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Tallybalt

Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 April 2017 - 13:27
You need to find out if your building is chiller free or not. Sarah lives in the Greens and the entire Greens, as is often the case with Emaar, is "chiller free" because the building has an internal a/c unit that is paid for by landlord through his maintenance fees. The tenants do not pay a separate a/c charge, nor is the electricity consumed by the a/c included in the tenant's DEWA bill. Sometimes the summer dewa bills may seem to be higher but that is often more a reflection of different energy usage in the summer months compared to the winter months, and not because of a/c usages. Other areas like JLT are almost all entirely district cooling, where the tenant has a separate A/C account and pays a minimum monthly or quarterly charge, plus the actual monthly usage. The Marina is almost entirely "chiller free" as is Downtown, while Business Bay is almost entirely district cooling. Motor City is district cooling. Sports City is chiller free. Buildings along Sheikh Zayed tend to be chiller free. Find out from your agent / building management what system the building falls into. If it's a district cooling building then your annual a/c usage charges will probably be around 6,000 for a 1-bedroom if what I hear from others is accurate.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 March 2017 - 12:26
We lived in Umm Suqeim for nearly nine years before leaving Dubai last year. I would not wanted to have lived anywhere else except adjoining Jumeirah. Why? We could walk to the beaches, I had seven supermarkets within ten minutes' drive, including Spinneys, Waitrose, Union Coop and Choithram, and I could even walk to the Spinneys. 10-15 minutes to Dubai Mall and Mall of Emirates. So many little cafes and restaurants within easy reach. The school was a bit further afield in Al Barsha but still within a reasonable drive, and DH's office in DIFC was also only 15-20 minutes away. If you are looking at JI or Meadows, then your budget will also allow you to look at Umm Suqeim. The housing stock varies greatly and while the overall area is not quite as groomed as a master planned community, we liked the mixed character of villas and compounds and mini palaces, locals and expats. Many families with kids. It really is a lovely part of Dubai to live in.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 March 2017 - 13:25
Try the World Trade Centre hotel apartments on Sheikh Zayed Road. They allow pets and offer monthly leases. The other area that seems to offers monthly leases and which are not hotel apartments are many apartments / studios in Discovery Gardens. I'm sure you'll find a landlord willing to allow pets.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2016 - 16:23
There are plenty of rug shops in the UK and the auction houses are flooded with good quality Persian / Middle Eastern / Turkish rugs. I find the prices in the UK much more reasonable than what I found in Dubai and Sharjah, which we found rather expensive for what you were getting. I also like the range available in the UK much better. Most rugs available in the UAE are the newer Persians, which are quite flowery and not to my taste. I much prefer the older, more tribal Persians, which are not woven any more for the most part. I talked to a local dealer in the UK about rugs and he says the domestic market in the UK does not respond positively to Persian rugs these days, unlike in the past, and if they do want to buy a rug, it's almost always the older tribal rugs like Heriz or Malayers. There's actually low demand for rugs in the UK so many dealers are struggling as people want clean, light and modern interiors these days. The only people buying the new flowery Persians are Middle Eastern expats or people of Middle Eastern heritage who now live in the UK.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 August 2016 - 10:40
Your package works out to just about 36,000 AED a month. People in Dubai quote their incomes monthly rather than yearly. It is not a brilliant package or even a comfortable package but a doable package for a family of three with one baby. These are your expenses, based on what you described as your requirements: 3-bedroom villa for 180,000 AED yearly 2 cars (a variable but assuming you take out loans or rent): 4,000 a month for two midrange cars, or 48,000 a year. Utilities (varies, of course but let's average 2,000 a month for the villa): 24,000 AED 5% housing tax (payable divided into 12 months): 9,000 AED Internet/TV package: 6,000 a year for a basic one. So far you are spending 267,000 AED Day to day living expenses including groceries, petrol, light lunches out, coffees at Starbucks, cheap takeaways (many variables, of course): 2,000 a week for a modest lifestyle = 102,000 AED across the year. Now we're up to 369,000 AED for the year. The remainder is 61,000 AED, out of which you will need to pay for car insurance, minor repairs, clothing, any holidays, any topping up of health insurance and so forth. A nice meal out for a couple with one or two drinks each at a pleasant restaurant can easily cost 3-400 AED. As you can imagine, you will probably end up spending almost all of it and finish the year with minimal savings. As you can see, it's so easy to spend your entire income just on having a quiet, albeit still decently