The United Arab Emirates is a beautiful country that attracts people from all over the world. So, it’s no wonder the city of Dubai, located in the UAE, has become one of the fastest-growing business centers in the world.
But as great as that sounds, there’s still one important question anyone who wants to live there should ask – can women work in the UAE?
Luckily, the answer is yes. Women can work in the UAE, but if you’re not a local, you’ll need a permit to do so. On top of obtaining a permit, all women must have permission from their husbands. (Or your father’s permission if he is still your legal guardian.)
Even though the UAE has a little room to grow in terms of gender equality, women can still find high-paying jobs. Here are the top 30 high-paying careers for women in the UAE.
What Are the Top 30 Highest Paying Careers for Women in the UAE?
Dietitian
Being a dietitian is one of the best careers for women in the UAE. Dietitian job duties typically include helping patients understand nutrition and improve their diets. Other duties may include meal planning and making home visits.
Dietitians can work in hospitals, doctors’ offices, or run their own practice.
To become a dietician, you’ll need to obtain your bachelor of science in dietetics and complete 1200 hours of supervised work. You’ll then need to pass a certification exam to become a registered dietitian.
The pay you receive as a dietitian will vary depending on the specialty you go into and your experience. However, this is one of the highest paying jobs in the UAE for women regardless of experience level.
Salary: Approximately AED 43,100 per month.
Skincare Specialist
Skincare specialists help their clients achieve radiant skin and remedy common skin ailments. Some of the most common duties of a skincare specialist include facials, massages, and body treatments. Some skin care specialists also offer services such as laser treatments, masks, and peels.
To become a skincare specialist, you may need to complete esthetics training.
Salary: Approximately AED 32,100 per month.
Child Development Specialist
Child development specialists play a critical role in the lives of children with developmental disabilities. Child development specialists work closely with kids who have suspected psychological or developmental disorders to identify, monitor, and improve specific behaviors or certain traits.
To become a child development specialist, you’ll need to obtain a bachelor’s degree, complete the required clinical experience, and receive a Child Development Associate certification.
Salary: Approximately AED 30,000 per month.
Patient Relations Manager
Patient relations managers act as middlemen between patients and the organizations they’re receiving care at. They’re responsible for billing and insurance information and handle all complaints and concerns a patient might have.
To become a patient relations manager, you’ll need to earn a graduate degree and obtain experience in insurance, customer service, or billing.
Salary: Approximately AED 25,200 per month.
Youth Care Counselor
Youth care counselors are responsible for counseling kids and teens. This can happen individually or in group settings. Youth care counselors usually work with at-risk children who need mentorship or legal assistance.
To become a youth care counselor, you’ll need to earn a master’s degree and certification. However, education and certification requirements can vary from job to job.
Salary: Approximately AED 25,100 per month.
Curriculum Developer
Curriculum Developers help establish educational curriculum by developing programs and making sure they meet local and national standards. They may also establish and administer exams and maintain records for students.
Curriculum developer jobs are generally for specific areas of study.
To become a curriculum developer, you’ll need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license.
Salary: Approximately AED 21,400 per month.
Yoga Instructor
Yoga teachers are responsible for helping their students learn various yoga poses and correct form. Yoga Instructors can lead group classes or hold private lessons with students.
There are no specific education requirements to become a yoga teacher. However, there are many certification courses available as well as professional associations you can join.
Salary: Approximately AED 18,500 per month.
Interior Designer
Interior Designers plan design elements in residential and commercial structures. Typical duties include choosing building materials, furniture, color schemes, and overseeing the design process.
To become an interior designer, you need to obtain a design degree and relevant work experience.
Salary: Approximately AED 17,900 per month.
Special Education Teacher
Special education teachers work with kids who have moderate to severe emotional, learning, or mental disabilities. They teach basic skills and put together individualized lessons for their students.
This is a highly rewarding job for anyone interested in working with the youth.
