# Moving out to uae soon!!!



## minesy (Oct 6, 2011)

Hello everyone as this is my first post i am no doubt asking the same questions that most ask when initially considering the big move and will apologise in advance if thats the case, but i have done my best searching the forum for most answers and for that i am very grateful to the members and their information.

My situation is i have been offered a job with a company and i will be employed as a senior supervisor and instructor within the UAE military currently based in Abu Dhabi but i will be required to travel to Dubai frequently. The intention for the company is to relocate to Al Ain in about 12 months which will require some travelling on my behalf. 

I was told to find accomodation half way between AD and Dubai as its cheaper but have no idea where to look and price ranges of villas. Also should i expect the company to provide some housing allowance as it sems quite expensive. Al Ain appears to be cheaper but i am unsure of what i can expect for my family there, any info on this would be good.

My financial package is still ongoing but at present stands as the following
1. Annual salary 280,000 AED
2. Health care/insurance for the family
3. Schooling for my two children.

Is this a fair package and what can i expect to pay for a 3 bed villa with shared pool if i am not in the heart of AD or Dubai and in Al Ain. I have checked on dubizzle and not really found much information within my price range, especially as i was informed i should expect to pay about 80-90K AED. 

Obviously the kids schooling is vital therefore location is very important when making my decision.

Thanks Ian


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## 4drsupra (Sep 1, 2010)

for your annual salary package and no accomodation allowance it is very steep to find something within your expectations within AD of course in dubai it will be cheaper but not much cheaper for something like that...here is what I would suggest:

Company is moving to dubai is 12 months: live in dubai. JBR is a good area and you may find something within your range(I am assuming half of your annual salary)...I still doubt it though 

Schooling: it is better in dubai and granted your company gives you an exact figure on how much your budget is I would suggest leaning that way as AD schools particularly in college and universities is very limited but for elementary to HS it isnt bad, again this will depend on your exact budget.

Healthcare: by law is mandatory so no questions there...

AD is much quiter than dubai but also means boring from a newly married guy's standpoint I would rather live in dubai 

Driving back and forth dubai to AD isnt bad it just takes 45 mins to 1hr depending how deep in dubai ur comming from and where in AD you want to go...


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## minesy (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi drsupra and thanks for your reply. When you say steep are you meaning that my annual salary of 280,000 is not enough. I have seen accomadation on dubizzle ranging from the 85K to 160K dirhamsAED. Its hard to know what to expect for your money and to add to that total cost of living as i hear so many different opinions, i agree that Dubai is cheaper which surprised me to be honest.


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## biscuit63 (Aug 15, 2011)

Hi mate

I'm no expert at this salary lark but I believe your salary is a bit low and you should negotiate a Housing allowance on top of the 280k AED. I suggest a housing alliance for a family of 4 around 100k AED minimum.

Maybe because you have an education allowance that's why your salary is a bit on the low side?

As I say I'm no expert but that's my uninformed two-penneth worth!


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

As I understand it, you will be in Abu Dhabi for the first year and Al Ain after that. Al Ain is far cheaper than Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The drive to Al Ain from either Dubai or AuH is around two hours. Thinking long term of quality time with your family and not messing around with changing schools may be something you should be factoring in. Is your company currently in Sheikh Zayed Military City? That's not so far out of Dubai. Are you sure the amount you are quoting is all salary and not actually broken down into various components? Medical is only compulsory in Abu Dhabi I believe. Last, but not least, are you positive the company will definitely move in a year? Here, it's quite possible one year could turn into two or three? Ask the company to be put in contact with others who are commuting for car shares.


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## minesy (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks for the repies guys. I understand the location at present is in Abu Dhabi and intends to move to Al Ain in about 12 months but as mentioned this is not concrete!!

I was advised to live somewhere in the middle of AD and Dhubi as i will be required to travel to Dubai frequently for work reasons. The property i have been looking at on Dubizzle prices around the 100,000AED mark and i was wondering if this is negotiable as i have heard of some people pitching at property around 150000AED and negotiating down a fair bit (something to consider).

Other things i need to consider are the possibilities of my wife working once they join me out there as i am unsure of the work availability for partners or how difficult it may be to find her employment as this would increase our income or at least help with the expensive rental charges. 
If possible can anyone give me a rough idea of utility bills eg. Gas, elecrtic water and air con/heating as this all needs to be calculated in to the cost.

Most appreciated


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Is traveling part of the job and will be included in your work hours? That drive is grueling. 

Al Ain is 140 km from abu dhabi and would be a rough drive to and from if you were doing that waiting for a move to happen. There are no heavy western expat areas between abu dhabi and dubai so you will not find western schools in a place between the two. For a place on the outskirts of abu dhabi and easy access to the highway, look at khalifa city, particularly A, and might try the Al Reef area. You will be going against the flow of traffic in the morning and coming back in the evening to and from dubai if you live in abu dhabi. Dubizzle is great but you may find that the places that are on the low side, will not be in expat specific areas nor probly in the best of shape. If you are ok with living native, then you can save quite a bit this way. 

Make sure to get built in your contract they will pay all school fees, as most put a limit on how much they will pay. 

That said, is 280 your entire package? That is 23k dir a month. That is not a lot for a western family to live on in abu dhabi.


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## minesy (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks Jynxgirl for your reply. Having spent some time on dubizzle i have noticed that property is more realistic heading towards dubai, although not in the heart of Dubai. There seems to be plenty of schooling options including the Dubai British school. The 280,000 AED is the original offer but is in the steps of been negotiated and hope to hear something today. The question is "what is a good all round package".

I know the drive will be a pain in the backside but guess its better that than the family end up living in the native areas, if there happy then im happy if you know what i mean.

Also are the prices of property seen on dubizzle negatiable and how much will i expect to pay monthly on utilities??

Thanks


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Go look on the dubai portion of the site. There is an ongoing thread that discusses housing. Also the sticky that says read before posting will explain approximate costs. DEWA in dubai is 5% of the rental total rate, added to your bills each month. For an apartment, you are looking at like 1000 for electricity/water in a 3 bedroom villa (winter, may to oct probly doubleish) and then the 5% of the rental on top of it. For a villa, . probly more like 2000 to 2500 and same double for the summer. I would strongly suggest that they need to give you a 100k housing allowance. The 23k a month is at the very bottom that a western family normally lives on after housing. It is expensive to live in the uae and the reason to be here is to save. Negotiate hard to get an increase in the base salary for at least 7k more a month. Then you would live comfortably and not be declining to go out and about doing things with other westerners.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

My rule of thumb. You should get at minimum what you would earn where you live PLUS a housing allowance that covers at least rent. Anything less than that I don't think is worth consideration. Unless for some reason the job experience is going to be some incredible career gain. I agree with the person that said this 280K should be the salary with a housing allowance on top of that.

I do know a guy that recently moved to Ghantoot and they have some really nice villas there for cheap. That is pretty much at the about 1/2 point (since most jobs with role you describe are on the Dubai side of AD, unless it is Naval). Although I don't have any idea of schooling around there


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