# Please help, don't know where to start



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

My husband and I are thinking or relocationg to Dubai.

In short he has had an offer of 40,000 per month plus health care. This is non negotiable, ie they will not be paying an accomodation/school allowance etc.

Can you please advise if this is a good ish salary?

Also, they have advise us to look for property in Sharjah and Ajman. I have looked on the internet and there doesn't seem to be any properties for rent in either area!

I just don't know where to start!

Any advice would be very welcome.

Many thanks,

Siobhan


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Andyshiv said:


> My husband and I are thinking or relocationg to Dubai.
> 
> In short he has had an offer of 40,000 per month plus health care. This is non negotiable, ie they will not be paying an accomodation/school allowance etc.
> 
> ...



Hi Siobhan,
Welcome to the forum.

The offer is doable, but again, it depends on many factors...ie:
where you live
how many children you need to school
how often you eat out/what you eat etc...

Is the employer based in Sharjah or Ajman, or have they suggested those areas as they have cheaper housing compared to Dubai?

There are places to rent in both areas...probably more in Sharjah as it is bigger than Ajman.
We moved to Sharjah this week, after years in Dubai.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

*hi*

Many thanks for your reply.

We have small children so probably won't be eating out too much.

Sharjah is where employer is based so that's why there has been recommended.

We will have to fund a car with salary also.

I have had a loot a bhomes website but they don't have any properties listed for rent?!

Can you recommend any property websites?

Also, what is Sharjah like?

Thanks again,

Siobhan


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

I agree with the employer...if you are working in Sharjah, best to live close by.
If you were to live in Dubai, Mirdiff would be the best bet, as you would be going against the traffic- but the traffic can still be a nightmare.
Also, if they suggested that Ajman may also be a suitable place to live, perhaps they are based in the heart of Sharjah- in that case, I would certainly live there.

For a 4wd, you should budget between 1500 - 2000 dhs per month.

You can try Sweet Homes
+971 4 295 5640
+971 6 746 5661


Northern Emirates Properties
+971 6 573 6183
+971 50 626 1275 (mobile)

Im not sure who we used, as a friend found the villa for us.
We have only been here for a few days (we were in Dubai)
You tend to get more for your money, in regards to housing.

Sharjah is more of a traditional emirate.
It is a dry emirate (no alcohol), and as a woman, you will need to cover your shoulders and make sure your shorts/skirts/dresses go past your knee)

So far so good.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Oh God I will never get all this, there is so much to take in!!

Are there different rules for different emirates??

Thanks again for the info.

Do you mind me asking how much you pay for your villa and how many bedrooms?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Dont panic- its more about respecting where you live- Dubai is the most liberal of the Emirates, and the other emirates are more traditional.

We paid 100,000 dhs for this villa ( which looks like a fort..haha)It is a traditional Arabic style home as it has separate majis + kitchen...


It has 3 bedrooms (main with ensuite)
1 bathroom inside
large majlis inside (which we use as a lounge room)
a huge entrance room (which we use as a school room- we home school)
Then outside, we have another huge majlis- with bathrooms, which will become a home office and guest room,
and also outside we have a kitchen, + maids room + maids bathroom (we use it as a laundry)
We have stairs to the roof, which we will set up with chairs etc
We have a medium sized courtyard, and it is fully fenced, so kids can play happily.

edited to add: originally the LL wanted 115,000 dhs, paid with 2 cheques, but we got him down to 100,000 paid with 1 cheque.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

So you have bought your villa?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

No- thats rent per year !!!

In Dubai for the same size etc- it would be nearly 3 times that amount!!


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

crikey!! Seems a lot but I suppose I'm still thinking in euros.

I just don't know where to start?

Assuming your married, did your husband go out there before you to find a property?

Is there a website I can look at that will answer all these silly questions so that I don't have to bother you!!


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Don't panic- that's what we are here for to answer questions you may have.
Its normal to be apprehensive and worry about the move.

I'm happy to see people research the move 1st. So many come here without doing their homework and it doesn't end up working out...so please, ask away.

