# should we move to dubai???



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi everyone! just wanting some advice on possibly making the brave move to Dubai from the UK! We are a family of 4. we have 2 children a girl aged 12yrs and a boy aged 8yrs old. my husband works in container shipping and would be getting a job in that sort of thing. we live a reasonably comfortable lifestyle here, but a very high mortgage, seem to be barely keeping on top of things let alone saving anything! so the lure of the well paid jobs in dubai are starting to appeal to us! we would be looking to get a package including accom/rent allowance and car. we come from a quiet area and never need to sit in any kind of traffic here! now can anyone sum up dubai for me, an expat opinion would be very valuable! Is it too hot? can you still enjoy the outside in the height of summer? how are we treated by the locals? are the beaches safe? what is it like to drive out there? do you feel safe? are the rules too strict? will i get my children into a good school? how does it compare to the uk lifestyle? also we have 2 little dogs, have read that they can come, are there rental properties in expat communities that would allow them? sorry so many questions, but if you could give any answers it would be much appreciated, many many thanks.


----------



## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

Hi

I can't answer all questions, and having only been here just short of a couple of Months, I'm maybe not as hardened / cynical / experienced as many on here, but here goes...

Is it too hot? 
_It is hot, yes. When we came in April, it was ok to be outside for up to 30 minutes, and even now there are days when the humidity is low and perhaps there's a breeze but my impression is that from June until September it's a case of stay inside from 9am until 3pm at least._

Can you still enjoy the outside in the height of summer? 
_See above_

How are we treated by the locals? 
_As in all cultures there are good and bad. I have interacted with some lovely Emirati people, also some who turn their nose up, or think they have more rights than "outsiders"._

Are the beaches safe? 
_There have been reports about public beaches and some unsavory behaviour, but also seen some great kite surfing and beach sports near Umm Suqeim, so I guess there's enough good places._

What is it like to drive out there? 
_I heard all the stories before coming, but once you get into the rhythm, and understand how things flow here, you soon adjust._

Do you feel safe? 
_Yes_

Are the rules too strict? 
_No_

Will i get my children into a good school? _ 
If you plan ahead, do your research and make a visit in advance to actually *meet* people rather than just email, you have a good chance._

How does it compare to the uk lifestyle? 
_ Hard to compare the two. Biggest difference we've noticed is the lack of constant doom & gloom media. There are lots of families here in the same boat - away from family and friends, but here for the experience and/or financial benefits. It's not hard to make friends if you try. One piece of advice I received before moving was "Just because something is different, doesn't make it worse, or better than back home". If you come with an open mind, prepared to re-assess pre-conceived ideas, it will be easier._

Also we have 2 little dogs, have read that they can come, are there rental properties in expat communities that would allow them? 
_Yes, in the 5 houses next to ours, 3 have dogs._

Good luck!


----------



## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

Don`t forget to include a schooling allowance for the kids as it will cost about 45,000 dhs per year each.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Felixtoo2 said:


> Don`t forget to include a schooling allowance for the kids as it will cost about 45,000 dhs per year each.


thanks for replying , is it something that can be negotiated with the employer even if the package initially does not state schooling fees?


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Confiture said:


> Hi
> 
> I can't answer all questions, and having only been here just short of a couple of Months, I'm maybe not as hardened / cynical / experienced as many on here, but here goes...
> 
> ...


hope i am replying in the correct way and that you see it! (im new to this forum business lol) Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to so many of my questions  it is all very helpfull information you have given me! so thank you once again. and yes what you say is very true that you don't have to battle to answer if a move to Dubai is better or not, different is enough to go on if you are happy to have change. i have explained to my children that although it is a holiday destination for travellors wordwide, with water parks and beaches to die for, ski parks etc etc you still get bad days, whether it's at school or with new friends, it does not guarantee a wonderful life, it is what you make it! i think first of all, we need to come over and experience this heat for ourselves! is it possible to rent an appartment within these expat communities such as The Arabian ranches or The Green Community? or to even get in to look around as if we book a package holiday, we will be staying in some swanky hotel which may not reflect real life in dubai to the children (although would be nice) if we could get into the expat communities to at least look around, but suppose these are gated for security reasons?


----------



## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

Probably not possible to rent for a short period - 2 weeks or so but you could stay in a hotel and engage a rental agency for a morning or afternoon to show you some properties.

