Moving to Dubai from Germany. Dubai Expats.

Oh my god, Dubai, bling, bling, money and luxury. I had the dream to be one of the first people coming to Dubai to open a business because we were already in 25 different countries. Damn, this is almost my yearly income, how can I pay you my yearly income in advance? So I felt like everything is so strict, I need to be careful, don't look somebody in the eyes too deep, you get arrested. Hey guys, welcome to Oksy Vlogs. If this is your first time here and you would like to know more information about life in Dubai, don't forget to hit subscribe button and the notification icon so you will not miss anything. On my channel I interview Dubai experts from different countries with different backgrounds. So today I'm going to interview a friend of mine who moved to Dubai from Germany and let's find out about his experience of living in Dubai. Let's get started. Hi Yaros, thank you for coming today. So can you please introduce yourself briefly, say who you are, where you're from and what you're doing in Dubai. Thank you for your invitation. So my name is Jaro, actually it's Yaroslav because I'm from Russia but people call me here especially in Dubai Jaro, maybe because of the J. I'm 30 years old, I hit it this year unfortunately already. Originally I'm from Kazakhstan, I was born in Kazakhstan, I was raised up in Germany and since 3 years I'm in Dubai. And why you decided to come here? You know actually it was because of business but like in many movies it started because of business and it ended up with love. So I stayed or stood, I'm still here. And what was your first job in Dubai? My first job is the same job which I have right now, I'm a real estate agent. And how did you find it? Well, long story short, I met a girl who is now my fiancée and she introduced me to her company, she was working in real estate. So I joined the first company in real estate, then I had quite a lot of changes in my life and I changed also the company where I'm right now. But what was your initial reason, why did you come to Dubai? It was business, I was involved in network marketing and online marketing business and I had the dream to be one of the first people coming to Dubai to open the business because we were already in 25 different countries. We had a nutrition product which we were distributing in whole Europe, in the USA, almost everywhere. And when our CEO told us we're going to open the market in the UAE, the only thing I was thinking about was like, oh my God, Dubai, bling, bling, money and luxury and so on. So I said, okay, I want to be one of the first guys here in Dubai. And it didn't take me very long to decide how to do it, I took a loan. I came to Dubai, I opened a business here with the company. Of course, it's not my company, I'm a franchise partner. And that's how we started, we started the business here like three and a half years ago. So I came first as a tourist with the intention to build a business. And one thing came after the next and so I decided, okay, I need to stay much longer in Dubai than I'm staying in Germany because once you're in Dubai, the business is growing, you go back home, business is going down. So I came frequently, like every two, three months I came to Dubai. And one day my friends and business partners said, you need to choose, either you stay in Dubai and the business grows here, or you go back to Germany and the business will go down here. So I said, I don't want it to go down, it was a dream, you know, a dream to become true. So I decided to come to Dubai and stay here. And then when I came to Dubai, I met this lady, I got in touch with some people who introduced me to other people and then finally all around me, all the people said, you should go to real estate. Because I was a banker in Germany, industrial engineer, I had the knowledge about finances and the markets. But of course, Dubai is something totally different. What was your first impression when you arrived to Dubai? My first impression, to be honest, if you as a German have never been in the UAE, you think like all the Arab countries are like Saudi Arabia, you know. So I felt like everything is so strict, I need to be careful. Don't look somebody in the eyes too deep, you get arrested. Take care how you dress. And I was kind of afraid because I didn't know this country. But when I came here, I realized, oh my God, it's totally different. It has nothing to do with the impressions which you have in Germany when people are talking about the Middle East. Because here everything is different. You know it as well, you are a lady especially, you know how people are treating women in this country, like so much respect and you don't need to be covered. You can wear almost whatever you want. And for me it was like, wow, it's totally different than compared to what I was told from other people, you know. So I came here and I saw like, oh my God, the Burj Khalifa here, the Burj Al Arab there and so many skylines, Dubai Marina, downtown, I was like, oh. And then every second car which passes by is a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari, right? No way. You're not the only one around here with a fast car. And I was like, yeah, baby, I'm home. That was my first impression, like, wow. It's totally different from what people might think it is. That's why my recommendation to you guys is also if you have never been in Dubai, don't listen to people, just come and see it with your own eyes. If you compare your life in Germany to the life in the UAE, what are the main