Hi Mummymidwife
I have not lived in Dubai although im a 1hrs drive from there so not sure about there. In Abu Dhabi there are tons of clinics and hospitals. I remember my mum being so surprised seeing so many! But im sure Dubai has more.
As for schools, before it was extremely difficult to get in but due to more schools been built it is alot easier. Expats can only go to International schools (I assume these are considered private) which i think is the majority of schools here. They do have alot of British curriculum schools here, as well as American. My daughter did an interview/test for Al Yasmina school (British) and got in but my son didnt (he has some learning difficulties so i am homeschooling him). Because of location and her friends I ended up sending her to the Canadian school which she loves. School fees for Canadian, British and American schools which has mostly their native teachers teaching, range from 45000-about 80000 p/a!
The newer schools are on the higher end but ill say average is 50000 (all dirhams). There are other cheaper schools but they do the Indian curriculum.
Alot of expats get their kids education paid for by the company as part of their package. My husband got this as we wouldnt of been able to come here if they didnt offer it due to affordability.
So depending on where you end up living, you can choose the school accordingly.
If you have more questions feel free to ask or if you want to chat privately you can send me your info.
All the best on your new adventure.
Hi.
Sorry no one has responded yet. I find this forum for Abu Dhabi a bit quiet but the other one specifically for Abu Dhabi gets more responses.
I moved to Abu Dhabi 2yrs ago and didnt get much help with where was best to stay. I too have a dog, and 2 kids, currently 13 and 17. After looking at several areas, by far Al Reef Villas was and still is my best choice. It is a massive compound divided into 4 'villages of villa" and in the centre of it is the apartments. Apartments are 1-3 bedrooms with a balcony and villas are 2-5beds with a small yard. I am living in a 5bed which comes with a pool but am moving to the 3bed apartment still within the compound. The 5bed has become too big for me to maintain and we looking as reducing costs.
The draw for this place is that it has a great sense of community here and ideal for kids (and dogs). There are pools and parks and you always see kids and family outside have picnics, jogging and walking their dogs.
I always got told Al Reef is far.....far from what i would ask? But realise its only far (about 30mins) from central Abu Dhabi (the city part) which we rarely go to. Weare situated a mere 10 minutes from all the tourist attractions (waterworld, Yasmall etc) and within our compound there are restaurants and takeaways. My kids school is about 15kms from us too.
Other compounds like Al Raha gardens are also popular with expats. Go onto apps like dubizzle to see the villas and price ranges. If you need to be in the city, then central Abu Dhabi will need to be your choice where there are mostly apartments.
Sorry for the long message. Hope it helped and feel free to ask anything. I think sometimes people forget we were all newbies at some stage.
