Advice badly needed about move to AD. | ExpatWoman.com
 

Advice badly needed about move to AD.

1
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 October 2011 - 15:45

Well I barely know where to begin! Basically my husband has been offered a job in AD and we're badly in need of some advice. If I post some details of the package he has been offered I wonder if someone could advise me if we can live on this?
We have been offered a basic salary of AED 12478 per month, with a housing allowance on top of this of AED 11600.
We have 2 kids, 3 and 6, and there is a tuition allowance of AED60000 per family per year. They will provide moving cost of AED 20000, for us to furnish any accommodation we find.
We have to find our own accommodation and school place.
So my questions are..... Is this housing allowance enough to find somewhere nice to live? Would the tuition allowance cover school costs? How much does it cost to furnish any place we do find? What price would it be to get a car?
I don't really know where to begin finding school places. But will try to get my head around everything before tackling this one.
Unfortunately my husband has been out of work for 12 months and it doesn't look like its going to change any time soon. So a new opportunity like this could be great for us, but since it is such a big step we need to know what we're getting ourselves into before we make any decisions.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a mill.

4747
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 28 October 2011 - 15:46
Hello, just read that there are a lot of second hand furniture notices, does this apply to cars, taking over leases etc.? Where are these noticeboards? yes u will find secondhand stuff, not so much taking over leases though as unfortunately once you pay for your years rent, you cannot sublet without landlords permission and not many landlords will allow you out of your years lease to find a tenant, it does happen but not very often.
35
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 October 2011 - 11:53
Hello, just read that there are a lot of second hand furniture notices, does this apply to cars, taking over leases etc.? Where are these noticeboards?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 October 2011 - 10:48
My husband was out of work before we came here 3 years ago. He'd looked for work for a year and the only job he was offered was in Abu Dhabi. And, it was a job he'd been doing several years earlier so not exactly what he wanted. The money was about the same as you are being offered. We decided that a job was better than no job and nothing ventured, nothing gained. Three years later my husband has been promoted twice, the money is slowly improving (and we coped on the money we started on!), he's learning lots of new skills and as a family we are really happy. Good luck with your decision making.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 October 2011 - 09:50
but its not all about money, its about the experience and a different life as to the uk, i am sure if you dont have a job now it cant be good. yes the uk does provide you with lots of "free" stuff to at least survive and that doesnt happen here in ad, so yes you do have to make sure that you get the figures right. Did I miss where the OP said they were from the UK? You do know that not all expats are British don't you? Actually it is all about the money in this place, especially when you can wind up in jail for a bounced check! <em>edited by NOUGATNESS on 27/10/2011</em>
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 October 2011 - 22:47
Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone. Greatly appreciated. DesertBoot he's a teacher, will be teaching engineering if we go over. Thanks for your detailed reply. I'm a SAHM here but would be open to going back to work if something appropriate came up. Since posting we have been in contact with the company so know a bit more now. We will have to find our own accommodation and school places. But they have also offered more money, AED 13500. Not a huge increase, but a start. Klee I'm a big Ikea fan! So glad to hear thats an option. Today I actually got to talk to a woman I know, who's not long back from AD. So i'm going to meet her again in a day or two to talk it over a bit more. She seems to be saying the same as you ladies. Would manage on the salary but not save and would find a villa outside the city. Great to hear all the info anyway, positive and negative. Thanks. is this adec? as they need lots of teachers for local schools? usually as a teacher they will provide accommodation/utilities etc. what would you do for a job, because the cost of nurseries are still as expensive as big school and also it doesnt always fall into place with jobs that do term time/school hours etc. nurseries are always on the look out for people so thats always an option to top up on the salary per month if needed. but its not all about money, its about the experience and a different life as to the uk, i am sure if you dont have a job now it cant be good. yes the uk does provide you with lots of "free" stuff to at least survive and that doesnt happen here in ad, so yes you do have to make sure that you get the figures right. could you not get your hubs to come over first, do the probation and see how it goes and apply for school places for next academic year? then you will see the lay of the land and then he would be closer to fullfilling a tax year before you up sticks and joined him.
1
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 October 2011 - 22:24
Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone. Greatly appreciated. DesertBoot he's a teacher, will be teaching engineering if we go over. Thanks for your detailed reply. I'm a SAHM here but would be open to going back to work if something appropriate came up. Since posting we have been in contact with the company so know a bit more now. We will have to find our own accommodation and school places. But they have also offered more money, AED 13500. Not a huge increase, but a start. Klee I'm a big Ikea fan! So glad to hear thats an option. Today I actually got to talk to a woman I know, who's not long back from AD. So i'm going to meet her again in a day or two to talk it over a bit more. She seems to be saying the same as you ladies. Would manage on the salary but not save and would find a villa outside the city. Great to hear all the info anyway, positive and negative. Thanks.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 October 2011 - 21:15
