derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 15:02

I agree

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:42

LOL... flapping arm syndrome! generally, kids get worse as they get older...... Wait till she's walking!

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:39

Oh OK. would be cool if they did resurrect the other. It was so nice

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:33

in the old location?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:31

That's ridiculous. If outside, PE should be first slot in the morning in this heat. My DS' school are doing swimming right now for 6 weeks which is perfect. once the temps drop, they will introduce all the other sports again. <em>edited by derien on 28/09/2011</em>

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 16:14

Why don't you just leave some water outside so he doesn't bother you?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 13:27

The salon in DIFC will soon close down as they are charging rediculous prices for below average service.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 13:17

I know my mental health has suffered here!

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 12:38

I spent a 190 AED on a blow-wave at T&G DIFC the other day and it was awful plus she burnt my head three times. I won't go back it's a rip off

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 20:23

I would wait till he's asleep then text the girlfriend proposing A secret meeting and if she turns up, your friend would have her proof

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 15:57

Thanks for the replies. In my opinion it would not be appropriate to ask the teacher to send a reminder email, however I dont think it should be a problem to ask for the parents contact numbers. I can always get it from the office as otherwise I have no way of contacting parents. My big worry is not if kids show up as I am catering for extra loot bags 9not even thinking about food right now) but I am worried about no one coming. Poor DS is really looking fwd to the party. Just to let you know that in most schools in Dubai, a class list with parent's email address is circulated at the beginning of the year and most teachers would not mind sending out a little reminder " Such and such's Mum needs a reply to Such and such's birthday". Most teachers are very obliging if you ask them nicely.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 15:10

First, you need to make sure that people got the invitation. So I'd check with the teacher to make sure she hasn't forgotten. Then you need to get the class contact list and sms or call each parent to see if coming. Yes, done that way all the time here! Must be different in Qatar Yeah, I saw that it was a foreign country, but I figured basic party rules must be universal, no? Apparently not :\:

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 15:09

derien - Thanks, I've just spoken to a lawyer (well regarded on here) and she has told me the same as we have Wills in both countries. However, it would be better if the money was offshore, but as I said, that's not how it is at the moment. I hope everything works out OK for you. xxx

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 15:06

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 14:26

Can you ask the teacher to send a reminder email?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 14:24

Simple answer. If he dies and everything is left to you under the will, you could get a court order to liquidate the account, even if you don't have the log-in details. You just need to know which bank it is being held in. This is presuming ( and I know you said no comments about your state of relationship) that he is not sending the money elsewhere once it's in the e-saver account.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:10

I would go staight to the hospital. That isn't good

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:03

How can he take it out of the joint account without your signature? Whay would he do that anyway if you are not a signatory on the other account?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 08:44

is it the one with Sandra Bullock?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 16:05

235K to live right on SZR!!!!!!! OMG

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 13:32

DH called him and offered a refund of 4 months rent instead of 5. He said he will call the company and ask. Guess what ?They said no! WTF?? Sorry I'm lost! What do you mean by this? That the company won't waive the 4 month's penalty he will pay to you for breaking the lease from what he owes on departure?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 12:48

So how did they manage to open it without the licenses then?...... I thought it was acceptable or even legal here to operate while the license application is under review?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 12:38

Sorry but in other parts of the world, I am sure you could find a qualified tutor of any subject for less than 250 AED per hour! That equates to 68 USD!!!!!! no way would it cost that much. Also, many of the language tutors here are Mums looking for a little extra cash. Not even qualified. <em>edited by derien on 22/09/2011</em>

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 11:57

Is it not normal practice for a company who are taking on a new employee to have a probationary period of 3 or 6 months? If it is, would the company take the risk of handing over a whole years rent to their new employee without first checking out if he is any good or not? I would have thought that if they were going to pay a large sum of money out up front that they would have made the agreement with the LL as at least then they have control should things go wrong with the employee. And playing devil's advocate here, what if he was fired due to gross misconduct? Seeing as that he wrote the cheque out and signed the contract, what if the company actually gave him more than AED 65,000 but he chose somewhere cheaper so that he could keep the rest, and now by breaking the contract he wants the LL to sign accepting the responsibility of reimbursing the company? There is no way would I be signing anything if I were the LL. Another problem I have is, if he owes the company money that they gave him in advance, how was he able to leave the country to go on holiday for 3 weeks, would his company not have taken his passport in order to cancel the visa? Has he been fired or is he doing a runner and trying to land the LL in deep trouble if she signs taking responsibility for his debt? If I were the LL I would be getting all the legal advice I could get before agreeing to do anything. Good point

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 September 2011 - 11:41

Language teacher... 250AEd for an hour.. What? That is outreageous.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 22:10

And this is why in any other normal westernized forward thinking country, rent is paid monthly :\:

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 20:56

If the company gave him money up front then made him redundant a few months later, the company ought to cover the cost of the penalty for breaking the tenancy contract. The company I work for would do the right thing

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 20:50

Thanks. Will try all these places cheers

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 16:54

Polly, our posts must have crossed.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 16:53

OSN channel on a Friday night. Not sure what time. Maybe 8pm or 8.30pm

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 16:16

Hi ladies, We are in process to buy a house and would need a good expert to come and do a full survey of the house such as structural, plumbing, electricity, A/C... Could anyone advise me for a good person/company please. I'll be grateful TIA Sorry can't help but I think you are definitely doing the right thing before buying here

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 16:15

That stupid rat's tail thing has been all the rage amongst boys and men for at least the last 20 years in Geneva. Prefer a full-blown pony-tail on a man, myself, if they've got to do it at all. Haha. It made me think of the time we took the kids to Signal de Bougy on a Sunday afternoon and every little boy from the Canton de Vaud had one. Arghhhh I hate them

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 15:51

These poor maids get paid 8 dhs a hour and the agency takes the rest of it! and for small damages that the maid did yes its there fault but they will prob have a whole salary taken from them which they prob make 1,200 a month if that! so i think its pretty un fair that you make a complaint. accidents happen but if only you knew how these maids get treated she should have said she did something wrong but they are too scared to say because they might lose there jobs.. put yourself in there place wth - sorry but the company is insured..... and maids are generally not careful with other people's things as they have no accountability...... to rip plaster of wall takes force - its not an accident at all. regardless if the company is insured or not you should have informed the maid before she left and got her to give you a explaination.. i understand you are fuming but im sure its not going to cost you a fortune to fix it.. these girls get paidd peanuts and im sure 50 dhs IF that will cost you to fix it thats not going to make a big hole in your bank account but to these girls it will.... I have lived here long enough to know how these girls get treated and they are terrified. If these maids are generally not carefull with other people's things and if you already know that then why ask them to come in the clean your house!!!! The whole point of my post is that I didn't know about the damage before the maid left. Otherwise I would have mentioned it but not pursued it any further. I understand accidents happen and would not expect her to personally pay for it. I didn't initialy ring the agency to make a complaint but to ask what is their policy regarding damages & was under the impression they would have insurance. This is the second time I have used a cleaning agency here so was not aware of damage being a common occurance. I understand what you are saying regarding their salaries and fear of losing their job etc, I have been in the middle east for almost 4 years (just new to Dubai) and I don't want to see anyone get into trouble but there does need to be some level of responsibility on the maids part or the companies part when something like this happens. I had already decided when they ring me back to let them know I don't want any compensation (if they offer) as I don't want her to have to pay from her own pocket but I do hope they inform the maid to tell someone next time she damages something. edited by EJC on 21/09/2011 edited by EJC on 21/09/2011 It does sound as if she has been rather rough with your furniture though. Perhaps by rushing her work, she is causing damage. I still think it should be reported.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 15:46

That is the toughest question in the world as it's different in each race, culture, region etc... BTW - That poney tail if so awful. The poor boy

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 12:00

Blimey, what a rip off. I have an Oxford educated Dr of science tutor my child in the UK. She charges £20 per hour. Why are Dubai tutors charging over £30 for 45 minutes ? Wow, that is a good deal

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 10:32

No, not christmas holidays Im talking about annual leave of 30 days which DH is trying to use to visit family. DH's company won't let managers take 30 days all in one go (which is the norm here) too long to be away from work. Suits us fine as prefer odd week or two breaks but could also be a reason it's being refused. But this is not what she is saying. There is a blanket refusal of all leave applications across the company. They are also trying to hold passports. Sounds like an awful company to work for

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 10:25

When is Eid in November? and simpleasabc, what has this got to do with getting an Emirates ID? No idea, Mrs Orchid, just that you seem to be having one problem after another, why not at least get the Emirates ID aspect fixed so you don't have to worry about that? I wouldn't bother getting an ID card with what's going on. Sounds like the company is in trouble and need to finish work to get paid......

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 09:34

Do you work? can you use your company's PRO to go there in person and get the answers you need?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 09:25

That's what I thought. Not really an emergency of huge proportions. Whay don't you just give the Embassy a call

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 09:17

Can't you tell us why?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 September 2011 - 09:16

I was banned in a previous life ( Might I add for no reason at all) and all my posts are still there under my username

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 14:27

Have you actually seen a copy of the POA between the agency and the LL? Who did you hand the cheques to? Agency or LL? If it is what i fear, it's the agency that has scr*wed you in which case your DH should be asking for copies of that POA or filing a case with thew police against the said agency Yes we have seen the POA copy and have the passport copies etc. the LL actually bought the property from the agency . We handed the cheques to the agency and they say they still have the cheques in the safe and that the POA has not been in to collect them. We have given the agency fee in cash and have all the reciepts. I dont feel its the agency thats at fault, I believe the LL is just an ass. OK . Well you have not lost any money and that's the main thing. I'm sure the agency will find you another place ASAP and you can put your stuff into storage until you are ready to move.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 14:16

Thanks ladies, yes we used an agent and DH is on his way there now. DH signed the monthly cheques and deposit and paid the agency fee. Then signed the contract - the power of attorney for the LL I believe also signed it. DH actually called the LL directly and said he was going to lodge a complaint at the police station , the LL said "go on then"" and put the phone down?! - What a lovely creature ey? If the agent has something else that we can move in tomorrow we will just take it and thank-god we dont have to deal with that LL again. Will see what DH ends up doing in an hour once there... As long as the cheques have not been cashed then I would not bother with RERA or the police. The LL has showed you his true self, I would steer clear of him. This is how he will behave in the future. I know it's not a good predicament but move back the movers and get the new stuff held at the shop. Best of luck. edited by long on 20/09/2011 Yes and make sure the agency give you back the deposit and the agency fees pronto

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 14:14

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:53

To be fair, she was lovely to the baby in all other ways. LO had a bad rash that kept appearing around his mouth, and they couldnt figure out what it was. They put up cameras which the nanny was aware of to see if their LO was eating something he was allergic to & found the toe sucking instead. Their nanny thought it was normal. the rash was from under her nails. Normal, she thought it was normal? I just cant beleive that.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:50

Thanks Derien, got number, will call her, who is she? Can you recommend her? She comes recommended from my maid ( they are friends) and my maid is fantastic. I was recruiting her for one of the Senior Executives in our office but they ended up taking someone else as the timing was off. So I have met her and she is Good.

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:47

Did you use an agency? Has the LL given you back the cheques?

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:46

We were meant to get the keys today to our villa, we have signed the cheques and agreement . The landlord then says he has rented it out to someone else and they are moving in next week! We even waited so we could get the villa we wanted as there was some construction to be finished, which was completed a few days ago. All the movers are arranged , we have furniture being delivered from various shops tomorrow... I am reeling ! If you have copies of the cheques you handed over and the agreement with his signature, I would be heading straight to the Dubai Police Station

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:40

My Mum does but it really can only be used in small doses and you cant go in the sun straight after use. not sure which brand

RATE IT

derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 September 2011 - 13:31

I too dislike the materialistic aspect of reward but also feel sorry for the teacher if she/he has to resort to these tactics of bribery that will in all reality only work for a short period of time anyway. I think the parents are also alot to blame here - we've all seen the behaviour of Arabic children at one time or another and it leaves alot to be desired. Only a few weeks ago I (Brit) along with several other people (local) witnessed a girl aged approx 7/8 yrs old, beating her nanny with a cane ! I will admit I did watch her do this a few times just because I wasn't sure if it was actually happening or she was playing ! She wasn't playing ! The poor nanny was terrified and this child continued to beat her with no intervention from her elders ! It was actually myself that took the cane from the girl and told her off - the girls mother just looked on ! If these children are being allowed to grow up behaving like this it's not suprising they are disruptive and difficult to control in school. A good teacher in a school with a decent behaviour management policy will have no trouble, even with children such as you describe. There is no excuse for the bribery the OP describes (assuming of course that her child's version is accurate ;) ). Even saying, 'that's the way the teachers were taught...so it's a vicious cycle' is an excuse. The problem is probably more likely to be that many of the Arabic 'teachers' have no education qualifications at all. Yes you are right . I dont think it's an excuse

RATE IT