One of my earliest life lessons was that a compromise can be reached in almost any situation. I learnt this because of a Clint Eastwood VHS. Yes, actually.
The first time I learnt this lesson was when (and how) I landed my first job as a 14-year-old (back when a newsroom in Abu Dhabi was beyond my imagination).
The setting is Australia, almost exactly 23-years ago during the mid-year winter school holidays. My family decided to go on a week-long break to visit my cousins in the sleepy beach city of Warnambool, a good three-hour train ride away. While everyone was having a good time during the family barbecues and card games, I was secretly agonising over the fate awaiting me back home. I had forgotton to return a copy of the Clint Eastwood Western Unforgiven to the video-store (remember them?) on its due date, which was the day we left for holidays.
With each passing day, the video racked up fines and I became more anxious, and by the time we returned home, the answering machine blinked a furious red with messages from the store ranging from kind reminders to stern warnings. Faced with a 65-dollar fine, my mother and I reached an impasse: she point-blank refused to pay the fee, “even if you have to go to jail”, and I only had two bucks to my name.
She suggested a life-altering alternative. “Tell the manager that you are willing to work off the fine.” I was cynical, but facing what I thought would be a certain jail stint (when you are a naïve 14-year-old those fears are real), I proposed the bargain to store manager Paul, who surprisingly agreed.
He immediately handed me a bucket of water and cloth and sentenced me to three weekends of cleaning each of the store’s 1,000-plus videos. By the time I had finished my punishment I pretty much knew where every video was located in the store. Impressed by the fact that I could now help customers in a quick and efficient manner, Paul hired me as a store clerk. It was my first job and I never looked back.
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Read more about the new decree:
UAE pupils and recruiters welcome part-time work decree
Helping youngsters to enter the private sector is crucial
New decree allows UAE's school pupils to work part time during holidays
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While the video store is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of a newsroom, I can honestly say that I can trace a lot of my strengths as an employee to those six years working behind the counter. I was a young kid when I began, and was still forming my personality, so daily interactions with customers of all ages and nationalities gave me a sense of confidence and purpose that remains priceless today.
In addition to learning how to manage my own finances, it provided me with a bed rock of values and capabilities that directly or indirectly affected my career path - which also included stints as a security guard and youth worker - and landed up with me working as a journalist, which requires every social skill I learned along the way.
And that's why I think the recent government decision allowing students aged 15 and above to work in paid part-time jobs during holidays is such a good idea. It is an acknowledgement that an adept work-force begins to be built from an early age. It also knocks away the out-dated thinking that professional life can only begin at the end of school.
Indeed, certain focused and specialist fields require strong academic skills for entry, but in the ultimate scheme of things, a diploma only tells half the story. It’s emotional intelligence, backed by a strong intellect, that ultimately decides your fate in the job market.
And there is no better way to develop those skills than by working part-time while still at school, which is now possible in the UAE. With the country home to one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world, interaction with an eclectic population will be fertile ground for personal growth and professional development.
As a journalist in Abu Dhabi, much of my work is about making contacts and gaining the trust of people. I didn’t learn that in the classroom, I learned that on the field. That means interacting with businessmen in Al Bateen, listening to the experiences of waiters at Khalidiyah restaurants and even conducting an interview with a fitness guru while on a power walk across Mushrif Mall.
I am still honing that craft, and for sure I will be learning as much from my future failures as my achievements, but I am confident that what I learned from Paul in the video store all those years ago has stood me in good stead. “There is no such thing as a bad customer,” he would tell me.
“That just means they had a bad experience. A person you can’t change, but an experience you can not only change, but learn from.”
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Read more from Saeed:
The WhatsApp council of candid friends that keeps me grounded
Chinese soaps on TV dubbed into Arabic? Bring it on
With the World Cup about to end, the UAE summer is really about to beg
Soundtrack your relationships through a playlist
Advice for students now that school exams are looming
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
The%20specs
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