I have no experience living in Dubai, however, I had interest in potentially applying to Emirates in the future. I did my research by asking questions on APC and PPRuNe, and my mind was quickly changed. These are some of the things that were said to me.

Please take everything I say with a grain of salt. I am speaking second hand as I have no actual experience living there and all this could be complete ignorance.

I'm only going to hit on the negative feedback I got back. They did talk of a lot of positive things there, but most of those positive things tend to dwindle after being there a few years.

1. You will not be treated as a 1st class citizen.

2. They have "slaves" and you are expected to just kind of "ignore" that this is something happening.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/...i-1664368.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMh-vlQwrmU

3. The people there tend to be "fake."

4. As someone posted above, Religion is the law there.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/20/world/...e-controversy/

5. Supposedly the public restrooms are pretty nasty and disgusting. I read an article a few years back written by a Woman who moved her family there after she received work. She said it takes a lot of getting accustomed to, but the hardest for her was the hole in the ground bathroom and the hanging hose you use to clean yourself. It apparently gets pretty messy.

6. If you are a fan of preventing global warming, Dubai is not the place for you, as residents have the largest footprint in the world.

7. If you plan to buy your own home there in the future, be careful. Supposedly there is a BIG "Bubble" that could burst.

I'm not sure how true most of it is, but the Religion enforcing the law, and the "Slave" stories are pretty well documented.

Good luck and I hope this helps. Maybe some of the others with experience there can chime in and correct anything I might have said wrong.