"Why I left my finance job in London for a new life in Dubai"

efinancialcareers.com:

A few years ago I moved to Dubai. After spending my career in London, where I worked for 15 years, I was ready for a change. The pandemic in particular made me want to seek an opportunity somewhere else – living with my partner in a cramped London apartment wasn’t great for my mental and physical health and I was keen to get out of London.

Initially, I asked my boss whether it would be possible to work from Dubai for a few weeks until the rules in the UK were to be relaxed. He kindly approved the request. I started packing my bags in the fear of flights being cancelled. A friend of mine kindly offered to let us stay while we found a place to live.

Get Morning Coffee ☕ in your inbox. Sign up here.

It didn’t take me long to realise that life in Dubai is much better than in London. People here are more outgoing, the weather is great and there are plenty of activities.

I decided to look for another role that would make my life in Dubai permanent. I used all my contacts to explore opportunities and landed on an opportunity to work at a financial services firm in the DIFC, the financial hub of Dubai. The hub has grown substantially over the last two years. When I began networking socially and professionally, there was an obvious influx of individuals from Europe relocating here. It’s evident from the names on the registration boards outside office buildings: there are now hedge funds, fintech firms and law firms from London and New York operating here.

Being in Dubai has enabled me to become involved in things I never thought I’d have the time or inclination for. — Paddle tennis, learning to play drums, working out five days a week with a personal trainer and having access to a pool less than a minute away or going to the