New to Dubai finding it hard to settle | ExpatWoman.com
 

New to Dubai finding it hard to settle

2725
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 06 August 2014 - 10:09
Going back 6 years when I first landed in a Dubai, settling was a lot harder than I thought. I wish I could turn back time now as since I've been in Doha 18 months haven't settled in at all. Bring back my Dubai days anytime. Hope all goes well for OP.
2043
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 06 August 2014 - 08:42
Everyone's expenses are different and vary according to where you chose to live and how you get to work etc. I suggest trying to find an apartment where the cooling (AC) is included - we live in The Greens and all the blocks here include it, so then you will have Dewa, made up of housing fee (5% of the annual rent collected monthly so a twelth of this amount) plus water and electricity consumption, realisically AED 1000 per month should be sufficient. TV/Internet - around AED500-700. Peoples grocery bills vary enormously, do a big shop in one of the cheaper stores once a month (Lulu's,Carrefour, Union Coop, Geant) and try not to buy too much in Waitrose or Spinneys, as they are expensive. Yes you will have to run a car, arrange child care etc. Pay deposits when you arrive (Dewa is AED1000, Phone, TV decoder around AED500), curtains and school uniforms also need to be budgeted but once you have survived the first few months things do settle down. Dubai isn't a cheap place to live but it isn't the most expensive either, rents are high but the metro, compared to London or New York, is cheap. I hope you and your hubby manage to find work and your plans come together.
553
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 22:51
We earn way less than AED45k a month and send one to secondary school which is over AED6k a month and one to primary which is almost AED4k. Live in a 3 bed in lovely compound and nothing run cars. Pay our own flights etc.i take kids back to uk for min of 6 weeks every summer and have to pay accomm there and hire car..I put some money by every month for this. Not easy but not half as difficult as it sounds. I am sure that as long as you don't go crazy then AED45 will be fine but just be aware that start up costs can be high..we were lucky as had savings.
2738
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 22:29
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us? You should be absolutely fine with this salary, it's good, assume up to 5k a month school fees, up to 15k a month for rent and perhaps another 2k for bills, so quite a good ammount left to pay for everything else. 2K for bills? What are they to eat, sand? 2 K is minimum........you have housing tax equiv to add on top of your rent, DEWA bills........some places have cooling fees, some have other fees. You then have deposits galore, phone, TV, Gas, Water. Then you have weekly food bills say 1K inclusive of non food items like washing powder etc. Then you have car rental, insurance (s). You need full medical for all of you as a basic and that is not cheap. Then you have all your family Visa fees to add in. Also attestation fees for all your documents if not done so yet, remember birth cert for your DD, Marriage and educational certificates. So add another 10 K minimum for cost of living onto your 5K school fees and 15K rent. Remembering that all the major financial outlays are normal paid yearly in advance and most are non refundable! I would suggest you look at a serviced apartment for a while until you get your lives in order and see how expensive life can be. You must be very careful about finding a job once you are here and the contract as you could easily be given a local hire contract. You say 45 between you, but you both have yet to have that in writing and actually be paid. Please take heed and be very very careful, converting AED into Sterling can be deceptive.
495
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 17:22
thanks ladies! up to 90 gettng everything organised to leave!! had a skype interview earlier with a great agency who are looking to have me on board and find me work. all happening so fast and have a million and one questions! thanks for all the help ;) xx Don't put all your eggs in the agency - many say how fantastic you are and assure they have you in mind for poisons but then they never contact you! My friend was told by an agency how utterly amazing she was, that they couldn't believe she did not have a job, then she never heard from them (ended up with a job as manager of one of the largest companies in the UAE - so they were all smoke, nothing behind it! Either did not have the clients they claimed to have or did not really care about filling the poisons with certain people they applauded.)
37
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 17:12
thanks ladies! up to 90 gettng everything organised to leave!! had a skype interview earlier with a great agency who are looking to have me on board and find me work. all happening so fast and have a million and one questions! thanks for all the help ;) xx
351
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 17:08
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us? Tht wud b great Good luck :)
495
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 16:46
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us? That amount is fine for a small family. When I said I get frustrated with pepole saying to come on a low salary and live the free to cheap life, I was thinking of people who are on 20/22K/mth or 40K with more than 2 children. <em>edited by Londiamond on 05/08/2014</em>
37
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 16:44
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us? You should be absolutely fine with this salary, it's good, assume up to 5k a month school fees, up to 15k a month for rent and perhaps another 2k for bills, so quite a good ammount left to pay for everything else. Thanks Cornish Pixie!! i got a bit worried whne i read some of the comments. now its the fun part of trying to find childcare :/
2043
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 16:09
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us? You should be absolutely fine with this salary, it's good, assume up to 5k a month school fees, up to 15k a month for rent and perhaps another 2k for bills, so quite a good ammount left to pay for everything else.
