Dubai salaries - how long is a piece of string? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Dubai salaries - how long is a piece of string?

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2011 - 20:37

I'd be really very grateful for your input here, Ladies.

So we're in London at the moment and DH is going to have an interview for a job in Dubai over Skype on Sunday morning. Oh I really hope that this is it for us and that we can move soon!

Anyway, so I was wondering about the salary that's on offer for the job. In the British ad here, they're offering £39,000 per year, plus car, petrol, phone, health insurance etc. Would you say that this is a reasonable salary that a family of 4 (kids are 1 & 3 years old) could live on? The £39k would translate to roughly AED230k per year ... just over AED19k per month.

As I said in the title, I do realise of course that this is a "how long is a piece of string" kind of question, as it obviously depends on how much you generally splash out & we all have different views as to what is a good quality of life. He works with video conferencing, by the way. He's a senior tech at the moment with quite a few years experience, but seems to be quite well qualified to apply for this managers position.

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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 February 2011 - 05:47
Slummy Mummy, a couple of weeks ago, the kind ladies on here helped me ratify the costs of moving to and living in Dubai on a per annum basis. We have not yet received our package from our employer and I wanted to be sure that we didn't end up out of pocket to be there since they are the ones that are offerring the position. The details are in this thread: http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=135373 Costs of moving are based on an Australian perspective so not that relevant, but the per annum costs of living in Dubai will hopefully be helpful to you. They are all in AED currency.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:53
I would have thought the whole idea of coming to Dubai to work apart from the experience would be to live in a tax free enviroment and to SAVE money I am very sorry but I defy anyone to save a good amount of money with a family here on 19k For one you would not want to compromise your living conditions against your current ones and you would I assume want a better life ?? well franky you re not going to do that on 19k !!! JMHO tax free living, where? lol
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:52
Sorry Slummy Mummy have to agree with everyone here as a single you might make it but with no housing and 4 kids you would be insane to agree to that. Seriously 4 sets of school fees alone could cost you that here. Housing minimum 150000 needed. With a family of 6 to feed be looking at near on 7 k per month minimum. No No No if u read its not 4 kids only 2! so you have saved 50% already lol <em>edited by busybee2 on 18/02/2011</em>
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:38
I've read this thread but am still not clear about what the OP is getting and isn't getting to go with this salary. OP it is CRUCIAL that all of these things are clear in advance and written down: every detail - when they say "health insurance" - what do they mean? For all of you? Only your husband? Levels? You don't know if housing is included? Schools? Sorry it's all a bit confusing.. Do not listen to all the talk about "it will all be sorted out"or whatever - they love to do that here. They tell you what you want to hear! No offence to your DH but there are masses of people out here looking for jobs and in your dh's line of business there are masses of great IT geeks from India who will work for much less. Many companies here are still trying to tempt people to the gold paved streets of Dubai and they do find that there are many and they can offer fairly mundane deals. There ARE many hidden costs to living here and huge start up costs. You mention getting excited about free zones and starting up a business - there are well established companies here going down the pan right now! Dubai is in a shocking state and the whole "setting up a business" thing is fraught with red tape and cost after cost. If you have to work in the UK at least you are secure in the knowledge that you can get after and before school clubs and care as well as free schooling and medical.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:33