To become a special education teacher, you need a Bachelor’s of Education and relevant work experience.
Salary: Approximately AED 17,100 per month.
Nurse
Nurses assist doctors in doctor offices, nursing homes, and hospitals. The primary responsibilities include collecting patient history, performing tests, administering medication, counseling patients, and more.
To become a nurse in the UAE, you’ll need to complete a nursing program of at least three years and then pass the DHA exam.
Salary: Approximately AED 15,900 per month.
Fitness Trainer
Fitness trainers help their clients get in shape and master form while performing exercises. Fitness instructors can work with clients individually or in group settings.
To become a fitness trainer in the UAE, you’ll need to receive a Level 3 diploma in personal training and register with REPs UAE.
Salary: Approximately AED 15,400 per month.
Paralegal
Paralegals assist lawyers in preparing documents and doing prep work for trials. Paralegals often work as the line of communication between an attorney and client.
There are no set requirements for becoming a paralegal, although many employers wish to employ those with law degrees or those who have previous or similar experience working as a paralegal.
Salary: Approximately AED 14,600 per month.
Flight Attendant
Becoming a flight attendant is one of the top careers for women in the UAE. Duties include cleaning the plane’s cabin, ensuring and teaching passenger safety, stocking and distributing foods and drinks.
To become a flight attendant in the UAE, there are generally no college education requirements. Instead, applicants need to be at least 21 years of age, have a high school diploma, and have experience with hospitality. Being a fluent English speaker may also be a requirement.
Salary: Approximately AED 13,900 per month.
Librarian
Librarians do more than just read and manage books. A librarian has many job duties, including coordinating special programs, helping with research projects, organizing information, and managing staff.
To become a librarian, you’ll need a degree in library and information science and, in most cases, experience working in a library setting.
Salary: Approximately AED 13,600 per month.
Media Relations Rep
Media relations reps, also referred to as publicists, help manage their clients’ media image. Job duties can include helping a client create a specific media image and helping businesses gain exposure.
To become a media relations rep, you’ll typically need a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication, or public relations.
Salary: Approximately AED 13,200 per month.
Sales Rep
Becoming a sales rep is one of the top jobs for women in the UAE. This role includes making sales of certain products and managing accounts.
While there are no specific education requirements to becoming a sales rep, having a degree and previous experience in business or marketing can help you gain a good job.
Salary: Approximately AED 12,900 per month.
Travel Agent
Travel agents help coordinate trips for their clients, including planning and booking flights, lodging, meals, and more. Since places in the UAE are tourist hotspots, becoming a travel agent could lead to a lot of job growth.
To become a travel agent in the UAE, you may need to receive a certification. Specific prerequisites will be job-specific.
Salary: Approximately AED 12,500 per month.
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising coordinators help create, coordinate, and deliver different types of advertising. Duties may include working with multiple departments to ensure the completion of advertising projects.
Requirements to become an advertising coordinator will vary from job to job. Still, typical prerequisites include a bachelor’s degree in business, journalism, or communication, and previous experience in a similar role.
Salary: Approximately AED 12,400 per month.
Phlebotomist
Phlebotomists are responsible for drawing blood for medical testing, transfusions, and donations. This is one of the best careers for women in the UAE. Phlebotomy jobs are widely available so if you go into this field you’ll be able to find a position quickly.
To become a phlebotomist, you’ll need to complete a phlebotomy course and obtain an approved certification.
Salary: Approximately AED 12,100 per month.
Sales and Marketing Coordinator
Sales and marketing coordinators are responsible for tracking buyer spending habits, analyzing competition, and organizing sales and marketing plans for a company. They will work with many different departments to complete their job duties.
The best path to becoming a sales and marketing coordinator is by earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field.
Salary: Approximately AED 11,500 per month.
Tour Guide
Tour guides lead and educate groups of tourists, showing them the famous attractions of the area. As a tour guide, you could work with big or small groups of tourists.
