# distance to Ras Al Khaimah



## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

We will be moving to the UAE this summer because of my husband work in Ras Al Khaimah. We don't know where we would be living .We have a 14 year old daughter who will be in 9th grade next schoolyear and for that reason we are looking for international school in Sharjah and Dubai. Does anybody know how long it would take for my husband to drive from ,for example Mirdif to Ras al Khaimah,does anyone has experience driving that route or know people who do so?


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

surilady said:


> We will be moving to the UAE this summer because of my husband work in Ras Al Khaimah. We don't know where we would be living .We have a 14 year old daughter who will be in 9th grade next schoolyear and for that reason we are looking for international school in Sharjah and Dubai. Does anybody know how long it would take for my husband to drive from ,for example Mirdif to Ras al Khaimah,does anyone has experience driving that route or know people who do so?


Too long but it really depends on where. I go bike riding in Ras Al Khaimah towards Fujarah and it takes me 1-1/2 hours to get there from Dubai. I went to a location in RAK from Sharjah the other day and it took 2 hours.

You might look at Ajman.


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

XDoodle****** said:


> Too long but it really depends on where. I go bike riding in Ras Al Khaimah towards Fujarah and it takes me 1-1/2 hours to get there from Dubai. I went to a location in RAK from Sharjah the other day and it took 2 hours.
> 
> You might look at Ajman.


Thanks for the reply!
That 1-1/2 hours to get to Rak is by bike but what about if you travel by car? 
We also tried to find information about Ajman but there is not a lot on the internet.I don't even know if there are some expats . Have you been to Ajman?


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## Karl2803 (Mar 6, 2012)

There are schools in RAK and living is far cheaper. Not only is it about 1.5 hours away its a very boring drive.


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## HarryUK (Oct 14, 2012)

surilady said:


> We will be moving to the UAE this summer because of my husband work in Ras Al Khaimah. We don't know where we would be living .We have a 14 year old daughter who will be in 9th grade next schoolyear and for that reason we are looking for international school in Sharjah and Dubai. Does anybody know how long it would take for my husband to drive from ,for example Mirdif to Ras al Khaimah,does anyone has experience driving that route or know people who do so?


I live in the marina and it took me 2 hours to drive to RAK, so if you lived in Sharjah you're still looking at 60-90 mins. If you decided to live in RAK, then be prepared for boredom. There's not much to do and you'll find yourself driving to Dubai a lot.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Try for Ajman. But really think you will have to come and see and decide once you are here. RAK is big and where his job actually is, will be a determining factor as well. If is just on the outskirts of the mountains, wont take as long to travel to but if deep in rak, can be a trek. Anything over there is going to be quiet though and going to be more 'authentic' middle east more so. I would suggest you guys try to visit prior to your actual move. Also, waiting until the summer to find school slots is probly a bad idea. 

I have a local friend in Ajman who sends his kids to Ajman Acaedmic I believe is the name. His kids speak english very well, is taught in english is my understanding, and my understanding also is that it is a mixed school but probly will have high number of local children there. It will be diverse though and a huge change. I think there are a few other international schools as well geared more towards to western expats in ajman, and of course there are a few also in sharjah.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

If you run into traffic in the Sharjah part of 311 then it would be about an hour and half. If not then you are looking at 50 minutes to an hour. Of course this is not considering the time/travel it takes to get to 311 from wherever you are in RAK, and only to Mirdif in Dubai ... Not further ... I do the drive regularly and don't find it bad, but then that depends on the individual really .. I have done 12 hr road trips driving and loved them .... a good audio book / collection of podcasts help  ....

As far as schools are concerned there are two schools of International standards, the RAK Academy for girls and Shouifat, don't have experience with them, am single, but have heard good things about the girls Academy ... and they always seem to have play/production going on .....


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

HarryUK said:


> I live in the marina and it took me 2 hours to drive to RAK, so if you lived in Sharjah you're still looking at 60-90 mins. If you decided to live in RAK, then be prepared for boredom. There's not much to do and you'll find yourself driving to Dubai a lot.


That's a really long ride to Rak. My husband wouldn't mind to drive up to an hour but longer than that is too much to do every day. 
Thanks for your reply!