ADPat is right, go across to other forum mentioned, despite BB2's lovely response. Schooling places will be hard to get straight away, on the other forum someone has done a list of schools and their fees, so that is a really good start. You could furnish a house cheaply enough - there are always a lot of second hand furniture notices, IKEA etcetc and you can just add to basics as you get on your feet. You will not save anything or send any money home on that amount - can I ask what industry/role it is in and at least it will give some idea of whether the employer is taking the **** or not. Will you work when you get here as well? To rent a small sedan is about AED2300 per month Groceries at least 2500 per month Power and Water in a villa 600-1000 per month Phone/Internet Package 500 per month You could get a villa in Khalifa City B, Mohammed Bin Zayed City (30 minutes from CBD) with that housing allowance. Be aware that you have to pay the rental agent a fee, not the landlord and also that you will have to pay rent upfront or in 2 cheques for a year. School charge extra for buses etcetc. I am sorry to hear of your husbands lack of work, but I would not come for that package, and wonder about the integrity of an employer who would offer it to a family knowing how expensive this place is getting. Best of luck with whatever you decide.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 October 2011 - 09:56
Well I barely know where to begin! Basically my husband has been offered a job in AD and we're badly in need of some advice. If I post some details of the package he has been offered I wonder if someone could advise me if we can live on this? We have been offered a basic salary of AED 12478 per month, with a housing allowance on top of this of AED 11600. We have 2 kids, 3 and 6, and there is a tuition allowance of AED60000 per family per year. They will provide moving cost of AED 20000, for us to furnish any accommodation we find. We have to find our own accommodation and school place. So my questions are..... Is this housing allowance enough to find somewhere nice to live? Would the tuition allowance cover school costs? How much does it cost to furnish any place we do find? What price would it be to get a car? I don't really know where to begin finding school places. But will try to get my head around everything before tackling this one. Unfortunately my husband has been out of work for 12 months and it doesn't look like its going to change any time soon. So a new opportunity like this could be great for us, but since it is such a big step we need to know what we're getting ourselves into before we make any decisions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a mill. Re housing... your budget is tight but duable. for a three bedroom apartment / shared villa you can get for approx 12,000 per month if you look hard. There are cheaper options off the island where many people choose to live as they can get better value for their money. Your basic salary offer is tight for a family but when compared to not working its manageable on a budget. I would suggest you try to negotiate higher if you can. the schooling allowance is approx 45-50,000 per child for full time schooling so you will need to top up. I would suggest you use your moving allowance to bring your own furniture over from home. It is the best thing I did as there is now way I could have bought all I have for less than shipping my own stuff. It also avoids you having to pay storgae at home if you are keeping everything.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 October 2011 - 09:41
I agree with pp about looking at living in dubai or al ain. That being said, the commute blows. Bayut.com is a good website for searching for housing. You can get a three bed off island in ad at al reef for 130,000 annually, apartments closer to downtown can really vary. I think you can do it, it will be tight. As for furnishings, we are on a tight budget so our house is an ikea showroom! They are in both dubai and ad. Cant comment on school fees as our little one is only 18 months. It is a big adjustment! But there are good things about being here ( like a paycheck). You need more patience than you ever imagined, anf this forum is a great place for support! Good luck!
4747
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 25 October 2011 - 19:50
Well I barely know where to begin! Basically my husband has been offered a job in AD and we're badly in need of some advice. If I post some details of the package he has been offered I wonder if someone could advise me if we can live on this? We have been offered a basic salary of AED 12478 per month, with a housing allowance on top of this of AED 11600. We have 2 kids, 3 and 6, and there is a tuition allowance of AED60000 per family per year. They will provide moving cost of AED 20000, for us to furnish any accommodation we find. We have to find our own accommodation and school place. So my questions are..... Is this housing allowance enough to find somewhere nice to live? Would the tuition allowance cover school costs? How much does it cost to furnish any place we do find? What price would it be to get a car? I don't really know where to begin finding school places. But will try to get my head around everything before tackling this one. Unfortunately my husband has been out of work for 12 months and it doesn't look like its going to change any time soon. So a new opportunity like this could be great for us, but since it is such a big step we need to know what we're getting ourselves into before we make any decisions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a mill. the housing isnt too bad, you could find an apartment for that amount over 12 months. 20k moving costs is good. depending on which curriculum you are needing, you would have to top up your schooling but even if you get paid half its better than paying all yourself, a lot of packages now do not provide schooling or housing just a sum that you decide what to do. if you are out of work then yes i would go for it but just remember that you must be out of the uk for a whole tax year, otherwise you would have to pay it all back on top if you were to move back. the problem you will have though is finding schooling for those age groups, where would your husband be working as i would look towards al ain as its easy to find accommodation and schooling. even dubai is cheaper for that too.