# please help



## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

Hi all im new to this 
My husband has been offered a job in Dubai its very sudden I have from now till end august to get a lot of information about moving to Dubai.He hopes to start work start of September so hope you understand the panic I am in.
The job offer so far is accommodation supplied car supplied flight paid for to and from and paid to uk for Christmas 2000 euro think this amounts to 10000 durham a month.If u understand me.what is the average cost of living and how much do you need to survive a month.we are also leaving a daughter in uk for uni and therefore will require to send home 1000 a month to maintain her and our property for atleast a year,while she completes her degree.I be also going with hubby to Dubai wont be working as required to return uk every 3 months to check on home and daughter.can any one advise me on all docs costs etc thank u so much : 

regards alison


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

alison01 said:


> Hi all im new to this My husband has been offered a job in Dubai its very sudden I have from now till end august to get a lot of information about moving to Dubai.He hopes to start work start of September so hope you understand the panic I am in. The job offer so far is accommodation supplied car supplied flight paid for to and from and paid to uk for Christmas 2000 euro think this amounts to 10000 durham a month.If u understand me.what is the average cost of living and how much do you need to survive a month.we are also leaving a daughter in uk for uni and therefore will require to send home 1000 a month to maintain her and our property for atleast a year,while she completes her degree.I be also going with hubby to Dubai wont be working as required to return uk every 3 months to check on home and daughter.can any one advise me on all docs costs etc thank u so much : regards alison


Please read all the sticky threads. Loads of info there...

If I understand you, your husband will be earning AED 10,000 a month, of which you intend to send AED 5,000 a month home, plus quarterly flights to and from UK.

To be honest, if this is the case, I think you should seriously reconsider.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

*thanks*

how much a month is required to live there we don't have to pay for apartment car its just for food and living and flights home


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

my husband is approaching the employer for a better offer of AED 12500 +,what would you think is a basic amount for monthly wage for a person to be operations manager to run a production facility and sort sales and supply chain


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

alison01 said:


> my husband is approaching the employer for a better offer of AED 12500 +,what would you think is a basic amount for monthly wage for a person to be operations manager to run a production facility and sort sales and supply chain


he would need to double that amount. Are the company covering utility bills? For water, electricity, air conditioning and tv/broadband, and DEWA housing fee these could set you back an average of 1800 dirhams a month (across a year including summer air con). If he can get these included in the housing allowance then you may have a chance. Food is more expensive than the UK and you should allow for 2000 dirham/month for two people minimum (average) for basics and staples plus extra for fresh ( meat, veg, fruit, milk, bread etc) so this could easily reach another 1000 dirham. And then you have entertainment and socialising where you can spend as little or as much as you want but consider a 1000 dirham/ week if you want to eat out once a week ( nothing fancy) and have a few drinks.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

*Thanks*

These are questions he be asking
Regards ali


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

So you are saying we need to ask for 25,000 dirham at least a month and all property costs covered also cost of food is higher than uk I was comparing costs on web and it was showing me it's cheaper.
thanks for the advice 
Regards ali


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

I recommend that you have a good read on the below Sticky thread. You'll get a very good idea of salaries/expenses in Dubai. There are lots of good advise there and get to know what sort of money you need to be on in order to survive/have a decent life here.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/du...-salary-offer-package-questions-part-2-a.html


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Food can be cheaper in the UAE if you eat nothing but rice, daal (Indian lentils) or pasta. 

If you want to have the same diet as in the UK you will likely pay more. All imported items cost more for obvious reasons. I have never met anyone who said they spent less on food in the UAE than in the UK, despite what the online comparisons may claim.

As a couple with a plain diet you're looking at a minimum of 500 AED/week. This doesn't include dining out, let alone going out for a few beers (40 AED per beer is typical). Plus taxi fare to get to the bars/restaurants if you want to drink. 

Does the package offer include flights and health care for you, not just your husband? I'd be surprised if it does. Even if you do get an annual flight, the company certainly won't be paying to fly you to the UK every three months, and you're looking at around 3,000 AED per flight (minimum) if you book in advance. 

Your husband has a car. Where is the accommodation? My bet it's someplace cheap and far from the various centres and destinations. Probably even a studio. What will you do during the day when he's working, especially without a car to get around? Car rentals range from 1,800 to 2,500 AED/month for a basic model. 

