What it's like to be a Social Media Manager in Dubai, UAE

I am now officially an expat working as a nomad in Dubai. I came here last July 2022, it was just a random thought the first quarter of this year.

Everyone knows I am earning USD and living in the Philippines while earning USD is a luxury.

So why did I move here?

My husband wants to work here, and hospitality and customer service is his line of job for many years, so we thought... Dubai is the fastest route we can make and there are a lot of opportunities here.

We are not wrong. He ended up getting a new job at a fancy restaurant in Dubai Mall called Zou Zou ( a Lebanese, Turkish restaurant) on our first month here.

I on the other hand, just want to work as a freelancer, in my laptop... anywhere... So I had no plans to apply for a full time job as I have considered myself "retired" from the corporate set up.

Things have been really going well in terms of our financial standing, however the cost of living here is really expensive. So we try as much as we could to lessen the expenses and find a way to save money for our future.

Working as a freelancer here is just the same in the Philippines. I am still working with my American clients and the best part is I can work with them longer because of our time zones.

What's my normal day like?

I wake up usually at 8am and doze off at around 12 - 1am. I am ALWAYS working at the place we rented and rarely go out unless I am really that bored.

I drink coffee, eat my breakfast and I start to work.

I usually end up around 8pm UAE time. I don't work 9am -5pm... I work 12-13 hours a day depending on the volume of my projects and tasks.

Do you feel burn out?

Of course, yes! I don't procrastinate anymore and I have tools to help me with my productivity but there are really times especially when you're on the creative and marketing side that you get to stare blankly because you are running out of ideas.

Here in Dubai, coffee shops are my favorite. My personal go to place is Tim Horton's. They do have the best coffee in the world!

Right now, I have a local client (Emirati) who happens to have a skin care shop here and all the products they sell are big brands in the UK.

I am so lucky to get big projects like that because I get to cover some of her events for her.

US clients vs Emirati Clients

Perhaps, we all differ in culture right? We as human beings have positive and negative attitudes regardless of where we came from or what our religion/nationality is.

US Clients - Macro-manage

Emirati Clients - Micro-manage

My local client here is surprisingly tech savvy! She knows back end systems more than I do! Lol... they're really into the ins and outs of their business while US clients are less likely to sit down and learn crms, automations and SEO that's why they hire and Macro-manage.

Overall, I enjoy being here. I am working on getting my visa under my husband's sponsorship and once I get my residence visa, I know I can be able to travel Europe in no time!