In addition to the 210K per year, I would be looking for: Schooling : all fees paid in full or 60K per child/year Utilities allowance: 5K per month Housing allowance: at least 15k per month (ideally the company would secure housing and pay the rent directly so you don't need to dip into your savings... and if you leave, you won't be held personally liable for the rent...) Relocation covered 100% I think you could manage well on this what planet r u living on...! people are lucky to have a job even in this climate in this country. 5k per month utilities what are you sponsoring the tennis stadium and have an olympic sized swimming pool in your house! you will find now a lot of companies do an all in package because they do not want to be landed with renting houses when they havent got the people in them. and even if you live in a provided property by your company you may still be liable for the rent if you left etc. ...lol.. i hear you bb.. it is a lot of money in comparison to many workers here... What I factored in here was that the OP is coming from London to Dubai so I would expect that like Philly mentioned, compromised living conditions would have to be factored in... I'd want to clear at least 19K per month to leave London... Also, if the kids are sick, will insurance cover everything like back home? Anyhoo, I know quite a few people who have packages well in excess of what I suggested here and they ain't exactly living the high life. Also, was not kidding about utilities, when you factor in the housing fee, DEWA and district cooling (if applicable), this is a reality. yeh was forgetting the housing fee, which we dont yet have in ad, but of course we just have to pay more in rent in the first place.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:11
Also, was not kidding about utilities, when you factor in the housing fee, DEWA and district cooling (if applicable), this is a reality. Where exactly? What sort of property? You have to be talking about large villas running the AC 24/7 in summer, watering the garden for an hour a day and chilling a swimming pool. We live in a large 2-bed place in New Dubai and pay about 500-600 dhs per month DEWA, including the housing fee. We are 4 bed plus maid and irrigation system and never exceed 2000 at the height of the Summer - currently 800 - 900 dhs.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:08
The housing fee is a monthly 'tax' applied by DEWA (electric & water) and is worked out as 5% of your annual rent split over the year.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:08
Housing fee is just another name for the Municipality Fee. It's a tax on expats (locals don't pay it) charged monthly on your DEWA bill. Supposedly it pays for Municipality services like street cleaning etc. All expats are supposed to pay it but the billing system is a mess and so some people get charged and others don't.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 22:03
Also, was not kidding about utilities, when you factor in the housing fee, DEWA and district cooling (if applicable), this is a reality.We live in a large 2-bed place in New Dubai and pay about 500-600 dhs per month DEWA, including the housing fee. Excuse my ignorance Edna, but what's a housing fee? Is it like a monthly levy? What does that cover?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 21:53
Also, was not kidding about utilities, when you factor in the housing fee, DEWA and district cooling (if applicable), this is a reality. Where exactly? What sort of property? You have to be talking about large villas running the AC 24/7 in summer, watering the garden for an hour a day and chilling a swimming pool. We live in a large 2-bed place in New Dubai and pay about 500-600 dhs per month DEWA, including the housing fee.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 21:32
In addition to the 210K per year, I would be looking for: Schooling : all fees paid in full or 60K per child/year Utilities allowance: 5K per month Housing allowance: at least 15k per month (ideally the company would secure housing and pay the rent directly so you don't need to dip into your savings... and if you leave, you won't be held personally liable for the rent...) Relocation covered 100% I think you could manage well on this what planet r u living on...! people are lucky to have a job even in this climate in this country. 5k per month utilities what are you sponsoring the tennis stadium and have an olympic sized swimming pool in your house! you will find now a lot of companies do an all in package because they do not want to be landed with renting houses when they havent got the people in them. and even if you live in a provided property by your company you may still be liable for the rent if you left etc. ...lol.. i hear you bb.. it is a lot of money in comparison to many workers here... What I factored in here was that the OP is coming from London to Dubai so I would expect that like Philly mentioned, compromised living conditions would have to be factored in... I'd want to clear at least 19K per month to leave London... Also, if the kids are sick, will insurance cover everything like back home? Anyhoo, I know quite a few people who have packages well in excess of what I suggested here and they ain't exactly living the high life. Also, was not kidding about utilities, when you factor in the housing fee, DEWA and district cooling (if applicable), this is a reality.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 21:28
If everything, and I mean everything else, is paid for, house, school, health insurance, car, maid, utilities etc etc and 19k is just for food and drink it's plenty isn't it?
