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Salary/package advice

105 posts / 0 new

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kelly18141664

2362

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 11:48

Hence we have a townhouse somewhere that we really wouldn't choose to live.We pay 120000 which is as much as we can really spend without leaving ourselves short and with the massive increase in rents we would no longer get it for that amount.The Al Furjan villas you mention are approx 150000 and I know that this would be too much for us.I think you would live very comfortably on this package if you had a housing allowance on top of your salary of not less than 180000 a year.I believe this would give you some choice of where to live if you want a villa. Wow, I'm envisioning you living in a golden palace floating around in hand-spun silk :) (ETA i'm referring to your reference of 180k for a comfortable lifetsyle) I have a 4 bed villa in a wonderful part of town and I pay 100000 a year!! There's a shared pool, private parking for 2 cars and full villa maintenance included. My company doesn't pay any housing allowance and I'm not frugal with my spending. edited by Faded Blue Jeans on 02/09/2013 Would LOVE to know where this fairy-tale land of 4-bed villas for 100k is!!! I pay substantially more than that for a 4-bed apartment, and this is well below current market rates... i also eagerly await news of 4 bed villas for 100k!!!!!!!!!

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Feefmick56943

1370

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 11:46

Wow, we pay AED78k for our apartment but for new tenants they are now AED120k. We hunted high and low for a villa below AED100k. Keights- I agree with you, it's the school fees that kill us as we get zero towards them..currently almost ten k a month but will rise substantially when little one goes to secondary. Every year they increase as well but salary doesnt. Once we've paid rent and shortfall on UK mortgage...... Saying that, there are ways to live frugally out here but still have a good time. My kids had the air hostesses in stitches as they announced on boarding this summer that they were the ONLY ones in their class who didn't fly business or even first class. ( not quite true , I guess). My answer to that was that I wasn't even on an airplane till I was heading to my first job in Saudi aged 29! And tat I also knew some families who couldn't even afford to leave Dubai for the summer. All things are relative..if I compare life to some friends back in UK we're better off here but compared to majority here we feel like poor relations ...lol.

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345

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 11:29

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Meagle60368

849

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 10:54

I have a 4 bed villa in a wonderful part of town and I pay 100000 a year!! There's a shared pool, private parking for 2 cars and full villa maintenance included. My company doesn't pay any housing allowance and I'm not frugal with my spending. edited by Faded Blue Jeans on 02/09/2013 I suspect you must have moved into your place before 2012 when the rental prices starting going up. Also suspect that you don't live anywhere in New Dubai. If either of those are not the case, please share where the best kept secret in Dubai real estate is. I'm paying nearly that amount for a 2 bed apartment in the middle of the sand pit that is TECOM.

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Faded Blue Jean...

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 10:49

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Keights59883

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 10:37

I second Feefmick. We are in a similar situation earning just over 30000 Dhs per month.Our housing allowance which is a token amount is included in this and we get 3/4 of the school fees and full medical on top.The problem we have and you will find too is that we don't get a proper,separate housing allowance that enables us to live in a decent villa on a finished,green community.Hence we have a townhouse somewhere that we really wouldn't choose to live.We pay 120000 which is as much as we can really spend without leaving ourselves short and with the massive increase in rents we would no longer get it for that amount.The Al Furjan villas you mention are approx 150000 and I know that this would be too much for us.I think you would live very comfortably on this package if you had a housing allowance on top of your salary of not less than 180000 a year.I believe this would give you some choice of where to live if you want a villa. I find food a bit more expensive than the UK and to keep your grocery bill to that level you would have to shop carefully.Overall Dubai isn't a cheap place to live and although on paper the figures can not only add up but look generous in comparison, in reality I think you need more than you think to live well here and save something aswell.

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libra1610

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 September 2013 - 10:16

Hi Vilda, we are in a similar situation as you are as my husband has been offered a position with EK with AED 30k. Can I ask which grade has been offered to your husband by EK? My husband's offer states EK Grade 9 which according to them is a manager level. However DH is trying to negotiate upwards but I am not sure how successful he is going to be.

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vildadalen201371370

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 23:28

You are absolutely right. We are looking into Gems World Academy http://www.gemsworldacademy-dubai.com/ Ps. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Gems American school was in Abu Dhabi not Dubai??

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vildadalen201371370

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 23:25

Sorry for that, housing and transport is included in the package. However, we get 40.000 to 60.000 per year per kid up to 3 kids and premium medical and insurance. Unless you get schooling and housing paid then no way!! My DH gets a tad more and we live in a cheap apartment and only have two kids who go to schools which are substantially lower in cost than GEMS schools. We only just get by as more than half our income goes on school fees and apartment. If we had three kids, it wouldn't be a goer. Bear in mind that fees increase substantially when kids go to secondary school. If you get housing and schooling then no problem.

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Feefmick56943

1370

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 22:57

Ps. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Gems American school was in Abu Dhabi not Dubai??

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Feefmick56943

1370

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 22:52

Google the school and you'll see the fees. I would think a villa would be at least AED10k a month. Probably more. DEWA anything from 1 to 3k a month. Broadband/tv package from aprox AED400 a month. Cars don't come cheap. We run two cars through necessity but costs AED3k a month and we don't have flash cars. Food prob similar to UK unless you buy a lot of imported stuff.

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Mollydxb

793

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 22:48

If you get housing and school allowance on top then yes. If not I just can't see how it would work.

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Feefmick56943

1370

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 September 2013 - 22:45

Unless you get schooling and housing paid then no way!! My DH gets a tad more and we live in a cheap apartment and only have two kids who go to schools which are substantially lower in cost than GEMS schools. We only just get by as more than half our income goes on school fees and apartment. If we had three kids, it wouldn't be a goer. Bear in mind that fees increase substantially when kids go to secondary school. If you get housing and schooling then no problem.

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