Added 21/01/06 by Mary: "It is now required as of the 31st December that not only do you have to have your original school certificate (which I did not know that I had to have), but you have to have all of your transcripts from your school along with identification numbers along with that to even obtain a working visa, in the process of getting your residency. I would advise everyone of this so they have the opportunity to get this together before applying for a job. Also, I know as a US citizen, before my certificate can be attested in Dubai, they have to send it to the States first and that can take an average of 20 US business days now. Just thought people should know that. I didn't and it has caused me an enormous amount of hassle".

Added 01/03/06 by Butch - "Construction Industry Leave conditions UAE: Those wishing to relocate to the UAE in the construction industry should be aware of the work/leave conditions. Leave is 30 calendar days a year. Should public holidays fall within your leave period it is bad luck, they are not credited to you. The public holiday calendar is not fixed. Holidays are declared or disallowed with notice of a day or two before they are due, making any form of planning impossible. Minimum of twelve hour shifts are the order of the day. Sixth day(Thursday) is a minimum of seven hours. A distinction is made between Private Sector and Government sector holidays".

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