# Scotland to Dubai, family of 5



## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

Hello everyone

I've been reading through the forum for the last few days and got a lot of advice and learnt a lot.

I'll give you a little backround: My fiance and I are getting married in Sept this year, we have a 3 children (all girls) and we had originally planned to emigrate to australia in the future, but i'm liking the look of Dubai.

My other half is an IT technician. Is there demand for this in Dubai...with a decent salary?? A friend of mine said people of Indian origin normally get IT jobs, but their managers are normally white westerners. (reading the forum, i understand there is a HUGE racial issue). He has a degree, some other computer-type qualifications (not sure what they are...can only listen to IT drivel for so long without switching off  ) and 6 years experience working in IT.

i understand that we should negotiate every part of offers given

where would be a decent (not interested in flashy...although it would be nice, but unrealistic) area to raise our girls?? apartments are the norm, but i worry about the kids falling out the balconies (which is the same fear if we lived in an apartment anywhere in the world)

are women allowed to drive alone?? can you smoke in public??

sorry for all the questions. i have searched the net like mad over the last few days and we are at the very start of our planning, so still a lot to learn and questions to ask


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## Engineer (Jan 13, 2012)

> are women allowed to drive alone?? can you smoke in public??


Yes and Yes


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

The UAE is not like KSA 

Where you live will depend on your budget and where school and work are located. You need to start with those before you think about suitable areas. Most of the city is 'decent' by UK standards and pretty safe, but it depends on what you want, or can afford. 

There are IT jobs, but only the high level ones pay well as others are done by people from Asia who will work for lower salaries. Harsh sounding, but true.

You use the word emmigrate, but you must bear in mind that you need work related visas to live in the UAE. You cannot emmigrate here as you can to many other countries.

I trust you have read the sticky threads on this board. You should be aware that schooling is expensive and with three children you either need that included in the salary package or a high salary to pay for it yourself.


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

thanks for your replies 

yeah, i had read about the high school fees. only one is at school just now and the next one won't be for a few years

what would be classed as a high end IT job??

i think me using the word emigrate is due to my ignorance on the subject at the moment lol we had planned to move to australia and both of us work (this had been our dream for 5 years), but i've decided not to continue with my nursing studies to raise the kids. childcare costs are a nightmare and wouldn't be worth me working anyway (infuriating!!). looking at other countries has opened my eyes. when i first suggested dubai to him, he flat out said no. we have 3 girls and he thought they would grow up so restricted and forced to cover up etc. learning that isn't the case anymore has really got us excited about dubai.

we don't live a life of luxury over here, so wouldn't expect to do so over there. i think we want what everyone wants: a safe place to raise our kids, decent job opportunities, to experience a different life and cultures

if we were to have education included with salary benefits, would it increase when the next one goes to school?? or would the original offer stand??

i was really surprised when i read they offer benefits like housing/education/medical/transport allowance

this may sound like a ridiculous question: i know PDAs are illegal, but what about cuddling/showinf affection to our kids?? is that allowed?? our girls are really affectionate (sickeningly so lol)


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Am I right in thinking that you haven't been to the UAE? Ff so, I strongly recommend a visit before you make a decision. This place is not like the UK, despite the veneer, and it isn't to everyone's liking.

You should ensure that a contract states that all school fees for all children are included. Do not expect a contract to be altered in your favour at a later date. Fewer and fewer people get their housing paid for and there are less people on 'featherbed' contracts each year. What matters is the overall value of a package.

Good quality medical cover is not cheap, so bear in mind you'll need to pay for that if no provided by an employer. 

PDAs with small children is not an issue. Spouses holding hands is fine too.


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## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

kisywisy said:


> thanks for your replies
> 
> yeah, i had read about the high school fees. only one is at school just now and the next one won't be for a few years
> 
> ...


Nothng wrong with giving your kids a cuddle i always give my girls a cuddle, peck on the cheek, as Elphaba says this isnt KSA. Some laws are a bit stricter here but be resepctful and dont break the law eg dont get drunk and become abusive, dont sleep with anyone you not married to, dont wear shorts that flash your bum, keep out of serous debt and you will be fine. There are so many Brits here with british stores, food brands that if it wasnt for the weather you can sometimes forget your in a foreign country.


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## Engineer (Jan 13, 2012)

> but what about cuddling/showinf affection to our kids?? is that allowed?? our girls are really affectionate (sickeningly so lol)


I don't think that is a problem but I am not 100% sure I hope others will be able to help us both out.


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

thanks again 

no, we've not been to UAE and would need to go over before we make a decision. i don't know how good a view we'd get of the place if we were on holiday though. 

my eldest daughter is from a previous relationship and has a different last name, would we run into problems with this?? also, she is dyslexic. anyone know if she would have her educational needs met??


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## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

kisywisy said:


> thanks again
> 
> no, we've not been to UAE and would need to go over before we make a decision. i don't know how good a view we'd get of the place if we were on holiday though.
> 
> my eldest daughter is from a previous relationship and has a different last name, would we run into problems with this?? also, she is dyslexic. anyone know if she would have her educational needs met??