differences? Well, the first thing is the weather. Actually, we have in Germany four seasons, in Dubai we have one. It's warm or hot, but it's always summer, right? Sunny, what is it there? So this is the main difference. The second thing is, of course, the taxes. We have a lot of taxes in Germany. I think we have taxes for everything, except for breathing. There's taxes on everything. I remember when I was a banker and I got my first paycheck. It was, I think it was 2,400 euros gross. But what came actually to my bank account was 1,350. And I was like, what the... Where is my money gone? I don't know where you want it. Where's my f***ing money? So we are paying a lot of taxes. And yeah, of course, Germany is using this money, the tax money for giving this also security and giving... We have schools for free, for example, which is a big difference to Dubai. Here you pay for the school, right? In Germany, we have also universities. Where I studied, I studied for free. I just had to pay some little fees. And of course, all my expenses, my daily expenses, I had to cover myself. But these are the main differences. The weather, the taxes, and also I would say, you know, the mentality of the people. If I tell somebody in Germany, I'm a business owner, they say, oh my God, why? It's so risky. How could you do this? Don't you have a family? And what if, what if, what if this happens? They only see the negative parts of being an owner of a business, a business owner. But in Dubai, if I say, hey, they ask me, what are you doing for a living? I say, I've got a business. First question, what is it? Second question is, can I join you? And I was like, what? Because this is like a total change for me also. Like, why do people are so open-minded here? And then I realized, yeah, as I told you, two different types of people. Both are cuckoo. One is a positive way of cuckoo and the other one like crazy. Because who would live here and leave his family and his friends and his secure job and all the things in his country to start over totally a new life here. Well, you want to go? Let's do it. I don't know many people who even wanted to move from one city to the next, which is like 30 kilometers. And we are moving from one continent to another where it takes us six and a half hours of flight. Direct flight. And how is working in Germany different to working in Dubai? Well, see, we have this punching system as well. On the one hand, means you come at eight, you punch in, you go at four or five. We don't have nine to five, we have eight to four and things like that. So people are doing, if they are not getting paid for results, but for the time they are spending, they're just doing the minimum things. I mean, almost doing the same, right? Why should I give 110% of effort if my salary at the end of the month is €2,000 and my colleague next to me is sitting there, doing like this, yeah, playing around, doing no efforts at all. And at the end of the month, we have the same salary. It makes no sense. So I think most of the people, not all of them, of course. I mean, there are people who love their jobs, like very passionate about it. They don't care about the money, so they just do it because they love it. But I think that most people are just doing this day to day, just surviving, you know, from Monday to Friday. We don't have Sunday till Thursday. We have Monday till Friday. On Friday evening, they go and party. On Saturday, they go party. On Sunday, they don't remember what happened on Saturday, you know, and then the week begins. And they repeat it for 40 years, and then they call it a life, you know. But basically, it's just one year repeating 40 times. You know, in Dubai, it's different. Here, it's like most of the people are driven, you know, like passionate, driven. They come to Dubai because they want to make money. You don't come to Dubai because of the beach. Yeah, of course, it's a benefit to have the beach next to your house, like we have, right? But the people are coming to make money, so some people have two jobs, three jobs. But when I think about it, also in Germany, we have people having two or three jobs, because it's not enough, what they're earning. It means they have a main job, nine to eight to four, okay, plus they're going on the weekends, working as a waiter, for example. That's the main difference, is like the work ethic as well. Here, everyone is like driven, they want to have more and more. And I realize that people who came to Dubai, they started even with a small salary, with one job, then they moved to another, their salary increased and so on and so on, like your husband also, right? Like me, the same. Like you, the same, right? Yeah, so it's the mentality, it's the work ethic, but the good thing about Germany is like the jobs are more or less secure, especially when you are working for the government, then you are secure for the rest of your life. You are like not quittable, they cannot fire you, you know. That's a good thing if you are working there. But also, there is no chance to make big jumps. It's like a flat salary. And what do you like about Dubai? Many things. So, first of all, the weather, except of the hot summer, because see, when I wake up, I know exactly what I can work. In Germany, I need to check the news one day in advance, how is the weather tomorrow, raining or not. And we have four seasons in Germany, we have only one season in Dubai, so the weather is quite predictable. We have like twice, three times per year rain, the rest is great. I like the weather, I like the