From the road: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, July 2026. Dennis spent the weekend with technicians who are thinking about working in Australia — these are his notes.
It wasn’t interviews. It was good old-fashioned conversation — about life, family, work, what actually matters, and what people are hoping for. A weekend in the UAE, just chatting with people about Australia. I made some new friends, broke down some fences and built some bridges.
This is where the relationship starts. Encourage people to tell their stories in a safe space, and you get to watch them come out of their shell bit by bit. It never gets old, and I cherish each interaction.
The change in body language was something to see. At the start: rigid, hunched, arms crossed, fists clenched, almost scared to say anything. By the end: open arms, laughing, hands going while they explained, sitting on the edge of their seats while someone else talked, nodding along — “yeah, that happened to me as well.” For some of them, I don’t think they’d been able to drop their guard and talk among friends like that in a long, long time.
By the end of the weekend I think we had the makings of a team. Different countries, different employers — and somehow a bond formed. People left with renewed hope, and with something else worth naming: an understanding that not everyone is out to fleece them of their money.
We talked a little about what makes a great technician. One young chap said almost nothing for an hour — and then, out of the blue, a switch flicked. “Marketing,” he said, and laughed. He’d been quietly putting the whole discussion together in his head, and he’d seen it for what it was. From that point on he was offering input, while also, I think, recognising he was in a room he could learn a great deal from. Humility plus the appetite to keep learning — that’s a great combination. He’s going to make a fine technician, and one day he’ll be running workshops and sites. Just do the work, and let it come to you.
Six dirhams
Nobody paid anything beyond the six-dirham bus fare to get to the get-togethers. Ask any of them what the conversations were worth, though, and I’d put money on the same answer: priceless.
If you’re a technician thinking about Australia, start at Workers — and know that with us, the bus fare is the most you’ll ever pay to talk.
The places in these stories are real. We meet every candidate face to face, in their home country — here’s how our interviews work, and here’s the map.