Carol Mercer, our Senior Recruitment Consultant specialising in the Middle East, recently returned from a trip to Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi with Jim Godsal and Yan Scouller. She has taken the time to write this update about their trip, and some of the clients and candidates that they visited. All the photos in this post were taken by Carol and Jim during their trip.
If you’re interested in opportunities in the Middle East, you can search all our current vacancies or register with us to be notified of any suitable vacancies. If you would like to find out more about living and working the Middle East, take a look at our Doctor's Guides.
Day One
Doha
In the morning we visited a high-profile client and met with representatives from both the HR and Critical Care departments. It was good to be able to all be together to discuss our consultants who are currently going through the registration process. I also had the chance to meet with one of our Critical Care Consultants who had commenced the week before and find out how he was settling in. It was great to have the opportunity to meet in person, especially having worked with him over around a year with Carol Horan, to get him out to Doha.
We also visited one of the local schools we are working alongside, which was very interesting to see. We had a guided tour which has enabled me to have clear picture in my mind of the facilities. This will be really helpful for when I’m speaking to any UK Consultants moving to Doha with children. The facilities were all very similar to a UK school, although their assembly hall doubles up as the playground in summer, as it is too hot to play outside!
In the afternoon we had a walk along the Corniche taking in some of the skyline of Doha and getting a feel for the size of it. There was lots of people out and about playing with their kids and sitting out having lunch and picnics as it was lovely and warm and clear.
Day Two
Abu Dhabi
We met with representatives from the HR Department of a leading women and childrens' hospital we are working alongside, and discussed the progress of a couple of our candidates as well as talking through some new vacancies. We then had a tour of the hospital, which resembled a 5-star hotel. The rooms were actually more spacious than my hotel room! We also got to have a look around the VIP suite, via its own lift, which commands a stunning view and is incredibly palatial. The last time I saw this building was in 2013 and the outside of the building was still being finished, so it was fantastic to come back and see it completed.
Dubai
We had lunch at the Dubai Marina which is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by, not to mention ogling the amazing yachts and motor cruisers that are moored there!
After lunch we met with a client from an international medical advisory company, who also happened to be a fellow Scot! So as well as business there was also a bit of traditional weather chat. It was good to meet face to face and also to find out that she is still looking to recruit another 7 Emergency Medicine Locums for Saudi Arabia as well as potentially being able to look at recruitment in other countries.
We then met with a new client who is hoping to get the green light in the next couple of weeks to progress with the recruitment drive for a new clinic in Dubai which is due to open in the second half of 2016. He is very confident that there will be a few Consultant vacancies for us to work on which is great news.
After this we drove back to Abu Dhabi, which took around 2 and a half hours (an hour longer than normal) due to the incredibly spectacular thunder and lightning storm.
We had dinner outside at Le Meridien. It was all set up outside in the square for the expats to watch the 6 nations rugby, with a fake rugby post as an entrance and a large screen TV. They also had a couple singing (terrible) cover songs such as Beat It by Michael Jackson, which kept us entertained!
Day Three
Abu Dhabi
We had another client visit, this time at a leading international medical clinic (a subsidiary of high-profile public research hospital based in London, UK). We had a tour of the clinic (which was deceptively large and resembled Dr Who’s Tardis!), and it was lovely to meet our contact after a year or so of working with him, and also being able to see the location to which we have been recruiting.
After leaving the clinic, we took the short walk down to the Corniche and walked along the front, before walking through the underpass to head back into the centre. I was amazed at how clean and attractive the underpass was (with waterfalls and fountains leading to the entrance) as well as feeling very safe, compared to the ones of Edinburgh where you feel the need to check over your shoulder and march very quickly through it to the other side!
After this we met with a client from a leading UAE healthcare chain. They are an old client who we are hoping to work with again. He has six vacancies he is requiring assistance with at this time and I am just waiting on some further information before advertising these.
Dubai
Jim met with the new HR Manager at an international private hospital group. They had a very good meeting and advised Jim that they had also very recently taken over a hospital in the region. She is keen to re-establish our working relationship and we are just awaiting her to advise us of their current vacancies.
Abu Dhabi
Meanwhile, I met with one of our Consultants Kate, who I had placed back in November, and her husband Andrew (who is an ENT Surgeon) for dinner at Bentley’s restaurant in the Galleria Mall. It was lovely meeting her in person and we all had a lovely meal – the steaks are melt in the mouth and apparently are all the way from Scotland, being Aberdeen Angus! Since moving to Dubai Andrew has started writing a blog to try and help others who are thinking about making the move, you can read it here: www.dubaidoc.net
For information on Consultant opportunities in The United Arab Emirates including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, contact Carol Mercer on +44 (0)131 240 5273 or email carol@headmedical.com.
For information on Consultant opportunities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, contact Annie Nicholson on +44 (0)131 240 5251 or email annie@headmedical.com.
For information on GP opportunities in the Gulf, contact Yan Scouller on +44 (0)131 240 5274 or email yan@headmedical.com.