{"id":7490,"date":"2018-12-05T01:38:51","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T08:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachingnomad.com\/living-abroad\/limitations-on-lifestyle-in-the-united-arab-emirates\/"},"modified":"2024-12-11T13:36:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T20:36:40","slug":"limitations-on-lifestyle-in-the-united-arab-emirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/blog\/living-abroad\/limitations-on-lifestyle-in-the-united-arab-emirates\/","title":{"rendered":"Limitations on Lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22&#8243; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.6.6&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/jobs\/destinations\/teach-in-uae\/\">moving to the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, one of the most important considerations is their more conservative culture in comparison with that of the United States. While this doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be a turn-off, it\u2019s key to be prepared.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of the UAE, 95% of the population is Muslim. Respecting the culture and their rules will ensure that you have a more meaningful \u2013 and safe \u2013 experience in the UAE.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>View or download the infographic:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Limitations-on-Lifestyle-in-the-UAE-infographics.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/teachingnomad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Limitations-on-Lifestyle-in-the-UAE-Thumbnail.jpg\" width=\"191\" height=\"263\" alt=\"Limitations on Lifestyle in the UAE Thumbnail\" class=\"wp-image-6179 alignnone size-full\" \/><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Dress code in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For women:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You do not have to wear a headscarf at all times, but you will need to wear one in holy sites.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t wear tight-fitting clothing.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t wear spaghetti straps or low V-necks.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t wear sports clothes off the sports field \u2013 that includes cycling shorts,<\/li>\n<li>Bikinis at the beach are okay as long as they are reasonably modest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For men:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Speedos are allowed at the beach, but swimming shorts are much more acceptable.<\/li>\n<li>Wear shorts that go below your knees.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t wear women\u2019s clothing in public (see below section).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>What&#8217;s illegal in the UAE?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In the United Arab Emirates, <strong>common law relationships<\/strong>, <strong>homosexuality<\/strong>, <strong>cross-dressing<\/strong>, and <strong>adultery<\/strong> are all <strong>illegal<\/strong> and can result in imprisonment. In some emirates, you are not permitted to live with a partner if you aren\u2019t married, and extramarital sex is illegal throughout the country.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Other restrictions in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Public displays of affection<\/strong> are socially unacceptable. They have even, in the past, resulted in arrest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alcohol<\/strong> is heavily restricted. You can only buy it if you have a liquor license that you get from your employer, and you can only consume alcohol at home and not in public spaces. There are hotels and restaurants which have gotten liquor licenses, but not as many as in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What to do during Ramadan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Be respectful of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/61815-what-is-ramadan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ramadan<\/a>. <\/strong>If you aren\u2019t Muslim, you don\u2019t have to participate in the fast during Ramadan, which lasts from sunrise to sunset every day. But because it\u2019s important to be respectful during this month, don\u2019t eat and drink in public during the day. You may still find some cafes and restaurants that will serve you, but this food should still be consumed at home.<\/p>\n<p>If you keep your wits about you and remember to follow the cultural guidelines, you can have a truly rewarding experience in the United Arab Emirates!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.teachingnomad.com\/jobs\/?country=United%20Arab%20Emirates\" class=\"tnd-button tnd-button--inverted\" style=\"min-width: 137px;\">View teaching jobs in the UAE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Life in the UAE probably isn&#8217;t what you think it is &#8211; learn about the limitations on lifestyle in the UAE that you might run into.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"When moving to the United Arab Emirates, one of the most important considerations is their more conservative culture in comparison with that of the United States. While this doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be a turn-off, it\u2019s key to be prepared. In the case of the UAE, 95% of the population is Muslim. Respecting the culture and their rules will ensure that you have a more meaningful \u2013 and safe \u2013 experience in the UAE.\n<h2><strong>Dress code in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\nFor women:\n<ul>\n \t<li>You do not have to wear a headscarf at all times, but you will need to wear one in holy sites.<\/li>\n \t<li>Don\u2019t wear tight-fitting clothing.<\/li>\n \t<li>Don\u2019t wear spaghetti straps or low V-necks.<\/li>\n \t<li>Don\u2019t wear sports clothes off the sports field \u2013 that includes cycling shorts,<\/li>\n \t<li>Bikinis at the beach are okay as long as they are reasonably modest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFor men:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Speedos are allowed at the beach, but swimming shorts are much more acceptable.<\/li>\n \t<li>Wear shorts that go below your knees.<\/li>\n \t<li>Don\u2019t wear women\u2019s clothing in public (see below section).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What's illegal in the UAE?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn the United Arab Emirates, <strong>common law relationships<\/strong>, <strong>homosexuality<\/strong>, <strong>cross-dressing<\/strong>, and <strong>adultery<\/strong> are all <strong>illegal<\/strong> and can result in imprisonment. In some emirates, you are not permitted to live with a partner if you aren\u2019t married, and extramarital sex is illegal throughout the country.\n<h2><strong>Other restrictions in the UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<strong>Public displays of affection<\/strong> are socially unacceptable. They have even, in the past, resulted in arrest.\n\n<strong>Alcohol<\/strong> is heavily restricted. You can only buy it if you have a liquor license that you get from your employer, and you can only consume alcohol at home and not in public spaces. There are hotels and restaurants which have gotten liquor licenses, but not as many as in the United States.\n<h2><strong>What to do during Ramadan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<strong>Be respectful of Ramadan. <\/strong>If you aren\u2019t Muslim, you don\u2019t have to participate in the fast during Ramadan, which lasts from sunrise to sunset every day. But because it\u2019s important to be respectful during this month, don\u2019t eat and drink in public during the day. You may still find some cafes and restaurants that will serve you, but this food should still be consumed at home.\n\nIf you keep your wits about you and remember to follow the cultural guidelines, you can have a truly rewarding experience in the United Arab Emirates!\n<div><a href=\"job-search?search_line=&amp;filters_array%5Bfilters%5D%5Bcountry%5D%5B%5D=united+arab+emirates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span>View current openings in the UAE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div><span><a href=\"images\/documents\/Limitations%20on%20Lifestyle%20in%20the%20United%20Arab%20Emirates%20PDF.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download a pdf of this post<\/a><\/span><\/div>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[44,29],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Limitations on Lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates - Teaching Nomad<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Life in the UAE probably isn&#039;t what you think it is - learn about the limitations on lifestyle in the UAE that you might run into.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/blog\/uae\/limitations-on-lifestyle-in-the-united-arab-emirates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Limitations on Lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates - Teaching Nomad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Life in the UAE probably isn&#039;t what you think it is - learn about the limitations on lifestyle in the UAE that you might run into.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/blog\/uae\/limitations-on-lifestyle-in-the-united-arab-emirates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Teaching Nomad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-05T08:38:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-11T20:36:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/011e88ef4a8328e08be9d913808b8290.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"507\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Teaching Nomad\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.teachingnomad.com\/\",\"name\":\"Teaching Nomad\",\"description\":\"Jobs and programs for teaching English abroad, International school employment and teaching job vacancies in Asia. 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