Moving to Dubai. Any advice? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Moving to Dubai. Any advice?

16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2017 - 18:35

Hello ladies!

I am a single, English female in my early 30's and will be moving to Dubai for work in two weeks' time.

I am just wondering whether anyone has any advice, hints or tips for a soon to be British expat like me? Anything from practical advice that I might need to do prior to moving, or anything for once I get there.

I would particularly welcome any advice around money and finances. For example, I am unsure about how much cash to take, how easy it will be for me to transfer money from my current account to The Emirates once I get here, any fees that might incur, etc. Also, anything finance and money management related for once I actually arrive would be fab! However, any hints, tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-)

Thank you.

132
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 July 2017 - 10:31
Hello ladies! I am a single, English female in my early 30's and will be moving to Dubai for work in two weeks' time. I am just wondering whether anyone has any advice, hints or tips for a soon to be British expat like me? Anything from practical advice that I might need to do prior to moving, or anything for once I get there. I would particularly welcome any advice around money and finances. For example, I am unsure about how much cash to take, how easy it will be for me to transfer money from my current account to The Emirates once I get here, any fees that might incur, etc. Also, anything finance and money management related for once I actually arrive would be fab! However, any hints, tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) Thank you. Hello everyone, Apologies for not replying sooner. I have been extremely busy with packing and I am now in Dubai! Thank you everyone for replying. Sorry, I can't get back to each poster individually, but I have found the advice given on this thread to be invaluable! It has helped me immensely in my preparation to move here. One of the things which I am unsure about is the best place for me to exchange the currency I have. I have already changed a few pounds into dirhams but realistically, these will not last long! Just before I caught the plane in England, I exchanged a little money at the airport, out of desperation, as I had been so busy, I did not have a chance to convert currency earlier. The rate was 4.1 :-( Since arriving, I changed some money and the rate was 4.7. I am just wondering if anyone can give advice on the best place to exchange money and any other help surrounding this, please? I also have a question about phone networks. At the minute, I am using Etisalat which cost 100 dirhams for 40 minutes of calls and 40 minutes of texts and 700mb of Internet. The calls and texts can be used either locally or internationally and runs out after 14 days. Considering that I am new here and would like to keep in touch with family and friends (mainly in England) , do you feel Etisalat is the best option? I haven't tried du, but I can go to their shop at the weekend and find out about their tariffs. Also, another thing is that from my research, I should not be able to use WhatsApp calling on my phone. However, I have used it successfully a couple of times since arriving here despite having my new Emirati SIM in my phone. I'm just wondering how this is possible. Might it be because my WhatsApp is registered to my UK SIM? If so, I'm just wondering if anyone knows whether I'll still be able to make phone calls via WhatsApp once my phone contract ends at the end of August? Sorry, a lot of questions, I know! Don't know if any of them make any sense - I'm still jet lagged and extremely tired so I'll end it at that! Thank you in advance! ? Hi and glad you've arrived I cant advise about exactly where to exchange currency, unless you are changing a huge amount (where you can negotiate a bit) 4.7 doesnt sound too bad to me but could be wrong. We use Etisalat and now have contracts here, even with a contract you can still add on flexible minute packages which allow you to call home. Whatsapp calling has been hit and miss for us but most of the time it doesnt work so cannot be relied on, I dont think its related to UK contract as mine was a new phone and never used with my UK SIM. We have found the most reliable way to contact home is via Skype. Skype to Skype is free or for £6 per month you get 400 mins of calls to UK landline and mobile. You can also set up a Skype number where you get a UK number allocated to you so your UK family and friends can call you by dialling a UK number. Hope that helps :)
16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 July 2017 - 02:30
Hello ladies! I am a single, English female in my early 30's and will be moving to Dubai for work in two weeks' time. I am just wondering whether anyone has any advice, hints or tips for a soon to be British expat like me? Anything from practical advice that I might need to do prior to moving, or anything for once I get there. I would particularly welcome any advice around money and finances. For example, I am unsure about how much cash to take, how easy it will be for me to transfer money from my current account to The Emirates once I get here, any fees that might incur, etc. Also, anything finance and money management related for once I actually arrive would be fab! However, any hints, tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) Thank you. Hello everyone, Apologies for not replying sooner. I have been extremely busy with packing and I am now in Dubai! Thank you everyone for replying. Sorry, I can't get back to each poster individually, but I have found the advice given on this thread to be invaluable! It has helped me immensely in my preparation to move here. One of the things which I am unsure about is the best place for me to exchange the currency I have. I have already changed a few pounds into dirhams but realistically, these will not last long! Just before I caught the plane in England, I exchanged a little money at the airport, out of desperation, as I had been so busy, I did not have a chance to convert currency earlier. The rate was 4.1 :-( Since arriving, I changed some money and the rate was 4.7. I am just wondering if anyone can give advice on the best place to exchange money and any other help surrounding this, please? I also have a question about phone networks. At the minute, I am using