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 21:18
I would have thought the whole idea of coming to Dubai to work apart from the experience would be to live in a tax free enviroment and to SAVE money I am very sorry but I defy anyone to save a good amount of money with a family here on 19k For one you would not want to compromise your living conditions against your current ones and you would I assume want a better life ?? well franky you re not going to do that on 19k !!! JMHO its not all about money, we arrived on these shores before anyone really had heard of the uae, and it defo wasnt for the money, most to experience a different culture etc. Right, and that's not the reality of moving to the ME now is it? Lets get real about this, the jails are full of expats who got into debt and are still getting into debt, inflation has sent prices sky rocketing, it costs a small fortune to set up here as everything is in advance, job security is as secure as a chocolate tea pot, there is no Social security, NHS or loans if you get into trouble. Anyone coming needs to come with their eyes wide open and have some financial acumen and back up plans in place, to say it's not all about money is great when you have some money in the bank as a fall back. thats not what i said, but yes it is expensive here, abu dhabi is 6th most in the world, dubai is a lot lot cheaper for rent which is a big factor. and i know that there are alot of people here who borrow beyond their means, but then people should be more responsible and not borrow to pay off one card to pay off another one. you have to be sensible, because you could be moved on at short notice, whether its the company or anything else that may happen here. and i will say again its not all about money, if you figures add up then surely in some cases people prefer to live here than the uk for eg.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 21:13
In addition to the 210K per year, I would be looking for: Schooling : all fees paid in full or 60K per child/year Utilities allowance: 5K per month Housing allowance: at least 15k per month (ideally the company would secure housing and pay the rent directly so you don't need to dip into your savings... and if you leave, you won't be held personally liable for the rent...) Relocation covered 100% I think you could manage well on this what planet r u living on...! people are lucky to have a job even in this climate in this country. 5k per month utilities what are you sponsoring the tennis stadium and have an olympic sized swimming pool in your house! you will find now a lot of companies do an all in package because they do not want to be landed with renting houses when they havent got the people in them. and even if you live in a provided property by your company you may still be liable for the rent if you left etc.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 20:50
In addition to the 210K per year, I would be looking for: Schooling : all fees paid in full or 60K per child/year Utilities allowance: 5K per month Housing allowance: at least 15k per month (ideally the company would secure housing and pay the rent directly so you don't need to dip into your savings... and if you leave, you won't be held personally liable for the rent...) Relocation covered 100% I think you could manage well on this
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 20:39
I m sorry its not enough in the current climate prices have goen through the roof goodness knows what inflation is at - we all compare the price of food regularly Schools put up theur fees without a thought - redundancies are an every day occcurance Nope I wouldn t be doing it for sure ! I agree.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 20:35
You also need to consider the expense of actually moving. Even if the company pays for absolutely everything, there will be things you will need to buy. For example, you currently have an iron, but it is the [b'>wrong electricity [/b'>- so you will need to buy a new iron, or a transformer or at least the plugs to put your iron into the wall. And all new kitchen things - you don't bring your cleaning supplies, probably or your spices - all that adds up. My mom once decided to leave everything that she thought she could replace for a dollar or two - ended up costing her a fortune. You may think moving won't cost anything, but it will. And then, the cost of moving back is even higher. You will have [b'>given up your current house, [/b'>so if you move back, you'll need to stay in a hotel or with family while you look for a new place. You'll need to buy a new car, perhaps or some new furniture. Probably new clothes, since you'll be switching climates, etc. People don't often take into consideration all the miscellaneous costs of setting up home in a foreign country - and the costs of moving back that eat up so much of their savings. All our plugs fit.. and we still have our home in the UK..We shipped out a fair amount of personal stuff and things for the home but it's true that the first few months of setting up can be a bit of a money pit... Plus, even though the company pay for stuff you still need to have cash up front and claim it back.... I think if we were already in a tight financial position we'd have to think carefully about how the move and first few months will be funded.. Good luck whatever you decide :)
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 20:18
I m sorry its not enough in the current climate prices have goen through the roof goodness knows what inflation is at - we all compare the price of food regularly Schools put up theur fees without a thought - redundancies are an every day occcurance Nope I wouldn t be doing it for sure !