comfortable life in Dubai. But when the time comes for nursery, will you have the money for the fees? You can pay the fees, but there goes the holidays. Then school starts and you're even in a worse position. What people in your position do is primarily live in flats. Find a comfortable 2-bedroom apartment for 120,000. Your housing tax will only be 6,000 AED. Your utilities will be in the hundreds rather than the thousands. Live in the Marina and avoid a second car. Avoid shopping at Spinneys or Waitrose and buy all your food at Carrefour and you'll save a bit more. Now you can live comfortably enough and save money even with a nice holiday or two each year. Or you accept that you will save no money and treat the next few years as a holiday and plan on leaving Dubai before your baby is old enough for school. Or you can decide to look for a job after taking a year or two off. Working part time is not common and you still need someone to look after your baby so you hire a maid after all, which eats up much of your part time income. So most people end up taking a full time position. DH always used to say that 50,000 AED a month was the benchmark for a family in the UAE wanting a nice middle class western lifestyle. Above that you can live comfortably and save money. Below that (in the 40s) you can live comfortably but not save any money. This is assuming you have school or nursery fees to pay. As you are setting on the path of having a family with possibly future babies, this is something you need to be aware of in the long run.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 June 2016 - 16:05
Any recommendations for specific areas in the Greens please? Greens is quite small so there isn't a specific area of the Greens to live in versus other areas. The division in the Greens is between the low-rise apartment blocks, which are plainer and more basic, and the mid-rise apartments and the towers alongside the golf course, which are fancier and more expensive. This area is technically called the Views, although people refer to the whole community as the Greens. It's two halves of the same community.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 May 2016 - 09:58
Thank you SO much for all the recommendations! Would a week in Salzburg be enough as it seems there are a few day trips we can take if we base ourselves out of there? And how many days would be sufficient for Innsbruck? I was thinking we can stay there for a few nights and plan day trips to other areas in Tyrol as well. Has anyone visited Lienz? Is it worth adding to the itinerary? For those of you who might have traveled on to Munich or Zurich or Italy from Austria by road, was it fairly easy - as in are there border checkpoints that might cause delays? Again, thank you for all the info! :) I remember the first time I went to Salzburg. It's such a famous city that I was shocked by how small it really is. It's not a village but it's not Vienna either. Beautiful, however, and very congenial. What I'm saying is that a week might be long if you're expecting an activity packed itinerary. Our last trip there was for four days and that felt long enough for me, and it included a day trip to the ice caves at Eisriesenwelt and another day trip to Lake Konigssee at Berchtesgaden (just across the border in Germany and a very easy bus ride from Salzburg). And there's probably more day trips you could take, so if you're looking to rent an apartment for a week Salzburg can still be feasible. But if you're willing to move around a bit, we absolutely loved Lake Hallstadt, which is a few hours from Salzburg. We stayed in a quaint hotel right on the lake and spent our days paddling and swimming in the lake and walking around the surrounding hills that have wonderful views. Zell am See (which I mentioned earlier) has a spectacular lake setting and chairlifts to the top of the mountains for walks and views. If you have a rental car, you must drive the Grossglockner high alpine road, which is a road between Salzburg and Innsbruck and it is absolutely stunning. You can stop at various points for short walks and to admire the views. I have never been to Lienz but people say it is beautiful and a great base for activities in the region. Most of the ski lifts operate in the summer, so people can go up the mountains for walks along the ski trails and enjoy the view. While there are hills and small mountains around Salzburg, for the high Austrian Alps you do need to go into Tyrol, which sort of begins at Zell am See and stretches westwards and southwards from there. And they are spectacular, but I think you've already cued in on that with your question on Lienz. :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2016 - 16:59
The classic trio is Vienna - Salzburg - Innsbruck. Salzburg is a lovely little town, really quite beautiful, but the truly dramatic mountains and countryside are around Innsbruck. The drive (bus or train) from Salzburg to Innsbruck is spectacular. You can easily take lifts from Innsbruck up into the hills for walking. I also love Lake Hallstadt and Zell am See has a wonderful lake and chairlifts to the mountains with stunning scenery (but be prepared for crowds of Arab tourists at Zell am See, it was unexpected). Both Hallstadt and Zell are near Salzburg. There's also an ice cave up a mountain just south of Salzburg that was well worth the visit.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 April 2016 - 10:20
