Venture into the cities of The United Arab Emirates

You must first register with one of the following three major health care providers: Ministry of Health, Health Authority – Abu Dhabi, or Dubai Health Authority. The process is complex. CCM Recruitment will work with you throughout the process

• Ministry of Health (MOH) – www.moh.gov.ae
• Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) – www.haad.ae
• Dubai Health Authority (DHA) – www.dha.gov.ae

English is the working language in the hospitals. Translators, and ward clerks who act as translators, are always available to assist in communicating with patients who do not speak English. Healthcare staff quickly picks up basic Arabic phrases related to their jobs.

Your co-workers will be from around the world: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanese, South Africa, the Philippines, Malaysia, and more.

You will live in hospital-provided accommodation or you can use a housing allowance to rent/lease locally.

The social life is what you make it. Recreational activities include: shopping festivals; boat cruises; desert safaris; horse/camel racing; golf; sand-boarding; etc

Yes. Women are allowed to drive in the UAE when in the UAE on a Residency permit. They first need to obtain a UAE driver’s license. When in the UAE on a visit visa, they can drive on an international driving permit.

Pretty much everything!

Alcohol – although the UAE is a Muslim country, purchasing and drinking alcohol in a licensed club, bar, or restaurant is legal for non-Muslims who are over 21. To buy alcohol for home consumption one must have a personal liquor license, which can only be obtained once the person has residency status, which can take 4-8 weeks. The cost is approximately 105 Dh (approximately $30US). (Obviously, while drinking is permitted as described, being drunk and/or disorderly in public is not permitted!)

Clothing – “regular” clothing, and high-end designer clothing and sportswear is easy to find.
Bathing Suits – these are easier to find in the UAE than in Saudi Arabia, but you will want to bring at least one with you.

Electronics – electronic stores abound, selling the latest in computers, audio, and video equipment. Videos and DVDs are also available, but these may have been censored.

Jewellery – jewellery shopping in the gold souqs is very popular for expatriates (and locals) and rarely does an expat leave without a sizable gold collection.

English-Language Books – English reading material can be found at book stores and grocery stores.

The UAE has a wide variety of restaurants, allowing expatriates to go on a culinary world tour, sampling Arabic, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino, Mexican, Turkish, Indian, Pakistani, etc. cuisine. Supermarkets provide all sorts of food which you are accustomed to buying at home. Fruit and vegetable souqs (markets) provide excellent fresh produce, although fresh produce is also readily available at supermarkets.

You can purchase a package of cable TV services that includes stations such as CNN, BBC, the Movie Channel, etc. Packages are not expensive.