People who have lived in the UAE understand the culture

Yes, I believe that people born and raised in the UAE do in fact have an edge over the recently arrived expatriates.

That is because firstly, moving to a new country can be overwhelming in general. I believe that every country has a certain way of doing things, certain dos and don’ts which people have to get used to.

New expatriates have to adjust themselves according to the culture and the societal norms and simple things like the weather.

However, people born and raised in the UAE do not have to face that problem.

Also, people coming from different parts of the world will be used to a different work culture and will have to adjust themselves when they come to the UAE, this might be a hurdle for them in the workspace.

Another aspect is family. For people born and raised in the UAE, they generally have their families and friends living here as well, whilst this is usually not the case for recent expatriates.

They would have to not only cope with the burden of living away from their families but also need to make new friends.

Lastly, the UAE is a very heterogeneous society, there are very few places in the world that are as culturally diverse as the UAE.

Recently arriving expatriates will need to get used to working and living in such a multicultural society, which can be a challenge for some.

From Mr Hashim Noor

Computer programmer based in Dubai