Jamila Millar Velasco, a Filipina, came to Dubai in August 2014, with an aspiration to land a job and an inkling that the bustling city would not let her down. She quit her meagre-paying job of P8,000 to P10,000 (Dh570) in Philippines and came to the UAE on a month-long visa sponsored by her mother. Though it was a not a cake walk, Velasco was finally able to get a lucrative writing job in the UAE after two months of rigorous job-hunting. She started working full-time in a company that caters to clients in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa and was elated to draw a monthly pay of Dh6,000 (approx P82,000) per month, according to Cosmo Philippines.
From earning only Dh570 in Philippines to drawing Dh6,000 a monthly, Velasco has come a long way. But before she came to Dubai post her marriage, she worked as a researcher for a quasi-military school in Zambales, Philippines. "I worked as a researcher at a government-run, quasi-military school in Zambales for three years. I researched, edited post-grad thesis papers, co-authored a textbook, co-edited a manual, and only earned P8,000 to P10,000 a month," she said.
"In Dubai, hindi uso 'yung walk-in applications. Everything is done online. I updated my CV and uploaded it to online job sites. I also updated my LinkedIn profile," she added.
Velasco said that she received an email stating that she was shortlisted for a position of 'Intelligence Researcher' and had to take a writing test with a 24-hour deadline.
"During the interview, they showed me a news website for Afghanistan and asked if I could identify security-related news and write two security alerts in 45 minutes. I finished in 30 minutes. I signed and accepted their offer right then and there," she narrated.
Talking about her job details, Velasco said, "I write security alerts like high-impact incidents like air strikes, armed clashes, shelling, complex attacks, IEDs, targeted killings, kidnappings, maritime attacks and other small incidents like route obstruction, demonstration, land/livestock conflicts, road accidents, etc. for our clients in high-risk environments in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa."
Besides, Velasco also receives quarterly, Christmas, and year-end bonuses.
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