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 20:04
You also need to consider the expense of actually moving. Even if the company pays for absolutely everything, there will be things you will need to buy. For example, you currently have an iron, but it is the wrong electricity - so you will need to buy a new iron, or a transformer or at least the plugs to put your iron into the wall. And all new kitchen things - you don't bring your cleaning supplies, probably or your spices - all that adds up. My mom once decided to leave everything that she thought she could replace for a dollar or two - ended up costing her a fortune. You may think moving won't cost anything, but it will. And then, the cost of moving back is even higher. You will have given up your current house, so if you move back, you'll need to stay in a hotel or with family while you look for a new place. You'll need to buy a new car, perhaps or some new furniture. Probably new clothes, since you'll be switching climates, etc. People don't often take into consideration all the miscellaneous costs of setting up home in a foreign country - and the costs of moving back that eat up so much of their savings.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 19:58
We're a family of 4 and live off that salary a Month we have schooling and housing covered and that's it. We pay for our own car, petrol, phone, tv, internet, DEWA, tickets and health insurance. We have a fab life go on holidays and out for meals. I think the package is a good package, just make sure they give you schooling, housing and you'll be fine on 19k
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 18:46
For a family with school-age children, I think living on 20k dirhams per month is absolutely do-able if you have all or most of your expenses paid for (school, housing and utilities). So much depends on your lifestyle and plans for the future (after reading some of the posts here, it obviously greatly differs from family to family). A family of 4 (as described by the OP) can easily live in a 2 bedroom apartment in several areas. Schooling isn't an issue for another 2 years (especially if the OP doesn't want/need to work). Even if you get a promise in writing for education allowance, who knows what the company policy will be in 2 years. I think the scariest thing about moving here is [b'>job security[/b'>. It seems to affect all industries and positions...and can come as a total surprise. That may be true anywhere you live, but when you are uprooting your family to another country it can be a daily stress. Imagine your DH loses his job, has his (and the family's) visa cancelled and you have 30 days to leave the country. Well what if your children are in the middle of a school term, you don't have the funds saved to move back and rent a place on such short notice, etc. Having said that, I have loved the experience of living here. I hope we are here for as long as we have planned to be here.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 18:27
I think if the salary/benefits are equivalent between the home country and Dubai, you would expect to be paid quite a bit more to be worth your while coming here. Call it a risk premium if you like. To put it another way, would you actually pay (i.e. be out of pocket) for the benefits of the experience of living in Dubai, or would you only consider leaving your comfort zone to come here if someone pays you to come here. JMHO of course.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 18:18
I would have thought the whole idea of coming to Dubai to work apart from the experience would be to live in a tax free enviroment and to SAVE money I am very sorry but I defy anyone to save a good amount of money with a family here on 19k For one you would not want to compromise your living conditions against your current ones and you would I assume want a better life ?? well franky you re not going to do that on 19k !!! JMHO its not all about money, we arrived on these shores before anyone really had heard of the uae, and it defo wasnt for the money, most to experience a different culture etc. Right, and that's not the reality of moving to the ME now is it? Lets get real about this, the jails are full of expats who got into debt and are still getting into debt, inflation has sent prices sky rocketing, it costs a small fortune to set up here as everything is in advance, job security is as secure as a chocolate tea pot, there is no Social security, NHS or loans if you get into trouble. Anyone coming needs to come with their eyes wide open and have some financial acumen and back up plans in place, to say it's not all about money is great when you have some money in the bank as a fall back.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 18:04
I would have thought the whole idea of coming to Dubai to work apart from the experience would be to live in a tax free enviroment and to SAVE money I am very sorry but I defy anyone to save a good amount of money with a family here on 19k For one you would not want to compromise your living conditions against your current ones and you would I assume want a better life ?? well franky you re not going to do that on 19k !!! JMHO its not all about money, we arrived on these shores before anyone really had heard of the uae, and it defo wasnt for the money, most to experience a different culture etc.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 17:43
