
• Being a fresher who is a semi-qualified accountant, you will eventually get a good pay package, but you have to accept the fact that when you start off, it won’t be very fancy.
• But, as I earlier noted, the salary of a qualified accountant in Dubai is always higher than that of a semi-qualified one.

5. Accommodation

You can always find good accommodation on dubizzle or you can use Airing for initial days after which you may decide to change your residence later.

Summary of How I Spent Each Day in Dubai Till I Found a Job

On August 18, I arrived in Dubai. After writing my exams (2 CPA papers), I started considering the possibilities of securing accountant jobs in Dubai for newcomers, so I began looking for a job.

Below is the daily description of my job hunt:

Day 1: I was already armed with my CV. As I mentioned above, I had prepared my CV in India in a new and acceptable format for the Dubai market. My friend also approved it, so I felt it was ready for any CA job in the UAE.

The day I arrived in Dubai, I got a SIM card because I needed a local number.

I updated my local number on all the job portals where I had uploaded my CV.

After doing that, I started applying for various job opportunities in the UAE (not only in Dubai but other emirates as well)—as many CA fresher jobs in the UAE as I could find.

Day 2: My friend had shared with me a list of email IDs of various recruiters and other corporate organizations.

I had also drafted an introduction email for myself and started sending bulk emails after carefully scrutinizing the email IDs. Many of the emails bounced back, but what is more important is for you to circulate your CV in the job market.

I started to email all of them between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. .My intention was to ensure that my email would be on top of their other emails.

Day 3: Repeat the process of sending mass emails and applying to job boards.

Day 4: I realized that I was not receiving any views on the job portals, so I decided to tweak my CV as per the job description and apply accordingly.

I did this knowing that job portals have software that matches words and sentences (ATS) to the job description and gives a higher rating. For example, if you were applying for accountant jobs in Dubai for fresher’s, you might have to tweak your CV to match that particular job description. That will guarantee you a higher rating and get you more views on any of the job portals. That was a lot of work, but I had to do it. I would recommend you do the same. I would recommend you include certain words from the job description in your CV.

Day 5: I got my first call for an interview in IN Battuta (that didn’t go well). The job market in Dubai was in a slow phase, and I got my first jolt that my salary expectations were too high. I was sitting in an interview with 50 candidates with more UAE experience who were asking for a lower salary than I was.

I realized that if I had salary expectations that were too high, I would have fewer chances of succeeding in getting a job. There were also candidates from Pakistan, Nepal, etc., whose currencies were less valuable than the Indian rupee, and because of this, they could quote a lower salary.

Extra Tip: Be cautious of your expectations, as this is a major stumbling block for any fresher looking for work in the UAE.

As an example, for CA fresher jobs in the UAE, you should not set a high starting salary. Nevertheless, as you spend more time there and gain more experience at the job, your salary will eventually get better.

Day 6: It was the weekend, so I kept a check on my emails and updated my CV on various job portals.

Day 7: It was a weekend. I did the same thing as the day before.

Day 8: I had an interview with a CA firm, proving that there are available jobs in CA firms in the UAE.

Day 9: I interviewed with two companies.

Day 10: Second round with the two corporations, and I took a written BS/MIS test with one of them.

Day 11: Same application process while waiting for a positive response

Day 12: Continue with the application process while awaiting a positive response.

Day 13: Second round with CA firm partner—rejected

Day 14: I got a confirmation call and email of selection from one of the corporate organizations.

Another point I would like to make is that the applicant should do a thorough evaluation of the company he would like to join. You should know the sector you are applying to—consulting, the construction industry, pharmaceuticals, etc.

I personally wanted to avoid construction companies due to a slowdown in the UAE. But that is not always the case. If the company is reputable, you can consider it.

In Conclusion…

• Networking is key.
• CV: The CV should be professionally made. You either get your CV professionally made or do it yourself if you can make it up to professional standards. But do not use the Indian CV format because here, the competition is so severe that recruiters do not waste time on an unorganised CV. Therefore, you have to take care of the appearance. Your CV should speak about you.
• In the UAE, top corporations prefer candidates who have the following qualifications: chartered accountants, CPAs, and ACCAs. So, if you’re a CA and wondering about job opportunities for CAs in the UAE, they exist. Semi-qualified accountants are also in great demand. The best part about the UAE is that they have good respect for semi-qualified accountants. So do not hesitate to apply.
• For interviews, dress formally and be very confident.
• Get your educational certificates attested at the consulate. This will cost you an additional AED 500 if done in the UAE. If performed in India, the cost is INR 5,000.
• Hiring takes place throughout the year in the UAE, but the best months for hiring are from September to April. So plan your travel accordingly.
• Come on a 3-month visit visa. You need at least 15 days to 2 months to find a job in the UAE.
• I got a job in 14 days from the day I started searching for a job after my exams, so I can say I was lucky and well guided by my friend. Have someone guide you through the process.
• The average time period to get a job here is 15 days to 2 months, so please ensure you are financially covered since it is a super expensive country. In Dubai, the following cash is required for monthly expenses: food: 500; bed space: 700; transportation: 300; miscellaneous: 250, for a total of 1750 AED.
• Start uploading your CV to all job portals. I personally like Indeed and Gulf Salary.
• Also, have a good LinkedIn profile. I haven’t tried a job search through LinkedIn, but a lot of candidates are hired through LinkedIn in the UAE.
• Also, there are a lot of other ways to distribute your CV—like bulk emails to recruiters, corporations, etc. So do your research and find your way.
• Last but not least, have a great attitude.