To become a tour guide in the UAE you’ll need to complete the Tour Guide Award program and receive your tour guide license. It’s also important to be fit and energetic for this role since you’ll be on your feet a lot.
Salary: Approximately AED 11,400 per month.
Legal Assistant
Legal assistants help attorneys with a broad range of tasks. While many people think that paralegal and legal assistants are the same, they aren’t. Legal assistants usually help with general tasks, while paralegals assist with law-related duties.
There are no specific requirements to become a legal assistant. However, having previous experience in admin roles or a college degree will help increase your chances of finding work.
Salary: Approximately AED 10,700 per month.
Admin Assistant
Admin assistants, or secretaries, perform tasks such as recording information into computer programs, keeping files, answering phone calls, and scheduling appointments.
You don’t need a specific degree to become an admin assistant but previous or similar experience is often asked for on job postings. At the very least you should be familiar with popular record keeping programs.
Salary: Approximately AED 10,500 per month.
Receptionist
Receptionists are responsible for greeting customers as they enter a business, gathering customer information, setting appointments, and answering basic customer questions.
To become a receptionist, you need to be friendly and very detail-oriented. There are no specific education requirements for this role.
Salary: Approximately AED 9,800 per month.
Customer Service Rep
Customer service representatives are responsible for handling customer questions and complaints and sometimes making sales or running a cash register.
If you’d like to become a customer service representative, you need to be friendly and willing to learn the required computer programs for the job.
Salary: Approximately AED 7,900 per month.
Call Center Agent
Call center agents are responsible for taking inbound calls and helping customers or making outbound calls to gather information or survey clients.
No formal education is required to become a call center agent, but you need to be friendly and learn new software programs.
Salary: Approximately AED 6,900 per month.
Nursery Teacher
Nursery teachers are responsible for taking care of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. This includes making sure the children have a safe place to play, feeding them, and providing a stimulating environment.
Qualifications for this position will vary depending on the job duties of the specific role. Some positions will require you to have a teaching degree.
Salary: Approximately AED 6,800 per month.
Social Worker
Social workers help kids and adults who are vulnerable and need help. This is one of the most rewarding careers for women working in the UAE.
To become a social worker in the UAE, you’ll need to obtain a bachelor’s degree in social work and receive the required certifications.
Salary: Approximately AED 6,200 per month.
Waitress
Waitresses are responsible for taking customer orders and delivering them to their tables.
While there are no special education requirements to become a waitress, you will need to be in good shape and be very friendly for this job.
Salary: Approximately AED 5,900 per month.
Frequently Asked Questions About Top Careers for Women in the UAE
What are the top ten most high-growth careers in the UAE?
According to statistics gathered by LinkedIn Talent Solutions, the top 10 high-growth careers for women in the UAE are:
- Specialized Medical Professionals
- Digital Content Freelancers
- Healthcare Staff
- eCommerce Coordinator
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Business Development Specialist
- Life Coaches
- Video Producer
- Curriculum Developer
- Translator
If you have experience or education in one of these fields, right now is a great time for you to find a job in the UAE.
What are the top 10 most rewarding careers for women working in the UAE?
While it’s hard to say what’s rewarding for everyone, there are many jobs available for women in the UAE that could be considered quite rewarding. Here are the top 10:
How to get started in one of the top careers for women in the UAE?
To get started with a career, you’ll first need to decide what you’d like to do. Some of the top occupations for women in the UAE require bachelor’s degrees and special certifications, others do not. Once you decide what you’d like to do, you can start completing the necessary education requirements for the job.
Also, be sure to check out some of our other resources for finding work in the UAE:
Conclusion
Even though the UAE requires women to get permission to work, they still pay women well with many jobs to choose from.
There are a lot of high-paying and rewarding jobs for women in the UAE. No matter your passion or education level, you can find something that works for you. And if you’re interested in furthering your career, you can go back to school or obtain the certifications you need to land your dream job.
