‘I moved to Dubai as a teen but was met with brutal 80 hour weeks and no time for lover’

Natalie Goodall moved to Dubai when she was just 18 and was drawn in the by the lavish lifestyle. However, she was quick to discover that the reality was far from glamorous

A Brit who swapped Dubai for the UK after years of gruelling 80-hour weeks claimed that the city offers “no work-life balance” – despite a surge in Brits flocking there.

Natalie Goodall, 32, was snapped up for a golf coaching gig in Dubai at just 18, following internships at a local golf school. She jumped at the opportunity, initially bunking with a mate before moving in with various family members and eventually renting her own pad in Damac Hills.

For years, she called the seemingly perfect and plush city ‘home’ – a place now frequented by celebs like Amir Khan, The Beckhams and Love Island stars.

According to The Telegraph, the publication estimates that around 30,000 Brits made the move to Dubai in 2021, with numbers predicted to rise to 35,000 in 2022 and 40,000 in 2023.

But for Natalie, the Dubai dream turned sour – the city’s “business model” left no room for “work-life balance”, she says.

After years of slogging through 80-hour, six-day weeks, Natalie packed her bags in 2019 and headed back to the UK, settling down in West Parley, Dorset, with partner Will Coan, 34.

While she still has a soft spot for Dubai and plans to return for holidays, she doesn’t see herself moving back permanently. As more and more Brits are lured by the promise of luxury living and non-stop fun, Natalie warns those with sky-high expectations “may be disappointed.”

Now a self-employed PGA professional, Natalie said: “I never saw myself leaving Dubai – I was working at one of the best golf schools in the world.

“And the city was absolutely stunning, on my day off I went down to the beach and when you let your hair down you could have a good time.

“But afterwards you’d look at your bank balance and think ‘oh crap’. The business model out there – there is no work life balance.”

Natalie shared how she would come home to Will after 12 hours days at 9pm and could “barely hold a conversation” because she was so exhausted.

In the last year of living in Dubai together, Natalie admitted that she can no longer hack the way of life in Dubai. Despite being worn down by her busy life overseas, Natalie noted that every country has its “downfalls”.

Natalie’s Dubai adventure began at 18 with internships at a golf school. By 21, she landed a full-time coaching gig while pursuing her PGA qualifications.

Initially, she bunked with a school mate before her parents moved to Dubai for her dad’s oil trade job, allowing her to live with them.

Two years in, Natalie started renting her own flat – with her parents helping out with the deposit. Her solitary day off was reserved for soaking up the sun or exploring Dubai’s breath-taking scenery.

Natalie gushed: “It was amazing – [the] weather was like being in Spain, even in winter. I got to see the Opera House, lots of concerts, and stayed for my birthday in the Burj Al Arab hotel which was so cool.

“The golf courses were unbelievable too, and the food and service was amazing.”

Despite raking in the equivalent of £25-£30k annually, she found that the high living costs in Dubai didn’t quite match up to the lavish lifestyle people often envision.

She admitted that it wasn’t “sustainable” and that she was purely making money to survive. Natalie claimed that people in the service industry are “worked very hard” and still couldn’t afford to reduce her six-day working weeks in spite of that.

After crossing paths with her now-partner Will in 2017, they set up home together in Dubai. However, Natalie soon found herself on a downward spiral.

She confessed: “You can feel yourself, your work and time management aren’t as good, your diet goes out the window. I never saw myself leaving Dubai but it’s not sustainable – as I got older, I started to think, how the hell will I have a life here?”

“It’s not on an individual person – it’s just the business model out there.”

In September 2019, she bid farewell to Dubai and returned to the UK, landing a job in Guernsey once she had bagged the necessary golf qualifications to coach.

Nine months on, Will, who was employed in food manufacturing, wrapped up his contract and made his way back to the UK as well.

The couple have now settled down in West Parley and are living their best life. Natalie admitted she’d love to jet off to Dubai for a holiday, where her parents still reside, but it would take a hefty pay packet to tempt her back for good.

She reckons that many Brits dreaming of the high life in Dubai might not be ready for the reality check. Natalie concluded: “I think there are people moving because they’ve been on holiday there and say ‘screw it, I’ll live here’.

“It’s like a trend – in the same way Ellen DeGeneres moved to The Cotswolds. In Dubai, it is a glamorous place but it can be unglamorous in certain situations – everywhere has their downfalls.

“You have to look at the opportunities and weigh up if it’s right for you. If you go with high expectations, you might be disappointed.”