Advice on the job switch
I joined TCS in 2017 and currently have 8.7 years of experience as an Exchange/O365 Administrator (Grade C2). My current CTC is 6 LPA. I’m aware I am severely underpaid. I stayed this long to clear past financial debts, but I’ve reached a breaking point. I am planning to resign by June and target opportunities in Dubai for a tax-free salary and better savings potential.
A few questions for the community:
Is moving to Dubai the right move for an Exchange Admin with my tenure?
What is the realistic salary range for O365/Exchange roles in the UAE right now?
Should I secure an offer before resigning, or is "boots on the ground" via a visit visa better for the Dubai market?
Appreciate any insights from those who have made a similar jump. 🙂✌🏻
3hyou are not just underpaid, you are being taken advantage of. the realistic salary for your experience in dubai is in the 20-25k aed per month range, and you should absolutely secure an offer before you resign. you didn't stay for the debt, the debt was just the reason you gave yourself to stay in a place you had already outgrown.
I have secured some funds to survive 4 to 6 months. I have been procrastinating and not resigning for almost a year. So i guess i should resign, upskill and move out to find a job in Dubai.
If you're confident about your skills and prepared well, then u can resign and look for job...else i suggest u to get an offer before resigning. Also if u have enough savings to sustain for atleast 6 months, u can resign.
I'm also in similar position, working since 2021 will soon complete 5 years, yet only 5 lpa CTC, wants to switch but not getting enough interviews due to 90 days notice period, getting frustrated
90-day notice period is the main issue. I’m resigning first to be an 'immediate joiner' in Dubai. Confident in my technical skills and finishing AZ-104 next month to back it up.
Buddy, WITCH cos are the worst category of companies that you will find on planet... They are out there to milk you to the binesz and starve you to death, in the name of HR policies, tech upgrade, useless traings, work environment... In reality it sucks... Learn the skills and move on... Take up small.projects I these cos, learn the skills, execute the project to quality environment sucess, and find the next cos... If you jump the cos every six months with updated skills you increase your salary by atleast 25% ... Money should motivate you not anything else ... Of course not suggesting to behave badly in the company, etc ... Keep it simple and professional... Remember every brick of these cos is out there to cheat your salary.
Heyya bud, so let me tell you the ground reality in dubai right now.
There is demand but demand for talent. The city is expensive but if you are living in Sharjah or Ajman its fine. But to live life and enjoy Dubai or Emirates tbh you need a substantial amount.
Right now what is happening is that alot of people are shifting to UAE. Not just from India but from all across the world. Some to escape economic down turn like Japan or Greece. So there is alot of skilled labour coming in. Competition is high. So the pay scale is being stagnant or reaching a point of tipping into underpaid category there as well from a cost of living perspective.
On paper when you convert the Dhs to INR it looks good but the costs add up fast and one may wake up to realise they are saving just enough or maybe 10% more than what they would in India. But the above is for nominal salary.
But like I said it depends on the package you get through into. For example: AI and Cloud Infra experts are living their life in Dubai and Abu Dhabi right now cause they minting money.
Plus you get access to the west pay scale easily ie you can get paid in Euros or Dollars as well.
So my friends and colleagues in Dubai have told one thing if you have really good package then go for it else it is not worth it.
See one thing I can say is you are underpaid super underpaid. My suggestion is try reaching out and getting to technical interview round. If you are able to answer the questions easily then dude honestly just drop your paper. Its time to look elsewhere.
Otherwise as well if you are confident in your skills drop your paper and look elsewhere. Being underpaid and staying for too long limits your market cap which is the worst thing that can happen in the current economy. But dont stress out if you are below 35 and pushing it but below 40 you can rectify this by putting in extra effort for upskilling and jumping more frequently.
The other side is see anyway NP is 90 days. You will get calls and you can assess yourself and upskill during the NP as well. So given the YoE factor I would suggest this route.
Just do upskill and get skilled in relevant tech wherever you go. Rest we can handle. Do give interviews and drop paper if you feel its time. Go for it. God speed ahead.