The package offer is doable for a single expat, preferably a younger expat as all he has to pay for are food and entertainment. But even he/she wouldn't save much money at the end of the day. For a couple with a house/daughter in the UK to fund, it's a disastrous package. Either you find a job out here (which may not be feasible if you don't have the right skill sets), or they bump up the offer to 20,000 a month on top of the housing/car/flights/health care, or you say no thanks. 



alison01 said:


> So you are saying we need to ask for 25,000 dirham at least a month and all property costs covered also cost of food is higher than uk I was comparing costs on web and it was showing me it's cheaper.
> thanks for the advice
> Regards ali


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

*Thanks*

This is getting scary thanks I continue looking


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

What is your husband being paid to do in Dubai ? 

Someone here may be able to advise on what a good salary would be for that role. 

Even 12500 for someone from the UK is a very low salary indeed, unless they are doing a job that is normally done here by someone from other closer developing regions.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Is the offer from a company your husband has heard of, i.e. are they a multi-national company, well-known in their industry.

From what you've described the job as, it seems to be a very senior position with a lot of responsibility. To relocate a UK national to do a job like that, most companies would be offering a lot more than that.

What's his current position and salary?


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

To be responsible for service and sales for a small company.


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## JonGard (Aug 18, 2013)

The average salary in my home-town is less than £300 per week, so about 7000AED per month.

Thrown in no tax and accommodation allowances and I know many, many people who would jump at 12500AED.

I took 3500AED p/m in my first month here because the job situation at home was so bleak.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

JonGard said:


> The average salary in my home-town is less than £300 per week, so about 7000AED per month.
> 
> Thrown in no tax and accommodation allowances and I know many, many people who would jump at 12500AED.
> 
> I took 3500AED p/m in my first month here because the job situation at home was so bleak.


Is the average position an "operations manager to run a production facility and sort sales and supply chain" though?

Anyway, it's hard to give a better answer without knowing the background of the company, what industry it's in, etc.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

Waste industry


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

He worked for a world wide company made redundant overseas gave him a link to this company he will help to expand the industry in sales and service and hopefully introduce a agency of product into Dubai from sales production to service and maintenance that's all I can say as it's only discussion stage


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## JonGard (Aug 18, 2013)

Gavtek said:


> Is the average position an "operations manager to run a production facility and sort sales and supply chain" though?
> 
> Anyway, it's hard to give a better answer without knowing the background of the company, what industry it's in, etc.


No, you're right, don't really know what my point was!


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the advice the hubby is going to ask a lot of questions next week and then re address a better offer.is there anything else we should know ie health care costs and visas and banking is it easy to bank on line to send direct debits to uk for paying bills etc we are with HSBC


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## LesFroggitts (Dec 30, 2013)

alison01 said:


> Thanks for the advice the hubby is going to ask a lot of questions next week and then re address a better offer.is there anything else we should know ie health care costs and visas and banking is it easy to bank on line to send direct debits to uk for paying bills etc we are with HSBC


I expect that direct debits from a UAE account to UK vendors would not be possible. It may be best, if you're allowed to do so, to keep your UK HSBC account active and simply transfer funds into it through online bank transfer as and when required in order to cover the direct debits. 

Be warned that HSBC appear not to have a very good reputation out here in Dubai - although I am sure there are many people who would say the opposite.


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## Froglet (May 7, 2014)

It really depends on the lifestyle you plan to have here in Dubai. If you go to work, have dinner at home and relax on the balcony during the weekends, you'll manage with far less than 25k a month.

If you decide to go out for dinner and have drinks every night, go for brunches on Friday, live the luxury life, buy a luxury car and go shopping regularly then 25k will probably not get you very far...

I have friends who have trouble making ends meet with 40k a month and I have friends who are very happy living a normal life with 15k a month. It depends on you....


Most people who plan to come to Dubai say that they will live a normal life and expect not to spend too much. However, once here for most people this changes and they spend more than they had initially planned...


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

alison01 said:


> Thanks for the advice the hubby is going to ask a lot of questions next week and then re address a better offer.is there anything else we should know ie health care costs and visas and banking is it easy to bank on line to send direct debits to uk for paying bills etc we are with HSBC


healthcare and visas should be provided as part of the package for both of you ( healthcare is mandatory for all to get resident visa). If not then the cost for healthcare will vary greatly on what cover you want but it could end up being expensive.


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## Berry899 (Feb 23, 2014)

How much savings do you have to come out with? My wife and I came out after she accepted an estate agent job with no salary, only commission. Mad eh? We had £50k between us and went with the attitude of 'hey, you only live once'. 

We've spent a fair bit - mainly on the rent in 1 cheque - but are now starting to put money back into our savings at the end of each month purely on my wife's wage. 

What I am saying is, while every factor people are warning you on is completely valid, not everything needs to be planned to the last Penny (or Fils) - at least in my case anyway. 

Good luck!!


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## JonGard (Aug 18, 2013)

You think coming over with £50000 was risky? Bloody hell. I wish I moved in the circles some of you lot do


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If your husband is unemployed and this is the best offer to come along in a while then it may make sense to take it, but do push for as much more money as possible. 

But I'd still plan on him coming out to Dubai alone for a while, perhaps six months, while you stay at home in your current job (I assume you're working?). And see how he manages to survive on the income and see if it's feasible for you to quit and move out here. You could also start looking for work in the UAE as I do think you'll need to work to have a sufficient income, otherwise you'd be living from pay cheque to pay cheque with no spare money set aside for emergencies, and the UAE is not a place where you want to get into debt.

Once your husband's established a presence in the UAE it will be easier for him to look for other work opportunities that pay more. So it could be a gamble worth taking, but you still need to be very pragmatic about the high cost of living and your expenditures. It will not be a life of ease by any stretch of the imagination.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

*Banks*

Sorry t.hats what I ment to transfer money over to run direct debits from bank account here


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## Amtmann (May 9, 2012)

alison01 said:


> So you are saying we need to ask for 25,000 dirham at least a month and all property costs covered also cost of food is higher than uk I was comparing costs on web and it was showing me it's cheaper.
> thanks for the advice
> Regards ali


To be honest, 25k per month should be sufficient even if the housing costs are included in the 25k. If you do not have kids, then it's a decent sum of money, not as high as what some people are earning, but not terribly low either.

Note also that the 25k does not need to be paid on a monthly basis. For example, you could receive 15k per month and then a lump sum of 120k once per year as a housing allowance. These figures are an example only.

I live very well on 3k AED per month and save the *vast* majority of my salary. 

In my experience, the cost of food in Dubai is not as expensive as, say, Ireland (quite a bit less expensive actually!). Lots of things in Dubai are less expensive than western Europe actually.

Your husband needs to ensure that the medical insurance covers his spouse (you!) as well, and he should also try to get an annual ticket entitlement for you as well. If you have kids, then an education allowance is also very important.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks amtmann I've been getting conflicting replays really concerned me.we need to send a £1k home out of it per month.He will look into theses costs. And wat is included in the property ie broadband electric air con and so on.


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

alison01 said:


> Thanks amtmann I've been getting conflicting replays really concerned me.we need to send a £1k home out of it per month.He will look into theses costs. And wat is included in the property ie broadband electric air con and so on.


Also ask if you can be given the housing allowance so that you can choose where you want to live, that might them allow you to keep back some of that allowance for things like utility bills ( if not in allowance) and to pay for food shopping? Some companies will pay such allowance whilst others will pay the rents directly.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

The company has stated they will provide the property a 2 bed apartment we will be asking if included are the utility bills also can a pet be able to live there as we have a dog that will join us when our daughter moves over.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

Thank you I was coming to the point of him going alone say for 3 months trial see how it goes.icould use the time to Finnish off bills and watch how much the home will require when I join him.does anyone mind telling what salary they feel comfortable living in Dubai with.im truly gratefull with the advice you are all giving me.


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## 575322-alison01 (Jun 29, 2014)

We are leaving a few thousand in Britain as a emergency fund as well as coming out with a few to help support us for a while


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

so you have a choice of a zero current salary or AED 12500 p.m. ++ ?
a little perspective helps.

if you are frugal, Dubai is MUCH cheaper than London.


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## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

alison01 said:


> The company has stated they will provide the property a 2 bed apartment we will be asking if included are the utility bills also can a pet be able to live there as we have a dog that will join us when our daughter moves over.


i 
We live on the Marina and plenty of people have dogs, although i understand that not all buildings allow them so you have to do some research as to which ones do.


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