# commuitable areas from Academic City



## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

Hi All,

I've recently been offered a position at telecoms company based in Academic City, I believe surrounding areas are Silicon Oasis and International City.

Does anyone know:
Which areas are commutable from Academic City?
Whats the traffic like in those areas?
Rent prices like?

Will I be able to live in Maria area and commute to Academic City?
Can someone with a UK driving license drive in Dubai?

Thanks!


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## Monalisa (Jun 14, 2008)

sayfur79 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I've recently been offered a position at telecoms company based in Academic City, I believe surrounding areas are Silicon Oasis and International City.
> 
> ...


Hello there,
The closest is Silicon Oasis and International City.
The area is nicer in SO, but rent is higher.It is like 120-150k/yr for 2bedrooms
IC is cheaper, has studios and 1 bedrooms mostly.rent 6500-8000/month
Both are far from the marina.Traffic will be an issue if you live in marina.
Mirdiff would be the closest populated area with nice restaurants and shops.
Hope this does help.I work in Academic City and have an apt in IC.


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## Monalisa (Jun 14, 2008)

And...
Regarding the driver license, if you come on a work visa, you won't be able to drive with international D.L till you get your residency.
Once you have your residency,you get your UAE license.Since you have a UK license, it is easy to switch it without tests and stuff.
If you come on visit visa, you can rent a car and drive it with the International DL.
Take care.


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## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

Hey,thanks 
How long does it take to get residency? Can you get it straight away?
What's the cost of car insurance like?
I guess it depends on the type of car and your age. I'm 29,thinking about getting a Nisaan Altima. If anyone any idea how much it would cost to insure,it will be great.


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## Monalisa (Jun 14, 2008)

sayfur79 said:


> Hey,thanks
> How long does it take to get residency? Can you get it straight away?
> What's the cost of car insurance like?
> I guess it depends on the type of car and your age. I'm 29,thinking about getting a Nisaan Altima. If anyone any idea how much it would cost to insure,it will be great.


The time to get residency depends on how efficient is HR of your company.Could take 7-10days.

If you rent a car, insurance is included.
Renting a car like a Toyota Corolla is apr. 2200AED/month
Insurance cost is not like US, I don't know about GB.
Hope this does help


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## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

Thanks , let me get this right.

it costs 2200 a month? thats around 25,000 AED a year?! 
Thats seem extremely expensive, thats almost £5000 in UK pounds!!! Insurance for me is around £500 (for a v.good car) in uk, thats 10 times less...

please tell me you meant 220/month


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## Ogri750 (Feb 14, 2008)

It's not a typo, leasing will be around the AED2000 per month........

Insurance if you buy a car is 5% of the vehicle's value.


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2008)

*Two questions*



sayfur79 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I've recently been offered a position at telecoms company based in Academic City, I believe surrounding areas are Silicon Oasis and International City.
> 
> Thanks!


Sayfur79
I work in IT/telecoms and am considering trying to find a job in the UAE.
How long did it take from your first contact with your new firm to their offering you the job? (months?)
And, if I may ask, who is your new firm?

Thanks.


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## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

its Du, they contacted me as they found my CV on one of the websites (can't remember which one). I had 2 interviews (calls) over 1 week and was offered a position after 3 days, they were very quick. I think I didn't ask for much, I didn't know how much it will cost to live in Dubai so suggested in the UK I'd expect around £60,000 per year, they gave me an offer little above that (63k) in AED, which works out around 30k aed/month.

I'm beginning to think this was a mistake given the high living expense, it seems far higher than London. I can have a fantastic life in London with £63k/year tax free. I don't understand how it can be more expensive to live in Dubai than London. I may end up rejecting this offer now!


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2008)

Thanks for that. Good to see Du are still hiring. And the speed with which Du moved is also interesting. From these forums, it appears some other industry sectors in the UAE, particularly construction, have been laying staff off and cancelling expat contracts before the expat arrives in the UAE.

Re cost of living: you didn’t mention whether their offer of AED 30 k/mnth was an all up figure or were there other allowances as well such as Housing, Car/Transport, Medical etc. If building up your bank balance is one reason or the sole reason for wanting to work in Dubai, you will need to have all the costs accounted for. I think assessments of living expenses are relative. I think Sydney rents are very high, London rents insane and UAE rents insane. Just depends on your frame of reference.


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2008)

And in case it's useful, I've attached a salary survey which was conducted by a headhunting firm (Charterhouse). I can't vouch for how accurate it is but for what it's worth.....


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2008)

Monalisa said:


> Hello there,
> 
> Traffic will be an issue if you live in marina.
> Mirdiff would be the closest populated area with nice restaurants and shops.
> Hope this does help.I work in Academic City and have an apt in IC.


Take the point. But, if one was living at the Marina (or there abouts), how long would it take (roughly) in peak hour to drive to Academic City? And would it be bumper to bumper traffic the entire distance or only in the vicinity of the Marina?
And off peak: what would the travel time be and how much better would the traffic be or would still be bumper to bumper?

Thanks.


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## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

any ideas how long it will take from Discovery Gardens to Academic City, and Uptown motor city to Academic city. It will be great if you can let me know rush hour & off peak time travel times by car 

Thanks


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## gforce23 (Aug 3, 2008)

sayfur79 said:


> its Du, they contacted me as they found my CV on one of the websites (can't remember which one). I had 2 interviews (calls) over 1 week and was offered a position after 3 days, they were very quick. I think I didn't ask for much, I didn't know how much it will cost to live in Dubai so suggested in the UK I'd expect around £60,000 per year, they gave me an offer little above that (63k) in AED, which works out around 30k aed/month.


Holy moly! 10 days is pretty darn quick! What career level position did you apply for, if I may ask?


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## sayfur79 (Nov 27, 2008)

Mid Level Management


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## Emmiesmum (Oct 16, 2008)

If you're on 30K/month and get a nice flat in IC (go for the Central business District rather than one of the clusters, most buildings have pools, gyms etc and you can also get 2 and 3 beds), and lease a car, I'd say you'd be quite comfortable on that. My hubby gets 22K, we're in a one bed, I don't work, plus the car (4x4), and we've still got money left over to do stuff. Sometimes I think that people think you have to spend a huge amount to live in Dubai, and yes, you would if you wanted to live in the Mariana, Jumeriah. But it all depends on previous style of living I suppose, you don't want to take a step back! good luck with the move!


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