The Pros and Cons of Building a Recruitment Business in Dubai | Louise Vine

Dubai attracts recruiters from all over the world. Louise Vine has spent the last 18 years learning how the market really works. Louise is the founder of Inspire Selection, a specialist finance and accounting recruitment firm based in Dubai. Over the last 13 years, she has built a fully remote business operating on a commission-only model while navigating a market where fee pressure is intense, cultural differences shape every interaction, and jobs can disappear without warning. Last year, 70% of Louise's assignments were either canceled or put on hold. Louise covers the challenges that catch Western recruiters off guard, why agencies charging 8% fees have changed client expectations, and how she introduced engagement fees to protect her team's time. She also explains how her commission-only model works, why only a small percentage of recruiters are suited to it, and what she has learned about hiring, accountability, and building culture in a fully remote business. If you're considering Dubai, exploring commission-only recruitment, or looking for a different way to build a recruitment business, this episode is worth your time. In this episode: How Louise went from Robert Half in the UK to building a recruitment business in Dubai What recruiters need to understand about the realities of the UAE market Why nationality-based salary bands still exist in some organizations How fee pressure impacts recruitment firms across Dubai Why 70% of Louise's jobs went on hold or were canceled last year The engagement fee strategy that changed client behavior The pros and cons of a commission-only recruitment business How to manage performance without micromanaging Building culture and accountability in a remote team Episode Highlights: 00:00 Intro 02:17 Growing up in Yorkshire and how it shaped Louise's resilience 15:51 The Facebook photos that convinced Louise to move to Dubai 17:25 Becoming top biller in her first quarter in Dubai 22:37 Nationality-based salary bands and what they mean for recruiters 27:06 Why 70% of jobs went on hold and how the engagement fee changed things 37:43 The commission-only model: 60-80% payouts, fully remote, no base salary 44:07 The hidden cost of commission-only, most owners don't see coming 46:18 How Louise manages performance without micromanaging 56:30 Why finding the right person for a commission-only model is harder than it sounds 1:03:07 How Louise builds team culture with everyone working from home About Louise Vine Louise Vine is the founder of Inspire Selection, a specialist finance and accounting recruitment agency based in Dubai. She moved to Dubai from England 18 years ago and launched Inspire Selection 13 years ago. Today she leads a team of nine billers and three support staff, all working remotely on a commission-only model. Connect with Louise: Louise on LinkedIn, inspireselection.com Podcast Partners Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built for modern recruitment firms. Find email addresses and phone numbers directly from LinkedIn profiles and manage your entire recruitment workflow in one platform. Book a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Free Resources: Take the Recruitment Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Book a free Strategy Session with Mark: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Connect with Mark Whitby LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly interviews with recruitment business owners and search firm leaders.