The only people I knew who took their cars to the US had brought the cars out here in the first place. If you want to export a car to the US it will only be admitted if it meets US specs. A letter from the dealership here won't be sufficient. It will be tested in the US and there's only one or two official garages that will do the testing. They're in Baltimore, I believe. If the car doesn't meet the standards it will have to be upgraded or destroyed. The cost of the testing alone is not inexpensive. The US is much stricter than the EU in this one rare instance and who knows why. Then there's the hassles of finding insurance for a car that was not bought in the US because of the lack of records. It also affects resale value. Everyone ended up selling their cars and buying another one in the US. http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 April 2016 - 15:10
If you want to be able to walk to many shops and restaurants your best options are the apartment communities like the Marina or JLT, or the Greens for something quieter and quite lovely. The Springs/Meadows have town centres that you can walk to but it does depend exactly where your villa is and your tolerance for walking certain distances. You might be close, you may not. I don't know what your budget is, but the older communities such as the original Jumeira and Umm Suqiem are the best places if you want a villa and be within walking distance of many shops and cafes (along the Beach Road), the beach itself, or several supermarkets. To make the most out of being walkable you still do need to be somewhat careful where the villa is specifically located.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 April 2016 - 13:09
You need to make an appointment in advance. You can't just turn up. Go to the website and it'll give you the time slots available. Just a FYI if you weren't aware.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 April 2016 - 10:47
Many (most?) young people are attracted to Dubai because Dubai has cleverly marketed itself abroad as a fun place where life is one big never-ending party. And the reality on ground isn't quite too far from the truth either. Endless bars, beaches, boozing, clubs, brunches, all fuel the party mentality of Dubai. All the fancy shops and cars and restaurants and hotels and resorts do drive the image that Dubai is a playland. The quiet tolerance of prostitution also fits in with this image for some people. And Dubai makes a pretty profit off of it. Others are attracted to Dubai because the city sells itself as a place with many job opportunities and where salaries are high and there's no income tax. There's no question that the perception of Dubai as a land of easy living and easy money and even easy morals is a big attraction to many. Others come out here because work brought them here, others come because they want to try living overseas (anywhere) for a few years and Dubai is one of the easiest places to become an expat. Others come (and stay) because it's a great hub for travelling and they love the outdoor activities and sunny weather year-round. Edit: the original post was deleted and I was responding to it.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 April 2016 - 13:30
The World Trade Centre hotel apartments on Sheikh Zayed (the older ones) allow pets.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 09:40
I almost didn't post this because you don't want to hear it, but you are asking a lot more money for the car compared to other cars for sale on Dubizzle in similar age and mileage rages. Anywhere from 10-20,000 more. And keep in mind that Dubizzle prices are asking prices, not the final sale price which is almost always going to be lower. There's a current listing for a 2013 Tiguan (same year as yours) with 48,000km, a little higher than your mileage, but has a 5 year / 75k warranty/servicing contract and the asking price is 77,000, which means it'll probably sell for 70K or a bit less. It's not as fancy as yours but it's still your competition. Tiguans are not very popular cars and Volkswagen has lost some popularity ever since the scandal last year. If you need to sell the car you may need to be more realistic about the price, especially as the car is just about to go out of warranty / free servicing. European cars become very expensive to service and maintain once the warranty expires, which is another reason why resale prices are generally lower than you may have expected. Good luck. Perhaps you'll still find the right buyer.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 March 2016 - 10:41
What I like about Jumeira and Umm Suqeim is the variety of houses, from small compound villas attached in rows to large mansions and even palaces and everything in between. Many of the houses are "older" but others are quite new. In general, don't expect the quality of kitchens we take for granted in the US, even in newer properties. Dubai is still a place where kitchens are often treated as an afterthought, not a place to hang out in. As it is, we have an "older" villa in Umm Suqeim that was built around 2000 and our kitchen and bathrooms are basic but the villa is well maintained by the landlord. We've had less problems with the villa than some of our friends in their brand new villas on the outskirts of the city. But for any property you pick, new or old, it's always a gamble how the maintenance will work out. And yes, Jumeira and Umm Suqeim are wonderful places to live in. Close to the beaches, many shopping and dining options, close to just about everything. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. If I were to focus on any particular part it would be Jumeira 3, US 1 and US 2 because of easier access off Sheikh Zayed Road and less traffic than down in Jumeira 1 / 2.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 12:26
There's Universal American School in Festival City, which has been around for some years and tuition is reasonable compared to the other schools. We used to know a handful of American families who sent their kids there for a few years but it was some time ago. ASD and DAA are perpetually oversubscribed but it's worth it to get your names on the waiting lists as student turnover is always high in this country. There are always families who indicate they're returning in September but end up leaving in the summer. I will also agree with the other poster that for the elementary levels it's not essential to be in an American school. For high schools, yes, because the college prep curriculum is different from the British A-level curriculum required for UK universities. Our kids are at ASD but I would have no problems putting them in a British school as they're still in the primary years and I would pick an established British school over a brand new American school in its first year or two. You will find a school. Everyone always does. Cast your net widely and remember you can always transfer after a year.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2016 - 13:41
If by high-level you mean senior manager, director or C-level positions and especially at large companies and multinationals, keep your CV to the standard UK format. And, of course, register with the big recruitment consultancies. "Local" CV style is really for a certain level of lower-skilled occupations that won't be interested in you.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2016 - 16:11
I know there's a lot of optimistic people around and I wish I was one of them. But I still think this place is going to go through some hard times. That's even lower than oil prices in 2008. Dubai still has a very high debt load from the last boom yet they've already committed to expo 2020. Why did I have a sneaking suspicion that winning the expo could come back to bite Dubai on the a**. As my mother would say, hold on to your hats for we're going on a wild ride.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2016 - 08:51
We lived through the last crash, and right now feels like December-January of 2008-09. The layoffs had started but hadn't accelerated yet. The talk was of trimming some of the excesses but that there wouldn't be a proper crash, just a slight slowdown and levelling off. People were saying how Dubai was different from the rest of the global economy and meltdowns elsewhere. Then the whole balloon went up. Oil prices are very low. And this is not good for the UAE economy. I know Dubai has "diversified" somewhat but most of the big industries here are still dependent or heavily exposed to oil prices. Real estate speculation and investment largely comes from people with oil wealth, much of tourism is from other oil rich countries. High spending retail is largely driven by visitors from Saudi or the central Asian republics, not expats or middle class tourists from Europe on their way to India or Australia. The government has drastically cut budgets across most ministries. Banking is not in a good shape either. It could very well be that we're in a carefully managed and gradual slowdown, which would certainly be preferable to the alternative. But it's anyone's guess as to what Dubai or the UAE will be like in six month's time.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2016 - 08:39
We've lived in Umm Suqeim our entire time in Dubai, which is now getting on to nine years. Frankly, there's no difference in crime levels between Umm Suqeim and the Meadows or the Ranches. It's just the notion that there's gatehouses and "guards" at the gates in the Meadows that tricks people into believing one is a safer area, but there's certainly still been thefts in the Meadows and periodic episodes of poisoned pets. If anything, I think it leads to a false sense of security that allows people to drop their guard and be sloppy about leaving bicycles and other valuables unguarded. We chose Umm Suqeim because of the location. It's wonderful being able to walk to the beaches, which we do all the time. I have a bunch of supermarkets to pick from, from Spinneys to Waitrose to Choithrams to Park n Shop to two Union Coops, all within 5-10 minutes. Both big malls are just ten minutes away. The beach road is lined with many restaurants that we can walk to, and there are small local cafeterias next to mosques where you can have a cheap shawarama or parathas. I love the variety of villas, from big to small and everything in between. Many of the local villas are quite interesting, architecturally. Many expats live in US because of the beaches so a lot of people here are outdoorsy, and you'll find many of our car ports are crammed with bicycles and all kinds of water sport gear including kayaks. I won't claim it's paradise, but for us it's been a wonderful place to live (which is why we put up with an older villa with ugly kitchen and bathrooms).
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 January 2016 - 15:20
Most maids are reluctant to give their employers any bad news. That's why they often hide things they've broken or ruined in the wash and hope you don't notice. You know the maid's story is fictional. It's her way of "saving face." Return the favor and accept the story and pretend it's true and let her go with grace.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 20 January 2016 - 20:51
I agree with KCR. Buy your furniture in the US and have it shipped over. Even the American brand stores here such as Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and Ethan Allen are about 20-25% more expensive than in the US. You have a much bigger range of furniture to select from in the US. A lot of furniture sold in the UAE at the more local shops is pretty awful by American standards. Also bring your linens, towels and household goods but be careful with electronics due to the different voltage system in the UAE.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 January 2016 - 10:27
Can someone explain what you mean by not validating the tickets? I always validate the ticket before leaving the mall and I've never paid as I'm always under the four hours. Are you saying the machine at the exits will read the ticket as below the four hours mark? So you don't have to do it in advance? If this is the case then why did I not know about this before? All the times running back into the mall to validate the ticket were wasted?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 January 2016 - 09:23
It will come down to your budget and where you work. JBR is a love it/hate it place. Many people prefer the rest of the Marina over JBR but towers vary immensely in quality and amenities. The beach may be in front of JBR but it's also an easy walk from the rest of the Marina. JBR doesn't have the nicest apartments, but they are not the worst either, but you do have to pay chiller charges (air conditioning) which can be quite expensive, whereas for the rest of the Marina the air conditioning is usually included in the rent. One bedrooms in the Marina/JBR start at around 80,000 AED for the cheaper buildings and go up from there. Jumeirah Lakes Towers, which is opposite the Marina across Sheikh Zayed Road, is a pleasant area with many local restaurants and is slightly cheaper than the Marina, although you will need to pay separately for air conditioning as well. Downtown is more uniform in quality and comes at a cost. A cheaper alternative to Downtown is Business Bay right next door. If you don't have a large budget you might want to look at Sports City, which is about 10-15 minutes away from the Marina. Rents are more reasonable. Motor City, next to Sports City, has large apartments but is not "chiller free." They are further away from the beach but on the weekends you're looking at a 20 minute drive from a nice selection of beaches and frankly, the Marina beach isn't the best beach in Dubai. Where will you and your husband be working? If you don't carefully select where to live you could end up spending hours in traffic getting to/from work.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 December 2015 - 11:00
To clarify the A/C issue: Most apartment buildings in Dubai are what's termed "chiller free," meaning that the air conditioning is paid for by the building owner or apartment owner. If the latter, the owner pays for it via his maintenance fees. The reason for this is because there's one internal A/C system for the entire building and the a/c cannot be metered separately for each apartment. For chiller free buildings you pay a single DEWA bill that includes your 5% housing tax, electricity usage and water usage. But some areas of Dubai, particularly in the freehold areas on the south side of the city, are not "chiller free." They fall under a district cooling scheme where a centralised district cooling plant pumps a/c into the buildings and each apartment is metered separately. District cooling charges are based on a fixed sum annually (usually paid semi-annually or quarterly) plus your actual usage. So it can be quite expensive. Especially as on top of this you still need to pay your DEWA with the 5% housing tax, electricity and water. JBR in the Marina is district cooling, but the rest of the Marina is "chiller free," JLT is all district cooling except for Armada Towers. Anything built by Nakheel is going to be district cooling, and this includes the Palm Jumeira, Discovery Gardens, JVC. Motor City is also in a district cooling scheme. Business Bay is district cooling. The Greens/Views is "chiller free" except possibly for its newest building. TECOM is chiller free. Almost all the Marina (except JBR) is chiller free. Downtown is almost all chiller free except for one or two buildings. Barsha is chiller free. And practically everything north of Downtown is chiller free. It's well worth it to pay attention to the difference between chiller free and district cooling buildings as you will end up paying quite a bit more for a/c and I'm consistently surprised by the number of people who keep failing to realise this. Note: villas still pay for a/c one way or another, whether in district cooling or independent villas via electric consumption.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 December 2015 - 13:16