We used House Hunters and Betterhomes in Ranches as they have desks in the middle of the retail centre, but there are others too.

So long as you're serious and not wasting their time, they should be ok to show you some properties. August will be a slow Month due to Ramadan, but also extremely hot, so not sure when you plan to make a trip.




mummymiller said:


> hope i am replying in the correct way and that you see it! (im new to this forum business lol) Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to so many of my questions  it is all very helpfull information you have given me! so thank you once again. and yes what you say is very true that you don't have to battle to answer if a move to Dubai is better or not, different is enough to go on if you are happy to have change. i have explained to my children that although it is a holiday destination for travellors wordwide, with water parks and beaches to die for, ski parks etc etc you still get bad days, whether it's at school or with new friends, it does not guarantee a wonderful life, it is what you make it! i think first of all, we need to come over and experience this heat for ourselves! is it possible to rent an appartment within these expat communities such as The Arabian ranches or The Green Community? or to even get in to look around as if we book a package holiday, we will be staying in some swanky hotel which may not reflect real life in dubai to the children (although would be nice) if we could get into the expat communities to at least look around, but suppose these are gated for security reasons?


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

mummymiller said:


> thanks for replying , is it something that can be negotiated with the employer even if the package initially does not state schooling fees?


Yes, it can be negotiated. However, please make sure that you do this before you sign the contract and that it is reflected in the contract. 

Employers are very reluctant (and will in all certainty refuse!) to make changes (aside from pay rise + promotion) to an agreed package. Your kids are of school age so you will need to have the funding in place, preferable agreed before you arrive. School places are hard to come by so there would be nothing more frustrating than securing the school places and then having no money to pay for it or still be in negotiations with your employer.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

thanks, that's a great help! my husband works within container shipping, so would be working at the port. these packages we have briefly looked into include living/rent allowance, plus a car and if we were to negotiate the schooling also will they not just take it off the wage paid to him? as seems a lot to push for or is it usual to push for the schooling too?


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Confiture said:


> Probably not possible to rent for a short period - 2 weeks or so but you could stay in a hotel and engage a rental agency for a morning or afternoon to show you some properties.
> 
> We used House Hunters and Betterhomes in Ranches as they have desks in the middle of the retail centre, but there are others too.
> 
> So long as you're serious and not wasting their time, they should be ok to show you some properties. August will be a slow Month due to Ramadan, but also extremely hot, so not sure when you plan to make a trip.


well we want to come over as soon as possible, but if it's going to be too hot for house hunting etc maybe we should wait untill end of september/early october! grrr really have dot my head around all this and am so eager to get things started but it might be a waste of our time ond money if it's so hot all we can do is stay inside or shuffle out to the pool and back to cool off then back in the shade again! does this seem to make sense to you? would you wait untill it's cooled down a bit?
Thank you once again for valuable info x


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

mummymiller said:


> thanks, that's a great help! my husband works within container shipping, so would be working at the port. these packages we have briefly looked into include living/rent allowance, plus a car and if we were to negotiate the schooling also will they not just take it off the wage paid to him? as seems a lot to push for or is it usual to push for the schooling too?


Schooling should be paid over and above his basic salary, as a lump sum, at the beginning of each school year. A normal package would typically be:

Basic salary + accommodation allowance + transport + school fees + medical insurance for the family + annual tickets home for the family

Some employers may also offer the following additional allowances:
Utilities, discretionary bonus, fuel costs, fully expensed phone, laptop

Most employers have a cap on the amount that they will pay out per year, whilst others will pay out a fixed amount regardless. For the former, the amount paid out will be based on the actual school fees charged, not to exceed the cap. 

It is common to have school fees included in your package. It will be expensive to send 2 kids to school, so if you have to bear those expenses yourself, it will eat into your salary and greatly reduce the amount that you save.

Dubai is only a good deal if you're making enough money. Everything is more expensive than in the UK, so make sure you are well compensated for uprooting your lives and moving here.


----------



## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

We go to the pool from about 3 or 4 pm and it's fine until sunset.

That said, there are often a few people there before us, I guess it depends on your tolerance.

Flights and hotels would definitely be cheaper at the moment vs September onwards, but a rental agent might not be too keen to spend time with you if you're not looking for something immediately.