That link is really useful, thanks a lot Paris. Limonia yes, this is exactly what DH & I have been discussing - that it might turn out to be a lot more about the lifestyle in the end than anything else that makes us move. Perhaps after a year or so I'll start working myself and then things are bound to look better for us financially. Ess & Hooters ... thanks for your comments but really, our passport situation is hardly any of your concern. You do not know any of our circumstances and I do not feel the need to explain myself to you either. Such snide comments is just so unnecessary. <em>edited by Slummy Mummy on 18/02/2011</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 14:32
Thanks so much for all your input guys. I made my husband read all of your replies last night & will ask him to read it again this evening. It's really helping us. Well a bit of background about us ... We're South Africans who have been living in London for 10 years now, so we have both SA & British passports. We're applying as Brits, although obviously we don't have the accent to match. And we're both Caucasian. At the moment we're living in a small 2 bed house (DS has his own room & baby is still in the room with us) and I have to say, we're struggling financially. Not massively, but we really do have to cut a lot of corners to get by on DH's salary alone. If we don't move to Dubai & things look better there financially (even slightly) then I will have to return to work pretty soon here. We've never lived a very extravagant life, but I would really like to save a bit along the way if we can. I've also been reading about the free zones in Dubai, which has really sparked my interest. I have a few entrepeneurial ideas which I'm hoping would take off. Got yourselves British Passports and are now off....exactly my thoughts. ho hum.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 14:30
Thanks so much for all your input guys. I made my husband read all of your replies last night & will ask him to read it again this evening. It's really helping us. Well a bit of background about us ... We're South Africans who have been living in London for 10 years now, so we have both SA & British passports. We're applying as Brits, although obviously we don't have the accent to match. And we're both Caucasian. At the moment we're living in a small 2 bed house (DS has his own room & baby is still in the room with us) and I have to say, we're struggling financially. Not massively, but we really do have to cut a lot of corners to get by on DH's salary alone. If we don't move to Dubai & things look better there financially (even slightly) then I will have to return to work pretty soon here. We've never lived a very extravagant life, but I would really like to save a bit along the way if we can. I've also been reading about the free zones in Dubai, which has really sparked my interest. I have a few entrepeneurial ideas which I'm hoping would take off. Got yourselves British Passports and are now off....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 14:23
Salary of 19 000 AED per month is much better than average salary in Europe, even in Western Europe average salaries aren't more than 2k or 3k euro per month and AED 19 000 is about 4k and tax free You're not comparing like with like, though. Salaries here might be tax-free but unless you are lucky enough to work for one of the ever-shrinking number of companies that pays full housing and school fees, you have to be putting your hand in your pocket much more here than you would in Europe. Remember, paying tax every month means you don't have to be writing big cheques for things like school fees every term. We know many many people in Dubai who will candidly say that after they have paid all their essential outgoings every month, they are not really any better off than they would have been back home, which makes living in Dubai more about the lifestyle than the money. The people we know who are doing best here finanacially are either single, or families whose companies pay for everything. <em>edited by edna.welthorpe on 18/02/2011</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 12:20
Thanks so much for all your input guys. I made my husband read all of your replies last night & will ask him to read it again this evening. It's really helping us. Well a bit of background about us ... We're South Africans who have been living in London for 10 years now, so we have both SA & British passports. We're applying as Brits, although obviously we don't have the accent to match. And we're both Caucasian. At the moment we're living in a small 2 bed house (DS has his own room & baby is still in the room with us) and I have to say, we're struggling financially. Not massively, but we really do have to cut a lot of corners to get by on DH's salary alone. If we don't move to Dubai & things look better there financially (even slightly) then I will have to return to work pretty soon here. We've never lived a very extravagant life, but I would really like to save a bit along the way if we can. I've also been reading about the free zones in Dubai, which has really sparked my interest. I have a few entrepeneurial ideas which I'm hoping would take off.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2011 - 12:14
Hi, http://****-free.com/dubai-expat/cost-of-living-in-dubai-in-euro-dollars-gbp-aed/ "oops, the word c*r*a*p was not accepted", just fill in this word to the **** here is a link that I reckon very usefull to have a rough idea of cost of living in Dubai. I found it quite realistic but like the admin wrote, you also have to add the school fees for children + extra for after school activites , health insurance, pension fund for retirement... Hope it could help, Good luck! <em>edited by Paris6 on 18/02/2011</em>
 
 

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