Single mum and working | ExpatWoman.com
 

Single mum and working

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2012 - 01:28

Hi All

I am seeking some advice as to whether it would be worth the move out to Abu Dhabi. I am a single mother of a 4 year old boy and is seeking to move to Abu Dhabi and work as a Legal PA. I spoke with a recruitment consultant today and she assures me that with my cv it wouldn't be a problem and she would be happy to represent me. I have relatives in AD at the moment so have a little support but would like peoples opinions, could I financially afford housing and schooling? I also understand that it would be full time work and could be required to work long hours so querying sitution on babysitter/house help? This is something I really really want to do but would be very helpful to hear peoples views who have already done it.

Thanks in adance

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2016 - 16:39
Hello, I need your advise urgently. Im from Belgium and ive been offered a job in Dubai. But im a single mom with no father in the picture, I haven't been married and I have a blank space in my sons passport. I called immigration and I was told I would not be able to sponsor my child. Has anyone had this situation? anyone aware if anything can be done? Thanks in advance
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 August 2012 - 17:36
I would be very careful to get all your promises in writing from both the consultant and the employer. I would be [i'>very [/i'>cautious about coming without an offer in hand although you say you have relatives here so maybe it could be doable if you have a big enough financial cushion. Check on the sponsorship issue with your job position. You will definitely need permission from the father (attested letter) to bring the child here without the father. I do know women who have adopted children and managed after a long hard documentation and run around struggle, to bring them to UAE but they were in a professionally designated job in the goverenment sector (who wanted them badly). Good luck
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2012 - 02:49
Does anyone have any HR contacts in the big law firms where I can send my cv direct. The problem I'm coming across is that . the positions are all being taken by locals
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 July 2012 - 16:13
Hi BellaUK - my email address is [email protected]. All help greatly appreciated. Thank you
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 June 2012 - 17:48
Tracey,it seems you have made up your mind even before you started the thread...there are a lot of warnings out there on risks...think about your child's schooling and aftercare too...,it might be a huge adjustment for him in this foreign country.Lots of outdoor life? Remember the long very hot summer is indoor life!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 June 2012 - 11:28
Tracey leave me your email and I'll send you the details of a place I know looking for several inhouse Legal PA/Paralegal's, great place to work too. What is your legal background? Financial/commercial/contract type based or more specific like property, family law etc. as that will make a difference.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 June 2012 - 19:22
Its definitely possible - both to sponsor your own child and to live off a salary of around 20k more than comfortably - including rent, maid, school, food and non-extravagant outings.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 June 2012 - 18:55
Again, thank you for the replies. I take on all that has been said and very much appreciate the time people have taken, I have come across some very interesting advice and comments. I'm pretty determined to get over and have had a few leads on employment but not in a rush so will hold out for the right job. Watch this space. :)
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 20 June 2012 - 23:16
Hi Tracey I have a very good friend here in AD who is a single mum. She sponsors her child, and the only difference is the visa for her child has to be re-done every year, not every 4 years. It is just a paperwork annoyance, but is definitely do-able. BTW rents are dropping hard and fast in AD. Negotiation is the key. Hopefully you can get a reasonable housing allowance. Again, do negotiate.Look very closely at the location of your home, and the school. School runs can be a nightmare. Do try to get school fees subsidized if you can. The fees are less in the primary years but go up rapidly in the higher grades, so you need to consider this when looking at your salary over time. Having a maid/nanny is fantastic. When I get home from work the house is clean, it's a miracle! This leaves me time to enjoy my child, and enjoy my life, and is a good 'easy' job for our maid. So it's win win. Good luck, you will make the right decision. yes some mothers can sponsor children, it depends on the profession, doctor/teacher/engineer etc and the salary, also depends on the company but a visa was never re-done every 4 years NEVER EVER was it 4 years, it used to be 3 years and as of last january its now every 2 years for private companies and 3 years still for government/semi government. a lot of salaries now are "all in" so again depends on company as to whether you just get an amount etc. rents are falling in ad, but not everywhere... some landlords are still raising the 5% allowable by law. but there is more choice, but its still expensive, still a long way to come down. and dont be fooled by the "tax free" its not there is a lot of paperwork and red tape which is not cheap, so unless your company picks up the tab, then setting up costs are very very expensive.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 June 2012 - 22:43