Etisalat which cost 100 dirhams for 40 minutes of calls and 40 minutes of texts and 700mb of Internet. The calls and texts can be used either locally or internationally and runs out after 14 days. Considering that I am new here and would like to keep in touch with family and friends (mainly in England) , do you feel Etisalat is the best option? I haven't tried du, but I can go to their shop at the weekend and find out about their tariffs. Also, another thing is that from my research, I should not be able to use WhatsApp calling on my phone. However, I have used it successfully a couple of times since arriving here despite having my new Emirati SIM in my phone. I'm just wondering how this is possible. Might it be because my WhatsApp is registered to my UK SIM? If so, I'm just wondering if anyone knows whether I'll still be able to make phone calls via WhatsApp once my phone contract ends at the end of August? Sorry, a lot of questions, I know! Don't know if any of them make any sense - I'm still jet lagged and extremely tired so I'll end it at that! Thank you in advance! ?
22
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2017 - 10:26
Hi, if you already having HSBC account then you can continue with that but if you want to try for some other bank then go for Emirates NBD. With my personal experience, I would suggest Emirates NBD which is really good and the most important thing for me is ATM and there are many ATM outlets that you can find easily everywhere.
6
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2017 - 11:48
Hello ladies! I am a single, English female in my early 30's and will be moving to Dubai for work in two weeks' time. I am just wondering whether anyone has any advice, hints or tips for a soon to be British expat like me? Anything from practical advice that I might need to do prior to moving, or anything for once I get there. I would particularly welcome any advice around money and finances. For example, I am unsure about how much cash to take, how easy it will be for me to transfer money from my current account to The Emirates once I get here, any fees that might incur, etc. Also, anything finance and money management related for once I actually arrive would be fab! However, any hints, tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) Thank you. Preferred do it via an MNC bank where you would get best transfer rate with no fees,double check before transaction.
2
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 July 2017 - 17:46
It is really helpful to read these posts, having just moved here myself 2 days ago! Things on our list to think of before we left the UK: - If you plan on staying longer than 6 years, consider making voluntary National insurance contributions to keep your eligibility to state UK pension. - closing any ISA's etc as your not a tax paper anymore so not allowed to benefit from the schemes - get royal mail to redirect your post if it helps. We sold our flat and until we have a perm address here in dubai (staying in serviced apart) cannot change our address, so got redirect to our parents. - Inform HMRC via P85 that your'e leaving UK, you may also get some tax back if you're eligible. - Rental car is a good one, i had not thought about that and now my passport is off being processed so stuck without a vehicle! - Get a NOL card once here for public transport (like Oyster) - we brought £1000GBP worth of UAE Currency, everything else is going on card until our bank account is set up - Download Meet Up App - it has a few groups for expat women and socials - We got ourselves a DU sim card at the airport yesterday, just a plain old pay as you go, which once we get our bank accounts sorted we can swop to a pay monthly account. Hope this helps! I am sure there will be more as I figure it out myself.
714
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 July 2017 - 11:22
You've made me think what advice I would give to myself if I was coming out here again... the first thing that springs to mind is I wish I'd got an Emirates Skywards credit card much sooner! Decide who you're going to fly with and get their credit card - hopefully you'll be able to use this fabulous hub to go off and explore the world, as well as for trips home, ad it's amazing how quickly the points rack up. Use Entertainer / Groupon / etc for everything - we try to never pay full price for anything when we go out for a meal / drinks. The other thing is get your own phone/SIM card, even if work provides you with one. Your phone number will be your passport to everything you register for, be it your GP, bank or utilities. So many people I know just used their work one, then lost/changed jobs and it was a nightmare trying to switch everything over, without access to the original phone (number). If you're going to rent a car - get this BEFORE you start work. As soon as you get to work and they take your passport off you to do your visa, you'll be stuck with public transport until you get it bac, and it can take a while. Get a Careem / Uber account straight away - so convenient, about the same price as taxis off the street (if you don't pre book) Cash? I wouldn't bring too much as the exchange rate just isn't in your favour right now - send everything you can back. As SarahLou says, using the money exchanges is the most cost effective way of sending large amounts back to a UK account - never pay the advertised rate on the boards - go and set an account up with one convenient to you, and go in and ask for a better rate. Always works. And get financial advice from someone recommended by a friend - you'll get so many unsolicited phonecalls from companies both here and in the UK offering to sort your UK pension out, but most of them have absolutely no qualifications (I've asked!).
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 17 July 2017 - 10:53