Wont make any difference regarding name as you will have her brith certificate attested beofre you move.

With regard to Dyselxia, my daughter has mild dyslexia and she gets excellent support from the school with extra lessons in small groups. This is in a British Curriculum school. She also has reading support and extra time alloted for exams, although we had to have an assessment carried out to get this.

Section 1.4 of the Dubai code of conduct only states public displays of affection between couples may be an issue, doesnt metion anything about showing affection to your children.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

kisywisy said:


> thanks again
> 
> no, we've not been to UAE and would need to go over before we make a decision. i don't know how good a view we'd get of the place if we were on holiday though.


That's down to you. Get away from the hotel, talk to people that live here, check out residential areas and schools.


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

thanks so much for that info!! the support sounds the same as she is getting now 

one of my friends used to stay in dubai until her husband's work moved them to oman. she absolutely loved it there. to be honest, i don't think anyone i know who has stayed there has hated it. they said there were annoying things like the class divides etc but i'm pretty sure i hear more people moaning about staying in the uk hahaha!!

would be good to find out what kind of salary my other half would be offereed. if it's not enough then we can't go. would need salary of 180k or more for it to be worthwhile


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

kisywisy said:


> would be good to find out what kind of salary my other half would be offereed. if it's not enough then we can't go. would need salary of 180k or more for it to be worthwhile


I hope you meant 180K USD because with 15,000 AED a month (=180K AED a year) a family of 5 cannot even think of moving to the UAE.
I really hope you have read the stickies on the first page (the threads on the very top of the forum thread list) because with the questions about driving, smoking, and now the salary I am afraid it looks like you do not really know a lot yet. The threads are really helpful, and once you scroll through a few pages you will get a very good idea about what you should expect here in Dubai.


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

rsinner said:


> I hope you meant 180K USD because with 15,000 AED a month (=180K AED a year) a family of 5 cannot even think of moving to the UAE.
> I really hope you have read the stickies on the first page (the threads on the very top of the forum thread list) because with the questions about driving, smoking, and now the salary I am afraid it looks like you do not really know a lot yet. The threads are really helpful, and once you scroll through a few pages you will get a very good idea about what you should expect here in Dubai.


yeah, thanks for that. i have read some of the stickies and got a lot of info from there, but i don't see the issue for looking for clarification, especially for someone new to the site and not knowing the layout. 180k aed is the equivalent to what we earn here, which is why i mentioned it. there are people on this site living on far, FAR less, which throws me off as to what should be expected. i'm pretty sure i stated that i don't know a lot, which is why i am asking these questions. there are thousands of threads, comments, scenarios, people on here.

i have searched for IT salaries, but 'IT' is ommitted from the search. i am new to the site and don't know how to get around this. when i look at job sites, 9/10 the salary isn't disclosed. i can find plenty of info on school fees, rent, transport etc, but if i can't find out what sort of salary to expect, it's very difficult to plan anything and work out if this is a realisic option (moving to dubai). there are many threads and questions about salary because of this. i'm sorry if i sound narky, but i don't see the issue with asking for salary advice


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

kisywisy said:


> thanks so much for that info!! the support sounds the same as she is getting now
> 
> one of my friends used to stay in dubai until her husband's work moved them to oman. she absolutely loved it there. to be honest, i don't think anyone i know who has stayed there has hated it. they said there were annoying things like the class divides etc but i'm pretty sure i hear more people moaning about staying in the uk hahaha!!
> 
> would be good to find out what kind of salary my other half would be offereed. if it's not enough then we can't go. would need salary of 180k or more for it to be worthwhile


AED 180k = AED 15,000 (we use monthly salary here) is barely enough even if all your housing and school fees are paid. It's a low figure for five Westerners. Utilities aren't cheap, nor are cars, food, clothing, shoes and entertainment. You could manage, but you wouldn't have much left over and would be unlikely to be able to save.

I'm being honest and realistic, not negative.


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## JusAdy_Glasgow (May 13, 2012)

kisywisy said:


> yeah, thanks for that. i have read some of the stickies and got a lot of info from there, but i don't see the issue for looking for clarification, especially for someone new to the site and not knowing the layout. 180k aed is the equivalent to what we earn here, which is why i mentioned it. there are people on this site living on far, FAR less, which throws me off as to what should be expected. i'm pretty sure i stated that i don't know a lot, which is why i am asking these questions. there are thousands of threads, comments, scenarios, people on here.
> 
> i have searched for IT salaries, but 'IT' is ommitted from the search. i am new to the site and don't know how to get around this. when i look at job sites, 9/10 the salary isn't disclosed. i can find plenty of info on school fees, rent, transport etc, but if i can't find out what sort of salary to expect, it's very difficult to plan anything and work out if this is a realisic option (moving to dubai). there are many threads and questions about salary because of this. i'm sorry if i sound narky, but i don't see the issue with asking for salary advice


