Occupational Therapist – Dubai
Offering the ultimate city lifestyle with a high standard of living, year-round sunshine, and safety.
Paediatric OT’s are in demand in Dubai and we have lots of opportunities available!
Our team will help you with the registration process, advise you about the popular locations/visas, organise interviews, introduce you to others and support you with your move.
OT Roles
Enquire Today
Paeds Private Practice
Caseload – varied paeds caseload in well established private clinics and/or schools.
Experience level Minimum 2 years OT experience required due to license process – ideally 1-2 years is in paeds, or at least x1 paeds rotation (flexible)
Car requirement – having your own car is highly preferred (and also recommended for living in Dubai) so that you complete home/school visits, there are some clinics that can you employ you for static positions
Steps To Working With Healthcare Abroad
Where We Recruit
Reviews
I moved from Ireland to Melbourne in August this year and Healthcare abroad really helped me through the whole process! Also very comforting to know there were people in Melbourne that you had already made contact with – they’ll set you up to meet people so you already have a community 🙂
Lucy
They make the process so much easier. Once I had my registration they had interviews organised in a week. Taking away all the work with applying for jobs. Would strongly recommend it to any UK Physio!
Ben
I couldn’t recommend Rosie and Jon enough, they were very helpful in providing all the information we needed to sort our registration and made the job hunting process a whole lot easier.
Jo
I would highly recommend Healthcare Abroad for anyone looking to make the move to Australia to work as an OT. They provided support from the beginning of my journey right through to once I was settled in Australia.
Francesca
Rosie and Jon have been extremely helpful in making my dream come true! I have been so happy in Brisbane I have already looked into extending my visa! Couldn’t have done it without them!
Sarah
Can’t recommend Healthcare Abroad enough! They’ve made the move from the UK to Melbourne super easy from the start. The job they found for me is a perfect fit! The team is also really friendly (meaning you can ask all the stupid questions)!
Maria
The guys at Healthcare Abroad were amazing in helping me throughout the very stressful process of moving to Australia, both during the registration process and then helping me to find a great job opportunity! Essential help for anyone considering the move overseas. Thank you!
Andrea
Highly recommend healthcare abroad to any OT/physio looking to come out to Australia, they help me throughout the whole process of gaining registration and finding a job!
Bronagh
John and Rosie have been absolutely fantastic and helped turn my dream into reality..rnu003cbru003ernIf you’re looking to get qualified abroad, I would 100% recommend Healthcareabroad.
Rebecca
Healthcare abroad has been amazing in helping me make the move to Australia. From gaining registration and applying for a visa to securing a job role- all with constant support provided throughout.
Carmen
For anybody looking to make the move abroad, I cannot recommend Healthcare abroad enough! Rosie and Jon have been absolutely incredible, going above and beyond to help me throughout this whole process!
Hannah C
Healthcare abroad have always been really quick to respond to all our questions, gave lots of really helpful advice and linked us up with a great job- we are very grateful as definitely couldn’t have navigated all the processes without their help! Thank you!
Molly u0026 Eva
It’s safe to say organising my new life in Australia would have been so much harder without Healthcare abroad! Professional, honest and kind from the beginning, and have continued to help me over a year into my time here in Australiarn
Gavin
HA were absolutely vital in moving to Aus, the amount of paperwork and organising to do would’ve been overwhelming without their advice and support.
Jake
The work they are doing is amazing. Rosie assisted me throughout the whole process of gaining registration as well as giving me loads of advice and generally being really helpful. I’d 100% recommend their service to anyone
Aaron
For anybody looking to make the move abroad, I cannot recommend Healthcare abroad enough! Rosie and Jon have been absolutely incredible, going above and beyond to help me throughout this whole process!
Hannah S
From the beginning they were so easy to contact and so helpful. From registration to visas and interviews, the whole process was made so much less daunting and much easier with the teams guidance. I could not recommend them enough to anyone who is hoping to make the move to Australia or New Zealand!
Shane
So thankful for all the help and continued support by Rosie and the team. They walked me through the process of getting my registration, to getting a job and visa and eventually getting over to Melbourne! Couldn’t have got here without them and would 100% recommend them to anyone looking to make the move!
Hannah M
Rosie guided me every step of the way and made my dream achievable. Any health professional I meet I always take the opportunity to promote the company because it truly is a great service! I am so grateful to Rosie u0026 the team at Healthcare Abroad who have helped me secure a job in the speciality I wanted u0026 I really cannot recommend this company enough to anybody thinking of working abroad!
Sineru
Healthcare abroad from the moment I approached them has been so helpful, giving me a step by step process of what visa to apply for, how to apply for an exemption and how to apply to AHPRA to practise physio.
Michaela
Rosie and Jon guided me step by step from getting a visa to securing a job in Brisbane. They also provided a lot of guidance on settling in Australia and have been checking up on me every now and then, which makes the whole process a lot easier, thanks guys!
Richard
Couldn’t recommend Healthcare Abroad enough! Right from the get go, Rosie and the team were so helpful with every aspect of the process, and couldn’t have done more to help me through it all. They have great connections in Australia, and I’m glad I made the move when I did!
Danny
OT FAQs
See General FAQs-
UK/Irish/SA trained paediatric OT/SLT’s are in high demand in Dubai
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Your OT license is through Dubai Health Authority/DHA,
The application starts with an assessment of your credentials – you will be asked to provide ID/qualification/license & experience letter documents
Once this is approved, you will be provided with an eligibility letter for 1 year – in which time you need to activate your registration with your employer (your registration is linked to your employer).
UK/Ireland/SA are exempt from sitting the exam as long as you have current registration in your home country, can provide a Certificate of Good Standing and have not had a break in practice since the last day of employment.We will send through more detailed information & support you with this.
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Visa (Work Permits) are for 2 years (renewable) & directly linked to your employer – you will need an offer of employment to be able to apply.
Part of the application can be completed outside of Dubai, you will then be granted an Entry Permit.
Once you are in Dubai, there are additional tasks that need to be completed including a medical check & Emirates ID before your full work visa is granted. -
The set up fees for Dubai can be quite expensive as it is common for rent to be paid upfront for 3-4 months at a time as well as a 10% deposit.
It is also recommended that you buy/rent a car to enjoy Dubai (this is also often required for paeds roles) as there is not sufficient public transport (although Careem, similar to Uber, is quite affordable).
Approx. rental prices for 1-2 bedrooms can vary between AED 80-125k per year.
You cannot take out a lease for an apartment until your Emirates ID has come through which can take 1 month after arriving – you will likely need to book short-term accommodation/AirBnB for the first month.
You may also want to use a realtor to help you find accommodation which costs around AED 9k.
The application fees for your registration are split into 3 parts – registration application – AED 200, verification of documents AED 935, Activation of license (once you have secured a role AED 1000) -
Companies will offer a salary, commission or mixed commission/salary.
The salary range for paeds OT’s is around AED 15-30k per month which is tax free.
All companies have to include medical insurance.
Some companies will offer additional benefits such as x1 flight to your home country each year or they may be able to help with accommodation costs at the start e.g. 1 month rent or deducting this from your pay (but these additional benefits are not always offered with small paeds clinics).
You will also be paid Gratuity (end of service benefit) once you finish employment if you work for more than 1 year -
You will need a minimum of 2 years qualified OT experience to work in Dubai due to the license process.
There is a one exception to this, where you can complete an internship to gain your license, but your salary will be lower and we feel it is better to gain more experience in your home country so that you can be paid a higher salary in Dubai, gain confidence and enjoy the lifestyle in Dubai moreExpectations
Dubai is very multicultural and clients can have different expectations, it is very important that you are open minded, confident and able to deal with the wide variety of people that live in Dubai. -
Most of the work in Dubai for OT’s is in pediatrics, this is due to the young demographic in Dubai
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Employers are keen for you to start in September as this is the start of the school year – lots of recruitment for paeds roles is in July/August
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Dubai has a vibrant expat community, providing lots of opportunities for meet-ups and events to get involved in.
Latest News
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The Working Holiday Visa has a 6 month limitation but there are exemptions to this rule – please see below for the January 2024 update!
Australia Working Holiday Visa Update – Jan 2024
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When I decided I wanted to find an occupational therapy job into Australia, the hardest decision to make was where would be best to live.
OT Liv shares her experience of living in Melbourne!
