Jan Hugo: Welcome to The Relocated South African Show for Navigating Immigration from South Africa for a Better Future. I’m your host, Jan Hugo, from Lagos in Portugal. Check out our website www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com. It contains a whole lot of useful information and details of all episodes to date. If you want to interact with us, comment on our discussions, or even participate in an interview, contact me on jan@therelocatedsouthafrican.com.
We’ll see if you like our content and subscribe on your favourite platform. Today, I’m very pleased to welcome to the show Kirsty Jones, the founder and owner of Federated Advisory in Dubai. Welcome, Kirsty.
Kirsty Jones: Thank you so much for having me. It’s awesome.
Jan Hugo: Like I ask every guest on the show, maybe just a little bit of background on your journey: where you grew up, went to school, and how did you end up living in Dubai?
Kirsty Jones: Okay, perfect. I was born in Germiston, but when I was about three, we moved to Joburg, where I spent the rest of high school and primary school, did it all there. Straight out of high school, COVID hit. So in 2019, I just matriculated. Thankfully, COVID hit the following year. And as you know, jobs were already difficult to find. It was immensely difficult to find. I ended up getting contacted by a company that actually relocates people around the world to work in restaurants and different venues, events and things. And I lived in Qatar for a few months. I was there for about eight months.
And then from there, I moved to Dubai, and I haven’t looked back. It’s been about four and a half years now.
Jan Hugo: Awesome. And do you still have family in South Africa?
Kirsty Jones: Yeah. So my mother, my father, my sister all live in SA.
Jan Hugo: Okay. And then, you know, you’ve got the cousins and the aunts. Yeah. But I mean, so you’re the only one that actually took the leap and left. Okay. And let me ask the question: why the UAE?
Kirsty Jones: I think it was more so safety-wise. You know, the country itself is very safe. I can walk around at 3 a.m. I don’t have to worry. I can leave my house unlocked. I know nothing’s getting stolen. I can leave my phone at a restaurant table, get up, walk around.
You know, it’s very, very safe to have that safety, especially as a young woman who is living alone. It’s important to feel that you are always protected and safe. And then just as a country as a whole, the government is very transparent. You know, there’s no corruption. There’s no hidden anything. You know, they’re very open and honest. This is what we’re changing. This is what we’re doing. So it’s just having that stability in a country and knowing that you’re not going to get surprised one day and be like, oh, well, here’s a new law. Everything’s open to discussion. They listen to feedback. And obviously, when it comes to salaries, there’s no personal income tax. That’s insanely amazing. We love it. Might be one of the best features.
Jan Hugo: Okay. That’s awesome. And so when you moved from Qatar to Dubai, did you move with a job or did you then straight away start your business?
Kirsty Jones: So I moved with a job. Okay. So I was working in a restaurant this side, and then beginning of this year, I decided to start my own company. So we started the process and everything, you know, step by step. I was still working other jobs while trying to get this going. And then I just decided to take a leap and jump and go.
I’m working for the business now full-time. Let’s see, because you never know unless you try. And I’m a firm believer you have to try it. If it fails, at least you can say you tried. And that’s what I did. I took a leap of faith, and it’s been working out so far.
Jan Hugo: Well, that’s amazing. And the particular interest in creating that business was born out of your own experience or seeing what other people went through to get established there?
Kirsty Jones: I think it was, you know, everyone has to do medicals, the systems, the processes. I found personal struggle because you would ask people, oh, when am I getting my visa? When can I fly? I remember distinctly being at home, being like, okay, well, I’ve left my job at home, my bags are packed, I sold my apartment, you know, so when am I leaving?
We’re working on your visa. We’re working on it. You know, people weren’t very clear and honest about timelines, and they kept things very hidden. Whereas I was like, I’m very upfront and honest. Anyone who works with me, my clients can vouch, I will update them until they’re like, okay, Kirsty, we’ve got this. You can leave me alone because I believe in full transparency.
You’ll know every step of the way where you are. I don’t like people having that, you know, that little gap where they’re not sure what’s happening in life. I like being predictable.
Jan Hugo: Okay. And in the profile that I saw about your business, you talk about wanting to be a trusted and innovative advisory partner in the UAE. Obviously saying that, do you think that’s lacking in the UAE at the moment?
Kirsty Jones: I definitely, definitely think so. I feel like a lot of people take advantage of expats wanting to move here, not just from South Africa around the world, because they say, oh, this person comes from money, let’s do one product and let’s sell it at such an expensive rate just because of where they’re coming from. And, you know, people lie. They say it’s getting done when it’s not, you know. So I personally found that you can’t actually find reliable people. They say one thing, but it’s another thing that’s happening. And that’s kind of what motivated me because I was like, okay, I want to be clear. I want to be transparent. And I don’t want to leave my clients going, well, I need to book a flight or, you know, my kids need to start school. Where are we at?
You know, I’m very open with everything, and I try to make the process as seamless for them as possible. So I’ll take all the heavy loading. Oh, I need you to do this document. No problem. I’ve filled out all your details. You just need to do a DocuSign, read over DocuSign. Thank you. Let’s go. You know, so I do what I can to make the process because moving across the world is one of the most stressful things you can ever do in life. And if I can provide some relief from that stress, I’m all in there for it.
Jan Hugo: Excellent. And maybe just give us a sense of, you know, a person wants to go and work or settle in the UAE and start a business. What is it that you do for them?
Kirsty Jones: So initially, it’s usually a consultation just to find out what business. So in the UAE, you’ve got different sectors, and different sectors fall under different branches. So you can either go free zone or mainland, but I won’t get into the nerdy goodies. But different sectors will fall into different places. So it’s just understanding what they’re actually looking to do, what they’re looking to build.
Give the recommendation, and then usually the next step is timelines. Okay. When are you looking to fly out? We can start the business, and your business can be up and running in the UAE, but you can still be living in South Africa. We can completely start it. And when you’re ready, okay, kids are done school, we’re ready to move. Amazing. Let’s go. Here’s your ticket. Well, here’s your entry visas. And you’re good to go. You’re good to enter. Your business is already here. Everything’s established. You can already hit the ground running.
Jan Hugo: So you do the visas, the applications, the whole process?
Kirsty Jones: Yeah, I do it all from A to Z. You’re one-stop shop.
Jan Hugo: Wow, that is absolutely amazing. And typically, if we look at where we are today, what are the types of businesses that South Africans want to start in the UAE? And second question, do you also deal with people who want to work in the UAE, or is it only the business establishment?
Kirsty Jones: So usually the South Africans that set up businesses here, usually they’ll do an umbrella. We call it an umbrella company. So they’ll do like marketing consultancy or an activity that’s not regulated by the government.
So usually they do that just to come over here and get the visa. And then they’ll generally go into a different sector or find other employment. But it’s usually people who just want to move here with that stability, knowing their visa is secured, the family is secured, move here, get the kids enrolled. And then, you know, they’ve got that time to look for other jobs and find other income, you know, to live their life. They’ve got time to find the house. They’ve got time to do everything. Because a lot of times what happens is you move here for a job, you start within a few days.
You don’t have time to find a house, go to schools. So a lot of South Africans, what I’ve noticed, is they’re families, they take the business just to fill that little gap. So they have more time to actually find a life here before they jump into the job market. When it comes to the job market, usually there are a lot of South Africans in hospitality, generally because we are, as a nation, very friendly people. We’re very outgoing, and we’re naturally very hard workers. And hospitality has taken that and been like, great, they can speak perfect English, they’re friendly, they’re bubbly, they work hard, the more the merrier. And that’s generally where most South Africans kind of fall into.
Jan Hugo: Okay. And do you help people finding jobs as well? Is that also part of your service?
Kirsty Jones: I try to help South Africans where I can. If I see someone post in the Facebook groups from back home, because I’m still on all of them, I try and connect them with people here looking for people. I know someone who runs their own, they basically do recruitment for different hotels. And he goes, whenever you have a South African, even if they don’t have that much experience, we will train them here. Send me their CV. I’m like, fabulous. I keep my eyes out. Once, twice a month, I’ll make a post: does anyone interested in coming to the UAE? I don’t even get kickbacks for it. But my whole aim was to support South Africans. Hence why I could easily get a marketing team here. But I always want to support my people back home. You know, I know they’re struggling. Everyone is back home. So my whole goal is to support as many South Africans and build them up as I can.
Jan Hugo: Okay, that sounds fantastic. Just let’s get back to Dubai and the business. I think I told you before that I worked in the UAE a little bit and found that the red tape was obviously quite difficult, and trying to do it yourself, that was probably the mistake. Most of what you do involves red tape, and that takes patience and knowledge, which you have obviously. But do you have trusted partners in the UAE?
Kirsty Jones: So the way it usually works is you kind of spend hours in immigration lines around the different Emirates, and then you make friends. We do what South Africans do best. We make friends, and we chat. And then it’s a thing of, I know in this Emirate, I’ve got a friend in immigration. A quick email, can you do this for me? Amazing. They process it, it’s done. So it’s all about, I would say, it’s not about what you know, it’s who you know. And in Dubai, that’s a very big thing. So it’s having all those connections in the different immigration offices. So even if there is an issue for some reason, I can find out faster than someone else who maybe is doing the application themselves because I’m going directly to the source.
Jan Hugo: Okay. Yeah. Because that seemed to be the case when I spent a bit of time there, that there are people who are able to talk to the right people. You’ve just got to find them, and that’s important. Do you speak any Arabic?
Kirsty Jones: I speak a little. I did attempt a while back to learn, and the problem is with Arabic, not a problem, but the reason Arabic is so difficult to learn is because there are so many variations. So Egyptians have their own Arabic, Tunisians have their own Arabic, Moroccans. So wherever you go, the Arabic is completely different. You can kind of understand each other, but it’s not one set dialect of Arabic. So you’re learning some Arabic from one person, you’re learning from another, and they’re like, no, no, no, that’s not what that means, you know. Not an easy one to learn, but I did give it my best shot for like the first two years, and then I was like, hands up, yeah, English is the way to go.
Jan Hugo: But I mean, my sense is when you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, that if you can say hello and how are you, and I’m very well, and thank you very much in their language, people really respond well to you. Is that the same in the UAE?
Kirsty Jones: Definitely. I think nowadays, because so many expats are living here in the UAE, it’s kind of become accustomed that everyone generally speaks English. Even if the English isn’t that great, it’s kind of become the universal language here because expats make up about 90%, over 90% of the population in the UAE. Locals are such a minority. And even though other cultures speak Arabic, like I said, it’s different dialects of Arabic. So a lot of us communicate openly in English. But what’s beautiful about the UAE is you’ll learn different languages, little snippets from different languages. I mean, if I can recall, I know about 15 different languages. I know small snippets. I know how to say hello and how to say thank you. You know, it’s very rare in the world to find a place where there are so many languages just being spoken daily, just around you. Can you imagine?
Jan Hugo: And an obvious question, and it’s probably not politically correct to ask this, but in the Arabic culture, being a female in business is kind of new. And the question is, do you find working there in that predominantly male business environment that it’s quite difficult, or has it been easy for you?
Kirsty Jones: I want to say it has its challenges. I think more so, I deal with a lot of expats, so that side is very easy. You know, we all come from a custom where you have a woman, you have men, it makes no difference. Here, generally, it just kind of depends. So in immigration offices, they don’t want to deal with women. They prefer to speak to men just based on their cultural preference. They don’t want to speak to a woman, which I completely respect. So there are certain challenges that come with being a woman in the UAE, but it’s never a big problem. They usually will direct me to a female that’s sitting maybe next to them that’s doing the same job, for women who don’t want to speak to men. You know, they have the option. So there are difficulties, but it’s nothing that will actually prevent you from doing the job that you want to do.
Jan Hugo: Okay. Oh, well done. And what would you say would be the biggest difficulties that people face when they move to the UAE?
Kirsty Jones: I think it’s isolation. When I say isolation, a lot of people struggle to get a work-life balance going. And when they do have that little bit of free time, they kind of get consumed with the UAE. You know, brunches are very popular here now, you know. So it’s, you don’t actually find time to genuinely connect with people because everyone is on their own work schedule. Everyone is so busy. So I feel like a lot of the times, if you’re not moving here with someone or you don’t have a community in place, it becomes very isolating, and it gets to people very, very, very quickly. But luckily, we have a lot of South African events, you know, we kind of are everywhere. So it does help to find community, but it is a very big struggle in the beginning.
Jan Hugo: Okay, and I mean, typically that was the other question, that, you know, in a lot of the interviews that I do, people kind of gravitate normally towards other South Africans. So when you arrive in a new place, even though they say you should mix with the locals, you know, it just doesn’t happen always. And I think particularly there, it would be other expats from the UK or Australia or New Zealand, but you’ll never mix with the locals because they’re such a small minority. But I guess in the UAE, it’s the same thing. The South Africans hang together.
Kirsty Jones: A lot of us generally do. We kind of mix in with the UK and the Irish, especially if you’re kind of more on the party side aspect. You know, you kind of generally, it’s the Irish pubs you go to, you know. So it’s like you’ll find a UK person and an Irish person there. So that’s kind of where you gravitate if that’s your vibe. A lot of the running clubs are set up by UK people. But yeah, so we generally, you tend to gravitate towards your own people because you miss home.
Jan Hugo: Yeah, okay. But that tends to be the case. It’s interesting, I’ve had an interview with another person in Dubai early on. And one of the points he made was that people in Dubai tend to stay there for maybe 10 years max. And then they move to another country or they go back home because you can’t get citizenship. So I guess that’s enough.
Kirsty Jones: It’s definitely a big struggle when I tell people Dubai is where you build, but it’s not where you die.
Jan Hugo: Okay. Yeah. I guess so. And in terms of connecting people, is that part of what you do as well? Trying to put people in touch and play that role.
Kirsty Jones: Okay. So generally, I will, for the different businesses I set up, if I know that, for example, a podcast, amazing. I’ve just set up a South African business. Great. I’ve got someone you can speak to. I generally try to connect people that have at least some common ground. Or if I meet a new South African who’s like, oh, I just landed, I’m like, great. Here are a few groups you’re going to join. These ones. We have a braai coming up. You’re going to come with me. You know, I try and integrate people because I know that feeling. So I try and get as much business and networking done as possible.
Jan Hugo: Yeah. And from an accommodation perspective, I know there’s vast amounts of building and construction going on and continuing to go on. So one almost gets the impression that there’s an oversupply, but there doesn’t seem to be an oversupply. Do you also help people to secure accommodation?
Kirsty Jones: I’ve got channel partnerships with a lot of real estate companies and developers. So I’m able to say, okay, what are you looking for? Great. I’ve got people, no matter what Emirate, I’ve got someone working on it. One-stop shop.
Jan Hugo: Yeah, that’s a nice thing about setting up from the beginning. And let’s talk a little bit about life in the UAE. Obviously, the summers are very warm. How do you cope with that?
Kirsty Jones: I mean, you kind of adjust. It’s a thing of, yes, it is very, very hot, and you feel it. But keep in mind, we’ve got AC wherever we go. The bus stops on the side of the road have AC. All the buildings have AC, restaurants, malls. Everyone has AC. Dubai has put in place laws that if a company, if the AC is not working, by law your staff do not need to come into the office because it does get so hot. If you’re looking from a tourist perspective, visiting, you want to go to the tourist attractions. A lot of them close for summer. Residents, we don’t go out.
It’s an inside resident joke when you go around the mall and you see the tourists with the red, like, red shoulders, red face. You know, how do you know if they’re a tourist or a resident? And you go, it’s the sunburn. Because the rest of us in summer, usually, you know, we stick to the indoor places. It is hot, but we’ve found our own way to cope with it. Same thing as winter. People will look at our temperatures being like, it’s 23°C, and residents are in jackets, they’ve got, you know, scarves around the neck. People around the world look at us like we’re crazy. My mom even looks at me, she’s like, what are you doing? That’s a nice summer’s day in South Africa. I’m like, but when you’re going from high 40s to 20, you feel the difference very, very quickly. So it’s kind of like you climatise to it, you adjust to it. I always say the first year is the hardest with the transition from summer to winter. But after that, you’re good as gold.
Jan Hugo: And in summer when it’s that hot, for instance, you’re a runner or you’re an outdoor person, like outdoor activities, which a lot of South Africans are. What do you do? Are there facilities to practise what you would like to do?
Kirsty Jones: We’ve got indoor running tracks. They even started a mall marathon. So people are actually running inside the mall under the AC. Dubai is very fitness-focused. So every November, they have a challenge every single day: 30 minutes of exercise. They have free, free exercise. So free paddle tennis. They’ve got yoga instructors, CrossFit setting up at the gym, like setting up at pools, setting up on the beach, all free. You just sign up. So Dubai is very health-focused. They want their expats, you know, to be healthy, to exercise. And they’ve really kept up with that, making sure that even in the summer, you’ve got places you can go to make sure you can work out.
Jan Hugo: Okay. No, that’s absolutely amazing because, you know, people don’t know about the heat, and sometimes they get a big surprise when they arrive and a very big shock. And is that something you prepare people for, some of your clients, the first time, first visit to Dubai when they arrive there to come and live there?
Kirsty Jones: Even when I do tourist visas as well. So a lot of the time when I’m doing a visa, I obviously know when they’re flying in, and I’m always like, okay, this is what residents feel. This is the temperature. These are activities that you can do. These you think are brilliant. Five minutes in the sun, you’re going to melt. You’re going to hate every second. Don’t even do it. But here’s something that’s similar. So obviously I try and give advice. And even when new people have moved here, I try, I definitely try to help them out because it can be a very big shock to the system. When you’re going from, you do feel like it’s game over for you.
Jan Hugo: Yeah. That must be very, very difficult. And one of the things that one is also aware of is the cost of living. You said that salaries are good, and obviously there’s zero tax, but on the other side, the cost of living is quite high.
Kirsty Jones: It definitely is high. I mean, Dubai, the UAE is known for this glamorous life. In every country, you always have, you know, you’ve got your variants, you’ve got the higher cost, middle cost and lower cost. And the same can be said here. Your locals are sitting at the high. Very few expats are sitting up there with them. Most of us are middle class. But generally what happens is a lot of people get swept up with the Dubai lifestyle. Oh, I need to have a fancy car. I need to have the nicest apartment. So a lot of people get nice salaries but end up spending it all very quickly, and things are quite expensive here. But I always prepare people to say, this is a realistic budget. That means you can only go out, if you’re coming with this much savings moving here, and you want this type of apartment, you can go out once a month. You can have takeaways once a month. The rest has to be groceries, and not these expensive grocery stores, the smaller ones. So I think it’s all about mindset. I mean, it’s easy. Even in South Africa, you can have a massive salary, but it depends on what you’re spending it on. So Dubai is expensive, but it’s kind of like comparison.
I was speaking to a family that’s just moved over, and they’re spending R200 on a burger meal where I’m only spending R150 for the same meal. You know, so it’s kind of like some things are more expensive, some things are cheaper. Petrol is cheaper because the oil is coming from here. So you kind of have to weigh your pros and cons of where most of your expenses are coming from to know where you’re going to be saving and spending.
Jan Hugo: My impression is that eating out, for instance, is particularly expensive, and so is alcohol, if you can get it or where you can get it.
