# Advice on the move



## Kade (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi all,

Apologies if these questions have been asked a million time before, but I'd like to get peoples' personal experiences and opinions on a few matters that I'm worrying about.

My family and I will be be moving to Dubai early next year. We don't have any assets or savings here in the UK, so I'm just wondering what would be a safe amount of money to have saved before moving, to keep us going until our first paycheque?

The second matter is, how costly is it going to be to have our furniture, and 2 cats shipped to Dubai?

Thanks in advance for reading =)

Jo


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## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

Kade said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Apologies if these questions have been asked a million time before, but I'd like to get peoples' personal experiences and opinions on a few matters that I'm worrying about.
> 
> ...


Is your employer providing you with a relocation allowance or paying for the cost of shipping? If not, I'd be asking for it.

No idea about cats from the UK. Maybe contact one of the pet transport companies and ask them?


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## JJDubai (Sep 29, 2008)

A lot depends on what company is covering. EG If they are not covering rent, you will need deposit PLUS 12 months rent (has to be paid upfront). Also you have to pay security deposit to get utilities supplied. Visas are also complex and costly.

It is not cheap here - for groceries or anything. Probably around same sort of level as UK overall. 

You can use credit cards to pay for lots of things here - but you do need cash/AED cheques for many things, including rent/utility deposits and rent. 

How will you be paid - eg sterling into UK account? If being paid in other way you need to take into account that payments are not instant (and can take many days).

Anyway, hopefully you are being employed by employer who covers everything and all you have to do is wait for your furniture to arrive! Given that, I would put aside as much as you can (and make sure you can get at it) and bring your credit card in case of need!


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

There will be a factors to consider.
A lot will depend on how much your employer is paying for.

Are they paying for your relocation ? - cant help with ideas of costs, sorry.

Are they paying for your rent? - If not, you need to have the funds to pay 1 year upfront ( or organise a loan from employer/bank)...also factor in 5 % Municipality fee and 5% agents fees.

DEWA deposits ( approx 2,000 dhs) for water/electricity connection

Mobile phones

Health insurance

Whitegoods ( non furnished places dont have window coverings or ovens/stoves)

Car to rent...you cant buy one until you have residency sorted.

fuel

food

school fees ( if applicable)

Basically- you will need a bit of money !!


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## Kade (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks for you replies!

My employer is currently setting up business in Dubai, which is why we can't make any firm plans yet, as we don't even know the location!

They have agreed to cover costs for rent/school and I assume they will be sponsoring our visa too.

So I wouldn't be being unreasonable by asking them to cover our relocation expenses?


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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

Not at all, a 40' container door to door takes about a month and costs around 5000UKP.


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## Kade (Oct 24, 2008)

We're most probably going to be leaving everything behind bar our pc's, kids toys and clothes, so there's not going to be alot to move. 

I've been reading about banking in Dubai, we're going to need loans/credit cards when we get out there. How easy are these to get, considering this is a brand new job? Are they based on your UK credit history and time with employer?


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Kade said:


> We're most probably going to be leaving everything behind bar our pc's, kids toys and clothes, so there's not going to be alot to move.
> 
> I've been reading about banking in Dubai, we're going to need loans/credit cards when we get out there. How easy are these to get, considering this is a brand new job? Are they based on your UK credit history and time with employer?



You will not have any trouble getting credit cards once you open your bank account. In regards to loans, it seems to be tied to your company. The major banks like HSBC will only lend you money if your company has been registered in Dubai for more than 12 months (my work mate found this out the hard way when he tried to get a car loan!). Saying that, apparently, the local Arab banks are more flexible.


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## Kade (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks all for your advice, I appreciate it =)


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## JJDubai (Sep 29, 2008)

Kade said:


> Thanks all for your advice, I appreciate it =)


Take care - are you sure employer knows what he/she is doing? It is complicated setting up a business over here. 

With regard to banks, if you have a good relationship with UK bank you could ask what they offer in Dubai (not all UK banks have representation in Dubai). Don't assume it will be easy setting banking up here and getting finance.

Good luck!


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## Ruggedblond (Oct 26, 2008)

Kade said:


> How easy are these to get, considering this is a brand new job? Are they based on your UK credit history and time with employer?


So your credit history in UK is not queried for credit in UAE?!


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## Sparkysair (Jul 16, 2008)

No, they don't seem to do any sort of credit checking here, but they will want a copy of your employment contract as evidence of what you're earning. When I arrived, I phoned HSBC and someone came to my office within half an hour with a bank card, pin numbers and everything. Within a week of landing I had two credit cards each with 50k AED limits! This was all before I even got my residency visa!! The banks seem to be pretty keen to throw money at you despite the global credit crunch so be warned, the lure of the shopping mall is very dangerous!


