# New IT job offer Dubai and new to Dubai



## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

Hi everyone looking for some help and guidance. I have recently started looking at IT delivery jobs and have got an offer from a reputed firm. Only drawback is that they are giving me an offer of 40,000 AED there is no mention of any rental allowance. I am single with no kids. I am moving from Australia and am a bit nervous as I keep reading about the high standards of living for rent, groceries and utilities. Is this a reasonable salary for Dubai? I'm hoping to use my time here to actually build on my savings.


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

Have you actually got a formal offer or just at discussion stage ?
Whether 40k is a good offer somewhat depends on your own expectations and current lifestyle.


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

UKMS said:


> Have you actually got a formal offer or just at discussion stage ?
> Whether 40k is a good offer somewhat depends on your own expectations and current lifestyle.


I have a formal offer, and it would have been good if I had children as it does have additional benefits for children like schooling etc. But it will just be the missus and me. yeah I understand it can be subjective I have 15years networks and infrastructure work experience so I am just wondering if this is a low balling tactic and I should negotiate. I'm not so sure about how open recruiters are to negotiation. Have you had any success with this?


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

kk999 said:


> I have a formal offer, and it would have been good if I had children as it does have additional benefits for children like schooling etc. But it will just be the missus and me. yeah I understand it can be subjective I have 15years networks and infrastructure work experience so I am just wondering if this is a low balling tactic and I should negotiate. I'm not so sure about how open recruiters are to negotiation. Have you had any success with this?


You can always negotiate, how far you get will depend situation to situation.

How does it compare to your current role and salary ? What are your expectations about your housing (are you living in a small studio now or a 4 bed detached home with a pool ) what are your expectations about lifestyle ? These and many other aspects will
Determine whether 40k is good for you. 

what is included in your offer, how is the 40k structured?


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

Aah i see what you're saying. Yep so I don't need to live somewhere that's fancy just needs to be a safe area relatively close to work. I have some financial commitments in Australia (mortgage, family expenses) for which I need to send back 16k AED each month.
I did a rough calculation looking at some flats around deira region which were about $130k per year (which I thought was the city centre) so that I can travel to work.
I was looking at was a rough calculation like this..
Monthly salary 40k AED
Monthly Rent 11k
Groceries, lifestyle expenses and travel 10k (this is a guess)
Mortgage and family payments $16k

Medical and visa the employer says they would cover. 

Is there anything else I should factor in for living expenses?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
Deira is actually “Old“ Dubai - where is the company located that you are looking to work for?
We can then point you in the direction of the nearer communities and the typical rents.
40k per month is a pretty decent salary - but as UKMS says - it all depends on your lifestyle and spending habits!
Cheers
Steve


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

Thank you so much for this. The company is located at New Deira City Centre. What would be a good suburb around here that I should consider for renting? I should have mentioned we also have a cat that we would like to bring along. Do I need to get a Permit for cats in apartments?


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

I don’t know Deira that well to advise on where to live.
Have you considered tax liabilities in your home country ? Setup costs, potentially up front costs for housing, deposits for utilities etc Does the company sponsor your wife ? 

something that jumps out at me is the chunk you need to send home, which reduces your disposable considerably. Even though your estimate of living expenses is generous you aren’t going to have a huge amount to save.


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

UKMS said:


> I don’t know Deira that well to advise on where to live.
> Have you considered tax liabilities in your home country ? Setup costs, potentially up front costs for housing, deposits for utilities etc Does the company sponsor your wife ?
> 
> something that jumps out at me is the chunk you need to send home, which reduces your disposable considerably. Even though your estimate of living expenses is generous you aren’t going to have a huge amount to save.


Thanks for this, yes they will sponsor my wife. The HR person suggested I find accomodation around the Marina area so I will have a look there today. With the rental properties is the expectation that I pay the amount up front for the entire year?


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

I'm also considering whether it's advisable to get a furnished apartment as I don't intend to stay for longer term though they do tend to be more expensive.


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

kk999 said:


> Thanks for this, yes they will sponsor my wife. The HR person suggested I find accomodation around the Marina area so I will have a look there today. With the rental properties is the expectation that I pay the amount up front for the entire year?


interesting that they suggest the marina if you are working in Deira ….. they are a long way apart and however you travel you will have a considerable time commuting. Marina is also likely to be a fair bit more expensive than Deira. If you rent on a standard 12 month contract the number of payments is negotiable, but either way you usually handover post dated cheques to cover the payments, you will usually need to pay a deposit and also agent commission if you rent through an agent. You can of course look at short term and/or furnished and the payment terms and commitment will differ.


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

Aah right thank you for this. Which are the more common or popular places to rent around Dubai which may not be too far from either Diera or the cafes and grocery shops?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

HI,
Two places that spring to mind that are nice and near to Deira are some Emaar apartments - called Emaar Towers by the famous Deira Clocktower roundabout.
A little further away - and right next to Dubai festival city is a community called Al Badia - looks quite nice!
The Marina is miles away from Deira!
Cheers
Steve


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## kk999 (Nov 7, 2021)

Thanks Steve this is super helpful.


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## rodrick (Aug 4, 2015)

kk999 said:


> Aah i see what you're saying. Yep so I don't need to live somewhere that's fancy just needs to be a safe area relatively close to work. I have some financial commitments in Australia (mortgage, family expenses) for which I need to send back 16k AED each month.
> I did a rough calculation looking at some flats around deira region which were about $130k per year (which I thought was the city centre) so that I can travel to work.
> I was looking at was a rough calculation like this..
> Monthly salary 40k AED
> ...


Hi, 40k is an ok salary to live on with just 2 people. 
for your cat to take back home budget between 10 to 15k AED. Understand bringing across is cheap, taking home is expensive.
Schooling is really expensive so although you get an allowance I seriously doubt it will cover much for schooling. I had 3 kids a school about 6 years ago and just the school fees were AED 250k + per academic year. Other costs such as bus, etc is on top of that. 
I would suggest getting a serviced apartment and rent a car for a couple of months to figure out where you want to live. All areas in Dubai are fairly safe, so I would not worry about that issue.
I live in the Marina (JBR) and have had jobs all over Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but up to you if you want to travel. There is a metro that covers a lot of Dubai. 
I am thinking if they are suggesting the Marina they are probably thinking of your wife, as it has a beach, plenty of shops, etc.
Look at dubbizle to see rents also you can kit out an entire apartment fairly cheaply via dubbizle or Ikea. You can work that out when you get here. Also look at FB forums for aussies here. 
Set up an HSBC account in Aust and get AUD and USD accounts. Then have an HSBC account in Dubai and swapping of money between countries is easy. AED is pegged to the USD. You have a fair chunk of your money going back each month which is subject to foerign exchange and you will need to work that out. 
Great expat experience though.


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