Your Podiatry license is through Dubai Health Authority/DHA,
The application starts with an assessment of your credentials – you will be asked to provide.

ID/qualification/license & experience letter documents
Once this is approved, you will be provided with an eligibility letter for 1 year – in which time you need to activate your registration with your employer (your registration is linked to your employer).

UK/Ireland/SA are exempt from sitting the exam as long as you have current registration in your home country, can provide a Certificate of Good Standing and have not had a break in practice since the last day of employment.

Visa (Work Permits) are for 2 years (renewable) & directly linked to your employer – you will need an offer of employment to be able to apply.

Part of the application can be completed outside of Dubai, you will then be granted an Entry Permit.

Once you are in Dubai, there are additional tasks that need to be completed including a medical check & Emirates ID before your full work visa is granted.

The set up fees for Dubai can be quite expensive as it is common for rent to be paid upfront for 3-4 months at a time as well as a 10% deposit.
It is also recommended that you buy a car to enjoy Dubai as there is not sufficient public transport (although Careem, similar to Uber, is quite affordable).

Approx. rental prices for 1-2 bedrooms can vary between AED 80-125k per year.

You cannot take out a lease for an apartment until your Emirates ID has come through which can take 1 month after arriving – you will likely need to book short-term accommodation/AirBnB for the first month.

You may also want to use a realtor to help you find accommodation which costs around AED 9k.

The application fees for your registration are split into 3 parts – registration application – AED 200, verification of documents AED 935, Activation of license (once you have secured a role AED 1000).

Companies will offer a salary, commission or mixed commission/salary.

The salary range for physios is around AED 15-30k per month which is tax free.

All companies have to include medical insurance
Commission range can be between 25-50% (junior – 10 years experience).

A mixed salary/commission example could be AED 10k per month plus 30% commission once you have hit your agreed target.

Some companies will offer additional benefits such as x1 flight to your home country each year or they may be able to help with accommodation costs at the start e.g. 1 month rent or deducting this from your pay (but these additional benefits are not always offered with small MSK clinics).
You will also be paid Gratuity (end of service benefit) once you finish employment after a period of time.

You will need a minimum of 2 years experience to work in Dubai due to the DHA license process.

We find employers are looking for ideally 5 years private practice experience, minimum 3 years.

Dubai is very multicultural and clients can have different expectations. It is very important that you are open minded, confident and able to deal with the wide variety of people that live in Dubai.

It is also good to be aware that often Dubai employers expect you to network and/or build a social media presence.

Dubai has a vibrant expat community, providing lots of opportunities for meet-ups and events to get involved in.

Employers are usually keen for you to start after the summer (June, July, August), as lots of expats families travel/go home for the summer so demand for allied health goes down in these months.