1

I think there will be a lot of competition for this kind of job, but that's not to say it's impossible. Fitness First have a number of gyms in the UAE (more in Dubai than Abu Dhabi). You could try to contact them. Also the major hotels employ fitness instructors.

Try to post your questions on one of the UAE expat forums. There are probably more people on there who are doing this job in the UAE and can give good advice.

You're right that if you lose your job, your visa will also be cancelled, since the visa is sponsored by the employer. You have a certain period of time to leave the country after the visa is cancelled - I think it's 30 days.

Good luck!

2

What the above poster says about visas is true however you can go in and out of the country every 30 days and get a new tourist visa each time while you look for another job. I know somebody who's been doing that since losing his job 14 months ago.

I don't know what clubs like Fitness First or any of the private training companies or boot camps pay their trainers but trainers working on their own generally charge a minimum of 250 dirhams per hour. I've had quite a few personal trainers in Dubai and some of them are really pretty rubbish and I've seen some terrible ones in action in Fitness First so if you are any good you could do well.

3

Most fitness instructors in the UAE tend to come from Asia or Eastern Europe as the wages are less attractive to Western Europeans. Not sure where the OP is from but let's assume he's Western European. The way to go is to become a freelance instructor and then the money is better. However, there seem to be a lot of freelance instructors in the UAE and you still need a visa sponsor.

I would have thought you could simply contact Fitness First or one of the other gym companies in the UAE and ask what they pay. Another factor to consider is your age and where you're at in your life - if you're young and just fancy a bit of fun for a couple of years and are not worried about making a fortune, then it could be a good option.

If you are not married to your partner, beware of restrictions on unmarried couples living together - people do it, but it's illegal, and if you get into trouble with the law, they will take a dim view of it, especially in Abu Dhabi which is more conservative. Also, many companies provide accommodation for employees on a single basis only, and will not tolerate unmarried partners living together.

4

As well as the Asian personal trainers, Fitness First also has many Westerners as do the companies running boot camps. All the trainers I've had have been Westerners (American, Brit, SA) so there are plenty of them around. As dxb says, you need to sponsor to get an employment/residence visa so contacting the fitness clubs and fitness companies is one way to start. Or you could set up your own business but you're going to need quite a bit of money to do that.