Hi Kisywisy,

Where are you from in Scotland? We'll be heading over at the end of the summer. 
With regards to the salary. I cannot advise on what your husband would make in Dubai but the cost of renting accommodation is much much higher than back home. I think I read somewhere that most people look at 150% of their salary there. I don't know if that sheds some light on what sort of salary you should be looking at?
Have a look on dubizzle at the areas you like & the costs & then you can see how much you would need to make to support yourselves?
Jus


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

thanks both of you 

150% of salary is a good starting point. i used the cost of living calculator and it was roughly 18k a month (minus educational fees)

we're in EK just now. love it here (as much as someone who wants to leave the uk can!! lol), but IT jobs are a joke


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

The only point i was trying to make is that you should read the stickies as they are very useful and contain so many responses to similar questions (as opposed to just one person's opinions). Whether you actually want to do that or not is up to you.
Good luck


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

rsinner said:


> The only point i was trying to make is that you should read the stickies as they are very useful and contain so many responses to similar questions (as opposed to just one person's opinions). Whether you actually want to do that or not is up to you.
> Good luck


Thanks 

The stickies are full of so much information!! Have learnt so much from them already

When we thought of Dubai, we thought of conditions like KSA and pleased its not as bad as we thought. Saying that, I'm sure KSA isn't as bad as we think either!!

If it works out we're no better off and in the same financial position, I'd still prefer to move. The experience of living in another country is what we would love. If we are worse off, we'd be silly to move and would work in what was needed to allow a higher salary. I have no real emotional ties here and my other half isn't too bothered about leaving his life behind.


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## JusAdy_Glasgow (May 13, 2012)

kisywisy said:


> thanks both of you
> 
> 150% of salary is a good starting point. i used the cost of living calculator and it was roughly 18k a month (minus educational fees)
> 
> we're in EK just now. love it here (as much as someone who wants to leave the uk can!! lol), but IT jobs are a joke


I know the markets really bad & doesn't look to be getting any better. People will tell you that you can't live on less than a certain amount. But where there's a will there's a way. When you have 3 young ones I doubt you'll be out partying every night. I've found the cost of groceries and eating out at certain places inexpensive, travelling's not expensive but the initial cost of buying/renting a car is. It just depends on the lifestyle you want over there


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

JusAdy_Glasgow said:


> I know the markets really bad & doesn't look to be getting any better. People will tell you that you can't live on less than a certain amount. But where there's a will there's a way. When you have 3 young ones I doubt you'll be out partying every night. I've found the cost of groceries and eating out at certain places inexpensive, travelling's not expensive but the initial cost of buying/renting a car is. It just depends on the lifestyle you want over there


you're not kidding. i have been out twice so far this year...which is two more than last year lol 

we've been out, we've lived the clubbing life and not interested anymore. the occassional meal out would be nice, but we never get to do that over here!!

i think we're going to go over for a few days in feb to take a look around and see if we could picture ourselves living there. 

i'm interested to see exactly what the roads are like!! i've been in the philippines and the driving there was shocking, but this sounds 10x worse!!

where are you from?? are you going to work??


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## amzforlife (Jun 6, 2012)

elphaba said:


> that's down to you. Get away from the hotel, talk to people that live here, check out residential areas and schools.


this


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## JusAdy_Glasgow (May 13, 2012)

kisywisy said:


> you're not kidding. i have been out twice so far this year...which is two more than last year lol
> 
> we've been out, we've lived the clubbing life and not interested anymore. the occassional meal out would be nice, but we never get to do that over here!!
> 
> ...


The driving is wild you're right, not my style but my other half says he'll be able to drive there no problem. They just don't know how to use indicators etc!
Yeah go out for a few days if you can, weathers much better in feb & we'll be well settled in so can give you a hand if you like?
We stay in Glasgow city centre now so not too far from where you are.
I plan on working but maybe not straight away, it would be nice to have the time to get everything sorted.


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## kisywisy (Jun 5, 2012)

JusAdy_Glasgow said:


> The driving is wild you're right, not my style but my other half says he'll be able to drive there no problem. They just don't know how to use indicators etc!
> Yeah go out for a few days if you can, weathers much better in feb & we'll be well settled in so can give you a hand if you like?
> We stay in Glasgow city centre now so not too far from where you are.
> I plan on working but maybe not straight away, it would be nice to have the time to get everything sorted.


my man can't drive at the moment, i'm the taxi in this house. he will have to focus on getting his licence and really building his confidence up on the road if he wants to get by.

where are you staying?? have you gone for an apartment or villa??


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## JusAdy_Glasgow (May 13, 2012)

kisywisy said:


> my man can't drive at the moment, i'm the taxi in this house. he will have to focus on getting his licence and really building his confidence up on the road if he wants to get by.
> 
> where are you staying?? have you gone for an apartment or villa??


Kisywisy,
So sorry that I've not responded to this, just noticed your reply.
We haven't finalised any details yet but hopefully a villa maybe in Mirdiff area, lots of expats, close enough to everything for us & it seems like a good community


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