Recent graduates and early career professionals often sit at a crossroads where they don’t know what to do or what way will be best for them to break into their chosen career. One of the solutions is possibly to do an internship. Sure, you won’t be paid much but the main benefit of an internship is not to earn a 6-figure salary, but to gain valuable experience in your chosen field. This, ultimately, looks good on your resume and can only count in your favour further on in your career.
Now, luckily there are many student internships in UAE available that you could choose from. Some of the benefits of internships in UAE, is that you gain valuable job experience, you’ll get exposure to a variety of different tasks and departments within a company, you receive mentorship, create a professional network, and don’t forget that you’ll stay in the bustling metropolis of Dubai.
With this article, will look at the above benefits and others of UAE internships in more detail so that you can see how valuable they are and what they can mean for your career. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
What Are The Benefits Of Internships In Dubai?
We’ve already mentioned some benefits in broad terms, but there are more details about these benefits and other benefits you should consider when you’re thinking of UAE internships, irrespective of whether it’s a student internship or an early career internship. Now, what exactly all the benefits of internships in UAE?
The benefits of internships in UAE include the following:
You’ll Gain Valuable Work Experience
One of the biggest benefits of UAE internships is that you get hands-on work experience that is invaluable for your future career. This is something you won’t easily get in a classroom setting and an internship gives you the opportunity to apply the knowledge that you have acquired through your studies two real life problems.
You will also witness the day-to-day responsibilities of your chosen field and along the way you learn valuable skills like communication teamwork and computer proficiency.
You Can Explore A Career Path
With an internship you’ll also get to explore and acquaint yourself with the field you are interested in. So, taking on an internship while still studying, means that you’ll be able to see whether the chosen field is for you, and if it isn’t you can switch early on. This eliminates the situation where you complete your studies and realize that you’d rather follow another career path. This, ultimately, means that by the time you graduate you’ll feel confident that you chose the right degree.
Even if you’ve completed your studies, doing an early career internship as an early career professional makes career switching easier, because later on, as you’ve progressed and gained more experience, it’s more difficult to switch to another career with the same salary and benefits.
You'll give yourself an edge in the job market
Another important benefit of internships in UAE, is that it will make you stand out in the job market. Think, for example, of 10 new graduates applying for a job when they just get out of college. If one of them completed an internship during their studies, it’s obvious that they will stand out from the competition because they have some real-world experience, compared to the others that only have theoretical knowledge.
You’ll Develop And Refine Your Skills
When you do an internship, whether it’s a student internship or early career internship, you learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses. This is simply because you get feedback from supervisors and others who have a lot more experience in your field, which offers you a unique learning opportunity that you may not have when you start out in a job after college. This, in turn, lets you develop and refine your own job skills. That is definitely invaluable for your future.
Besides, an internship can be a real confidence builder, because you’ll see what you’re good at and you’ll be able to improve where you still lag behind. You’ll be able to test out specific techniques that you’ve learned in the classroom before entering the real world, and in doing so, you learn in a safe environment where mistakes are expected and how you can fix them. Some real work success during an internship will also they for make you more willing to take on challenges once you have a job.
You’ll Receive Financial Compensation
Although not much, you will typically get paid during an internship. You’re not going to earn a huge salary, but this small stipend can go a long way to fund your college tuition or for you to increase your savings. Remember, internships are more than just about earning credit, getting a grade, or earning money.
You'll network with other professionals in your field
Remember the saying, it’s not what you know but who you know. In a certain sense, this is true, and having the right network can be extremely useful in your career.
Luckily, one of the benefits of internships in UAE, is that you’ll be surrounded by professionals in your industry, so you will build a valuable network, and these professionals you encountered during your internship can be your future colleagues or the connection you need to land your first job.
You'll transition into a job
Although the goal with a UAE internship is to gain valuable experience in your chosen field, many companies use internships as a way to improve their recruitment efforts. So, for example, it’s a definite possibility that you could intern at a company and that that company makes you an offer at the end of the internship or at the end of your studies.
If the job offer doesn’t come right away, you’ll still be first in line for any job openings if you’ve made a favourable impression. Because of this, many companies use internships is a way to test an employee before committing to hiring them.
You’ll Improve Your Resume
One place where an internship can add a ton of value, is your resume. During an internship you gain valuable experience and accomplishments to add to your resume. You’ll also not only learn and improve new technical skills, but you’ll also learn very important soft skills like communication, punctuality, and time management which is something you don’t often learn at college. This will make you more attractive to employers and, for this reason, many companies even prefer to hire students who have completed internship programs.
You’ll Get A Great Reference Letter
When doing a great job and doing more than what is required of you while doing an internship, you’ll create a good impression to your employer so they will give you a great recommendation letter. It’s even possible that the company that gave you the internship give you a job offer. Even if they don’t, the reference letter will help you a lot in your job search after that.
Mentorship
What are the visa requirements for international students seeking Dubai internships?
It’s illegal for anyone to work in the UAE if they’re on a tourist or visit visa. This means you will have to make sure that your visa is in order when you plan on doing an internship in UAE, irrespective of whether you plan on doing a student internship or an early career internship.
It’s possible for non-residents over the age of 18 to obtain a short term work permit for an initial period of up to 90 days and this can be renewed. This is known as a mission visa and for it, the employer must make an application to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
In respect of other visas, you’ll have to comply with the visa requirements for the specific free zone where the company where you’ll be doing the internship is located. These free zones in Dubai are business zones where companies operating in them are exempt from all types of tax and owners of businesses in the free zone areas have 100% ownership of the business. The aim of the free zones is to encourage international investment and promote economic activity in the city. Each of these free zones has their own licensing, approval requirements, and requirements for hiring interns.
