Architecture Careers in the Gulf ft. Andy Shaw

In this Architecture Social conversation (around 43 minutes), Stephen Drew talks with Andy Shaw, architect, Managing Partner and co-founder of AMA in Dubai and Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter, about what it is really like to build an architecture career in Dubai and the wider Gulf. Andy relocated from London to the Middle East in 2011 and shares a practitioner and employer view of pay, working culture, qualifications, software, lifestyle and how to actually land a role.

Who this is for

Architects, Part 1 and Part 2 architectural assistants, architectural technologists and technicians, and students who are curious about relocating to Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia, as well as anyone weighing up an international move and wanting a grounded picture of life and work in the Gulf.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

1. Explain the main reasons architects relocate from the UK to the Gulf and what has changed in the region over the last decade.
2. Describe how Gulf remuneration differs structurally from the UK, including the role of tax-free salaries, the end-of-service gratuity and cost of living.
3. Outline the typical working week and the range of office cultures you might encounter.
4. Identify practical ways to find work and get noticed, including being on the ground, networking and the job-seeker visa route.
5. Summarise how professional titles and qualifications such as the RIBA Part 3 are treated in the UAE.
6. Recognise the software, sectors and emerging technologies that shape practice across the region.

Why architects move to the Gulf

Andy describes leaving London in 2011, a decision shaped partly by the mood in UK practice after the 2008 financial crisis and partly by a wish to live somewhere new for a few years. An invitation from a former manager turned an open idea into a concrete move. He notes that what was often pitched as a short stay has, for many people, become a longer chapter as the region has become more liveable.

Pay, tax and cost of living

The headline difference is structural. Salaries in the UAE are generally quoted free of income tax and national insurance, so take-home pay compares differently with UK figures. Staff who complete a period of service also receive an end-of-service gratuity. Andy is candid that cost of living is broadly similar to the UK once lifestyle is taken into account, with entertainment and alcohol expensive but transport and outdoor activities cheap, so the tax position rather than a lower cost base is the main financial draw.

The working week and office culture

Andy explains that the UAE moved to a Monday to Friday week, with Saturday and Sunday as the weekend and some government bodies working a shorter Friday. Office cultures vary widely, from well-managed studios keeping reasonable hours to firms that push long weeks, and site-based roles carry their own demands. The advice is to research a prospective employer rather than assume the region is uniform.

Finding a job and getting noticed

Practical steps matter. Being physically on the ground with a local address and phone number signals commitment and tends to get a CV more attention. Networking, institutional connections and referrals work better than cold email, and the RIBA Gulf Chapter community is a useful first point of contact for people considering a move. Andy also notes a job-seeker visa that allows candidates to come specifically to look for work.

Qualifications, titles and registration

The title of architect is not protected in the UAE in the way it is in the UK, so Part 3 is not a legal requirement to use the title. It still carries weight with international firms, who tend to map it to a management-ready level of experience and a higher salary band. The market also absorbs people qualified through American, Indian, Australian and other systems, so candidates are slotted in on a case-by-case basis rather than a single national framework.

Roles beyond the architect

There is demand across the delivery side as well as concept design, so architectural technologists and technicians with strong documentation and coordination skills are actively sought, particularly when projects are busy. Design management is a common route for experienced people moving into the region.

Software and tools

For production, Revit is the dominant platform. Early-stage and concept work is more varied, with Rhino and Grasshopper or SketchUp common for design and masterplanning, supported by AutoCAD. A Revit-led skill set with concept tools alongside it travels well in the Gulf market.

Emerging technology and sustainability

Andy observes that the UAE and Saudi Arabia lean into emerging fields as a way to make their mark, from AI and the metaverse to a growing interest in blockchain, reflected in initiatives such as the Museum of the Future. Sustainability is a stated ambition that does not always meet its aims, but there is genuine momentum, illustrated by car-free, solar-equipped developments such as Sustainable City.

Lifestyle and quality of life

Beyond the office, Andy paints a picture that differs from the tabloid image. Dubai is a car-based, zoned city where people tend to settle into communities with their own amenities, with outdoor life ranging from beaches and a long desert cycle track to mangrove walks. It is highly cosmopolitan with a large international community. He also flags that returning to the UK can be hard to reconcile financially, and that family considerations are often what brings people home.

Key terms

• RIBA Gulf Chapter: the regional RIBA community for members across the Gulf, running events, building tours and webinars.
• Gratuity: an end-of-service payment made to employees in the UAE after a period of service.
• Part 1, 2 and 3: the UK stages of architectural education and qualification, recognised but not legally required in the UAE.
• GCC: the Gulf Cooperation Council states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
• Job-seeker visa: a UAE visa route allowing candidates to enter specifically to look for work.
• Design management: a delivery-focused role coordinating technical documentation and design across a project.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. If you were to relocate to the Gulf, what would you need to verify about an employer's culture, hours and contract before accepting a role?
2. How would a tax-free salary and gratuity change your own financial planning compared with your current UK position, including the implications of returning later?
3. Which parts of your skill set, in software, sectors or delivery, would transfer most readily to Gulf practice, and where would you need to develop?

About the guest

Andy Shaw is an architect based in Dubai and the Managing Partner and co-founder of AMA, a design studio working across hospitality, residential, landmarks, interiors and masterplanning in the Gulf. He has chaired the RIBA Gulf Chapter since 2020 and is a Visiting Professor of Architecture at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, where he has taught since the mid 2010s. He relocated from London to the Middle East in 2011.