Kirsty Jones: So eating out depends where you go, but it definitely is more on the pricier side. But when it comes to takeaways, on the other hand, there are so many apps that are incredible that are constantly running promotions: buy one large pizza, get a large pizza for free, for argument’s sake. So there are so many promotions. So if you learn how to navigate, you can easily find those deals and save the money. When it comes to alcohol, it’s not as difficult anymore to find places. A lot of hotels will have bars and restaurants and pubs attached. And then they’ve now got a few stores that sell it. You obviously need to apply for a specific licence. So it’s attached to your Emirates ID. So every time you go, they scan it. And it’s a system that I really, really appreciate: you can’t spend, let’s say you’re earning AED 10,000 a month. You’re capped at how much you can spend on alcohol. So they cap your ID at AED 1,000. You can’t go above that. So no matter where you go to get that alcohol, they’re going to scan your licence, and they’re going to say you are over the limit. And I absolutely love that because, you know, for people who may suffer from issues with alcohol, you know, it cuts them off. You cannot get anything more. You obviously have some, you know, around-the-corner sales, but generally people don’t go for it. So it actually creates a lot more of a safer and healthier environment. And with such strict rules where you can’t be drunk in public, you can’t drink in public, it obviously also keeps the safety of the country itself. You know, you’re not getting drunk drivers. And if you do, the police are on them immediately, you know. So very, I must say that the system that they put in place works really well. But yeah, the alcohol is definitely a pricey one.
Jan Hugo: Yeah, but my sense is that you also don’t want to get involved in an altercation with a cop in Dubai. That’s for sure.
Kirsty Jones: Yeah, you don’t want to be on the receiving end, but they’re very helpful in nature. If you need something, they are the first ones to jump. If there’s an accident, within four minutes, they’re dispatched. That is insane. No matter where you are, four minutes, you’ve got police on you. But on the receiving end, the legal system here, it’s not great. I’m not going to lie to you. Some people go in, and you’ll never hear of them again. It’s just the processing is so slow because they don’t prioritise criminals. They prioritise people who are following the law. So those systems are very, very behind. So you do not want to get caught on the wrong side of the law. And the laws that they have, they’re not extreme laws. It’s common laws everywhere. And if you find yourself breaking these basic laws, it’s kind of on you for putting yourself in that situation.
Jan Hugo: Yeah, I can imagine. I mean, one of the things that I know, when you try and speak to somebody on WhatsApp in the UAE, you can’t make a WhatsApp call. What is behind that?
Kirsty Jones: Let me just tell you, it is the bane of my existence, especially when I’m doing Skype calls. I’m just going to call you, and they start WhatsApp phoning me, and I’m like, cool.
The UAE protects privacy. So even FaceTime, if you buy an iPhone from the UAE, FaceTime is not involved. You can’t make calls even on Instagram, Facebook, anything. You cannot make a video call without a VPN. Unless you’re obviously using Teams or Google Meet, you need a VPN that’s going to send you to Germany or you’re going to be in the UK. And that’s the only way that our WhatsApp calls actually work. So it’s very, the UAE, when it comes to what they allow people to have access to, the internet is quite restricted, but there’s always ways around it.
Jan Hugo: Yeah. But I mean, WhatsApp has become such a universal way of calling and calling for nothing because of data. But I can imagine, I know when people travel to Dubai, you want to speak to somebody in Dubai, the call just goes dead, so it doesn’t work.
Kirsty Jones: Yeah. A lot of the time, I inform people when they’re first moving, I’m like, these are the VPNs I use. They’re free. You can pay for ones if you need it. You really don’t need it. The VPNs are really good quality for being free. A five-second ad, and you just go, whoop, and you’re connected. You can stay on it. I’ve stayed on it for like eight hours. You know, the girls having a little catch-up. But I always inform people, I’m like, if you want it to work, I mean, there’s Wi-Fi everywhere here. In the restaurants, in the malls, wherever you go, there’s Wi-Fi unless you’re walking in the road. You don’t have Wi-Fi, but everywhere else there’s Wi-Fi. So I always tell people, I’m like, you’ll be fine as long as you’ve got your VPN, because you can turn it on, make a call, you’re good to go.
Jan Hugo: Okay. And there’s no restriction on VPNs?