To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled the different rules and regulations relating to interns in the different free zones. Here, you will find all the different identity cards, access cards, and work permits.
UAE Free Zone
Students
Requirements
Documents
Fees
DMCC
Approval Access (AA) or Permanent Identity Card (PIC)
The AA is for individuals who are on a student visa or already on a company visa and the PIC is for female candidates who are on a parent or spouse-sponsored visa.
Applications for both the AA and the PIC can be submitted online and the employer is required to submit:
– A copy of visa page
– a copy of passport
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor
– passport sized photo
– copy of sponsor’s passport and visa page
– copy of offer letter
– copy of trade licence
AA:
1 month – 170 AED
3 months – 285 AED
12 months – 520 AED
PIC:
12 months – 1,120 AED
TECOM
Businesses operating in TECOM are only permitted to hire interns that or on a student visa or on a parent or spouse-sponsored visa
The maximum duration of an internship under this visa is 3 months and students have three options for work permits, non-sponsored ID card, a temporary access court, and a temporary work permit.
– NOC from candidate’s University
– Copy of student visa page
– later outlining candidates major and academic activities.
For the issue of all work permits the following documents are required:
– Copy of passport
– Copy of visa page
– Passport-sized photo
– Copy of the offer letter
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor
– Copy of sponsor’s passport and visa page
– Copy of offer letter
– Copy of trade license
Non-sponsored ID card:
12 months – 720 AED
Temporary Access Card:
1 month – 110 AED
3 months – 310 AED
Temporary Work Permit:
1 month – 610 AED
3 months – 1160 AED
DIFC
Candidates are required to be granted a Temporary Work Permit
The Temporary Work Permit lasts from one month to one year.
The following documents are required:
– Copy of passport
– Copy of visa page from passport
– Copy of entry stamp on passport (visitors cards only)
– Passport-sized photo
– Copy of the offer letter
– NOC from the university (visitors cards only)
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor (if sponsored visa)
– Copy of sponsor’s passport and visa page (if sponsored visa)
– Copy of offer letter
– Copy of trade license
1 month – 870 AED
3 months – 1,200 AED
6 months – 1,420 AED
12 Months – 2,370 AED
DAFZA
Candidates have the option of a 1 month, 3 month, or 1 year Temporary ID Card
A 1 Month Temporary ID Card can be issued to a candidate who is on a visit visa issued by DAFZA, on a visa stamped on arrival, or on a valid residence visa.
A 3 Months temporary ID Card can be issued to a candidate who is on a visit visa issued by DAFZA, on a visa stamped on arrival, or on a valid residence visa.
A 1 Year Temporary ID Card can be issued to a candidate who is on a valid parent, student, or spouse-sponsored residence visa.
The following documents are required:
1 Month – 3 Months:
– NOC from the university with details of training period
– Letter outlining internship offer, details, and activities
– Copy of passport
– Copy of visit visa page
– Copy of entry stamp on passport
– Copy of offer letter and contract
– Two passport-sized photos
– Copy of health insurance
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor (if applicable)
– Copy of sponsor’s passport (if applicable)
– Copy of trade license
1 Year:
– Copy of passport
– Copy of residence visa page
– Labor card from Labor Office
– Copy of offer letter and contract
– Two passport-sized photos
– Copy of health insurance
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor
– Copy of sponsor’s passport and visa page
– Copy of offer letter
– Copy of trade license
JAFZA
Candidates should have a Labor Card or a Permanent ID Card.
Labor Cards are granted to candidates on a student, parent, or spouse visa for a maximum duration of six months, and a Permanent Identity Card is granted to candidates who are on a spouse or parent visa.
The following documents are required:
– Copy of passport
– Copy of visa page
– Copy of Emirates ID
– Copy of trade license copy (if sponsored by a university)
– Passport/visa copy (if sponsored by a spouse/parent)
– NOC from candidate’s sponsor (addressed to JAFZA)
– Passport picture
– Copy of insurance card
– Application form
– Additional documents as requested
What are the top companies for internships in the UAE?
Now, let’s look at some of the top companies for UAE internships.
Tourism And Hospitality
1. Hilton
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Hotel Group
2. Marriot International
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Hotel Group
3. FlyDubai
Free Zone: DAFZA
What they do: Airline
👉 Browse More Tourism Jobs on GrabJobs
Business, Banking And Finance
1. White & Case
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Legal Firm
2. Visa
Free Zone: DCCA
What they do: Credit Card company and Payment Provider
3. PwC
Free Zone: –
What they do: Consulting
👉 Browse More Business Jobs and Banking Jobs on GrabJobs
IT and Tech
Building and Interior Design
1. Royal BAM Group
Free Zone: DMCC
What they do: Construction
2. Larsen & Toubro
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Construction
3. Emaar Properties
Free Zone: Various
What they do: Construction
👉 Browse More Construction Jobs and Interior Design Jobs on GrabJobs
Engineering
1. Robert Bosch
Free Zone: DAFZA
What they do: Engineering and Hardware
2. Danzas AEI Emirates
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Shipping Company
3. General Electric
Free Zone: JAFZA
What they do: Industrial Manufacturing
👉 Browse More Engineering Jobs on GrabJobs
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide was helpful in showing you what the benefits of internships in UAE are, what the visa requirements are, and what some of the top companies are that offer internships.
Now you’ll realize that you won’t earn much, and you’ll work hard, but in the end it’s all worth it because UAE internships, as a way to improve your knowledge, skills, and career prospects, are invaluable for your career.
