Emirates pilot wife moving to Dubia | ExpatWoman.com
 

Emirates pilot wife moving to Dubia

367
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 October 2016 - 13:26
There are a lot of things happening at EK right now. If your husband has a steady job and you are in a stable country: stay put.
2
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 October 2016 - 11:25
Hello all! My partner and I are possibly in the same position... how did it all work out in the end? How are you finding things? I would be very interested to know! Thank you :)
6
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 February 2016 - 04:37
well, just remember that Emirates is very pilot short right now, things will get better eventually but, dont expect lots of family time, get out there and do your own thing with your kids(if you have any?) When he is home and alert, make the best of the time together :)...some gals are busy doing gym, car pools, working, learning so think of this adventure as a tool for you and your kids to grow and the husband will be there when he can :) We have loved our time here and it is so much better now, than 13 years ago and I know from the gals who have been her 20+ that it is amazing now lol...so go with the flow.....do not rely on your husband for now and enjoy this new country.... :) Thanks SueB, really appreciate some insight from someone who as been there , done it ;) yes I started on the site and it really was turning me off the whole thing. but glad to hear from a woman's point of view. I know it's not going to be easy when he gone but I am so use to him gone already with his current schedule (8 years going) it hasn't really affected me too much. I am looking forward to spend more time with our kids as I have been a full time working mother of 2, and miss my babies. I hope at some point to return to the working world but not in a hurry. The fb page name is Emirates pilot wives of which you have to ask to join. Yes we should all keep in touch as i think it would be nice to meet up once we are all over there!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 February 2016 - 00:05
can anybody share with us the name of the group on facebook?cant find it:(
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 20:57
Hi! I am exactly in the same situation as you! My husband is coming at the end of May and I am going to try to sort some of the furniture stuff out! We chose the unfurnished villa but got the starter pack. I will then join him with the kids in August but I am still worried about the schools, really difficult to understand what to do!!. The villas didn't seem too bad to me and yes the yard is very small but what I am looking forward is staying outside and enjoy the sun!! Let's keep in contact and see how it goes!!
2262
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 19:16
well, just remember that Emirates is very pilot short right now, things will get better eventually but, dont expect lots of family time, get out there and do your own thing with your kids(if you have any?) When he is home and alert, make the best of the time together :)...some gals are busy doing gym, car pools, working, learning so think of this adventure as a tool for you and your kids to grow and the husband will be there when he can :) We have loved our time here and it is so much better now, than 13 years ago and I know from the gals who have been her 20+ that it is amazing now lol...so go with the flow.....do not rely on your husband for now and enjoy this new country.... :)
37
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 16:01
May I suggest that you stay away from Pprune :) and instead head over to Facebook - Emirates pilots wives, lots of gals ready with answers to your questions. We have been her 13 years and are leaving end of May. My advice on the furniture is this, There are so many site that are selling used furniture that is in fabulous shape because it is so transient here, that chances are you can outfit your self to start with some nice things and 1/4 of the price. Do not buy with an eye to take it back with you to your home country. Chances are your tastes will have changed in the interim and do not want to take it lol.....'hands up here' lol If you have furniture you cannot live without then bring only what you love or is absolutely necessary! Now in dubai you can get anything, 13 years ago it was the pits lol. Dubizzle is one, you are moving to Meydan Heights they have a SELL, BUY, Swap page on FB... You can also get a starter pac (unless that has changed) where you get the bare necessities to start, plates, cutlery some pots and pans, sheets, towels plate, glasses etc. Not all the furniture is expensive but if you are going to be here for a long time think short time anyway in the furniture dept. You can always buy better stuff somewhere down the road. Lots of places will make your curtains, Satwa, Dragonmart.. lots of recommendations here :) Dont rush into trying to furnish like your home country, it will come...get mattresses and other absolute necessities..... That is just my opinion though. Thanks SueB - I will head to the fb group. I try not to read pprune too much (or read into it too much), but it's sort of like watching something gruesome on tv.... You want to stop because it's making your stomach churn, but at the same timer you can't tear your eyes away... I just try to remember that there is often a lot of negativity in the Australian threads as well, which we [i'>know[/i'> is not always accurate, but people do love to complain and pilots more so than most ;) I think I am going to buy as much second hand as I can because as you say, the turnover is so high. I can't believe some of the stuff I've seen on dubizzle!
