Is this a decent salary package?

Good luck

I think AED 24k a month on top of all the other allowances is a good package. Your only expense would be food and transport. Double check how much is allocated per child for schooling because as they get older costs get higher. Also when they say schooling does that mean nursery too or from the September your child turns five? Some companies here only start paying school fees from the age of 5. Find out what area your apartment will be in as that will also contribute to the school you'll send your kids to and give you an idea of fees. Abu Dhabi is a very family friendly city. You'll love it there ? <em>edited by starsouthern on 13/01/2013</em>

i know people that were ex military and they werent on big salaries but they did absolutely fine, but the contract wasnt renewed after 3 years and they had to go back to uk. they worked for a place called shaheen which was out in the desert a little bit, where would you be heading for ?

Thanks very much for your advice feefmick,beany and busybee2 he will be receiving his full package offer with details in the next couple of weeks. He went to a final interview today and asked about medical, apparently it covers everything including dental, thanks for the heads up on that feefmick :) and a full family visa, it is a big decision and one we won't take lightly. Having lived in Cyprus for 3 years I don't want my kids to have to go back to the rubbish weather and crime rate in the Uk. My 3 year old think its cold when it's 20 degrees c so he will cope fine. I think I would go home with the kids in the height of summer as that heat sounds unbearable to me and I would hate to be stuck in all day. We have the entertainer book here and it's great, glad they have one for Abu Dhabi too. We also generally just eat out at food courts with the odd fancy meal for a celebration. Thankyou very much for the offer on housing allowance that would be a big help to me, I will message you when we have our full entitlement. Once again thanks very much for your help and advice :) well if you think its cold at 20 degrees its cold at the moment as thats what it is. most people when they first arrive go back in the summer as you are not used to the heat, but the longer you stay the more you will travel say to other parts of the world instead of the uk etc. see if you dont ask you wouldnt know about the differences in health insurance or what it means full visa etc. its good tho they do dental as most dont, but when they do it usually means that you will have to pay the first 20% and they will pay the rest but then again something is better than nothing. with schooling thats going to be a big prob as that aged kids are very difficult to get into, but there is a new school opening next academic year gems abu dhabi international so you will be fine there. i would go for it, it beats uk. if they provide accommodation, health and schooling then you will be fine.

I think that's all very good advice from Feefmick, make sure you have all these fine details first so you can make an informed decision - bit tricky if you have a tight deadline to accept the offer, I know! Are they offering extra for relocating? Shipping all your stuff can be quite expensive. By law, I believe the employer has to cover visa costs and provide medical insurance, but like Feefmick says they can either get you a no-frills package or a package that covers virtually everything. If it is a Daman package, you should be able to find the details of the particular plan on their website. There are free or cheap things to do here, like parks and public beaches, but it can be hard going in the heat of summer as outdoor activities then are only for the bravehearted! You might miss Cyprus in that respect - we lived there when I was little, I loved it. Here you also tend to have to choose between restaurants in the 5 star hotels with associated prices or restaurants in the malls. We're not big spenders either but we do spend on trips to see family or just to get away from AD as I would personally crack up a bit otherwise (that might just be me, though!). I do think some people come here feeling they have a good deal but then are shocked and frustrated by comparing it to the massive salaries other people earn - on the other hand, people can and do live on a lot less than your current offer. If you want info on what the housing allowance will get you, let us know. visa costs should be borne by the employer, but sometimes they do not offer it to to the family. by law if on abu dhabi visa they have to provide you basic health insurance for family up to 3 children.

At current exchange rate it converts to almost AED24k a month. Many folks earn way more than this but some earn less. We've a good few thousand less every month (and no flights/car allowance etc) and we manage but only just - I really need to find employment so we can top our budget up. I buy local food and rarely buy imported food. We do eat out but tend to use food courts rather than restaurants. As much as possible we do activities which are free. There are MANY costly activities on offer out here but we tend to avoid them and if we do go we use vouchers from Entertainer Book where you get 2 for 1 offers on many restaurants/attractions. (book costs around £60 but pays for itself quickly). Sooooo, if my husband was offered your package we would think it was great but I know other posters might say it's rubbish. You need to check what they mean by school allowance and whether they have a maximum that they will pay as school fees vary dramatically between schools and then secondary schools(which is what kills us) are generally almost double the cost of primary. School places are not easy to come by so you need to establish whether they will cover any school that you get a place at or whether they have an upper limit. Ditto check re what medical cover is offered. My DH was told we had medical cover.on closer examination is was local cover only and has a max claim of AED50k a year which would not be sufficient in an emergency. We are VERY restricted to which clinics/hospitals we can use. To upgrade to a better policy would cost us anything from AED2k to AED5k a month.Also check whether medical coverage pays everything or whether you have to pay a proportion...many companies make you pay say the first 10 or 20% of any costs. Dental costs can be huge here and many schemes don't offer dental cover. Ditto maternity cover etc. Ditto re the 3 bed apartment..you need to establlish what is max budget they will pay etc? Good luck!