Believe me, 100,000 dhs is CHEAP for the Emirates. In Dubai, you would be lucky to get a studio or 1 bed apartment for that.

Yes, Im married.
It is a little different for us, as we started a business here.
The 1st time we moved here, my hubby worked for someone else, and he was here for 3 months, while kids and I stayed in Oz.
Then we all returned to Oz a few years later...but hubby returned again.
That time, kids and I stayed home for 10 months, before we returned here again (as he was setting up business, and I wanted to have bubs in Oz...)


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

You have been very busy huh!

How old are your children? I have two aged one and two and I'm due another baby in 4 weeks.

I suppose we will just have to find accomodation the best we can. Schools are not a problem to us as we will be back in Ireland by the time our eldest is due to start school.

There is a preschool called vistoria english school. I'm going to get in touch with them re waiting lists and see if I can put our childrens names down. It seems very expensive tho'.

There is only so much you can, you have to really wait til you get there.

Do you like it over there?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

I think you will be the busy one !! lol

My kids are 10, 9 and 23 months.

There are a few nurseries in Sharjah, I will post some details for you tomorrow.

Yes, we enjoy our time here...we have good and bad days, like we would wherever we lived.
for the most part, we love the fact that we have the ability to travel to places where we wouldnt have gone, if we still lived in Oz,(due to travel distances), we LOVE the culture here, and most of our friends are from elsewhere in the world (our closest friends are Emiratis), we love the fact that we have been able to give this wonderful opportunity to our kids...

But- we also miss our family and friends terribly, and find dealing with red tape here frustrating (to say the least), but this is where we have chosen to base ourselves, at this stage of our life...


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Andyshiv said:


> crikey!! Seems a lot but I suppose I'm still thinking in euros.
> !


To convert it for you: 100,000 dhs is approx 17,000Euros and 300,000 dhs is approx 52,000 Euros

PER YEAR- in rent


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

What is Sharjah like? Is it clean?

Silly questions I know but you can only see so much on the net.

Many thanks for the info re nurseries, that's very kind of you.

Someone else has advised me that children dtart school at 3 in Dubai, is this correct?

If so, will I be able to put my childrens names down for schools whilst still in Ireland or will we have to resident in Dubai first?

Thanks again,

Siobhan


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Also, is it possible to hire some sort of help, like an au pair but not live in??


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Mmmm- is it clean?
Well- hard to answer- its not flash and modern like parts of Dubai, though it does have its "nicer" expat areas like all of the emirates.

Where we are it is more run down, so places tend to look unclean.
Yes, at some schools start at 3, though you can start at 4 at some places.
You can register with schools without being a resident.
Most schools will require a registration fee though.
If you are sending your child to nursery, a few nurseries also teach Foundation classes, so your child can stay in the nursery without having to go to "a big" school at such a young age.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Roughly what could we expect to pay for registration fee?

Can we then pay monthly?

Am I driving you mad with all these questions yet?

Also, what time is it over there now?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Andyshiv said:


> Also, is it possible to hire some sort of help, like an au pair but not live in??


Au Pairs are hard to come by, and I would expect that they would have a higher rate of pay (understandably- more like a UK per hr rate)
A lot of people tend to use maids here- as nannies...which isnt always a great idea (so many arent qualified to look after children)

You can sponsor a maid/nanny and have them live in, or you sponsor them and pay towards their housing.

Part time maids/sharing of maids is illegal...UNLESS you use an agency which is about 30 dhs per hour (usually with a min of 4 hhs required)

Sponsorship can be expensive (I think set up costs are approx 12,000 dhs, then monthly wage etc), but it is the legal way of acquiring home help


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Andyshiv said:


> Roughly what could we expect to pay for registration fee?
> 
> Can we then pay monthly?
> 
> ...



Registration fees will vary from place to place- usually expect to pay a few hundred dhs.(depending on the school)

School fees/Nursery fees are generally paid just before the start of each term ( 3 terms a year)
There are lots of schools in Sharjah, and heaps in Dubai.

