# Income enough?



## Goatofspring (Jul 14, 2016)

My husband and I (and our two children) are contemplating a move to Dubai in the coming year in order to increase our income and 'make bank' back in the UK. Ideally paying off a chunk of our mortgage over 4 years or so. Having looked at the possible/average incomes for our industries it looks like we'd get a combined monthly income of 45000 dhs with accommodation, housing allowance, school fees and health insurance as part our our packages (separate to the income). Can someone tell if this will give us enough to save and enjoy ourselves? Feel like we're shooting in the dark a bit and reluctant to make the move if we can't 'live'. Thank you!


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

What are your 'industries' sadly the job market is in a downturn at the moment and companies, if they're not laying off staff are cutting back on school fees, stripping insurance down to the bare minimum.


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## sanddoll (Jul 15, 2016)

Short answer: yes, that's a decent income if housing and school fees are taken care of outside of that amount. 

However, the longer answer is that you may (almost definitely?) find that the reality is vastly different to what you think you can earn. Housing allowances may not cover the type of property you want to live in and, depending on the age of your children, you will probably find that school fees are not completely covered either. In fact, the days of 'extras' on top of basic salary are becoming much more rare and you may find that you'll get an 'all in' offer - especially when it comes to fees. 

Most people come out here thinking they're going to save loads and send lots of money back home - this really doesn't happen - especially for the first year as there are loads of set up costs. Eating out, clothing and even grocery shopping is much more expensive than in the UK too.

Also, bear in mind that if you're both working - usually only one of you will get the housing and school fees. The school hours are also not compatible with working parents so you will also need to factor in child care and transport from school.


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## Goatofspring (Jul 14, 2016)

Thank you for your replies. I am a teacher and my school is offering 2 school places and a villa/apartment and insurance/flights /visas for the family. My husband works in PR where packages include a housing allowance so that would cover some of the additional costs I think? We would save the housing allowance and would like to scape some off the top our income for savings too. Does that look likely for us?


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## sanddoll (Jul 15, 2016)

Goatofspring said:


> Thank you for your replies. I am a teacher and my school is offering 2 school places and a villa/apartment and insurance/flights /visas for the family. My husband works in PR where packages include a housing allowance so that would cover some of the additional costs I think? We would save the housing allowance and would like to scape some off the top our income for savings too. Does that look likely for us?


It is very rare that housing allowances are doubled up - when both my husband and I worked, only one of us was allowed to get the housing allowance. It all depends on the employer of course but I wouldn't rely on that income being a factor in your decision. Especially if your husband doesn't have a job offer. Free school places are very rare - even for children of teachers so this is a very good offer - I am assuming this is a private English speaking school of good quality - not a local government school? Not saying these aren't good quality but as an expat you wouldn't want your children educated at one.


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## Goatofspring (Jul 14, 2016)

It is a private school, yes, so a good package I think. As I wouldn't be getting an allowance, but actual accommodation instead, do you think that would make a difference? I know friends who did this last year, with her school providing a villa and his company giving a housing allowance. I hadn't realised that that was unusual. If my husband is offered school fees which we won't be needing is there any room for negotiation? We really want to make the move, not many options left where we live in the UK and as the kids are still so young (5 and 3), now seems like a good time for a bit of an adventure and some extra money. Just trying to find a way to make it all work and be worthwhile!


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## sanddoll (Jul 15, 2016)

Goatofspring said:


> It is a private school, yes, so a good package I think. As I wouldn't be getting an allowance, but actual accommodation instead, do you think that would make a difference? I know friends who did this last year, with her school providing a villa and his company giving a housing allowance. I hadn't realised that that was unusual. If my husband is offered school fees which we won't be needing is there any room for negotiation? We really want to make the move, not many options left where we live in the UK and as the kids are still so young (5 and 3), now seems like a good time for a bit of an adventure and some extra money. Just trying to find a way to make it all work and be worthwhile!


Honestly? It will really depend on the company regarding the housing allowance as the way packages are made up all differ. If your husband gets an 'all in' salary where the housing allowance is just a component of his monthly salary (i.e it's not called out separately anywhere) then you may be ok but if he has to apply for the payment with receipts and get reimbursed then you may have difficulties. Packages and companies are all so different out here - there are no hard and fast rules. School fees are seen as a benefit for those with kids - if you don't need the fees it would be very unusual to be able to negotiate to be able to use this amount for something else. I haven't ever heard of this happen even at an executive level. 

Does your husband have a job offer too? PR agencies aren't known for their great packages and high salaries. Client-side may be a different story though. 

You will definitely get an adventure in the UAE - it's a great experience, especially for families with young kids


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

The advice I give to newbies is not to worry about the individual "benefits" of package but the value of the entire package.

For example, a package offer that consists of a 20K base (240k/year), 100K housing allowance and 100k in school fees for two children is worth less than a package offer that is 50k month (600k year) with no additional benefits.

You will find most employers offer a benefits breakdown so the offer runs something like 15k base, 8k housing and 2k transportation but this is strictly for accounting purposes as your EOS is based only on the base, and you will be paid the 25k each month and it's up to you to spend it however you wish.

Your husband, in PR, will most likely get the above type offer with no separate school fees. His "housing allowance" will only be in an accounting sense. 

If you, as a teacher, get an apartment provided by the school and school fees covered by the school, you're on solid grounds. Any income your husband brings in is bonus. He will not get another set of school fees from his employer (nor will he be able to negotiate a higher salary in lieu of school fees - this just never happens and for good reasons, school fees are not meant to be part of your salary but to pay for an essential need as there are no realistic free school options in Dubai for British expats). Nor will he get a full housing allowance beyond what I described above. If anything, this makes it much easier for him to find work as he'll be cheaper than a candidate who requires school fees and a bigger housing allowance, especially in PR, where salaries are low enough as it is and most PR roles seem to be occupied by singles for this reason. He should emphasise this when he applies for jobs.

As others have mentioned, Dubai is very expensive. It's doable to live modestly and save much of your income but it does require discipline. The good news is that it's not difficult as long as you're pragmatic and stick to a savings goal. The beaches are free. Camping in the desert is free. Don't go to brunches (expensive and wasteful). Just find a like-minded set of friends and you'll be fine.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Well what's normal is if both companies are government, then you only get one set of benefits. If they are private companies, then you sometimes get individual benefits, but you'd have to be sponsored individually, if you are sponsored as a family by one company, you will only get one set of benefits. As a teacher you could sponsor your husband in the meantime, however, the PR sector is one that's definitely seen a hit in the jobs and reduction of benefits, so opportunities might be thin on the ground, unless he has social media management skills, in which case that's growing and there are quite a few jobs there. PR typically does not pay well here, insane long hours and virtually working 7 days a week, and on call 24 hours a day, so be well prepared for that.


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## The Rascal (Aug 6, 2014)

I truly hope the company you talk about isn't GEMS, you'll be treated as the lowest of the low.


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## Goatofspring (Jul 14, 2016)

Oh, why's that? The people I know who work for GEMS say it's great. Have you had a bad experience? Can they seriously treat teachers any worse than they get treated in the UK?


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## OMGItIsPhil (Dec 19, 2013)

sanddoll said:


> [...] even grocery shopping is much more expensive than in the UK too.


I would say this is untrue - unless you only shop at Aldi/Lidl in the UK.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

It's always difficult to compare cost of groceries here with the UK because it does come down to where you shop and what you buy.

I'd say for the typical British family with young children eating a standard British diet shopping will be more expensive if you're loading up on frozen pizzas and fish and eating lots of cheese and British quality meat and pork. Spinneys and Waitrose here are more expensive than Sainsburys and Waitrose in the UK. 

But it is also possible to keep grocery expenditures under control by having a high vegetable / high grain diet with little meat and content to buy slightly bruised standard fruits/vegs from Carrefour or cheaper cuts of meat from Australia/Brazil. That's why some people find groceries cheaper in Dubai whilst others find it more expensive.





OMGItIsPhil said:


> I would say this is untrue - unless you only shop at Aldi/Lidl in the UK.


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## eept2014 (Jul 17, 2016)

Goatofspring said:


> Oh, why's that? The people I know who work for GEMS say it's great. Have you had a bad experience? Can they seriously treat teachers any worse than they get treated in the UK?


I've just finished 2 years in what by some measures is the best school in Dubai. As a professional experience it was massively inferior to any I've had in the UK, either in state or independent schools.

If you have landed in one of the few genuinely not-for-profit schools you will be fine, otherwise expect to be treated as a faceless and replaceable piece of the recruitment jigsaw. There is a massive oversupply of schools now, a rapidly changing expat demographic, a high stakes annual inspection system and a surfeit of inexperienced and barely competent young leaders - those with high morals, integrity and professional expectations need to choose their school very carefully to avoid disappointment.


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## sanddoll (Jul 15, 2016)

TallyHo said:


> It's always difficult to compare cost of groceries here with the UK because it does come down to where you shop and what you buy.
> 
> I'd say for the typical British family with young children eating a standard British diet shopping will be more expensive if you're loading up on frozen pizzas and fish and eating lots of cheese and British quality meat and pork. Spinneys and Waitrose here are more expensive than Sainsburys and Waitrose in the UK.
> 
> But it is also possible to keep grocery expenditures under control by having a high vegetable / high grain diet with little meat and content to buy slightly bruised standard fruits/vegs from Carrefour or cheaper cuts of meat from Australia/Brazil. That's why some people find groceries cheaper in Dubai whilst others find it more expensive.


Agree - we don't really go the frozen pizzas route but cheese, pork and Thomas the Tank Engine yoghurts are our family's downfall. Not very good at smart shopping I'm afraid and like for like is definitely more expensive. Although fruit and veg - especially the stuff classed as 'exotic' in the UK is much much cheaper.

GoatofSpring - I can't comment re Gems as I don't know anyone who specifically works for them or any teachers really. However the expat workforce in general is treated very much like an expendable commodity here. Work-life balance, HR initiatives, workers rights etc just don't really exist and employee dissatisfaction with the workplace is much higher than in other countries. That doesn't seem to put people off however; especially in the first few years (the honeymoon period) of being an expat - the lifestyle benefits (and increased income for some) outweighs much of that dissatisfaction. Especially for Brits where the lifestyle is a marked improvement on grey skies and packed commuter trains.


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

Go for it, but unless you know of a specific PR employer offering that sort of salary and (any) benefits that are hiring I'd double check on that part of your estimates.


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## eept2014 (Jul 17, 2016)

Goatofspring said:


> Can they seriously treat teachers any worse than they get treated in the UK?


Basically the same treatment as the UK but without any of the rights, privileges and protections but with a much higher dependence on your employer for things like your right to live in the country.


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