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## crazymazy1980 (Aug 2, 2008)

Sparkysair said:


> No, they don't seem to do any sort of credit checking here, but they will want a copy of your employment contract as evidence of what you're earning. When I arrived, I phoned HSBC and someone came to my office within half an hour with a bank card, pin numbers and everything. Within a week of landing I had two credit cards each with 50k AED limits! This was all before I even got my residency visa!! The banks seem to be pretty keen to throw money at you despite the global credit crunch so be warned, the lure of the shopping mall is very dangerous!


Glad to see someone got swift service, always good to see a positive experience of banking in the ME 

Please though anyone who reads this and thinks they can go wild in the UAE and it won't bite you on the arrse back home if you decide to do a runner. The banks are all interconnected and funds can be seized across borders. And you would be surprised who owns or has shares in your bank so don't think that if it's not the same name you'd be safe either. FRAUD is BAD!!! 

Just because someone offers you loans and credit cards doesn't mean you have to spend them. I don't use either of mine. Much prefer to save up for things first.


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## Sparkysair (Jul 16, 2008)

Couldn't agree more Crazymazy, but it is reassuring to have a line of credit just in case it's needed for emergency situations!


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

crazymazy1980 said:


> Glad to see someone got swift service, always good to see a positive experience of banking in the ME
> 
> Please though anyone who reads this and thinks they can go wild in the UAE and it won't bite you on the arrse back home if you decide to do a runner. The banks are all interconnected and funds can be seized across borders. And you would be surprised who owns or has shares in your bank so don't think that if it's not the same name you'd be safe either. FRAUD is BAD!!!
> 
> Just because someone offers you loans and credit cards doesn't mean you have to spend them. I don't use either of mine. Much prefer to save up for things first.



I do not think that there is anything wrong with spending on credit cards. You just need to be very sensible about it and not live it large. I put quite a few things on my credit card (I can't be asked to walk all the way to a cash machine) but at the same time, I also pay off my bills in full (and never spend more than I earn), well before the bank even has time to start adding interest on it! There are also advantages to credit cards in that you only spend what you need; I find that if I go the cash machine, I always withdraw more than I need and end up spending it in one go - give it a few days and the money is all gone and I've got no idea what I've spent it on!! I do agree though that it is better to save for something over a few months if you do not have the cash rather than to put it on your credit card, especially if you know full well you cannot afford it! The interest itself will cripple you!


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## crazymazy1980 (Aug 2, 2008)

Maz25 said:


> There are also advantages to credit cards in that you only spend what you need; I find that if I go the cash machine, I always withdraw more than I need and end up spending it in one go - give it a few days and the money is all gone and I've got no idea what I've spent it on!!


That's what a debit card is for


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

crazymazy1980 said:


> That's what a debit card is for


My bank does not offer debit cards so I gotta make do with the next best thing!  Maybe someone could brief them on the advantages of debit cards!


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## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

From what i've read the UK does not allow the sharing of it's citizen's credit history with other countries. So your UK credit history won't follow you outside of the UK.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

DesertStranded said:


> From what i've read the UK does not allow the sharing of it's citizen's credit history with other countries. So your UK credit history won't follow you outside of the UK.


Don't know really but according to HSBC in the UK, they can open an account for you here and transfer your credit history with it to allow the account to be opened before you even get here. Not really sure what kind of info they would be sharing though cause I chose not to pay the fee and just opened an account when I arrived.

Knowing how reliable UK banks are, I reckon if you are looking for credit history, try the rubbish bins outside the bank or the hard shoulder on the M25!


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## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

Different countries have different laws regarding the sharing of individuals credit history. For instance the US and Canada share credit info. So if an American with bad credit moves to Canada or vice versa their bad credit history follows them if a company wants to use a credit check to determine whether or not they should be hired. 

However, a privacy law was passed in the UK preventing UK banks or credit reporting agencies from giving information on UK citizens to foreign companies, etc. I don't know if it applies to UK companies based abroad, however. I suppose you could google it to check.


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## Lenochka (Apr 19, 2008)

HSBC here does NOT offer debit cards.....(at least that's what I was told...)

would be nice though...

Crazy...anything you can do here ?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

crazymazy1980 said:


> Glad to see someone got swift service, always good to see a positive experience of banking in the ME
> 
> Please though anyone who reads this and thinks they can go wild in the UAE and it won't bite you on the arrse back home if you decide to do a runner. The banks are all interconnected and funds can be seized across borders. And you would be surprised who owns or has shares in your bank so don't think that if it's not the same name you'd be safe either. FRAUD is BAD!!!
> 
> Just because someone offers you loans and credit cards doesn't mean you have to spend them. I don't use either of mine. Much prefer to save up for things first.


Well said. I couldn't agree more.

I have seen to many cases of people spending wildly, ignoring the fact that loans and credit cards have to be repaid. Too many people blame banks for lending, but you have a personal responsibilty to ensure you only borrow what you can afford and only spend what you have.

The 'Western' world is too keen on instant gratification. Saving up is seen by many to be an old-fashioned idea, but I suspect current global financial circumstances may change that.

The vast majority of people here are not paying (income) tax on their earning so they should actually be saving.

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