People sign UAE employment contracts on a phone, at the airport, or because HR said the visa will not start until they do. That is understandable. It is still how unpaid commission and unenforceable (or unexpectedly enforceable) non-competes are born.
Read the version that counts
If there is an English document and an Arabic document, ask which governs. If the job title on the contract is not the job you were sold, the labour file will follow the paper.
Money
Basic salary, allowances, and commission should be impossible to misunderstand. If commission is “per company policy,” ask for the policy. If the policy can change silently, you do not have a commission plan. You have a hope.
Notice, probation and termination
Know the notice period, the probation rules, and what happens to accrued commission on exit. Employers should not copy a termination WhatsApp from another jurisdiction. Employees should not resign in anger without knowing the visa consequence.
Non-compete and confidentiality
A clause that says you cannot work “in the UAE in any capacity” is a different object from a narrow protection of actual customers. Whether a restriction holds depends on the facts. Whether you should sign it depends on your next three years, not your next three days.
For employers
A clean contract and a lawful process cost less than a labour claim plus a senior hire who will not join while the last one is still posting about you. See employment law and contact UAEAZ with the draft, not the aftermath.