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

saraswat said:


> If you run into traffic in the Sharjah part of 311 then it would be about an hour and half. If not then you are looking at 50 minutes to an hour. Of course this is not considering the time/travel it takes to get to 311 from wherever you are in RAK, and only to Mirdif in Dubai ... Not further ... I do the drive regularly and don't find it bad, but then that depends on the individual really .. I have done 12 hr road trips driving and loved them .... a good audio book / collection of podcasts help  ....
> 
> As far as schools are concerned there are two schools of International standards, the RAK Academy for girls and Shouifat, don't have experience with them, am single, but have heard good things about the girls Academy ... and they always seem to have play/production going on .....


Is that the same time if you go from Mirdif to Rak because you mentioned Rak to Mirdif? My husband wouldn't mind driving an hour to Rak but longer then that for him is not an option.

We also contacted the Rak Academy but there it woulkd take her five year to graduation instead of 4 year .She is in the American international school here in Panama.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

surilady said:


> Is that the same time if you go from Mirdif to Rak because you mentioned Rak to Mirdif? My husband wouldn't mind driving an hour to Rak but longer then that for him is not an option.
> 
> We also contacted the Rak Academy but there it woulkd take her five year to graduation instead of 4 year .She is in the American international school here in Panama.


Can't guarantee an hour or less, as it completely depends on the daily situation in the Sharjah part as I mentioned earlier. They are widening the road there which should help.... there is also the bypass that skips the Sharjah bit, but I have never taken it, so don't know where it ends up in Dubai. Without traffic in Sharjah 50 mins is standard, when doing 135 (you won't get fined it's allowed) once past Sharjah.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

You are going to have to decide how important your daughter's education is to you and what you are willing to sacrifice to have her in a school that satisfies you.

I'm not aware of any American curriculum schools in Sharjah or Ajman, at least one that caters to people used to an American style academic environment. There is Dubai Universal American School in Festival City, about ten minutes from Mirdiff. They actually have some American students. That's probably your best option as the other proper American schools are on the other side of Dubai.

If you live in Mirdiff then commuting to RAK would be going against the main traffic flow. It will probably be at least a hour for your husband, but the sacrifice he'd make is that his family lives in a community with many amenities and you are close to a proper American style school. 

You can compromise somewhat and live in the residential areas of Sharjah closer to 611 or the Sharjah University complex. It'll probably be a half hour drive to Universal American but will shave off 20 minutes from your husband's commute.

If you don't absolutely need an American curriculum school there is the Ras Al Khamiah English Speaking School (RAKSS). It has a decent reputation.


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

Thanks!


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

surilady said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> That 1-1/2 hours to get to Rak is by bike but what about if you travel by car?
> We also tried to find information about Ajman but there is not a lot on the internet.I don't even know if there are some expats . Have you been to Ajman?


No, I use my car to take my bike out to an area to ride.


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> You are going to have to decide how important your daughter's education is to you and what you are willing to sacrifice to have her in a school that satisfies you.
> 
> I'm not aware of any American curriculum schools in Sharjah or Ajman, at least one that caters to people used to an American style academic environment. There is Dubai Universal American School in Festival City, about ten minutes from Mirdiff. They actually have some American students. That's probably your best option as the other proper American schools are on the other side of Dubai.
> 
> ...


I think we have to look in those two options of Mirdiff and Sharjah. I t's not that we only want the option of an American curriculum school but the school in Rak has a different curriculum and that would mean that my daughter has to go there for 5 years instead of 4 years to finish her high school (she should start 9th grade next school year) because the british curriculum goes till year 13. In Sharjah there are two australian international school they go till grade 12 just like the american schools.


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## Roadworrier (Jul 3, 2012)

surilady said:


> I think we have to look in those two options of Mirdiff and Sharjah. I t's not that we only want the option of an American curriculum school but the school in Rak has a different curriculum and that would mean that my daughter has to go there for 5 years instead of 4 years to finish her high school (she should start 9th grade next school year) because the british curriculum goes till year 13. In Sharjah there are two australian international school they go till grade 12 just like the american schools.


There is more of everything in Dubai, and if you don't live here you will find yourself coming here often. Just from talking to friends / acquaintances, schools seem to be the biggest challenge by far as many are not very good compared to home countries (even though US schools get a bad rap in the states, some people here said they will never complain about the US system again after having sent their kids to schools here).

RAK seems up and coming (some residential / commercial development going on), but there are also large areas where drivers share the road with cows and goats.