No, not driving me mad....I wished this site was around, for the 1st time I moved over!!

Time here is now 11.15 pm


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

3 months in advance doesn't seem too bad.

I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you on this website. It's very difficult to find out what it's going to be like unless you can speak to someone who is actually living in Dubai.

Will I let you get to bed?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

I guess it will depend on the school and its system.

A few examples:

Wellington School in Dubai has a registration fee of 600 dhs.
Its fees are 11,oo dhs a term for Foundation classes.( for 2 terms its 11,000 dhs, 3 rd term it is 7,800 dhs)

The Australian School in Sharjah, has a registration fee of 150 dhs and it is 8,300 dhs a term

Raffles School- Dubai- its 1,500 dhs registration fee (which is ofset against fees if accepted in)
Fees for nursery are 10,500 dhs per term.

So, it will vary from school to school.

Im off to bed now, as it has been a loooong day...lol

Write down any other thoughts that come to mind, and I'll do my best to answer them in the morning.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

See I did bore you lol!!

Thanks again.

Night


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Afternoon.

Thanks again for all your help yesterday.

We have found a couple of nice properties in Al Fayha in Sharjah for rent. Do you know this area?

I'm also going to be contacting schools later today re putting my childrens names down.

Do you know anything re home schooling?? Is there a curriculum you have to follow, where do I get text books (if any) etc?

Regards,

Siobhan


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Hi and welcome back...

Al Fayha is not too far from us...maybe 10 minutes (2 turns and 5 roundabouts)

If you look on a map, (such as Google Maps, we are in Al Ghafiya..about 5 suburbs to your right)

Re home schooling...as you are not an Emirati, you dont need to let Ministry of Education know that you intend to HS.
You may need to check with your own MOE...MOE in Oz, are fussed, as we arent residing in Oz, we can do as we please.

Curriculum is a personal choice.
We use a real mixture of bits and pieces. I will Private Message you with what we use.

On another forum these sites were mentioned for the UK

Demon - Your Default Homepage
www.curriculumonline.gov.uk

There is also an on line school based in Dubai (its a well known American school) K12: K12 Inc. - Home schooling curriculum, public school options, virtual academy schools, virtual charter, distance learning programs for elementary & high school grades, in Science, Math, History, English, Language Arts and more!


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Hiya,

Thanks for info.

If my little boy didn't go to school how much trouble would I actually get into? He is only just two yrs old. Would a nursery/preschool be good enough for him?

He attends a playschool here in Ireland 3 days per week but wouldn't be required by law, to attend school until he is five.

3 seems a bit too young to be sending them to school over there, especially as it is our intention to return home after a yr or 2.

Regards,

Siobhan


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

I have just sent you a PM

You wont get into trouble at all...
In Oz, the kids dont start school until 5 also.

Nursery school is fine..its really a personal choice...my LO (23 months) doesnt go, but thats because Im not a fan of nursery schools etc...(not a reflection on schools here at all)
Cheers


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

I got your private message thanks.

You are so organised re schooling for your children. I'm impressed!!

I will have a loot at your blog later on at home.

So if I didn't want to send him to nursery even he wouldn't have to go?

It was never my intenstion to send him to one over there as I would prefer to have him at home with me. Time flies when they are young and I'm only beginning to appreciate that now.

I think if your somewhere like Dubai with it's beaches etc why would you send a little one to school!!

That saves me a small fortune also he he


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

No its is personal choice whether you send your child or not...some people do,as they work full time, some send kids to nursery as they want the break, some send them because they can..lol

Schooling here is only legally required unless you are a National...for everyone else, we are visitors here, so can do what we please with our schooling choices.

Also, read up on on Home Education in Ireland

It may give you some answers you need.


----------



## Andyshiv (Aug 5, 2008)

Well I suppose it's just a case of finding accomodation and getting over there really. I know easier said than done!

Are properties rented furnished?

Regards,

Siobhan


----------

