Among all my friends, there's only a handful who I can really say have proper jobs - jobs that actually, genuinely do something of use. Within this minority are a handful of social workers, the odd teacher and one - I repeat, one - fireman. And it's the friendship with the fireman I'm most proud of, he being the only person I know whose profession might be found in a game of Happy Families.
For some time now, I've begun to believe that there's just a small section of society (or certainly those I tend to encounter) who hold down a day-to-day job that creates something of direct practical use. Everywhere seems to be awash with public relations executives, social media experts, events coordinators, online marketing consultants, advertising sales managers, graphic designers and other such professions that would have had your average career adviser reaching for the dictionary just a decade or so ago.
Of course, I'm including myself in this merry bunch of modern-day misfits.
But beyond my own outlook, the image given out by the media isn't any better. Were an alien to land on Earth and flick through a few lifestyle magazines, they'd probably head off back to Outer Zaphelbod 6 (or wherever they're from) believing Earth to be populated solely by brand managers, fashion consultants and PR directors.
Now, I don't want to be one of those whingers who complains about universities offering courses such as media studies and other such 21st-century subjects beyond the usual maths and sciences, but I do fear we are becoming a world of people unable to change a light bulb, yet equipped to give the light bulb a strong web presence, an eye-catching new logo and a radical new marketing strategy. Perhaps one solution would be a form of compulsory education, whereby kids of a certain age - let's say between 18 and 19 - have to train in a proper, useful profession, such as plumbing, carpentry or bricklaying, before they can go off and do something that involves building a brand on Facebook.
For starters, I could do with learning a few basic life skills (putting up a pair of curtains in my flat has so far proved an impossible task). I'd happily sign up for such a programme.
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
The years Ramadan fell in May
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