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## Lisajanead (Oct 22, 2012)

Hi. We are considering a move to RAK. We have loved our couple of little holidays we have had there. We are in Abu Dhabi now. My husband has a job offer and he is expected to live in RAK. The problem is our son will be needing a good school for year 10. He has been doing the British curriculum in Abu Dhabi. Really concerned about the quality of education he will get. The Sharjah English School looks quite good. 
My questions are......is the Sharjah English School a good school? Would the commute for pick ups and drop off be too onerous? Would there be a school bus from RAK? I wonder if any other families have decided to do this??
Please, any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
Lisa


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

Lisajanead said:


> Hi. We are considering a move to RAK. We have loved our couple of little holidays we have had there. We are in Abu Dhabi now. My husband has a job offer and he is expected to live in RAK. The problem is our son will be needing a good school for year 10. He has been doing the British curriculum in Abu Dhabi. Really concerned about the quality of education he will get. The Sharjah English School looks quite good.
> My questions are......is the Sharjah English School a good school? Would the commute for pick ups and drop off be too onerous? Would there be a school bus from RAK? I wonder if any other families have decided to do this??
> Please, any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
> Lisa


Hi Lisa,
I don't know how the Sharjah English school is and if there's a schoolbus from Rak. Have you looked into the Rak Academy? From what I've heard,it seems to be a good school.
Good luck !


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## surilady (Feb 21, 2013)

Lisa,you can check out the rak expat google group.There you can post question about living in Rak etc.
It's : http://groups.google.com/group/rak-expats
Hope this is useful for you!


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## bonk (Jun 13, 2008)

Lisajanead said:


> Hi. We are considering a move to RAK. We have loved our couple of little holidays we have had there. We are in Abu Dhabi now. My husband has a job offer and he is expected to live in RAK. The problem is our son will be needing a good school for year 10. He has been doing the British curriculum in Abu Dhabi. Really concerned about the quality of education he will get. The Sharjah English School looks quite good.
> My questions are......is the Sharjah English School a good school? Would the commute for pick ups and drop off be too onerous? Would there be a school bus from RAK? I wonder if any other families have decided to do this??
> Please, any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
> Lisa


A "good" school is a very subjective statement. For westerners wanting a British curriculum school, SES is better than most in Sharjah. But still questionable whether it's a really "good" school.

Don't think there is a school bus service RAK to Sharjah.

Don't think SES is so much better than RAKESS that's it's worth going RAK to Sharjah every day.

Which school in Abu Dhabi? If somewhere like BSAK then no, SES and RAKESS are not good schools in comparison.


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## Lisajanead (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks Bonk for your response. 
He is currently at Brighton College Abu Dhabi.....it has been a pretty good school. So there is nothing comparable to that near RAK? He is in year 10 so it is all getting rather important that he has a school that can meet his needs. He is not a robust type kid that can just fit in. He needs a bit of support and challenge. I am so worried about this whole education thing that I think I might just take him back to Australia to finish school off there and leave my hubby here to do his thing. It will be three years of living apart but we might just have to make that sacrifice. :-/
Thanks for your help. I will let you know what we finally decide! ;-)


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## bonk (Jun 13, 2008)

Lisajanead said:


> Thanks Bonk for your response.
> He is currently at Brighton College Abu Dhabi.....it has been a pretty good school. So there is nothing comparable to that near RAK? He is in year 10 so it is all getting rather important that he has a school that can meet his needs. He is not a robust type kid that can just fit in. He needs a bit of support and challenge. I am so worried about this whole education thing that I think I might just take him back to Australia to finish school off there and leave my hubby here to do his thing. It will be three years of living apart but we might just have to make that sacrifice. :-/
> Thanks for your help. I will let you know what we finally decide! ;-)


No, only Dubai and Abu Dhabi have schools comparable to Brighton. Maybe the Brighton branch in Al Ain but that's no use to you.

However given what you say about your son's robustness, or lack of it, RAKESS or RAK Academy might be an easier environment for him than your average public school in Australia. That's a very vague statement to make on my part, ignore it if you think differently. But the fact you made a point of saying that makes me think it's something to consider.

Life will kick him in the ass anyway sooner or later, my feeling is that life kicks harder in home country schools than expat schools in foreign countries. My comment based on observation and experience in a few different school environments.

Sounds like you have to make a sacrifice whatever you do. Weigh up the pros and cons and potential consequences.

Stay in Abu Dhabi. Good school, familiar, but long drive from RAK. Consider family split with husband in RAK you stay in AUH, weekends together. Daily commute possible (I've heard of some doing it) but unrealistic IMHO. Separation not as far as RAK to Oz.

