Did you quit CA or took a break from your exams and wondering if you can apply for a job in Dubai?
In fact: In today’s article, we have Kapil Jain sharing with us ‘how he found a job in Dubai as a semi-qualified Chartered Accountant from ICAI.”
Presently, Kapil is working in Dubai as an accountant. He is also studying for his CA final exams from ICAI.
My journey from Mumbai to Dubai
My name is Kapil Jain, and I belong to a small village called Khaniwade in Virar, Mumbai (India).
I did my studies at a vernacular-medium government school, Pratibha Vidhya Mandir, with limited facilities and a lack of personal development skills. Those from India know that government schools offer very basic education with no fancy facilities.
My father has a small grocery store, and while still in school, I used to look after the shop in the evenings.
After class 10, I took up commerce as most of my friends opted for this stream. I had no clear career vision and no guidance from anyone. Also, my village had no internet facility, making it difficult for me to even find out about the various opportunities in the commerce stream.
Most of my friends decided to pursue Chartered Accountancy from the ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) after class 12.That is how I enrolled in the CA course while still in college.
The ICAI CA course has three levels: CPT, IPCC, and CA Final, as well as three years of mandatory articleship.
I cleared CPT and IPCC in my first attempt. I was excited, and so was my family. This was an accomplishment against all odds. Imagine a boy from a government school with no great command over English passing the exams in the first attempt. This was a great achievement for me and my family.
I started with my articleship at K.S. Aiyar & Co. Once I started my articles, I enjoyed auditing, accounting, and taxation. My articleship took me to different cities and states within India, giving me great exposure.
In order to become a qualified Chartered Accountant from the ICAI, I just had to clear one more level, the CA Final exams.
Around the time of my exam, I had a major surgery. It was a very difficult time for me. I appeared for the exam but could not pass. I kept trying and keeping failing, but I still did not want to give up.
Around the same time, my best friend Bharat Chandan moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE. He kept telling me to come to the UAE to look for a job.
Moving to Dubai sounded exciting, but I was still not a qualified chartered accountant.
Would I find a job?
I had so many questions: will a semi-qualified accountant be able to find work in Dubai?, where would I live?, how would I survive without a job in Dubai?, and so on.I was also not very confident about my English-speaking skills.
But, with all the encouragement and persuasion of my friend, I finally decided to come to Dubai to find a job. I was fortunate to have a friend like Bharat who helped me through the entire process.
I took a break from my CA final exams and decided to move to Dubai to find a job.
How I Found a Job Opportunity in Dubai
I arrived in Dubai on December 15, 2017 on a 3-month visit visa.
Before coming to Dubai, I shared a room with a few other Indians in Bur Dubai.
Details about such shared accommodations can be found on Dubbizle or in Facebook groups. I used Facebook groups like Gujarati in Dubai, but you can also check out Emmanuel.
The day I arrived, my friend guided me through the traffic laws in Dubai. He taught me how to commute by metro. In Dubai, travelling by metro is way cheaper than taxis. To travel by metro, one needs a NOL Card or a metro card. My friend got me my and SIM cards.
That very same day, he gave me a list of email addresses and websites where I could apply for finance jobs.
Since I came to Dubai in mid-December, it was the end of the year, so everyone was in a Christmas and New Year mood, hence I hardly got any interview calls.
I got my first interview call after five days of arriving in Dubai. This interview was at Business Bay, Dubai. I attended the interview but was not selected.
I got a few more interview calls, but either their budget was really low or they were not selecting me.
I was feeling really low and wanted to go back to India.
Also, Dubai is very expensive when you are not earning Dhirams. However, my friend kept motivating me and telling me to be patient.
So instead of being negative, I decided to have a positive attitude.
On a daily basis, I would practice a list of questions that could possibly be asked during the interview, starting from “Tell me about yourself” to “All general questions.”
I would watch YouTube videos and speak to others around me. I would practice interview questions with roommates and in front of a mirror. Initially, I was not very confident during interviews, but after giving more and more interviews, I got very confident.
I also studied VAT, IFRS, and other relevant accounting processes for the purpose of interviews.
I joined various WhatsApp groups and kept myself updated about various job opportunities.
Now, even though I was getting rejected at various interviews, I got very confident about giving interviews. I kept applying for interviews through various job portals, references, and LinkedIn.
After a lot of patience, I finally got a job opportunity in Dubai after two months on LinkedIn.
I had seen this job posting on LinkedIn and applied for it.
I got a call for an interview. I did complete research on the company before attending the interview. The interview went on for more than two hours. Finally, they told me that I was selected. It felt so amazing and relieving. All my persistence paid off.
So, all I want to say to those looking for a job in the UAE is, “Do not stress.” You will not get a job opportunity overnight. However, if you have the required skills and a great, persistent attitude, you will surely find a job to start with.
Keep preparing for the interview and keep circulating your CV.
Also, do not be in a hurry to accept any job offer. Enquire about the company and do all the groundwork before accepting the offer. Do not be very fussy about the salary when you are starting off, but also do not accept a salary that is very low, as living in Dubai can be expensive. And since you will be on a work visa, job hopping is not very easy.
Thanks to God, I have a good friend who guided me before coming to Dubai. The reason to come to Dubai was just to earn money, but now my thought process has changed. My goal now is to earn money while improving my skills, gaining international experience, and bringing out the best in me.
So friends, if I can do it, so can you. Do not give up and keep looking for the right opportunity.
Is moving to Dubai without a job a good idea?
A lot of people ask me: “Should I find a job in Dubai and then move?” No, as it’s not always easy to get a job offer in Dubai without a face-to-face interview.
But, that doesn’t mean that you just pack your bags and take the first ticket, expecting that you will get a job offer the next day you land.
Here’s the deal: You can move to any place in the world to work, but in common sense, you need to have an idea about the jobs there and whether your expertise is required in the market.
a better solution? Make a quick check on the job roles needed in Dubai to understand the nature of the jobs and where you fit in.
Also, connect with people in Dubai before moving there and seek guidance.
How do I apply for a job in the UAE?
The best way to find a job is by advertising yourself in every possible manner.
Here are a few tips:
1. Personal Interaction
- Personal interaction will play a very important role in finding a job in the UAE.
- If you are attending any interview, interact with other people coming for the interview. It helped me a lot to get more information about current openings.
- Sometimes I went personally to drop off my CV at various companies.
2. LinkedIn
- LinkedIn is one of the best sources to find a job in the UAE. I was lucky that I found my current job through a LinkedIn job post itself.
- I added many connections in my field and also added HRs who were hiring in the finance domain. It helped me a lot to get quick information about openings at various companies.
- I generally avoid sending personal messages for a job unless I see a job posting by them.
3. Job Portals
- In the UAE, there are many job portals like Bayt, Gulf Salary, Indeed, etc. I got a good response from all these sites, especially Indeed.
- Some websites also offer a “Premium” option (I believe Gulf Salary charges about $24 per CV) in which they will share your CVs directly with companies if there is a vacancy. If you opt for this scheme, be prepared to have a CV with a proper format.
- The paid version of Gulf Salary is good, but personally, I did not take the premium version because of the time constraint. They take 2–3 months to send resumes to companies.
4. Have a well-formatted CV.
- Most importantly, your CV. It is the first step toward receiving a call from the interviewer.
- Prepare your CV in good format. Many templates are available on Google as well.
- Add your recent photo for a professional look on your CV.
- Please do not put anything on the CV that you do not know because the interviewer mainly starts questioning you on the basis of what is mentioned on your CV. So be careful about what you mention on your CV.
5. Email Database
- I also started searching for jobs through email databases, through job portals, on LinkedIn, through the contacts of my friends, by posting my CV on various websites, etc.
6. Documents to take with you before moving to Dubai
- Before coming to Dubai or the UAE, get all your documents attested.
- It is mandatory to get your documents attested.
- If you have not gotten them attested in your home country, you can do the same in Dubai as well. It might just cost you a little more here (AED 500).
Save money for a 3-month stay
Initially, when you first move to the UAE, especially Dubai, you will find it expensive. I would keep converting Dhirams to rupees and would be surprised by how expensive they are.
So all I can say is if you are coming to Dubai on a 3-month visit visa, you need a good backup of money before you get a job. I would suggest carrying at least 2,200 Dhs per month.
There is no time limit to find a job in the UAE. You can find a job within a week or two months, too. So be prepared financially.
To Conclude
- Attestation of documents: The attestation of documents is mandatory once you get selected. Please start the process before coming to Dubai.
- It is advisable to take a 3-month visit visa instead of a 1-month visit visa when you are coming to the UAE to look for a job.
- Get your CV made professionally or use a format that is acceptable in the UAE. It should be professional and to the point.
- Have confidence and prepare well for interviews.
- Accommodation. Choose the right people when deciding on your accommodation. If you go for very cheap accommodation where everyone in that place is either struggling to find a job or is in a negative state of mind, you might also end up like them. So choose to stay with people who are either in the same field as you, who are working, and who are positive.
- Have a positive attitude. If you are low on confidence, you might lose a chance to get placed. Attitude is everything.