2262
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 15:28
May I suggest that you stay away from Pprune :) and instead head over to Facebook - Emirates pilots wives, lots of gals ready with answers to your questions. We have been her 13 years and are leaving end of May. My advice on the furniture is this, There are so many site that are selling used furniture that is in fabulous shape because it is so transient here, that chances are you can outfit your self to start with some nice things and 1/4 of the price. Do not buy with an eye to take it back with you to your home country. Chances are your tastes will have changed in the interim and do not want to take it lol.....'hands up here' lol If you have furniture you cannot live without then bring only what you love or is absolutely necessary! Now in dubai you can get anything, 13 years ago it was the pits lol. Dubizzle is one, you are moving to Meydan Heights they have a SELL, BUY, Swap page on FB... You can also get a starter pac (unless that has changed) where you get the bare necessities to start, plates, cutlery some pots and pans, sheets, towels plate, glasses etc. Not all the furniture is expensive but if you are going to be here for a long time think short time anyway in the furniture dept. You can always buy better stuff somewhere down the road. Lots of places will make your curtains, Satwa, Dragonmart.. lots of recommendations here :) Dont rush into trying to furnish like your home country, it will come...get mattresses and other absolute necessities..... That is just my opinion though.
37
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 23:44
Yep, I'll send you an email when I get home from work tonight. You can edit out your email address now, I've got it :)
6
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 17:26
Ok cool, would love to see the pics if you dont mind. Myhusband head out at the end of April and the kids and I are looking to be there in August. From what my husband said the villas are pretty big but saddly no real yard seems like everyone is on top each other as the villas are so close together. Can you email me the pics to b****@*l.com please. Thank you :)
37
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 12:33
Great stuff littlepenguin. Yes we also opted for the allowance. My husband manage to take some videos and pictures as I didnt get the chance to go with him on the interview. I have also been looking online at Landmarkshops.com and luluwebstore.com to get a general idea of what the prices are for the large appliances, so far it does seem pretty reasonable. Will you guys also be in Meydan Heights? When do you move out there? We don't have any kids, so at the moment are eligible for 3 bedroom apartment, but the recruitment person has said there are currently none available and that he'll be in a temporary studio apartment for the foreseeable future! We decided it that maybe we should bring forward the kids plan, so that we can get the villa ;) (joking, joking!) He goes at the end of next month, and I'll probably arrive at the end of June, depending on when I finish up at work and also some health stuff. I took quite a lot of photos on the tour, which I'd be happy to share with you if you post your email ?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 February 2016 - 17:38
Great stuff littlepenguin. Yes we also opted for the allowance. My husband manage to take some videos and pictures as I didnt get the chance to go with him on the interview. I have also been looking online at Landmarkshops.com and luluwebstore.com to get a general idea of what the prices are for the large appliances, so far it does seem pretty reasonable. Will you guys also be in Meydan Heights? When do you move out there?
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 22 February 2016 - 00:54
45k is a reasonable amount to buy furniture and appliances. As long as you keep away from the high end stores.
37
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 00:47
My husband will also be starting with Emirates soon, and I went to the interview in Dubai with him (I share your sentiments exactly: excited, but terrified). As for furniture, you have 2 choices. The first is to take the company furniture, which means that the house will be fully furnished, including linen, and an oven/fridge/washing machine etc. If you take unfurnished then you will get a once-off allowance of 45000 dirhams. We are going to take the allowance because I really didn't like the ek furniture (dark wood laminate), but if you take the allowance you need to buy appliances yourself. The allowance seems reasonable to me, but I'm going to buy stuff on dubizzle. There are only 2 of us though, so our priority will be the kitchen and one bedroom in the first instance.
125
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 February 2016 - 11:23
you can't convert an international licence to a UAE one. Be careful as getting a licence here can be very costly and time consuming. Taxis are very cheap so you can get around easily until you get a licence though. I haven't been to Meyda, but know its a newer area (maybe not fully developed yet), but it is in good proximity to downtown/dubai mall, and shiekh zayed road. Its mostly villas so there should be lots of other families there. For furniture if you are considering buying once you get here there are a lot of options such as : - ikea, home centre, fairpoint, marina home, pottery barn, west elm, ethan allan, etc etc etc.
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 20:44
Pprune is a good site for pilots at Emiates They may have some advice Use the search function too as there have been so posts about this in the past Try pilots, emirates airlines or Meydan Heights as the key words :biggrin:
6
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 19:30
HI. A few things to help you; 1. if you get shipping and you have good furniture available at home, you are better off buying from there. Furniture here is expensive. 2. I would recommend Emirates Driving Institute. They do not take short cuts and have the best facilities. Lots of locations and convenient options like "pick from home" etc. If you have a license back home, bring it as it will result in reduced classes which is less expenses as well as less spend. I am assuming here that either you do not have a license or belong to a country that does not have a license exchange facility with the UAE. Because if your country has a license exchange agreement with the UAE, then all you need to do is to visit an RTA office with your country's license and your passport and walk out with the UAE license. 3. I preferred a new car as I was wary of any scams. Not that there are many here but I know nothing about cars. New cars do depreciate heavily in the first year so if you want to save on that go to Dubizzle which is a classified website in UAE and is used heavily for buying used cars. 4. Internet is reliable but expensive. It depends where you are moving from. If it's Europe or US, the speed will be slower than what you are used to. 5. Netflix was recently launched. I personally felt the content was limited compared to the US version so i unsubscribed. People tried to access through VPN in order to access US content, but apparently Netflix banned that for copyright reasons. 6. Finding a job is dependent on your skill set. If you have a specialist qualification then it's easy else too many generalists already around. Hope this helps. :biggrin: Thank you so much for you response, We are coming from the Caribbean, Antigua to be exact, and I have researched it that even though I have a drivers license we will still have to do the test to get the UAE one unless I find a way to convert to an international one before arriving in August. Do you know of the area, Meydan Hieghts by chance. I have been looking up online for it but cant find much on it.
3
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 18:11
I need to find the "other way." :-) :evil:
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 17:31
FairyDust; you are right. What I meant was that a Netflix UAE account with a "you know what" will not work anymore. A Netflix downloaded from the US Store with a US credit card will work to show US content. It might even work without a "you know what" because it will assume you are traveling. I do the same for Spotify and don't have a problem. I'm watching it now without a you know who and pay with a UAE card. There is another way ?
3
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 10:44
FairyDust; you are right. What I meant was that a Netflix UAE account with a "you know what" will not work anymore. A Netflix downloaded from the US Store with a US credit card will work to show US content. It might even work without a "you know what" because it will assume you are traveling. I do the same for Spotify and don't have a problem.
2264
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 07:26
Not sure if Emirates still gives the furniture allowance. With regards to driving, do you have a license? There's a list of countries where you can directly transfer your license to a UAE one, without having to do lessons or a test, so check on that. Otherwise Al Ahli is very good. With internet providers, there are only two - Etisalat or DU and normally you won't have a choice, it's whoever is available on a specific area. Sorry Yose your info on US Netflix isn't correct - I have a US account and access it with no issues using the 'you know what'. Netflix hasn't banned anything. It's the tecomms operators that will have banned the specific 'you know what' people are using. But you do need a US address and sometimes a US credit card to subscribe to it.
3
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 23:10
HI. A few things to help you; 1. if you get shipping and you have good furniture available at home, you are better off buying from there. Furniture here is expensive. 2. I would recommend Emirates Driving Institute. They do not take short cuts and have the best facilities. Lots of locations and convenient options like "pick from home" etc. If you have a license back home, bring it as it will result in reduced classes which is less expenses as well as less spend. I am assuming here that either you do not have a license or belong to a country that does not have a license exchange facility with the UAE. Because if your country has a license exchange agreement with the UAE, then all you need to do is to visit an RTA office with your country's license and your passport and walk out with the UAE license. 3. I preferred a new car as I was wary of any scams. Not that there are many here but I know nothing about cars. New cars do depreciate heavily in the first year so if you want to save on that go to Dubizzle which is a classified website in UAE and is used heavily for buying used cars. 4. Internet is reliable but expensive. It depends where you are moving from. If it's Europe or US, the speed will be slower than what you are used to. 5. Netflix was recently launched. I personally felt the content was limited compared to the US version so i unsubscribed. People tried to access through VPN in order to access US content, but apparently Netflix banned that for copyright reasons. 6. Finding a job is dependent on your skill set. If you have a specialist qualification then it's easy else too many generalists already around. Hope this helps. :biggrin:
6
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:17
Hello ladies, my husband has just gotten a job in Emirates and as we are excited for the opportunity we are also terrified of the unknown. I am hoping that a few of you can help shed some light on a few things, especially if some of you are pilot wives would be so grateful for your insight. We have 2 kids, ages 4 yrs and the other one is just 7 months. We are looking at all things that will affect us in terms of schools and nuseries, how expensive is it to furnish a home? whats the best place for driving school as we will have to do lessons to get or driving license. It appears that they are putting us in the Meydan Heights area. Does anyone live out there? Is it nice? Where is a good place to get a car? what is the Internet and cable services provided out there and is it any good? Are you able to get Netflix for the US or is a certain something needed to get it to work? How difficult is it to get a job ? Any response would be of great help and hopefully get to meet some of you when we get out there!
 
 

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