# Received an Offer .. not sure



## calicatel (Jul 7, 2009)

hi,

I've been following this forum for a long time but never posted any questions. Last night I received my first offer from a company in Abu Dhabi. The package is for AED 37K per month which includes housing allowance. The break down is 17K + 20K for both salary and housing allowance. Other benefits is standard like medical, school, relocation and airline tickets.


I'm just wondering if the package is good, average or not sufficient.


We are a family of 3 people.

Please advice.

Thanks.


----------



## basimoli (Feb 13, 2009)

calicatel said:


> hi,
> 
> I've been following this forum for a long time but never posted any questions. Last night I received my first offer from a company in Abu Dhabi. The package is for AED 37K per month which includes housing allowance. The break down is 17K + 20K for both salary and housing allowance. Other benefits is standard like medical, school, relocation and airline tickets.
> 
> ...


In my opinion the accommodatin allowance is not sufficient for Abu Dhabi. It might get you a villa outside the island of Abu Dhabi but not inside, and only just. Also keep in mind that landlords (especially in AD) will want their rent in advance for the year (or if you are lucky every 4-6 months) so prepare for that. In addition you will need to find the deposit and the fee for the estate agent. 

As far as the salary is concerned then depending on your life style it should be ok, but life here is expensive so you probably will not have much to save. I have a similar allowance for accommodation and I decided to live in Dubai. My wife and kids are enjoying the space they have in the house + garden. Such space will not be possible at all in AD unless your allownce is increased substantially.

Try to get some idea on the rent by contacting agents in AD or checking the Gulf News property section.


----------



## calicatel (Jul 7, 2009)

basimoli said:


> In my opinion the accommodatin allowance is not sufficient for Abu Dhabi. It might get you a villa outside the island of Abu Dhabi but not inside, and only just. Also keep in mind that landlords (especially in AD) will want their rent in advance for the year (or if you are lucky every 4-6 months) so prepare for that. In addition you will need to find the deposit and the fee for the estate agent.
> 
> As far as the salary is concerned then depending on your life style it should be ok, but life here is expensive so you probably will not have much to save. I have a similar allowance for accommodation and I decided to live in Dubai. My wife and kids are enjoying the space they have in the house + garden. Such space will not be possible at all in AD unless your allownce is increased substantially.
> 
> Try to get some idea on the rent by contacting agents in AD or checking the Gulf News property section.



Thanks for that information. The company I've been offered is located outside of the AD island area. I've been advised to stay in dubai and travel. The company is willing to pay upfront for a whole year for the housing allowance, will that not be sufficient? How much do you pay for the space you have in Dubai? I was looking to rent a 2 bedroom apartment to start of with and save what I can. When you mean life there is expensive, can you elaborate a little more in terms of living expense, utility etc.

I'm checking this website called dubizzle for an idea, would that be a good place to look.


----------



## basimoli (Feb 13, 2009)

calicatel said:


> Thanks for that information. The company I've been offered is located outside of the AD island area. I've been advised to stay in dubai and travel. The company is willing to pay upfront for a whole year for the housing allowance, will that not be sufficient? How much do you pay for the space you have in Dubai? I was looking to rent a 2 bedroom apartment to start of with and save what I can. When you mean life there is expensive, can you elaborate a little more in terms of living expense, utility etc.
> 
> I'm checking this website called dubizzle for an idea, would that be a good place to look.


If you decide to live in Dubai and and get a 2 bed apartment then that is more than enough. I have a 4 bed villa in quite a nice area and I pay all my allownace towards the rent (my contract is use it or lose it as far as the housing allowance is concerned so I have no choice in that). I drive from Dubai to AD daily and sometimes it is a pain but generally not too bad. 

As far as utilities are concerned , and I have been in the villa for only 2 months now, the monthly bill is coming to below 2000 AED, but that is water and electricity. I have not been charged DEWA tax yet (not sure whether or when they will start charging me). If you live in an apartment then your bills should be much lower (especially if you have a paid for AC in the building). 

If you go out and eat out a lot then you will see that your money will disappear quickly. So you will need to adjust yourlife style to your budget and make adjustments accordingly. I would say that shopping is as expensive as UK supermarket shopping, and even more for imported goods. so again we had to adjust our shopping basket and find alternatives to things that we were used to buying in the UK.

if you search this forum you will find many more posts about cost of living.


----------



## dk74 (Jun 30, 2009)

Hi 
I never really managed to find out how much the rent deposit normally is... ?
As for the housing allowance, would you say that "use it or lose it" is usually the case?

