# Job offer, advice required!



## lee3366 (Apr 28, 2013)

Hi,
I'm currently thinking over a job offer to work in Dubai. The role is a Distribution Operations Manager for a well known Middle East retailer. The offer consists of the following:
370k AED per annum plus up to 50% bonus
Relocation allowance (from UK to Dubai)
Family health insurance
25% towards school fees
Annual ticket home
30 Working days holiday

My wife and child (4months old) will be moving with me. I would welcome /appreciate any advice on the following:
Where to live? And how much of my wage should I spend on rent?
What other monthly expenses should I expect (electric, water, tv, phone, etc) and what is a reasonable amount to pay for theses services?
Any other expenses (car rental, etc)? 

Would also welcome any general advice on living in Dubai. 
Thanks in advance, Lee


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## norampin (Dec 8, 2012)

good job in finding a role.

salary is good, all other benefits are also good.
Although should be more for school fees.

1. Live anywhere that has least travel to work.
2. up to 150k will get you a nice place to rent.
3. utilities - 1k a month
4. Car rental about 3000 per month for a decent family car. But buy or lease after the first couple of months

PS: I havent moved there yet, but lots and lots of useful info on here, i suggest you look around.


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## EmmaH (Apr 9, 2013)

Do you want to live in a villa or apartment? This will also have a big impact on your utility bills. Especially in the summer when AC is a must..!!!


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## norampin (Dec 8, 2012)

just seen this on here:

Rent: 7.500,- per mnd	
5% rental agent fees (makelaar) 375,- per mnd	this is a one off payment up front, not a monthly requirement. if you stay in an apartment for 5 years, you still only pay in once, at the beginning.
5% security deposit 375,- per mnd this is a one off payment up front, not a monthly requirement. if you stay in an apartment for 5 years, you still only pay in once, at the beginning

Home phone, TV & Internet package (100mbps) 1.250,- per mnd 
Car lease: 2.000,- per mnd	
Petrol: 750,- per mnd based on a 2,000 lease, 750 = approx 3,500 km / month. Quite high?	
Car insurance: 500,- per mnd not if you lease 'all inclusive...
DEWA:	(Elektra en Water) 500,- per mnd	
+5% tax/ annual rent as municipality fee	375,- per mnd
AC:	(is this the airco?) yes 500,- per mnd	
Empower (district cooling) 400,- per mnd
Mobile phone 250,- per mnd
Food: 550,- per mnd might be a bit low? it's do-able, certainly, but you might want to head nearer to 1,000. Single people tend to get takeaways or pre-prepared meals more often Total: 15.325,- per mnd

For the Dutch expats:
do you have a Social Insurance completed in Netherlands. These are high monthly costs.

Like I see your responses.
Thank you so much


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## lee3366 (Apr 28, 2013)

Would prefer a villa, but really does depend on costs. I would like a decent lifestyle and do not want to just get by, so would consider an apartment to save on rental costs.


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

lee3366 said:


> Hi,
> I'm currently thinking over a job offer to work in Dubai. The role is a Distribution Operations Manager for a well known Middle East retailer. The offer consists of the following:
> 370k AED per annum plus up to 50% bonus
> Relocation allowance (from UK to Dubai)
> ...


It is perfectly liveable. The school allowance means things will get tighter once the little one starts school. You're looking 30k plus when they start and that rises as they get older to anything up to 100k, depending on schools chosen. On top of this you will have all the extras like uniforms and after school activities - not cheap I might add.

It will come down to where you want to live and the lifestyle you want. A 2 bed villa or apartment in one of the most popular areas will cost up to 120k (more in some cases). If you plan to stay for a few years then buying a car will be cheaper than leasing. Utilities vary a lot depending on whether a villa or apartment and your usage. In summer ours (in a villa) are as much as 1,200 and in winter as low as 250 (plus the 5% housing fee). Broadband, tv and phone will depend on package you choose. Budget around 600-700 to get a reasonable speed/package. If you want 100mbps broadband you can probably double that!

Bear in mind that it costs quite a lot to get started here. You pay deposits for everything and rent is generally paid in 1-2 instalments, though it is possible to find up to 4 (rarely 6-12). You have rental agent fee of 5%, security deposit of 5%, DEWA deposit 1-2k. Possibly district cooling deposit of 2k if an apartment with district cooling. If taking a car loan you need to put down at least 20%.

Food wise it is possible to eat cheaply if you are very careful and eat a lot of the more local foods. At the same time it is very easy to spend a lot more than you might in the UK. In general you will pay more for most things here. Often you will see things at 30% or more than you pay in the UK. That said, some things are cheaper, with petrol being particularly notable! 

Take a look at Dubizzle for an idea of rental prices and 2nd hand car prices. Du and Etisalat are the telecom providers. You do not have a choice, where you live will dictate which you use. Du for the newer areas of Dubai and Etisalat for Jumeirah and the older areas as a general rule of thumb. Take a look at some of the sticky threads at the top of the page here. There is one for the maion things like renting an apartment/villa, cars etc etc. Most of what you will want to know will be in them.

Good luck...


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

These posts would be a great subject for a sticky! Mods do you think you can "make it so"?


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

norampin said:


> just seen this on here:
> 
> Rent: 7.500,- per mnd
> 5% rental agent fees (makelaar) 375,- per mnd	this is a one off payment up front, not a monthly requirement. if you stay in an apartment for 5 years, you still only pay in once, at the beginning.
> ...


Norampin, you are churning out someone else's question as advice........
not much help, really.. If anything, a little misleading...


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

XDoodle****** said:


> These posts would be a great subject for a sticky! Mods do you think you can "make it so"?


I like the original stickies, I just think that they should be cleared out/no posting on them. That any useful/updated advice only be posted by a mod.

...and then there should be "ask an inane question" sticky.
...and "is my job offer enough?" sticky.
...and "is this place nice to live?" sticky.

See, I've thought about it 

If even an old hat (TallyHo) has to start a new thread because she can't face trawling through the original "advice" threads that have turned into "ask silly questions" thread, (I can't blame her) we should do something about it.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

What would members suggest be done? Disclaimer: genuine question, not being snarky etc ...

I get that some of the threads have become rather large, but then there is always the option of going to the later pages of the thread, if one wants more recent advice/comments. Also, every thread can be searched for relevant terms etc without involving the rest of the forum in the results. If one clicks on the 'Search this thread' drop-down at the top of the thread, the search applies only to that specific thread.

Personally, adding any more sticks would just clutter up the front page. I do merge some threads into the stickies, but then not all the time....


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

I actually don't think it's mods fault that it's become this way. The forum is so lively and so many questions are being asked daily - it just looks a bit messy these days. 

The beginning of the threads are tidy and a wealth of knowledge. Then I find a few pages in there are questions upon questions upon questions which often repeat/need new information/shows the poster hasn't read any of the good stuff previous to their question. With tiny little golden nuggets of awesomeness shining through from contributors in between the masses of questions.

I just wonder if there was a way to clear it up somehow. Such as, is there a way of sub-foruming certain topics for specific things 
(e.g.

Renter's
Wage/Employment
Cars
Visa
Dining and Entertainment
etc)

Then perhaps within those sub-forums, have really great stickies that only mods can add to(/delete non-useful Qs). Adding to it if someone replies with something great to the questions.

Even perhaps having stickies that relate to sub-categories. 
Examples:-

Renter's & Dining and Entertainment - main areas (Greens, Marina, Barsha, etc)
Wage/Employment - general sectors building/IT/Teaching/Medical/Admin/etc
Visa - GCC, 33 countries, non-33 countries, work, spouse, family, runs, etc
Cars - models pros and cons, renting vs buying, new vs old, etc

And then have the main forum used for questions not covered and leave the sandpit as per?

It's just a suggestion. I don't expect it to be done. There's far too much effort/time needed to invest to get it all sparkly/easy to navigate.

I understand that you can search within forums/threads however I still struggling finding exactly what I need unless I read most of a thread (which I pretty much have done on all the long ones already)!

This site is invaluable and I love it. 

I am in no way insulting moderators as I feel you all work hard to contribute to it and keep the nasties away. I love you! 

I just sometimes wish I didn't have to do google searches to find what I want from here. 
"site:expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/ [enter search words here]" filled up my google search history for a weeks!

P.s. you we're Americanised, I don't think you can do snarky


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

Why do women constantly need to tidy up and organise others?


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

m1key said:


> Why do women constantly need to tidy up and organise others?


Don't know why women do it. I do it because I'm a pedantic, organisation freak. I like things "just so".

I'm an absolute horror to live with. Ask philyand.


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