safetiness. You call it safety or safetiness? Safety. It's safe, guys, it's safe. So you can walk around at 3 a.m. in the night, in the morning, nothing will happen to you. I lost my wallet once in the Mall of Emirates. I realized it one hour later when I was opening the door of my house and I realized, wow, something is missing. I mean, in Germany it would be like au revoir, that's it, gone. Here I was like pretty much relaxed even, you know. I was surprised by my own reaction that I was not making drama. I just googled the number of the mall, I called them, I said, guys, I lost my wallet. They said, you didn't lose it, just remember where you've been, you know, so there's no like losing in Dubai, everything will be found. They said, give us two minutes, they checked where I've been walking around and they said, is it this brown wallet? I said, yes, exactly, in the Starbucks, yes, exactly. I'm like, wow, they said, and what do you dislike about this city? What was it? Not so many things actually. So, of course, the humidity in the summer, I don't like it. Well, there are things you want to do but they are quite expensive. So, I mean, it's not a disadvantage. On the one side, yeah, you feel like, oh, damn, I want to do this but I cannot afford it. At least it was like that before. But then you think like, okay, it's a motivation to keep pushing harder to get it. Oh, another point what I love about Dubai, the gas, come on, with 10 euros, my car is full, you know, the petrol, I mean, yeah, the gas. In Germany, it's like 50 euros, it's like it moved from one to the next, and then you start the engine, it goes down again, you need to refill it. So, the gas is one of the most advantages here. It's cheap. Do you know the Fiji water? Yeah, yeah. The Fiji water is more expensive than one liter of gas, petrol, right? So, especially my job as a real estate agent, we are driving a lot, your husband and me, we are driving a lot. So, imagine in Germany, it would cost me a fortune. But here it's like, I need to go to the petrol station. Okay, so what? Another 5 euros, 10 euros, you're full. This is what I like. Really. Is it easy to connect with German people in Dubai? I think so, yes. Because we have different networks, like groups like the German Emirates Club, where you can apply, if you don't know anybody, you just send an email and say, I'm new to Dubai, I want to get in touch with this organization, can I become a member? Then they will reply to you. Or you know somebody like me, I am in the club already, so if I have a new friend or a friend asking me for network advice, then I can tell them, hey, I can invite you to this group if you want, you can participate. So they are doing events, they have like a marketplace, somebody is leaving the country for like 3 months, they are giving their apartment for rent for 3 months, things like this. It's like a marketplace, it's like Facebook for Germans, you know, small group for Germans. What advice would you give to those who are planning to come to Dubai from Germany? I would say, don't come to Dubai just to get a job, come to Dubai to open a business, because you will be much much more happier if you have your own business in Dubai. Second thing is, don't come to Dubai if you don't have at least let's say 5 to 10 thousand euros on the side, because if you are starting your life in Dubai, there are many different things which you will face, like your driving license, you need to change your driving license, it costs money, you need… No, you swap, you just swap it, you pay a fee, you do the side test, your eye test, and then you swap it, so this is the fee, I don't remember how much it was, but I think it was like 200 euros maybe, I'm not quite sure. Then finding an apartment, you need to understand that it's not like in Germany where you pay monthly, you pay once in advance for the whole year, or you pay in 2 checks, or 3 checks, 4 checks, it's also possible 12 checks in some cases, but for us Germans, it's like, what do you mean I pay one year in advance, because depending on the apartment it can be like 20 thousand euros in advance, and they were like, damn, this is almost my yearly income, how can I pay you my yearly income in advance? So you need to have some backups, financial backups, start to network before you come to Dubai, and get in touch with professionals, if you're looking for an apartment, go for a real estate agent, before you come here, choose the best one for you, and yeah, you need to be prepared for Dubai, because it's not like I come here and… Have fun. Yeah, all easy, 5 hours per day at the beach, no, no, no, no, it's not like that, have some money with you, that's the most important thing, so you don't feel stressed. And the last question for today, if you had to start over again, what would you do differently? In my life? In Dubai? In Dubai, I would come with more money, with a bigger backup, because the first time was very rough, the first period of time, like the first 6 months, because until you find a job, or profession, or business, it takes time, it takes time, you need to survive somehow, it depends on where you live, and what's your lifestyle, I think you should have like 2,000 to 3,000 euros per month, means 10,000 to 12,000, no, 12,000 to 16,000 dirhams, the minimum you should have per month, in the beginning. Okay, thank you very much for your answers, thank you for coming, so guys, if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below, or on the page in the description, and I'll see you in the next video, bye-bye!