Looking for profitable side hustles for employees in the UAE? You’re at the right place.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) currently ranks as one of the most expensive countries to live in. The cost of living in the UAE is 1.82 times more expensive than the world average.
So, it’s understandable why some employees would want to add a few profitable side hustles to their 9-5s.
This article discusses ten profitable side hustles for employees in the UAE. You’d find it quite helpful as the side jobs discussed are simple, practicable, and high-demand ones.
Top 10 Profitable Side Hustles for Employees in UAE
1. Become a Translator
If you’re fluent in multiple languages, becoming a translator is one of the most lucrative side hustles you can do in the UAE. The reasons are not farfetched.
UAE is a country that welcomes many foreigners yearly, both for business, tourism, vacation, and other purposes. Therefore, your services will be sought after by both individuals and companies who need seamless transactions with these foreigners.
In some cases, businesses will reach out to you to help translate calls, meetings, and audio files. You can work with a company on a part-time basis or as a freelancer.
Also Read: What Business Can I Start With 50,000 AED In Dubai?
2. Work as a Tour Guide
Working as a tour guide is not just a good paying side hustle, but a fun one too. The advantages are numerous and far exceed the payment you’d get for the services rendered.
If you’re familiar with different parts of the UAE, especially the tourist attractions, and understand the histories behind them, you’d excel as a tour guide in the oil nation.
However, to work as a tour guide in the UAE, especially in Dubai, you must apply for a license. This is a measure put in place to ensure the safety of tourists in the city. The good thing is, once you apply for a tour guide license, you’ll get trained by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) to become a professional tour guide in the UAE.
3. Be a Personal and Fitness Coach
Many countries are transitioning to remote jobs, and the UAE is not left out. But one of the dangers of working from home is that you can lose focus on your health and diet. Before you know it, you’ve added an unhealthy level of weight and are looking to shed it.
With many people struggling to stay healthy from home, you can get others to join in on your daily fitness routine and still make some money from it.
People would be glad to pay for extensive online fitness coaching sessions. You can work this into your schedule or create some videos and sell them to your audience. Also, you can help people stay fit by taking up a part-time job to conduct sessions at the gym.
4. Be a Real Estate Consultant
The UAE real estate market is growing rapidly as people move to the country for jobs, vacation, and tourism. According to Statista, the real estate market in the UAE is projected to grow by 3.03% between 2024 and 2028, resulting in a market volume of $0.8 trillion.
As people troop en masse to the UAE, you can help them find rental properties or assist in buying or selling real estate. This is a lucrative side hustle, as your payments will come in percentages of the value of transactions completed.
Also Read: Ultimate Guide on How to Buy and Sell Gold in Dubai
5. Offer Photography Services
Photography is one of the most lucrative side hustles you can do in the UAE. You can offer this service to corporate workers, tourists, or just anybody.
Tourists are always eager to capture their happy moments and wouldn’t mind paying a few bucks for it. The same applies to corporate workers who might want to take professional headshots. You can also offer your photography services at events, churches, etc.
Furthermore, with the many structural edifices and skyscrapers in the UAE, you can capture random images of structures and sell them on stock photography platforms.
6. Do E-commerce
Online shopping is gradually becoming the norm in the world, creating opportunities for side hustles like delivery services and e-commerce businesses.
You can start an online store where you sell products to individuals and deliver them to their homes or offices. There are many things you can sell to make money in the UAE, from handmade items to personal items, drop-shipped products, etc.
E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Noon, Namshi, Shein, and Sharaf are among the most popular in the UAE.
7. Online Tutoring
You can leverage your expertise in a particular subject to earn some extra income by providing online tutoring services.
The good thing is that you can expand your reach by accommodating people from other regions outside the UAE.
If you don’t want to offer paid classes, you can also make money by posting educative content on video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Rumble or social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
8. Run a Blog
Running a blog is one of the most lucrative side hustles you can do while living in the UAE.
The process is pretty straightforward. Take a crash course on how to run a blog, set up a blog on a niche you’re well versed in, and set up different monetization models.
There are many ways you can earn money with your blog. You can either earn from affiliate marketing, AdSense, e-commerce, and more.
9. Become a Virtual Assistant
Are you a well-organized person who pays attention to the tiniest of details? If yes, then you might do well as a virtual assistant.
Businesses, both in the UAE and other parts of the world, are looking to outsource their administrative, technical, or creative tasks to focus on their core operations. They need someone who can effectively manage their emails, social media handles, or schedules. You might also help them create content and provide support to customers.
Make sure to state the range of services you can offer and do well to handle them effectively. With this, you’d never run out of gigs, as even your current clients will recommend you to others.
10. Dog Walking or Pet Sitting
People love pets and do not hesitate to acquire them. But the problem is that only a few have the time to give the pets the attention they require.
You can provide dog walking or pet sitting services to people in your area who are too busy or out on vacation.
The good thing about this side hustle is that it is flexible. You can arrange with the pet owners the hours that are convenient for you to walk their dogs.
Also Read: 5 Real Estate Investment Opportunities that Work in Dubai
Conclusion
Starting a profitable side hustle in the UAE is more than just earning an extra income; it’s an avenue to build a reliable network and improve your resilience. A good side hustle can even turn around to be your main source of livelihood, earning you enough money to take care of your family and invest.
Hopefully, this article has given you insights on a few side hustles you can do to make some extra income in the UAE and build a profitable network.