Kirsty Jones: No. I mean, by law, okay, if we’re going to get into the technicalities, by law, having a VPN is technically not legal. However, I don’t understand, because I used to send, when I first moved here, I sent my mom Zoom links, we would have our daily call on Zoom. However, that was not sustainable to my patience. So I said, how is everyone in the WhatsApp group? How are people calling in the UAE? I don’t understand what the issue is. I found out about the VPN. Although it’s technically illegal, the government kind of, it’s one of those, as long as you’re not doing anything illegal with that VPN, they kind of don’t really care. They’ll let you have your WhatsApp calls. You can have it in public as long as people aren’t in the background, but they don’t care. But obviously, you kind of need to know where the boundaries are. As soon as you cross over to something illegal, that’s where the government is going to step in.
Jan Hugo: OK, I’m with you. OK, we’re kind of getting towards the end, just a couple more questions. If you think back on your journey since you left South Africa via Qatar to Dubai, what’s the one piece of advice you wish you had before you left?
Kirsty Jones: Appreciate biltong more?
I appreciate biltong more. I feel like that’s a big one. I always tell people like, appreciate the biltong. And weird enough, chips, like I miss something about South African chips that have so much flavour, like the crisps. Yeah, so much flavour. And yeah, it’s just lacking. But on a serious note, it’s more, you know, prioritise your time with friends and family and make sure you’re setting those strict times. Sundays, I will speak to my family. Come hail or sunshine, I don’t care if I’m sick. Sundays, I will connect with back home because, you know, you forget, life gets busy, and a few months go by, and you look back and you’re like, oh, Mum’s in hospital. Oh, what for? Oh, a surgery. What surgery? You know, you kind of, it’s very easy to disconnect. So I think if I give advice to anyone, it’s create that structure and stick to it.
Jan Hugo: Okay, that’s very useful. I think that comes out in every discussion: that family connection. And I mean, other than that, particularly talking about the Gulf and the UAE, if you have one piece of advice today for anyone thinking about relocating, what would that be?
Kirsty Jones: For just anyone in general, it would be if you want safety, this is one of the best places to do it. I love, I love South Africa with my entire heart. You speak to any South African. We all love our country. We all stand by our country. It’s just, unfortunately, you know, it’s not being run by the correct people. And that’s when most of us have left, and it is sad.
It is really sad because even expats, they go to the country, they come back, they say it is such a beautiful country. But safety should be your priority. And if you want safety and you want stability, this is the country you’ll find it. Here, the government actually invests in people. They push people, bring your ideas to us. You know, they’re very, like I said to you, they’re very open to ideas, criticisms, what’s working, what’s not working. And they’re constantly trying to improve themselves. Name another country that will actually listen to people’s pleas, and they’re like, okay, we’re on it. Name another country where a building will catch alight, and by the next day, the residents are rehoused, and the outside of the building has already been fixed. You won’t be able to find anywhere in the world that can move with such agility and such combined forces where everyone just runs in and jumps to help. But here it really is. You’ll meet strangers that will give you a bottle of water. Here, have some water.
Everyone is connected in their own way, and if you want a community where it is safe and you can grow, you can build a really strong future here, this would be the place to do it. Especially if you’re young, this is where you can, you can spend 20, 30 years, you build up your life, you save your money, you invest it. Yes, you can’t technically live here without a job, but you’ve got other routes now. You’ve got the golden visa, which is property, buy property. You can stay for 10 years. You can retire here if you want. You know, the government is trying to find ways to keep people here and keep them happy. And they’re constantly evolving. So if anyone had to ask why Dubai, why the UAE, that’s why. That’s the advice I would give: you can build a life where you don’t have to look over your shoulder every day. It’s not a concern in your mind anymore.
Jan Hugo: Fantastic. Fantastic. Thank you so much, Kirsty, because that is just so useful and such a nice positive conversation. If people want to contact you now that your website is up and running, what is the website?
Kirsty Jones: So it’s www.federatedadvisory.com.
Jan Hugo: Federatedadvisory.com. Thank you so much for joining us.
Kirsty Jones: Thank you so much for having me. I always love speaking to South Africans. It just always fills my heart with such joy. Thank you.
Jan Hugo: If you enjoyed my discussion with Kirsty and would like to hear more about experiences of South Africans abroad with The Relocated South African, why not subscribe on your favourite platform? If you would like to share your story, contact me on jan@therelocatedsouthafrican.com. Until next time.
