# Family of 5 to Abu Dhabi



## randvv (Oct 24, 2011)

Having read post after post and thred after thread, I am still none the wiser......!

I have been offered a job out in Abu Dhabi and would love to take my wife and three children (7,5 and 3) with me. Package as follows:

Basic 240,000 Dhs
Housing 170,000 Dhs
General allowance 36,000 Dhs

On top of this I can have 30,000 per child over 4 (!) for education each year and a one off relocation of 30,000

My concern is this...... I'm not sure thats enough. I appreciate I will have to top up etc education (albeit I will have to pay outright until my smallest is 4 in Aug) and housing if we want a "nice" 5-bed property / good school, but theres no help for car allowance (a loan I guess) so I can see my disposable income disappearing fast and I can see the relocation budget being swallowed up within days......

Am I right to be cautious or am I going to be ok on this sort of package.

Also - any areas you would recommend living in / avoiding - wish list is preferably an expat area away from the city centre.

Its all very exciting!

Thanks


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## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

randvv said:


> Having read post after post and thred after thread, I am still none the wiser......!
> 
> I have been offered a job out in Abu Dhabi and would love to take my wife and three children (7,5 and 3) with me. Package as follows:
> 
> ...


Hi, don't think it is nearly enough - you will need a bit more housing allowance to get a villa in Abu Dhabi - I would suggest at least 200k. Schooling in AD is expensive I believe, I know someone who pays 50k per year for their 12 year old child, so topping up will make a huge dent in your salary. Cars wise - you can get a good second hand one, many banks now are not lending until you have paid in 3 salaries to your bank account, so lots of people have to rent. If you do buy second hand I recommend you buy japanese - good reliability, easy to find parts, reasonably priced repairs (not dealer).
Areas you could consider are Raha gardens and Sas Al Nakeel, these are a bit out (off-island) of AD, but are popular with expats with families. Generally on-island properties are far more expensive.

Good luck with your move


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## christine1424 (Mar 14, 2012)

*Moving to Abu Dhabi*

Hello

I also have a family of 5 and we are thinking of relocating to Abu Dhabi. We are in the process of trying to determine whether the package offered is sufficient to cover our needs. I was curious how you were making out based on the compensation package that you had listed. 

Any insight that you can provide would be appreciated.

Thanks so much....

Christine


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## randvv (Oct 24, 2011)

Hi Christine 

I actually make the move in about 6 weeks time, ahead of the rest of the family.... Will fill you in once we're there....


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## christine1424 (Mar 14, 2012)

*Move to Abu Dhabi*

Hi

Thank you for your response. Have you decided on where to live and which school your children will attend? The education allowance that we are being offered is 25,000 AED. Our concern is that this amount is not nearly enough to cover expenses at most of the schools based on what we have seen online. I am just curious as to where you decided to send your children.

Good luck with your move...it is a very exciting time. 

Christine


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

christine1424 said:


> The education allowance that we are being offered is 25,000 AED. Our concern is that this amount is not nearly enough to cover expenses at most of the schools based on what we have seen online.


Yes, that is not nearly enough for a western expat school in abu dhabi. Topping off one child will be 15 to 20k, but two or three kids can really put a damper on your budget. I would suggest going back and renegotiating. They realize how expensive western expat schools are. And that isnt even including all the extras sports, supplies and extraculiars, which from listening to people talk can range from 1 to 2k a month extra per child.


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## christine1424 (Mar 14, 2012)

Hello

Thank you for your input. That is exactly what we are thinking. We are in the process of trying to negotiate right now. We have three children 8 and 7 (twins). While we are excited about the possible opportunity, we are not willing to compromise on the education of the children. 

I appreciate your taking the time to respond. 

Christine


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