Moving from Singapore | ExpatWoman.com
 

Moving from Singapore

553
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 26 September 2016 - 23:54
Def negotiate for medical cover as it isn't cheap. Also, negotiate to have school fees paid particularly as school fees tend to rise every year and also there is a big hike in fees when moving from primary to secondary school. You can get a work permit after you arrive. Just be warned that if you are on your husbands visa and apply for work then they will generally offer you local hire rates rather then international. Generally it is best to find the school place first then look for accommodation.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 September 2016 - 20:26
Yes I would negotiate to family medical With regards to a permit you could go on your Husbands visa until you find a role and some companies may allow you work on his visa
10
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 September 2016 - 18:30
Thank You ladies for your responses. It definitely gives me a starting point. At the moment, only my husband has work offer. I am still looking for one. Is getting a work permit super important before landing or if theres a position and my qualification matches the company applies for work permit? Also, considering the package that my husband is being offered, is it critical to negotiate medical for all the family members? TIA
311
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 September 2016 - 14:40
Hello wonderful people, We will be moving from Singapore (after 10 years of living) to Dubai with two children. While we are still figuring out the comparative cost of living in Dubai, we are thinking of choosing an area to live closer to the school. Do the Springs and the Meadows area have good schools? looking at British curriculum or Indian curriculum at the moment. How is Mirdif in comparison? Does living in villa or a town-house complete take away the option of community living? In Dubai, do schools with vacancies accept children mid-term? Appreciate all the guidance and direction for choosing localities and school selection. No comparison. We moved from Dubai to Singapore. Couldn't afford it. Went to our home country. Now back to Dubai. Other than the cost of housing you will find Dubai MUCH cheaper. Food? Cheaper. Things to do? Cheaper. Vehicles? Well I don't have to tell you that! ;) We moved to Mirdif as lots of space and nice homes for the money spent. If you are in a villa compound like us then it can be very nice. Our child has already made lots of friends at the pool which we can see from our living room window only a few meters away and is the property is totally walled in giving a high level of comfort and safety as the street traffic in Dubai is not exactly desirable. (Though, again, quiet in my area) As far as school? The passport/nationality will do remarkable things with finding space in some schools. Hate to say it but true. Well said. There are communities where you could rent or buy a villa which are spacious and have civic activities. Usually rents would be 2-3 times what UmmSalah mentioned. There are several factors to consider, School, work, home itself, rent, community..... long list.... Good luck.
154
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 September 2016 - 14:24
Hello wonderful people, We will be moving from Singapore (after 10 years of living) to Dubai with two children. While we are still figuring out the comparative cost of living in Dubai, we are thinking of choosing an area to live closer to the school. Do the Springs and the Meadows area have good schools? looking at British curriculum or Indian curriculum at the moment. How is Mirdif in comparison? Does living in villa or a town-house complete take away the option of community living? In Dubai, do schools with vacancies accept children mid-term? Appreciate all the guidance and direction for choosing localities and school selection. No comparison. We moved from Dubai to Singapore. Couldn't afford it. Went to our home country. Now back to Dubai. Other than the cost of housing you will find Dubai MUCH cheaper. Food? Cheaper. Things to do? Cheaper. Vehicles? Well I don't have to tell you that! ;) We moved to Mirdif as lots of space and nice homes for the money spent. If you are in a villa compound like us then it can be very nice. Our child has already made lots of friends at the pool which we can see from our living room window only a few meters away and is the property is totally walled in giving a high level of comfort and safety as the street traffic in Dubai is not exactly desirable. (Though, again, quiet in my area) As far as school? The passport/nationality will do remarkable things with finding space in some schools. Hate to say it but true.
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 September 2016 - 03:33
Hi, Where will you or your husband be working? You have to consider the commute to work as well as to school. My husband works in Media City, but despite him having a 45 minute commute daily we chose to live in Mirdiff because of the lower price of villas compared to almost any other place in Dubai. Our 3 bedroom is 130,000 with a nice big yard for the kids, which is the going rate here. So it depends on your budget. We don't live in a compound, but there are many compounds of villas and townhouses here and in other areas, and the kids in them play together, go to the shared pools, etc. Yes definitely, schools here are used to having a transient student population and you can join just about any time IF they have spots. We arrived in August last year and couldn't find spots for both kids in any schools we liked, so we put each in a different school and finally got a spot open to combine them at the one we preferred this year. With schools, what are your priorities? What is your budget? For us, we wanted a British curriculum school that also had a strong Arabic curriculum, and the only school that we were really convinced about in that respect was in Warqaa, just south of Mirdiff. So that was another big factor in our decision about where to live. I work in another British school ranked outstanding by the KHDA, Gems Royal Dubai School just north of Mirdiff, and it's a great school in every respect other than the Arabic department - so I wouldn't choose it for my kids. You also have to consider what sort of student population you would like your kids to be in - majority western expats, majority indians, majority arabs, etc. Take a look at the KHDA school inspection reports - they are great for giving you an overall picture of the schools you might be considering. https://www.khda.gov.ae/en/DSIB/Reports?i=3
10
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 September 2016 - 13:22
Hello wonderful people, We will be moving from Singapore (after 10 years of living) to Dubai with two children. While we are still figuring out the comparative cost of living in Dubai, we are thinking of choosing an area to live closer to the school. Do the Springs and the Meadows area have good schools? looking at British curriculum or Indian curriculum at the moment. How is Mirdif in comparison? Does living in villa or a town-house complete take away the option of community living? In Dubai, do schools with vacancies accept children mid-term? Appreciate all the guidance and direction for choosing localities and school selection.
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY