Starting work in Dubai: how we can help

A helping hand launching an international career

The situation: an unexpected job opportunity

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Mike worked for the British arm of an international firm of architects. When a big project came up in Dubai he jumped at the chance to get involved — even though it meant moving overseas at very short notice.

"It was a fantastic opportunity to spend some time in a fascinating part of the world," says Mike, "but I must admit I had little idea about how to go about the move financially. I didn't even know the currency in Dubai!"

What he needed: a simple solution for his finances

After getting advice from a colleague on the project, Mike contacted Lloyds TSB International. He explained that he needed to organise his finances from scratch.

He would be paid in Dollars while in Dubai, so we helped him open an US Dollar International Account.

We also introduced him to a local bank and got an account set up for him in Dirham, the currency of Dubai.

Mike paid his salary into his International account, avoiding currency conversion charges. Then he simply transferred chunks of cash into his local account to use day-to-day as he needed.

Ongoing help: a mobile bank account

Mike keeps coming back to Dubai — but six years on, things have changed for him.

"I'm married now, and my wife's job is based in London at the moment. I have a home and a family in the UK, which means mortgage payments — and probably school fees in the future."

So to handle the UK end of his finances, Mike opened a second international account in Sterling. He uses our easy internet banking and money transfer services to make sure his money gets to where it needs to be with the minimum cost.

Other services: sensible offshore savings

Mike and his wife are planning a family and are keen to save for their future. So it was a logical step for Mike to open an International Savings Account.

"I probably won't be running back and forth to Dubai for ever," Mike says, "but I'm not sure where I'm going to end up. So it makes sense to keep my savings offshore until I settle down."

The people and their circumstances portrayed in this case study are for illustrative purposes only.