----------



## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

I would want to have all my allowances and contract conditions before signing or moving as once they have you here the chances of any improvement are pretty limited as you have no bargaining position.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

*package*

ahhh thank you, that will be a big help when coming down to it! Wow...saving money??? thats something we havn't been able to do for a long time! lol. gosh everything is done so differently in Dubai, so much uncertainty! it really does make a big difference having these questions answered, i have been searching for some of these answers for 2 weeks! we do have a uk contact who took one of these packages in shipping in Kuwait, but it does not appeal to us as much as Dubai, even tho it's a even more pay!!!!and he does not know that much about how things are done in Dubai...thanks!


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

thank you! is it possiple to go to these communities to look around without an agent? as yes i suppose i see their point of view when it comes to taking time to show us what is available at that time when realistically it would be the next visit once a job is secured that either hubby or I go back to look more seriously at particular properties i suppose! but it would be nice just to show the kids the sort of place we would be living in! i have managed to find a couple of things on you tube about the Green Community, but not much on the Arabian Ranches to show them as yet!


----------



## nozzaclaire6478 (Mar 6, 2011)

going to try and help.......
Only you can make the decision whether it's right for you and your family. If you are wanting school places start NOW!! Really hard process but your kids are older then mine and the older the child it seems it is easier to get places.

Regarding the rules, my opinion is embracing the culture is crucial to being accepted so just be respectful and your be fine, I have never felt unsafe apart from on the roads, people drive like idiots and on the wrong side. I'm dreading driving here but my husband says I will get used to it! 

The beaches I have been to have been fine and safe I have 2kids under 5 so wouldn't go otherwise. Although the beaches at JBR seem to have a lot of cigarette buts that I had to try and stop my 18mth old eating but other than that water is clean and warm and not rough

Yes it is crazy hot!! My husband has just come back to the uk and when he left it was over 45degrees some days with high humidity, but you just go from one air conditioned place to another so that helps!

We move out permanently in couple of months and I feel confident that for my family we are making the right decision but only you can make that call.....


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

thank you so much for your help! yes you are right everyone is different so we will have to go and investigate! i would definately embrace the culture, i find it all very interesting, we have you tubed the prayer calls in dubai and even tho i am not religious i have the upmost respect for those that are. and would encourage us as a family to learn arabic too! the roads do seem to be aproblem, was only reading just now that there was a serious accident a few days ago involving a school bus!where in dubai have you chose to live? we only know of The Ranches and The Green Community that are possibilities for convenience to location of my husbands new work place! well good luck with your move to dubai, look forward to chatting again, we may speak more as we are pretty certain this is likely to happen in the very near future.


----------



## Sandgroper74 (Mar 1, 2011)

Another option is to hire a driver for the day, to take you to the different areas in Dubai. If you see a 'For Rent' sign, you can call the number, and sometimes the agent will advise you that the property is unlocked, and you can enter. 

Where your children go to school will be a big determining factor, to where you live, so perhaps start researching schools first, and arrange some school tours.

You mentioned that your mortgage is high at the moment - also double check the conversion rate to pounds if you need to send money home. Finding flexible, part-time work for mums, is quite hard, so also consider this if you plan to work.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

thanks, gosh don't know where to start then lol! so really i should check out what spaces are available at what schools, then look at communities closest to that!! ok, that makes sense yes! thank you so much )


----------



## spam (Apr 10, 2010)

Hi. We moved to Dubai last September - we have 2 children aged 6 and 8. We were all unsure how things would go but it's all going really well - wife has made friends and is busy, kids enjoy school, have made friends and love the various things you can do in Dubai.

I agree with the comments on schools. Make sure the fees are budgeted for somehow. Check out the link on schools in dubai, review some of the school websites (the fees are usually shown on the website) but certainly expect to pay AED30 to 45k for your 8 year old and AED45k to 65k for your 12 year old. Plus getting into schools is not easy so you need to start very early in the process and contact schools.

Dubizzle.com will give you an idea on villas in terms of prices and what you get for your money.

As for everything else (driving, weather, things to do, dealing with locals and other expats) how people cope is down to how they approach life here. Don't get angry/aggresive, be pragmatic and have huge amounts of patience, expect some crap days but there will be far more good days.

Oh and every morning when you wake up it's sunny!!


