Arabic is the national language of Dubai, and the first language of UAE nationals. But because many people in Dubai do not speak Arabic, English has become the business language.
When you visit Dubai, you'll notice that signs, packaging and written communication is in both Arabic and English. Go to a shop or restaurant and most employees will greet you in English.
In the workplace, English is the most commonly spoken language.
Dubai's many Economic Freezones attract multinational companies from all over the globe. These businesses transact all over the world, so it’s generally expected that their Dubai employees speak English. English makes doing business with international clients and offices easier.
English is the number one language requirement for most job vacancies in Dubai. Almost all roles will require some fluency in English. This makes it difficult to find jobs in Dubai if your English skills are weak.
Customer facing Jobs usually require a higher level of English proficiency. This is also true for jobs where you need to produce a lot of written correspondence.
In these types of positions, a native or high level of business English is needed. This would be equivalent to C1 or C2 on the official scales.
A good understanding of English is important, but you don't need to speak English perfectly to work in Dubai.
English is a second language for most of the population of Dubai. Very few people are native English speakers. So if your English is not perfect you're not alone!
For most job vacancies in Dubai your CV will need to be submitted in English. For Arabic speaking roles, you can submit a CV in Arabic.
However, a majority of recruiters in Dubai will expect to read an English CV. If your CV is not written in English it won't get read by many people.
Most Dubai interviews will be in English. Unless you and the interviewer speak the same native language. But even in these situations they may want to assess your English language skills.
If a role has a particular language need, you should prepare to interview in that language too.
You can land a job in Dubai if English is the only language you speak. This is also true if English is your second language.
But there are some roles that need bilingual or trilingual language abilities. Some job vacancies in Dubai ask for Arabic and English speakers. This is common for roles at government or semi-government organisations. Companies that do business across the Middle East may also need Arabic speakers.
If you do not speak Arabic you should not apply for jobs that request Arabic speakers.
All dialects of Arabic can be useful for living in Dubai. But when a job description asks for Arabic speakers, it usually means Middle Eastern Arabic.
English and Arabic are the two main languages required to work in Dubai. However, you will sometimes see other languages required.
One example is French. A lot of Dubai offices are hubs for the MENA region which includes French speaking nations.
You might also find that some companies tend to hire people who speak a particular language. This could be a company that has a majority of Indian employees.
Another example is Huawei. Huawei often hires Chinese nationals with native fluency in Mandarin.
It is possible to find jobs in Dubai without speaking English. However, if you're serious about developing your career in Dubai, strong English language skills are very useful. Being able to speak and write in English will open up opportunities in multinational companies.
