“Prepare to work hard before you play hard! What you see on Instagram are the best bits but most people work long hours during the week so they can splurge on the weekends.” Tamar Symons Marketing Executive for Costa Coffee Group.
What made you want to move to Dubai and how long have you lived here?
To be honest, I’d never even been to Dubai before I moved here, but I’ve always loved the sunshine. I was living back home in Guernsey at the time and getting a little claustrophobic, an opportunity came up for me to move out here and stay with a friend and I, quite frankly, jumped at the chance! I’ve now been here 4 and a half years and still love it.
What was your first job?
My first job was Brand Manager for an independent restaurant company.
What’s your job role now?
I work in Marketing for Costa Coffee. My day to day is made up of working with our franchise partners to pull together marketing campaigns and activations across the Middle East and North Africa. I’m Campaign Lead, so it’s my responsibility to conceptualise, implement and activate marketing campaigns for the region, including finalising products with the team, working with our agency to great a campaign strategy and toolkit, and then working with our Franchise partners to effectively implement campaigns in the market. I also look after the digital side of our marketing strategy- including creating exciting campaigns, analysing what works and what doesn’t for our target consumer and building our strategy as a brand on social media.
I’ve been involved in some exciting creative campaigns with the brand and a lot of ‘firsts’, which has been amazing. For example, we created some couture dresses inspired by our Cold Foam topping, being the first global brand to launch ‘Magic’ outside of Australia and being the first brand to launch a Rose Chocolate drink as part of our festive campaign- not to mention the infamous drone coffee delivery!
One of my favourite projects to work on annually is our Ramadan cups, it’s something that’s unique to our region. Our strategy here is to collaborate with a local artist and allow them to visually tell their own Ramadan stories on our cups- being featured in Cosmopolitan Middle East was a huge highlight!
Any tips for girls wanting to find work?
It sounds so cliché, but it’s definitely about who you know, now that you know in Dubai.
Make as many connections as you can with people in your field. Be proactive, reach out to companies you want to work for and speak to everyone and anyone. You never know what opportunities may come up from one of those connections!
How did you find accommodation and do you have any recommendations for first time movers?
I was lucky enough to have a friend to stay with for the first couple of months.
When you first move out, I’d recommend booking an apartment hotel or airbnb for the first month to find your feet. There’s a lot of upfront costs when getting your own apartment, so it can be pricey… wait until you’ve got a secure income and know you’ll be here for at least a year before you get your own lease. Some landlords and agents can be hard work so prepare to be messed around a bit! There are some super helpful groups on Facebook that help find places to rent, ATB Dubai is great if you’re looking to share with some lovely like-minded girls.
What’s your recommendations on best places to get your hair and make up done ?
The girls at Pretty Wow in JLT are so sweet and amazing at what they do. Harriet at Wenails is the only person I’ll trust with my blonde hair! Ella and Meghan at Yinyang salon are great for special occasion hair and make-up.
Favorite clothing stores?
Beach City is a great local online boutique, they’re recently opened a shop in Nakheel Mall as well. They’re great for all sorts, like brunch dresses, swimwear and beachwear. Their Instagram is @beachcity.
Another brand I love is Coconut Cove which has really lovely handmade kaftans and sarongs, the quality is great and the price doesn’t break the bank. @coconutcovedubai
I also love Sand Dollar Dubai for more high-end and unique pieces and they stock Bali Body products! Their Instagram is @sanddollardubai
Favorite Ladies Night, Brunch and Ladies Day
I’ve got two favourite Ladies Days- Secret Ladies Day on a Thursday at Five, I’ve never had a bad day there, the vibe is always awesome!
Candypants Ladies day at Penthouse at Five is my go-to for a smaller more chilled vibe- although it does go off towards the end!
What do you do when you’re not working and partying?
I’m a bit of a shopaholic and foodie, so definitely either shopping or eating! I love the sunshine, so I can normally be found by the pool or sitting outside.
Any tips for ladies wanting to move to Dubai
Dos and donts
- Prepare to work hard before you play hard! What you see on Instagram are the best bits but most people work long hours during the week so they can splurge on the weekends.
- Be as social and network as much as you can, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
- Enjoy yourself and don’t take yourself too seriously! Dubai is like Disneyland for grown ups so, yes you’ll work hard, but you’ll never be bored.
- Living in a Muslim country means acclimatising to its rules and code of conduct, but Dubai is way more lenient than you’d think. We party way more than most in the UK- but it’s important to be aware of the laws, especially as a woman.
- Save some money before you take the leap. It’ll be helpful to have some money to fall back on whilst you find your feet.
- Try and avoid the loans and credit card rabbit hole. Banks love to hand those out to anyone and everyone.
- Try and save money each month, even if it’s only 200aed. You’ll thank yourself in the long run!
- Do your research on the labour law so you’re aware of your rights when dealing with employers. They should be sorting you a visa and viable health insurance at the very least!
Instagram: @tvwsymons_