No worries Mark. Happy to share my opinions with someone in a similar situation to the one I was in before first coming out here years ago.
As for my own situation I'll probably start asking questions again once I have had another interview in the next couple of weeks.
Remember I am currently in Saudi - considering moving to Qatar, which I have visited on business several times.
I only return to the UK a couple of times a year, probably for a total of about 30 days, so never come close to endangering my tax free status. I also have UK business interests but am classified with the Inland Revenue as a non-resident and am treated accordingly. I fill out my tax returns and pay any tax due on UK-originated income, keeping offshore earnings totally separate.
My family tend to go back for the whole summer (mainly due to the heat out here), and my wife oddly seems to spend no more than 91 days back in the UK in any given year! We also punctuate the year with short breaks to places like Dubai and Oman, which are very family friendly. We have taken advantage of our location to also holiday in the Far East.
The whole Middle East has two major annual holidays, Ramadan Eid and Hajj Eid. Both last about a week each, and in addition to that you should get between 30-35 calendar days vacation, so all in all it is more generous than the UK. Also for the whole month of Ramadan all businesses work on reduced hours, so you will probably have a month of working 6 hours a day too! I would strongly recommend the family join you as in my experience trying to do the posting on single status with periodic trips back can cause huge stresses in relationships over a long period of time. It really depends on the individual but it wouldn't be for me.
Finally regarding business, I would say if you have a good reputation and are patient polite and courteous at all times, showing respect for the local customs you will soon strike up a valuable network, and yes, once you know people with 'wasta' then things do get a lot easier.
No worries Mark. Happy to share my opinions with someone in a similar situation to the one I was in before first coming out here years ago.
As for my own situation I'll probably start asking questions again once I have had another interview in the next couple of weeks.
Remember I am currently in Saudi - considering moving to Qatar, which I have visited on business several times.
I only return to the UK a couple of times a year, probably for a total of about 30 days, so never come close to endangering my tax free status. I also have UK business interests but am classified with the Inland Revenue as a non-resident and am treated accordingly. I fill out my tax returns and pay any tax due on UK-originated income, keeping offshore earnings totally separate.
My family tend to go back for the whole summer (mainly due to the heat out here), and my wife oddly seems to spend no more than 91 days back in the UK in any given year! We also punctuate the year with short breaks to places like Dubai and Oman, which are very family friendly. We have taken advantage of our location to also holiday in the Far East.
The whole Middle East has two major annual holidays, Ramadan Eid and Hajj Eid. Both last about a week each, and in addition to that you should get between 30-35 calendar days vacation, so all in all it is more generous than the UK. Also for the whole month of Ramadan all businesses work on reduced hours, so you will probably have a month of working 6 hours a day too! I would strongly recommend the family join you as in my experience trying to do the posting on single status with periodic trips back can cause huge stresses in relationships over a long period of time. It really depends on the individual but it wouldn't be for me.
Finally regarding business, I would say if you have a good reputation and are patient polite and courteous at all times, showing respect for the local customs you will soon strike up a valuable network, and yes, once you know people with 'wasta' then things do get a lot easier.
Cheers.