Hi Tracey I have a very good friend here in AD who is a single mum. She sponsors her child, and the only difference is the visa for her child has to be re-done every year, not every 4 years. It is just a paperwork annoyance, but is definitely do-able. BTW rents are dropping hard and fast in AD. Negotiation is the key. Hopefully you can get a reasonable housing allowance. Again, do negotiate.Look very closely at the location of your home, and the school. School runs can be a nightmare. Do try to get school fees subsidized if you can. The fees are less in the primary years but go up rapidly in the higher grades, so you need to consider this when looking at your salary over time. Having a maid/nanny is fantastic. When I get home from work the house is clean, it's a miracle! This leaves me time to enjoy my child, and enjoy my life, and is a good 'easy' job for our maid. So it's win win. Good luck, you will make the right decision.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 May 2012 - 00:00
Very positive reply Twickle12, thank you. Im only just back yesterday from 2 weeks in AD and and even more convinced its the best move to make and very determined to go for it. Even my little boy didnt want to come home. xx
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2012 - 11:21
) Yes you probably would not be at champagne brunch every week - but god - why would you want to when you have the beach and pools that your little one would LOVE to spend time at. I think that you would be giving your child an amazing start in life and also there are some of us here that are able to live (God forbid) on less than 50,000 AED per month!!!! Go For it darling x I never implied that people can't live on less than 50k a month - I wrote that that is the amount that single Mum friends of mine make. It is no use converting back to money at home if rents, school fees, visas. health insurance, pool memberships etcetec are not at parity.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 May 2012 - 14:17
If you convert 22,000 per month to GB pounds you are looking at 4,000 GBP sterling per month - TAX FREE. I know for a fact that in london you would be hard pushed to get that salary these days. If other women on here feel that is too little to live on then maybe we should just check ourselves slightly! You CAN get decent cheaper nurseries and also live in maids are around 1,500 aed per month which would reallly help you enormously - and I certainly would not be able to have a helper back in the UK. Schooling may come in the package - and if not then it is still doable. you do not have to live in the centre of town but woudl be able to get above average sized houing in Khalifa City / al Reef / MBZ which woudl be much bigger than back home. Or indeed - most of my friends live in Dubai which is definately cheaper than AUH and you get more bang for your buck (and also i know fora fact that most of them take the loan from the company and pay them back mothly as you would at home - for rent) Yes you probably would not be at champagne brunch every week - but god - why would you want to when you have the beach and pools that your little one would LOVE to spend time at. I think that you would be giving your child an amazing start in life and also there are some of us here that are able to live (God forbid) on less than 50,000 AED per month!!!! Go For it darling x
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 April 2012 - 17:06
I am a single mum with a 5 year old here in Dubai. I don't receive any benefits from my company and have to pay schooling, housing, car loan etc etc. I have a salary of about 18 to 20,000 AED and I manage just fine. I cant always go to all the expensive events my friends go to and I don't get out an awful lot but if you compare it to a life in the Uk or Europe I think you will definately be better off. It's for sure do-able. I also managed to sponsor my child fine through Dubai. Abu Dhabi are MUCH stricter and I was rejected there 3 times as a single mum, but Dubai put it through as a humanitarian case and it was through within 2 weeks (no letters from the father or anything, just a letter from the British embassy stating that I am a single mum, and attestation of her birth certificate). The hardest might be paying your rent upfront as you have to pay a full year here in some cases but lots do accept 4 or 6 cheques although they may up the rent if you pay over more than 1 chq, but if you have a company that are willing to help it makes it much easier. You can then pay them back monthly. I hope this helps but feel free to get in touch if you want any more info. Good luck!! Dont forget Abu Dhabi housing is far more expensive than Dubai and is less supply ( I hope i got that right)
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 April 2012 - 17:05
I had heard from the legal team in the company that I work for that they were struggling to find a well enough qualified Legal PA/EA. Even all the PA/EAs receive benefits such as housing, bills, schooling etc. which would take many of your costs away and make it more feasible. I can't promise they are still looking but I can ask, and direct you to the consultant they are using. However, this is a government entity in AD, and the visas seem to be a little stricter from here so you might find it more difficult for sponsorship if you weren't married when your little one was born/father not on birth certificate etc. I have a friend who is a single mum here and manages just fine, she is Syrian so her standards for comparison might be very different to you and her little one doesn't go to a British school (which are a big expense). Abu Dhabi is more likely than Dubai to pay Housing and Schooling etc for ex patriate postings.. :-) Good luck!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2012 - 16:27
Hi Elenamegan, good to hear from you, I had just about given up on this thred. I read your post with total delight, its exactly what I've been thinking, not much better off financially once the bills, schooling, rent etc is paid but the quality of life is much better, although you do say you got rejected 3 times from Abu Dhabi, what was the reasoning? I am such an outdoors person and life in Abu Dhabi seem ideal, the weather in the UK is depressing. I'm not asking for a luxurious lifestyle just better quality family time. So would I have to get a letter from the British Embassy? How do you manage with your child at school and working full time? I'm actually back out to Abu Dhabi visiting my parents next week and can't wait but perhaps this time I'll take a trip to Dubai get a feel for the place. At the moment its feels like a slow process but fantastic to hear from someone in the position that I'm hoping for. May be it has to be Dubai I move to. Thanks again. Hope to hear again from you.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 April 2012 - 12:04
