Praise: Being an Expat

paddyrg

Not a free market economy, not really comparing like with like. Not sure about Oman, but in UAE for instance, debt is a criminal not civil offence, which is why a few years ago with a hiccough in the Dubai economy you could find 4x4's abandoned at the airport as ex-pats ran away fast. Abu Dhabi desalinates 97% of its water, it is a desert. Without cheap leccy from cheap fuel there is no drinking water - the population will vanish in a week if/when that's the case. All those huge buildings and flashy developments will return to dust.

And the treason the pay is so high is because there is naff all else to keep you there as a rule, beyond the shallowest of shopping and spending distractions! Or that's what I found, anyway.

de1amo

and dont forget the heat!! i live in turkey and most of the summer is unbearable so i hate to think what these desert states are like --i suspose if you dont mind staying indoors or shopping its an ideal place to live

shaun_from_Africa

de1amo wrote: »

if you have an employer you must be paying local income tax?--somewhere in the system you must be paying tax!

Originally Posted by doubleJackD
the bottom line on my pay slip is the same as the top line.

So is mine, but income tax is still to the government of the country that I'm working in.
This is paid by my employer and not by me, but it still gets paid.

doubleJackD

paddyrg wrote: »

And the treason the pay is so high is because there is naff all else to keep you there as a rule, beyond the shallowest of shopping and spending distractions! Or that's what I found, anyway.

you're right there, there's little to do here apart from join online forums.

but the middle east is better than the UK in a lot of ways, there is very little crime and they're few loony left wingers.

out here the police will deport foreigners if they have no right being here. in the UK we allow foreigners so many appeals against deportation etc, then eventually we let them stay because of "human rights".

in many ways i think the middle east is an example to the UK.

de1amo

and human rights!---just dont mention those because they will either deport you or cut some part of your anatomy off!

cool-dog

No doubt, if you get ill with something not covered by your healthcare, you will be back on the first flight back to get treatment on the NHS, or claim winter fuel allowance once you reach retirement!

doubleJackD

YYamma wrote: »

That's not true, when I spent some time in the Middle East, it was full of foreigners.

but they are selective about foreigners they let in. you see newspaper articles here about police raids catching hundreds of people without papers. something that would have the do gooders in the UK crying into their lattes.

and as for giving benefits to foreigners.....

de1amo

i reckon i could live like a king in bangladesh but who wants to ive in these places!

pull62

doubleJackD wrote: »

you're right there, there's little to do here apart from join online forums.

but the middle east is better than the UK in a lot of ways, there is very little crime and they're few loony left wingers.

out here the police will deport foreigners if they have no right being here. in the UK we allow foreigners so many appeals against deportation etc, then eventually we let them stay because of "human rights".

in many ways i think the middle east is an example to the UK.

The reason there seems to be little crime is because it is not reported, not because of some better system of values. Murders, robberies all happen. The natives can get away with all sorts of crimes if they are high enough up the social ladder. I used to work in Saudi and yes the pay is good but at the end of the day there are no human rights, the workforce is all foreign and paid according to nationality. The cheaper the employee the worse they are treated and they are treated very badly! There is also corruption on a massive scale that you dont see in the UK.
Do you not see the irony, you are an economic migrant who was attracted to work abroad due to the promise of better salary and living standards??

doubleJackD

pull62 wrote: »

The reason there seems to be little crime is because it is not reported, not because of some better system of values. Murders, robberies all happen. The natives can get away with all sorts of crimes if they are high enough up the social ladder. I used to work in Saudi and yes the pay is good but at the end of the day there are no human rights, the workforce is all foreign and paid according to nationality. The cheaper the employee the worse they are treated and they are treated very badly! There is also corruption on a massive scale that you dont see in the UK.
Do you not see the irony, you are an economic migrant who was attracted to work abroad due to the promise of better salary and living standards??

no, you walk along a shopping centre at night and you see the stallholders have left stuff out. in the UK it would just get nicked.

irony?