Live in Dubai. Better school choice although good ones in demand hard to find place. Husband commutes to RAK daily, weekly, or twice weekly or something. Tiring driving but doable. I've done similar, audiobooks made it something to look forward to.

All live in RAK. No family separation. Schooling not as good as BC Abu Dhabi. Especially IGCSE, A Levels. Some possible advantages to being in a small town environment for less robust children. RAK is a funny place to live if you like city lifestyle similar to DXB or AUH.

Split RAK and Oz. Phew, that's a big decision. Try a RAK/DXB or RAK/AUH split for a year first perhaps. Or even 3 months. Schools start here September, if it doesn't work you can still get to Oz for January academic year start. Apply to Oz anyway to keep options open. Even if you lose two terms of fees from here that's still potentially cheaper than moving to Oz in September and discovering you regret that decision.

There are significant potential consequences to family split on opposite sides of the planet. Relationships are more likely to suffer with that kind of arrangement.

You live in RAK, son goes to boarding school in Dubai, I think only Repton is an option and it's expensive and reputation is variable. Boarding can be tough on less robust children, or it can make them more robust.

Make friends with family in Dubai or Abu Dhabi who have children at same school your son could go to, who also have a spare room where your son can stay.

If he's done first year IGCSE or GCSE (can't remember what BC does) then maybe that's a factor too - continue to finish GCSE then change for A Level or IB.

Money is a factor also but if you're considering a RAK/Oz split then I expect renting two properties in different UAE cities is still likely to be cheaper. School fees in UAE offset by several flights per year to Oz with free education.


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## Lisajanead (Oct 22, 2012)

bonk said:


> No, only Dubai and Abu Dhabi have schools comparable to Brighton. Maybe the Brighton branch in Al Ain but that's no use to you.
> 
> However given what you say about your son's robustness, or lack of it, RAKESS or RAK Academy might be an easier environment for him than your average public school in Australia. That's a very vague statement to make on my part, ignore it if you think differently. But the fact you made a point of saying that makes me think it's something to consider.
> 
> ...



Are you involved in the Education business Bonk? You seem to be abreast of a lot of the education issues here ;-)
Thanks for your thoughts. Just to add that hubby HAS to live in RAK. It will be a requirement. Also hos job is in a fickle industry where we never know when next he will be retrenched. This is this biggest factor really for me. I don't want to be moving schools for our son again. I guess I really want people to tell me that schools in RAK are poor and the drive to Sharjah is undo able! I would be best to move back to Australia where I can offer our last child a stable education, lol! 
Our furniture is in a ship heading home now. Tom is booked into a good private school in Qld and we have bought a little house just around the corner from the school. We did this because my husbands work had been terminated again. We thought we would have to head home. And now this fabulous job offer has come up for RAK. Great news really except for the dilemma of our son and his education. 
I guess like you suggested, Tom and I could see how we go and if it all goes pear shaped back in Australia then we could return to the UAE. 
Thanks for your thoughts. Really have appreciated your input.
Lisa


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Stay in Australia to finish your child's education. Three years seems like a long time but it really isn't in the greater scheme of things. Three years of mediocre schools at a pivotal stage of your son's education isn't worth it. Stay connected via Skype and emails and holidays. You will hardly be the only family split on two continents for a few years.

Another possibility is boarding school in Australia. I know New Zealand has very good state schools that have boarding houses so possibly Australia has something similar? They could prove to be more economical than a full fledged traditional boarding school. 



Lisajanead said:


> Are you involved in the Education business Bonk? You seem to be abreast of a lot of the education issues here ;-)
> Thanks for your thoughts. Just to add that hubby HAS to live in RAK. It will be a requirement. Also hos job is in a fickle industry where we never know when next he will be retrenched. This is this biggest factor really for me. I don't want to be moving schools for our son again. I guess I really want people to tell me that schools in RAK are poor and the drive to Sharjah is undo able! I would be best to move back to Australia where I can offer our last child a stable education, lol!
> Our furniture is in a ship heading home now. Tom is booked into a good private school in Qld and we have bought a little house just around the corner from the school. We did this because my husbands work had been terminated again. We thought we would have to head home. And now this fabulous job offer has come up for RAK. Great news really except for the dilemma of our son and his education.
> I guess like you suggested, Tom and I could see how we go and if it all goes pear shaped back in Australia then we could return to the UAE.
> ...


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