Nursing boss who ditched NHS for Dubai has no regrets - her pay has soared, days off are at the beach or by the pool and it's a safe place to bring up a child
A nursing boss ditched the NHS and moved 4,700 miles to Dubai despite gruelling 48-hour weeks because her days off are more 'fulfilling'.
Natalie Oakes, 38, first moved from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12 years ago after wanting to gain more 'life experience' without giving up her career.
She had worked her way up in the NHS to a leadership role, earning around £50,000, but took the leap and took a job at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi before moving to Dubai a year later.
After relocating, she earned 25 per cent more than her UK salary and had her accommodation and travel to the hospital paid for.
However, she did have to work 40 hours a week instead of the 37-and-a-half hours she was working in the UK.
As she has worked up the career ladder, she has had to work 48-hour weeks but says she 'didn't feel any difference' because she is able to spend her days off going to the beach and chilling by the pool.
Now she runs her own healthcare consultancy company and says Dubai has given her so many more career opportunities than the UK would have.
Natalie, originally from Dumfries, Scotland, said: 'All these things you are paying for in the UK were included, that was a major pull for me.
Natalie Oakes, 38, first moved from Edinburgh , Scotland, to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12 years ago after wanting to gain more 'life experience' without giving up her career
She had worked her way up in the NHS to a leadership role, earning around £50,000, but took the leap and took a job at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi before moving to Dubai a year later
After relocating, she earned 25 per cent more than her UK salary and had her accommodation and travel to the hospital paid for
'My salary was my disposable income.'
On working longer hours, she added: 'I didn't feel a difference because my days off were more fulfilling and productive.'
Natalie worked in the NHS for seven years before she moved in 2013.
She said she wasn't 'desperate' to leave the UK or go to Dubai but was looking to travel while still holding down her career.
Natalie added: 'I'd progressed quite quickly at quite a young age. I'd reached leadership level.
'I really enjoyed the NHS, but I felt like a young person who hadn't gained much life experience.
'I didn't want to give up my career.'
Natalie saw an advert for a role in a clinic in Abu Dhabi and applied with her CV, but it wasn't until a year later that they got in touch and offered her the job.
Natalie said she wasn't 'desperate' to leave the UK or go to Dubai but was looking to travel while still holding down her career
She left with three suitcases and hasn't looked back.
Natalie said: 'When I moved out, it was more than just a salary pull.
'I was given accommodation, reimbursed for furniture.
'There were so many additional benefits.
'I was provided transport to go to my shift.'
Natalie eventually moved to Dubai and worked her way up, sometimes working 48-hour weeks.
Despite the long working weeks, she found she was 'more refreshed' when she was on shift.
She said: 'There is so much to do on your day off. I'd feel more refreshed to go back.
Natalie is still 'appreciative' of the NHS and how it helped her climb the career ladder but now couldn't see herself moving back to the UK
She says she feels safer in Dubai and finds it 'scary' hearing about incidents that have been going on in the UK each time she pays a visit
'Dubai has a lot - beaches, there is a massive wellness drive.
'Even if you want to chill out at home, every building has a pool.
'When I was in the UK, I did the same all of the time.
'There wasn't much to do on a Saturday but shopping and lunch.'
Natalie is still 'appreciative' of the NHS and how it helped her climb the career ladder, but now couldn't see herself moving back to the UK.
She said: 'It wasn't the UK that pushed me away.
'I wanted to experience more in my life. I've created such a life out here for myself.'
Natalie now feels the UK costs are similar to Dubai - she pays £1,000 a month for rent - whereas the average cost to rent in London is around £2,000 per month
Since moving, she has met her partner, Calvin Smith, 34, who runs a tailors, and they are expecting a baby in December.
She says she feels safer in Dubai and finds it 'scary' hearing about incidents that have been going on in the UK each time she pays a visit.
She said: 'I want to bring my boy up in this environment - it's so safe.'
Natalie now feels the UK costs are similar to Dubai - she pays £1,000 a month for rent - whereas the average cost to rent in London is around £2,000 per month.
She spends £120 on a food shop to last 10 to 14 days for her and her partner, but also often spends the same amount on takeout due to her busy lifestyle.
Petrol is cheaper - it costs £50 for her to fill up in comparison to the £100 she spent filling up her mum's car when she was last in the UK.
Natalie said: 'In Dubai, I've always been able to live within my means.
'I can live a nice lifestyle.
'I've never struggled.'
Natalie also loves that she is in the 'middle of the world' so she can easily travel around when she has a few days off.
She also feels the country has given her more progression opportunities than she would have had in the UK.
'Dubai has given me so many opportunities that I wouldn't have received at home - in terms of career,' she said.
'It's created so many networks for me.'
