A sizeable number of professionals moving overseas to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are underprepared for life in the country, according to new research.
According to Zurich Insurance Group, up to 50 per cent of expats heading to the UAE admitted to being poorly equipped with all the necessary information required to make a successful transition.
A third of expats polled revealed that they found the whole experience of moving to another country to be much more challenging than they expected.
“Moving to a new country is always a daunting undertaking, and everyone’s experience is different, but it seems that a lack of information increases the anxiety of people relocating to the UAE,” said Maroun Mourad, chief executive of Zurich’s General Insurance operations in the Middle East.
“That’s why Zurich has produced a comprehensive guide to living in Dubai, hopefully making the transition just a little easier for the thousands of newcomers who arrive in the emirate each year.”
The study found that obtaining a driver’s license (21 per cent) is the most taxing part of the relocation experience, while others (17 per cent) felt that adjusting to the cost of living is tough. 12 per cent of 800 UAE-based expats said that getting used to the weather was tough going.
Cadogan Tate specialises in helping expats set up home abroad by securely transporting their belongings with international shipping.