Woman moved to Dubai for luxury - reality was very different
Natalie Goodall was out there for years, but has now come back to the UK
Natalie Goodall in Dubai
(Image: Natalie Goodall/SWNS)
A Brit who lived in Dubai returned to the UK after years of working 80-hour weeks said the city has "no work-life balance" despite growing numbers fleeing the UK to live there. Natalie Goodall, 32, was offered a golf coaching job in Dubai aged 18 after completing internships at a golf school there.
She jumped at the chance - living with a friend and then various family members before renting her own apartment in Damac Hills. She lived in the seemingly idyllic and luxurious city for years, which is now home to celebs including Amir Khan and The Beckhams.
According to The Telegraph's estimates, 30,000 Britons moved to Dubai in 2021, rising to 35,000 in 2022 and 40,000 in 2023. But in Natalie's case, the Dubai lifestyle became too much - because the city's "business model" didn't allow for "work-life balance".
After years of working 80-hour, six-day weeks, Natalie moved back to the UK in 2019 and has settled down in West Parley, Dorset. While she loved Dubai and said she'd go back for holidays, she said she's unlikely to relocate back there.
As swathes of Brits opt to move out there with high expectations of luxurious living and endless fun, Natalie feels that Brits going with high expectations "may be disappointed."
Natalie, now a self-employed PGA professional, said: "I never saw myself leaving Dubai - I was working at one of the best golf schools in the world. And the city was absolutely stunning, on my day off I went down to the beach and when you let your hair down you could have a bloody good time.
"But afterwards you'd look at your bank balance and think 'oh crap'. But the business model out there - there is no work-life balance.
"I was coming home to my partner after 12-hour days, at 9pm, and I could barely hold a conversation because I'd be so tired. In my last year I told him 'I can't do this' - you know when your time is up. It's a very glamorous place and I can see moving there is a trend - but everywhere has its downfalls."
Natalie in Dubai
(Image: Natalie Goodall/SWNS)
Natalie first visited Dubai aged 18 for some internships with a golf school. Aged 21, she was offered a full-time assistant coaching position there while completing a PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) course to qualify as a coach while working.
She first lived with a school friend before her own parents moved there after her father, who works in the oil trade, got a job posting - so she began living with them. After two years she started renting her own apartment with assistance from her parents, as she struggled to cover the cost of the deposit. She spent her one day off each week on Mondays at the beach or visiting stunning locations in Dubai to make the most of the surroundings.
Natalie said: "It was amazing - the weather was like being in Spain even in winter. I got to see the Opera House, lots of concerts and stayed for my birthday in the Burj Al Arab hotel, which was so cool. The golf courses were unbelievable too and the food and service was amazing."
At the time, she was making the equivalent of around £25,000 to £30,000 a year - but the high costs in Dubai meant she couldn't enjoy the full extent of the luxurious lifestyle compared to what people assume.
She said: "It was not sustainable. I was just making money to survive - in the service industry you were worked very hard. I was working six days a week and I couldn't afford to reduce my hours."
After meeting her fellow expat partner Will Coan, 34, in 2017, the pair lived together, but Natalie began to "spiral".
She said: "You can feel yourself, your work and time management aren't as good, your diet goes out the window. I never saw myself leaving Dubai, but it's not sustainable - as I got older, I started to think, how the bloody hell will I have a life here? It's not on an individual person - it's just the business model out there."
Natalie and Will
(Image: Natalie Goodall/SWNS)
In September 2019, she moved from Dubai back to the UK and got a job in Guernsey, once she had secured the necessary golf qualifications to be a coach. Nine months later, Will, who worked in a role in food manufacturing, finished his contract and moved back to the UK as well.
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They now own a home together in West Parley and are happier than ever. Natalie said she'd return to Dubai, where her parents are still living, for a holiday - but it would take a salary offer of "a huge number" for her to consider moving back permanently. She said it may be the case that the droves of Brits flocking to Dubai for a better life aren't prepared for reality.
She said: "I think there are people moving because they've been on holiday there and say 'screw it, I'll live here'. It's like a trend - in the same way Ellen DeGeneres moved to The Cotswolds.
"In Dubai, it is a glamorous place, but it can be unglamorous in certain situations. You have to look at the opportunities and weigh up if it's right for you. If you go with high expectations, you might be disappointed."
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