I have to agree with the other posts. Your housing allowance is NOT enough for the size of your family.
I am from US and have been here for 9 months now. We don't have kids but I remember looking for housing and it was a big annoying process. It's not like the US where you can just have one real estate agent helping you out. Each property has a different real estate agent representing the property, so you have to call each property you see to make an appointment. So annoying.
As far as the areas - Here is what I think from my experience and what areas we liked. We didn't want to live downtown or near any congested areas.
Mirdif - You are next to the airport, so you can hear plans landing and taking off. They go right over Mirdif area. We looked at some villas, but they were old and needed work. Not move in ready. Love the mall there, it's not a tourist mall so it's not packed. Uptown Mirdif is nice, but might be to small for your family, they are apartments. And a 2 bedroom was 125,000dhs when we looked last summer. There are nicer villas in Mirdif called Shorooq, but we couldn't ever get in to see one, as they are owned by another management company. You should inquire now about those. Just google Shorooq Mirdif, they are owned by MASAT properties. But they are expensive.
Silicon Oasis- We actually lived here for 2 months while finding an apartment and we liked it. But again the villas were expensive and we couldn't afford one. There are a couple areas with villas that are nice.
Springs and Meadows - Ok we loved the area. BUT, when we looked at the villas they were horrible inside. They are old and dirty and they do not come with appliances. That's another thing, make sure appliances come with the villa you are looking at. I think she said that area is about 10 years old.
Motor City- We live in Uptown Motor City. We really like it, we have a one bedroom apartment but there are villas here. Not sure how much. There are some huge villas on Claverton Street, maybe 3-4 bedrooms, not sure how much. There is also an area called Green Community Motor City that is next to Uptown and they have villas. We like the area because there is a lot of green areas for us and our dog. We have a nice grocery store and cafes, etc walking distance. And it's not a far drive to the Marina and downtown. There is a GEM school right behind Uptown Motor City.
I hope this helps a little. Please contact me with any other questions. It is a BIG change and I am still adjusting to living here. Now, I am trying to find a job but it is really hard because companies can hire people from other countries who are willing to work for a lot less money, so they know that Americans are expensive to hire.
Thanks, Dentro. I'm not afraid of working long hours in hospitality, as I did work long hours in the states but they paid me overtime and my salary was double what they are offering here in Dubai.
You said "sending out cvs is not efficient", so If I don't send my CV out then what do you suggest? How do I get my CV out there? I know companies don't like "walk ins." They will just refer you back to their website to summit a CV.
Thanks
Thank you all for your advise. It does help. I find these job ads very funny. I have never seen ads where they are so specific on what they want. (Nationality, age, gender, etc) In America that is illegal and it really narrows down the jobs that I can apply for. I just have to laugh when reading the job descriptions.
And yes, I do feel like companies won't even call me back for an interview because they think that I am "too expensive" because I am American. So that's why I say it could be my nationality.
I hope to find something soon.
My degree is in hotel/hospitality/tourism. I have worked the past 3 years in a hotel in the events/group housing department. But I have found that here in Dubai that industry does not pay anything near what the states pay and it is longer work hours. I have experience in administration and office management, so I am open to any position.