----------



## jasmin_centeno (Jun 17, 2011)

*hot too in the summers.*

UAE is too hot in the summers. Overall its a good place to live. 





mummymiller said:


> Hi everyone! just wanting some advice on possibly making the brave move to Dubai from the UK! We are a family of 4. we have 2 children a girl aged 12yrs and a boy aged 8yrs old. my husband works in container shipping and would be getting a job in that sort of thing. we live a reasonably comfortable lifestyle here, but a very high mortgage, seem to be barely keeping on top of things let alone saving anything! so the lure of the well paid jobs in dubai are starting to appeal to us! we would be looking to get a package including accom/rent allowance and car. we come from a quiet area and never need to sit in any kind of traffic here! now can anyone sum up dubai for me, an expat opinion would be very valuable! Is it too hot? can you still enjoy the outside in the height of summer? how are we treated by the locals? are the beaches safe? what is it like to drive out there? do you feel safe? are the rules too strict? will i get my children into a good school? how does it compare to the uk lifestyle? also we have 2 little dogs, have read that they can come, are there rental properties in expat communities that would allow them? sorry so many questions, but if you could give any answers it would be much appreciated, many many thanks.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

thanks it's good to hear so many brits seem to be happy in dubai, i magine weekends spent around the pool watching the kids playing with new friends, i do have many reservations but i think a visit will soon tell me if it's for us or not, so that is the next step. i'm keen to come over now to see things but realistically ti sounds too hot to be doing that kind of thing over there at the moment, so might haver to wait untill end sept/oct...unless hubby and i come over without the kids, as we would persevere with the heat and get things done, but with the kids in tow i think they will become too irritable doing that sort of thing in that heat, would just spend our time dunked in a pool keeping cool, and come home none the wiser. it's annoying, i'm not one for waiting if i'm gonna do something, i don't want to waste time talking about it, so if you hear soon of some british tourists found lost in the desert with sun stroke stupidly out in the midday sun that will be us cos i wasn't patient enough to wait and i ended up in hospital with sunstroke lol )


----------



## keyser (Mar 3, 2011)

hi mummy miller
i live in arabian ranches, i have a 3 bed villa and i'm paying 110k..3 cheques. 
its a good place if you have kids and pets. the school in the community (jess school) is notoriously difficult to get your kids into unfortunately. the grounds of arabian ranches are kept to a very high standard. it has a nice golf club with bar and restaurant, the shops here are pretty good and you have an area called motor city about 5 minutes away that has a decent amount of shops/takeaways gym etc. there is an equestrian centre close by ( 5 mins drive) that has restaurants/ gym/ pool/bar....they do a great night for kids on a wed. called cine splash where they have a screen next to the outdoor pool and the kids hang out on their lilo watching a movie.
there are loads of families on A.R so i think you will find it relatively easy to make friends.
the closest beaches are about 20 minutes drive.
you may want to look at jumeirah/umm suquiem area too. personally, im not so keen on the greens and the springs, if youre looking for a gated community specifically i would highly recommend A.R but im moving to jumeirah soon because i prefer things to be a little busier with more going on.
Dubai is like marmite, it can take time to settle in and get used to the way things are done here. 
make sure your dogs have had their vaccines, it takes 6 months from date of rabies vacc. before they can travel

good luck


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Cine splash!....genius! thanks for your time, your answers are very usefull!! A.R sounds perfect! my husband is now going for a job in Sharjah, how far is it from there, is it a difficult route to drive everyday?


----------



## Blommja (Jun 30, 2011)

I live in Motor City, next to AR... Takes me 30 mins to drive to Sharjah Saif Zone every morning. Just 1 highway, never any traffic jams cause I'm against traffic. Works well... If you choose Dubai over Sharjah to live look at Mirdif, silicon oasis (nice and cheap but bit remote and still under development) maybe Motor City and AR and other communities along Emirates road, that will be the easiest driving to Sharjah.


----------



## mummymiller (Jun 15, 2011)

Blommja said:


> I live in Motor City, next to AR... Takes me 30 mins to drive to Sharjah Saif Zone every morning. Just 1 highway, never any traffic jams cause I'm against traffic. Works well... If you choose Dubai over Sharjah to live look at Mirdif, silicon oasis (nice and cheap but bit remote and still under development) maybe Motor City and AR and other communities along Emirates road, that will be the easiest driving to Sharjah.


Thanks, thats so good to hear! living in A.R and a good job in Sharjah, fingers crossed he gets it! 3o mins of easy driving, my hubby just said he doesn't mind that....thanks again.


----------

