Why Should You Move to Dubai?

Pros

• It’s a new adventure- living abroad can widen your cultural horizons, give you brand new experiences and change your perceptions
• It can be great financially- Dubai is tax free and salaries can be higher than in your home country
• The weather- if you’re fed up of rain and cold living in the heat can be a welcome break to that
• Safety- Dubai is a very safe place to live on the whole and a secure environment to live in
• The chance to travel- Dubai is a travel hub and it is easy to get to amazing places within 4 hours or less that would maybe be long haul from your country of origin

SEE ALSO: A guide to Dubai's red tape - what you need to know

Cons

• Dubai is an Islamic state and you have to abide by the rules- if this is something you don’t feel comfortable with or don’t want to follow then this is not the place for you
• Although Dubai is tax free there are lots of costs that you do have to pay living here that could be seen as a “tax” of sorts- Salik tolls, housing fees on your utilities bills, Emirates ID Cards etc.
• Housing can be very expensive- if your dream is to live in a villa you are probably looking at 100,000 AED plus per year
• Schooling is very expensive- in the “old” days companies used to pay all school fees- this is becoming more rare- some now pay none- some pay part. You will need to factor in this additional cost
• Relocation costs- it can cost thousands to relocate here and when you leave- is your employer going to cover this or will you have to?

Questions to ask yourself when considering a relocation are:

1. What would my/ our quality of life be like if we moved to Dubai- the same? Better?
2. How stable is the company I am going to work for? Do some research
3. Can I/ we actually afford to live there with the salary that is being offered?
4. What would I do with the house I own in my home country? Sell it? Rent it out?
5. What are my relocation expenses going to be and are they covered or can I afford them?
6. Should I visit first to check out how life would be?
7. If you have a family maybe you move first to see whether the country and job is going to be suitable
8. How easy is it going to be for I/ us to make friends?
9. Is my spouse/ family going be happy with the move?
10. How are my/ our families and friends going to feel about the move- how will I/ we feel about being away from them?

SEE ALSO: 10 things to do in your first month in Dubai

Exit Strategy

You are also going to have to think about an exit strategy- not so hard if you are moving here solo but if you are with a family there is a lot more to consider. Most people say they are coming here for 2 years but many do tend to end up staying longer!

You need to think about things from a financial point of view- can I afford to move back home, am I here to save money? how long will it take to save my goal figure? If you’ve got children you need to think about their education path- how will the move here affect them and what would the effect be at repatriation? How is the move going to affect your career path- is the move going to enhance it to enable you to get a better job in the future either in your home country or in another place?

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Moving to another country is both stressful and exciting and there will be times you think it’s the best thing you ever did and times you think it’s the worst! With a lot of soul- searching, planning and research you can anticipate issues in advance and help make the decision whether a life abroad is for you or not. Whatever you decide- commit to it whole heartedly and embrace it! Visit our forum for lots of tips and advice from people already here and others considering a move. Take Me There>>

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