Legally you can bring AED100,000 in from the UK which in GBP is 21,000 It is easy to transfer money from a UK bank account once you have a UAE account up and running however you will be charged anything from 25-50 pounds and it can take around 5-10 working days ( depending upon who you bank with. Your bank will give you the cost of charges) however you will lose on the exchange rate as it is better for you to change money here at one of the money exchange houses as you get a better rate on large amounts. When i moved here in 2006 i brought GBP3,000 with me and my friend put it in her bank account until mine was up and running, i did have a job and somewhere to live so the money was for spends. You can withdraw here from your UK bank account but the rate isnt the best and depending on your banks condition it may only be up to GBP a day Hi Sarah, Thank you for your message. I suppose I don't need to worry too much about it as I only need enough money to last until my first wage comes through. It's just a little difficult to know how much one will need, but I suppose there's always the option of transferring money through from the U.K., if I need to. Also, I was speaking to a friend yesterday and I currently bank with Co op and he advised that it might be better to open a bank account with somewhere like HSBC or Santander, if they have them there, before going as it might make it easier/ save on transfer costs/ costs. Might this be a good idea? Anyway, thank you for the advice, any other pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) I am not particularly looking forward to the weather being a hardy Yorkshire lass and being more accustomed to rugged terrain and colder temperatures! Any advice on how to keep cool? Thank you. Hi there You mentioned HSBC. We bank with them and our UK and UAE accounts are globally linked. The transfers in between are instant and problem free (done online) and we can view all of our accounts in one login. We have banked with HSBC in the UK for many years but new to UAE, so far it's been problem free banking. The weather is only hot and humid up to the end of September then it cools down and is gorgeous. Aircon is king here so as long as you aren't walking for miles in the midday sun you will be fine :lol:
132
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 July 2017 - 00:54
Legally you can bring AED100,000 in from the UK which in GBP is 21,000 It is easy to transfer money from a UK bank account once you have a UAE account up and running however you will be charged anything from 25-50 pounds and it can take around 5-10 working days ( depending upon who you bank with. Your bank will give you the cost of charges) however you will lose on the exchange rate as it is better for you to change money here at one of the money exchange houses as you get a better rate on large amounts. When i moved here in 2006 i brought GBP3,000 with me and my friend put it in her bank account until mine was up and running, i did have a job and somewhere to live so the money was for spends. You can withdraw here from your UK bank account but the rate isnt the best and depending on your banks condition it may only be up to GBP a day Hi Sarah, Thank you for your message. I suppose I don't need to worry too much about it as I only need enough money to last until my first wage comes through. It's just a little difficult to know how much one will need, but I suppose there's always the option of transferring money through from the U.K., if I need to. Also, I was speaking to a friend yesterday and I currently bank with Co op and he advised that it might be better to open a bank account with somewhere like HSBC or Santander, if they have them there, before going as it might make it easier/ save on transfer costs/ costs. Might this be a good idea? Anyway, thank you for the advice, any other pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) I am not particularly looking forward to the weather being a hardy Yorkshire lass and being more accustomed to rugged terrain and colder temperatures! Any advice on how to keep cool? Thank you. Hi there You mentioned HSBC. We bank with them and our UK and UAE accounts are globally linked. The transfers in between are instant and problem free (done online) and we can view all of our accounts in one login. We have banked with HSBC in the UK for many years but new to UAE, so far it's been problem free banking.
16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 July 2017 - 14:18
Legally you can bring AED100,000 in from the UK which in GBP is 21,000 It is easy to transfer money from a UK bank account once you have a UAE account up and running however you will be charged anything from 25-50 pounds and it can take around 5-10 working days ( depending upon who you bank with. Your bank will give you the cost of charges) however you will lose on the exchange rate as it is better for you to change money here at one of the money exchange houses as you get a better rate on large amounts. When i moved here in 2006 i brought GBP3,000 with me and my friend put it in her bank account until mine was up and running, i did have a job and somewhere to live so the money was for spends. You can withdraw here from your UK bank account but the rate isnt the best and depending on your banks condition it may only be up to GBP a day Hi Sarah, Thank you for your message. I suppose I don't need to worry too much about it as I only need enough money to last until my first wage comes through. It's just a little difficult to know how much one will need, but I suppose there's always the option of transferring money through from the U.K., if I need to. Also, I was speaking to a friend yesterday and I currently bank with Co op and he advised that it might be better to open a bank account with somewhere like HSBC or Santander, if they have them there, before going as it might make it easier/ save on transfer costs/ costs. Might this be a good idea? Anyway, thank you for the advice, any other pointers would be greatly appreciated! :-) I am not particularly looking forward to the weather being a hardy Yorkshire lass and being more accustomed to rugged terrain and colder temperatures! Any advice on how to keep cool? Thank you.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 16 July 2017 - 10:37
Legally you can bring AED100,000 in from the UK which in GBP is 21,000 It is easy to transfer money from a UK bank account once you have a UAE account up and running however you will be charged anything from 25-50 pounds and it can take around 5-10 working days ( depending upon who you bank with. Your bank will give you the cost of charges) however you will lose on the exchange rate as it is better for you to change money here at one of the money exchange houses as you get a better rate on large amounts. When i moved here in 2006 i brought GBP3,000 with me and my friend put it in her bank account until mine was up and running, i did have a job and somewhere to live so the money was for spends. You can withdraw here from your UK bank account but the rate isnt the best and depending on your banks condition it may only be up to GBP a day
 
 

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