37
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 15:56
Ladies im really sorry for jumping on this post when i dont have any advice for OP but i am just looking at some of the comments re work per month between me and my DH we will be earning approx 45,000 AED a month and reading this now im not sure its enough :( we have one little girl who will be going to year 1 and looking to get a 2 bed flat in dubai land for the first year. we arrive out in 2 weeks and can you all shed some light if we are punching way above out weight with this wage for 3 of us?
2738
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 11:06
Dear Red, how much does your husband earn? I have an offer on 40 000 AED per year and I'm not sure if that would be enough, it seems like a lot of money but when you put it like this... I'd have to pay for schooling and rent by myself as well. Do you mean 40,000 per year or per month? Would you be the main/sole wage earner? Advice would be different depending on your answers. sorry, of course it is per month, my mistake. And I would be the sole earner for the first time being (my husband will help the kids with the school etc...). He might look for a job later, in a couple of months. Is this with housing and schooling allowance or a set salary where you have to fund everything from it? What age are your children and what sort of schools do you want them to attend?
4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2014 - 08:39
Dear Red, how much does your husband earn? I have an offer on 40 000 AED per year and I'm not sure if that would be enough, it seems like a lot of money but when you put it like this... I'd have to pay for schooling and rent by myself as well. Do you mean 40,000 per year or per month? Would you be the main/sole wage earner? Advice would be different depending on your answers. sorry, of course it is per month, my mistake. And I would be the sole earner for the first time being (my husband will help the kids with the school etc...). He might look for a job later, in a couple of months.
2298
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 22:41
I know they aren't at all but there a cheap play areas around that don't break the bank, trust me I know I'm on a very low strict budget. But sitting at home and being lonely and hating it here will cause bigger problems. 150 dirhams a week to get 2 - 3 hours out for sanity is worth it and once you'veafe a good friend they won't care about the state of your home as they've become friends with you not your money, home or car. 150 for one session ??? Yes, if you have to pay for 3 kids. Then add a snack or milkshake/coffee. And that is at one of the cheaper play areas! blimey !!
275
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 22:36
just wanted to add that I have saved so much money on playgroups and child things with the Family Entertainer book. It has vouchers for the big expensive attractions like Wild Wadi, Ski Dubai etc but also playgroups (Mini Monsters, Zebra Crossing), soft play, bowling, arcade.
5452
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 21:24
I know they aren't at all but there a cheap play areas around that don't break the bank, trust me I know I'm on a very low strict budget. But sitting at home and being lonely and hating it here will cause bigger problems. 150 dirhams a week to get 2 - 3 hours out for sanity is worth it and once you'veafe a good friend they won't care about the state of your home as they've become friends with you not your money, home or car. 150 for one session ??? Yes, if you have to pay for 3 kids. Then add a snack or milkshake/coffee. And that is at one of the cheaper play areas!
123
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 21:05
I know they aren't at all but there a cheap play areas around that don't break the bank, trust me I know I'm on a very low strict budget. But sitting at home and being lonely and hating it here will cause bigger problems. 150 dirhams a week to get 2 - 3 hours out for sanity is worth it and once you'veafe a good friend they won't care about the state of your home as they've become friends with you not your money, home or car. 150 for one session ??? Yes, if you have to pay for 3 kids. Then add a snack or milkshake/coffee.
367
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 19:00
Dear Red, how much does your husband earn? I have an offer on 40 000 AED per year and I'm not sure if that would be enough, it seems like a lot of money but when you put it like this... I'd have to pay for schooling and rent by myself as well. Do you mean 40,000 per year or per month? Would you be the main/sole wage earner? Advice would be different depending on your answers.
446
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 August 2014 - 14:34
Hi Red, sorry you're finding it a struggle to settle. Thought you may be interested in this: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/leisure/dubai-summer-surprises-kicks-off-1.1366388
2298
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 23:47
Red, sorry you're struggling - if you search facebook for Mirdif women/mums etc you'll find some groups to join and hopefully meet other mums or women to chat to... good luck :)
351
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 23:10
Dear Red, how much does your husband earn? I have an offer on 40 000 AED per year and I'm not sure if that would be enough, it seems like a lot of money but when you put it like this... I'd have to pay for schooling and rent by myself as well. Wht abt medical insurance? Airline tickets? We live on half of tht and we have one child but we r struggling (no school fees yet) I think it's too low as Uve mentioned u have 3 kids and have to pay for their schooling It wud b okay if u get a job and mayb live in Ajman
4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 22:57
Dear Red, how much does your husband earn? I have an offer on 40 000 AED per year and I'm not sure if that would be enough, it seems like a lot of money but when you put it like this... I'd have to pay for schooling and rent by myself as well.
2298
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 22:32
I know they aren't at all but there a cheap play areas around that don't break the bank, trust me I know I'm on a very low strict budget. But sitting at home and being lonely and hating it here will cause bigger problems. 150 dirhams a week to get 2 - 3 hours out for sanity is worth it and once you'veafe a good friend they won't care about the state of your home as they've become friends with you not your money, home or car. 150 for one session ???
4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 20:41
Hi, I'm living in Dubai for nearly 7 months and finding it very difficult to settle. Where do I start! My husband to offered what we thought was a really good job but it turns out that since we arrived we are just keeping our head above water and that's before our 1st starts school. We have 3 kids under 4. Dubai has not turned out to what we expected at all. We live in a compound when I'm the only expat. The house is falling apart. We don't invite people over as we don't want people to see the state of the place. It's what we could only afforded. Our neighbours are just very inconsiderate. The kids sneer at us and have bullied my kids. They are now are afraid to go outside and I feel really intimated by them. They have taken stuff and just done other quiet nasty things. There are other kids but they also have been quite nasty to our kids. I never see the parents only the maids. I have no car so we just stay in the house till my husband comes home. Sometimes I get a taxi to a mall just to get the kids out. I'm not joking but anything that could go wrong has. I have made very little friends as I always have the 3 kids in tow and its not easy to sit down and have a chat with someone. I gone out twice since I have been here. Due to finances I don't want to be asking my husband for money all the time to go for coffee or other activities. He works very very hard and is always stressed and worried about money. We have discussed all options like me and the kids going home and him staying here. In the end I have to find a job as we gave up 2 good jobs to come here and if we go home we would not get the same wages again. I just need advice, a kick up the ass to get motivated to find a job. But I have been out of work over a year now and I just don't know where to start. I have looked at the jobs on this site. I just feel like I have lost my confidence,motivation since I have been here. Has anyone experienced this? Hi Red, sorry to be so straightforward, but what is your budget - for all of us who are considering moving Dubai? How much is it to keep your head above the water, and how much would you need? How much is your rent? I am considering life over there but just not sure if we will struggle or have it nice... (i too have 3 kids...)
71
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 19:48
Hi Ref I live in mirdiff too :-) I'm happy to do a play date if you want. I start work full time in 2 weeks but free till then and we can arrange play dates on the weekend if you want. I'm thinking of going to chew my monkeys Wednesday afternoon if you want to join it 50 per child for 2 hours. I can pick you up if you want. Sorry I'm being so forward but I know how your feeling I've been there. So wanted to help. Let me know and I'll send you my email address x
3
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 19:18
Thanks for all the replies especially tattie's list. I was not sure I could say I live in mirdif. It is nice area but I think we just got unlucky with the particular house my husband picked. Yes I recently got my licence. We tried the taxi route but It was late and my husband needs to be in work at 7 so we just left it. His work is 35 mins away. When the weather was cooler I used to walk. I did not mind walking as it was a way of getting out and excerise. I think coming here was just a big shock as I went from having friends at home and family to help with the kids, to doing everything myself. I also was very independent and now I have to rely on my husband for everything. It will take time to adjust and get used to the way of life here. We are def leaving this house, don't mind staying in mirdif as it's close to so much. All suggestions were a big help!!!
495
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 13:56
A more reasonable suggestion might be for her DH to use public transport to get to work and leave the car for his wife who has three young children at home.... Jackpot!Instead of your taking your kids by tai one day a week to get out, how about DH catches a taxi to work one day each week, or two. Then you've got the car. Assuming you have a license.
5452
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 13:50
A more reasonable suggestion might be for her DH to use public transport to get to work and leave the car for his wife who has three young children at home....
275
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 13:47
before we got a second car if we couldn't get up early enough I would sometimes shove my boys into the car with an apple pretty much straight after waking up and drop my husband off at work. Then when we got home we'd do proper breakfast and clothes change. Was worth it to have the car for the day. Of course might not be ideal for OP if her husband works far away, or needs the car but just have to play around with ideas and logistics. I'm sure it will work out eventually. Best of luck.
553
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 August 2014 - 12:38
Lolacat....it may not be that difficult. Kids don't need to be properly sorted and dressed. I only had two but I spent three months taking a 6month old and a 2 year old in the car at 7am to drop my DH at work and then same in evening. I did this every day but even if OP just did it once or twice a week. Sometimes kids would go straight in car in pjs and I would sort them on my return. Where there is a will, there is a way.
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY