A student* told me that he applied for a job at one of the two phone companies. He was hoping to work full time and go to school. I said, "Millions in the US do it every year." Then I heard the hours and pay: Dh 1500 per month with six 8 hour days per week.
Pay here is usually calculated monthly - not hourly or annually like in the US. So here's the math:
Dh 1500 = $408
48 hours each week * 4 = 192 per month
Pay per hour: $408/192 hours = $2.12/hour
As I get really, really frustrated with service people I have to remind myself that they are making $2.12/hour... and this is better pay than most stores pay.
Ironically, his job would be to work at du, the phone company who sold me the iPhone with the data packages that didn't work. For six weeks I went round and round with them and went off on a CSR more than once. I was justifiably upset but I have to admit I had no idea they were paid that little.
* To be clear: "Student" in this case meant non-Emirati. An Emirati wouldn't take this job for 10 times this pay. At 20 times this pay he'd consider it... as long it was only 5 days a week and he was allowed to come late and leave early...
That's not really a joke or an exaggeration. My students expect pay of Dh 30,000 when they graduate. (That monthly salary translates to $98,000 per year.)
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