I am a single mum with a 5 year old here in Dubai. I don't receive any benefits from my company and have to pay schooling, housing, car loan etc etc. I have a salary of about 18 to 20,000 AED and I manage just fine. I cant always go to all the expensive events my friends go to and I don't get out an awful lot but if you compare it to a life in the Uk or Europe I think you will definately be better off. It's for sure do-able. I also managed to sponsor my child fine through Dubai. Abu Dhabi are MUCH stricter and I was rejected there 3 times as a single mum, but Dubai put it through as a humanitarian case and it was through within 2 weeks (no letters from the father or anything, just a letter from the British embassy stating that I am a single mum, and attestation of her birth certificate). The hardest might be paying your rent upfront as you have to pay a full year here in some cases but lots do accept 4 or 6 cheques although they may up the rent if you pay over more than 1 chq, but if you have a company that are willing to help it makes it much easier. You can then pay them back monthly. I hope this helps but feel free to get in touch if you want any more info. Good luck!!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 February 2012 - 17:45
Hi All and thanks for your replied. The salary I was told would be AED 22000 but there was no mention of benefits such as housing, schooling etc. I have been told that I would need a good package and to negotiate for schooling and housing. Its good to hear that PA's/EA's do received such benefits. BellaUK if you could enquiry that would be very helpful - thank you I do have the permission from my son's father so thats not holding me back, seems that the tricky part turned out the easy part.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 February 2012 - 09:27
I had heard from the legal team in the company that I work for that they were struggling to find a well enough qualified Legal PA/EA. Even all the PA/EAs receive benefits such as housing, bills, schooling etc. which would take many of your costs away and make it more feasible. I can't promise they are still looking but I can ask, and direct you to the consultant they are using. However, this is a government entity in AD, and the visas seem to be a little stricter from here so you might find it more difficult for sponsorship if you weren't married when your little one was born/father not on birth certificate etc. I have a friend who is a single mum here and manages just fine, she is Syrian so her standards for comparison might be very different to you and her little one doesn't go to a British school (which are a big expense). Good luck!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 February 2012 - 23:03
I'm a single mother in Dubai, and I know a few others - there are definite advantages to being here (availability of help in particular); but whether you are single or a couple you need to be able to pay the bills - all the issues re school fees etc below apply equally to married parents, one of you, or the pair of you jointly, need to be able to afford the bills. I haven't come across anywhere where women don't get the same benefits as men doing the same job, though am not in any way disbelieving DesertBoot, just that it is certainly not like that everywhere. I'm not completely convinced that as a legal PA you would get the package you need, however - but the recruitment consultant, if she is any good, should be able to give you an idea of what is on offer. Once you know that (salary and benefits), you can start working out budgets and see if they add up. Good luck.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 February 2012 - 21:01
Keep looking into it, but go in with your eyes open - desertBoot has given some good advice. What indicative salary did you get told? It can be a lot tougher than London, you have no choice but to pay rent a year or 6 months up front, nursery and school fees are exorbitant, there is not an established, reliable transport system etcetc. Best of luck.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2012 - 18:31
Hi and thanks for your response. I seem to be coming across a bit of a mix regarding single mums working in Abu Dhabi/Dubai. I'm not sure it can be any tougher than working here in the UK at the moment to be honest, it's all work and no rewards. I think I'll keep looking into it.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2012 - 09:44
I don't know what your salary would be, but it would have to be substantial to cover what you will need. I have a few friends who are single mums here and they are in high management roles so their salaries are at least 50,000 a month. Just check legally, if you would be able to sponsor your child as a woman - one friend couldn't take a job here as there was no father mentioned on birth certificate of her son - so she could never sponsor him. If your child has a living father that is mentioned on BC, the Dad will have to give your written permission to come here. Also, some companies will not pay the same allowances to certain roles or females as another role or a male would get - for example, I would have to pay out of my pocket to sponsor and get health insurance for our child, because I am not a high enough level at my work. Logistically, it's a nightmare - childcares close really early compared to working hours, close for long periods during Ramadan etc, we both work, child goes to nursery, but we still have to have a live in maid due to these reasons. Schools and nurseries are expensive and some are hard to get into. I don't want to be negative, and as I said I know some who do it, but it is a hard and money consuming slog - you would want to be on a very good salary in an understanding company (which are far and few between here). Good luck.