Thanx


----------



## basimoli (Feb 13, 2009)

dk74 said:


> Hi
> I never really managed to find out how much the rent deposit normally is... ?
> As for the housing allowance, would you say that "use it or lose it" is usually the case?
> 
> Thanx


The rent deposit is usually 5% of the annual rent, agents also charge a fee of similar amount. I have heard some agents say 1month deposit is required, so it depends.

The "use it or lose it" is common but I think the "take the cash and do what you want with it" is at least as common. I know many people who are on either one or the other.


----------



## dk74 (Jun 30, 2009)

basimoli said:


> The rent deposit is usually 5% of the annual rent, agents also charge a fee of similar amount. I have heard some agents say 1month deposit is required, so it depends.
> 
> The "use it or lose it" is common but I think the "take the cash and do what you want with it" is at least as common. I know many people who are on either one or the other.



Thank you for your reply,
I was expecting that the deposit would be about 5%, but I am slightly surprised by the water and electricity bills, although 4 bedroom houses there are really big, as I realize.
Sorry to bother you but I have one more question, regarding AD vs Dubai. My husband`s post should be in AD and we are still not sure where would be better to stay. Rents in Dubai are seriously cheaper than those in AD, plus there are more properties to choose from, as well as schools, right? 
On the other hand, I heard from several sources, that life in AD is much cheaper comparing to Dubai... Any opinion on that? 
Thanx again!


----------



## basimoli (Feb 13, 2009)

dk74 said:


> Thank you for your reply,
> I was expecting that the deposit would be about 5%, but I am slightly surprised by the water and electricity bills, although 4 bedroom houses there are really big, as I realize.
> Sorry to bother you but I have one more question, regarding AD vs Dubai. My husband`s post should be in AD and we are still not sure where would be better to stay. Rents in Dubai are seriously cheaper than those in AD, plus there are more properties to choose from, as well as schools, right?
> On the other hand, I heard from several sources, that life in AD is much cheaper comparing to Dubai... Any opinion on that?
> Thanx again!


If you go for a flat that has the AC included (usually the case) then you should have a very low bill (especially since you will not need to water the garden). 
You are right about property and schools , much better choice in Dubai. Also socially and for the children there are many more things to do in Dubai. AD is crowded and limited on options. Dubai will be better for the family, I am certain of that.

I do not think life is a lot cheaper in AD. It all depends on your life style. We do not go out a lot as we have young children (2 and 4) and we have not yet found a viable option for babysitting. Eating out on a regular basis is very costly whether you are in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, so you will need to adjust your life style accordingly and see what you can afford in order to achieve your saving target. If you choose where you shop and try to buy locally or regionally produced goods then you will save a lot of money compared to the stuff imported from Europe. 

But .. Your husband still has to do the drive every day and that is tiring and costly (if you do not get a good allowance for transport) so take that into account.


----------



## dk74 (Jun 30, 2009)

basimoli said:


> If you go for a flat that has the AC included (usually the case) then you should have a very low bill (especially since you will not need to water the garden).
> You are right about property and schools , much better choice in Dubai. Also socially and for the children there are many more things to do in Dubai. AD is crowded and limited on options. Dubai will be better for the family, I am certain of that.
> 
> I do not think life is a lot cheaper in AD. It all depends on your life style. We do not go out a lot as we have young children (2 and 4) and we have not yet found a viable option for babysitting. Eating out on a regular basis is very costly whether you are in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, so you will need to adjust your life style accordingly and see what you can afford in order to achieve your saving target. If you choose where you shop and try to buy locally or regionally produced goods then you will save a lot of money compared to the stuff imported from Europe.
> ...



Yes! That is why we are still thinking about it...
As for the costs, we have 2 small kids as well (3 and 5) and I don`t think there will be much going out anyway  but we would like to do some activities with kids for sure. If you have any experience or suggestion about the schools or nurseries there, I would really appreciate it.
And thanx a lot, your comments are very helpfull!
Regards


----------



## basimoli (Feb 13, 2009)

dk74 said:


> Yes! That is why we are still thinking about it...
> As for the costs, we have 2 small kids as well (3 and 5) and I don`t think there will be much going out anyway  but we would like to do some activities with kids for sure. If you have any experience or suggestion about the schools or nurseries there, I would really appreciate it.
> And thanx a lot, your comments are very helpfull!
> Regards


With schools, we started asking schools end of last year when nearly all we saying that they are full and have long waiting list. We found one school near to where we decided to live (Regent International School) who said that they have some space so we went with them and we liked what we saw. My daughter is starting in September so only time will tell (she is 4, fees about 34k per year + registration + uniform+transport + God knows what else! ). It is so strange now that many schools are saying that they have vacancies for September (when they used to say do not bother!). 

That is all the information I have about schools really at this monet of time. But I am sure you can search this forum for other posts about schools.


----------