Out of curiosity, what is the authority that Dubai is massively in debt? Is this public knowledge?Speculation? Assumption? Just curious. DH works in finance. The debt from the last boom has always been there. Abu Dhabi didn't just write a blank check to pay off all the debt. It was restructured, some payments made and other payments deferred and quite a bit written down but the bulk of it is still there to be paid off someday. Here's an article from earlier this year: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/dubai-debt-storm-clouds-gathering-150201075605951.html
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Latest post on 13 December 2015 - 12:28
Can anyone tell me what happened during the last recession and how it affected average not-working-in-the-oil-industry expats? The articles I found online are full of drama as usual. It wasn't oil&gas that was affected. It was the entire property sector from construction, real estate, all the design consultancies from architecture to engineering. The Dubai boom leading up to 2008 was very much based on development. Many consultancies laid off half if not more of their staff literally overnight and construction grounded to a halt with only essential infrastructure work still proceeding. Contracts were being cancelled daily and weekly and there had been a big ramp up in announcements and tendering for new projects throughout 2008, leading to big expansions in hiring during that year, only for everything to go up in smoke overnight. I remember the traffic volume on Sheikh Zayed declined by as much as half and rents also dropped by half as well, just within a few months. Our rent went from 350 down to 170 a year later! I must say November 2008 through April 2009 was a very odd time in Dubai. I don't think we will see something quite so extreme again but I would not be surprised to see a significant slowdown by mid 2016 again. DH talks about this all time time, he thinks we're in the last days of people behind the scenes hurrying around trying to patch up a leaking dam in artificial optimism (or denial) but it's only a matter of time before it bursts. Rents are too expensive for what you get, the traffic volumes makes no sense given that car sales have dropped sharply and hiring has declined. Dubai, by the way, is still massively in debt from the last boom and it's appalling it continued to throw away money on foolish development schemes like that stupid canal.
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Latest post on 12 December 2015 - 19:43
Retail is being clobbered, although it doesn't seem like it judging from the malls this weekend. But high end retail really depends on tourism and the big spenders from Russia and Saudi Arabia have stopped coming due to the fall in oil prices in both countries and the devaluation of the rouble (and the US dollar has strengthened, which also hurts Chinese consumers). And, of course, over expansion. If things don't pick up over the next few months it's likely there will be large scale redundancies in the retail sector. The UAE government is in deficit for the first time in a long time and all the Gulf economies are scaling back on government spending, which affects the infrastructure projects and tendering, so there's a lot of knock down effect. Many tenders are being cancelled or postponed seemingly perpetually, affecting the construction and design consultancy sectors. I do think we will see large-scale redundancies and people leaving in the first half of 2016 but it likely won't be as severe as it was in 2009 as the economy is more diversified.
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Latest post on 30 November 2015 - 22:30
The metro is efficient and runs frequently with trains every few minutes to at most 7-8 minutes outside peak hour. It's spotlessly clean, shiny and impressive. Marina to WTC metro stop is 30 minutes but it's an easy ride and only marginally slower than driving due to the traffic. If you live within a block or two of a metro stop it could be the ideal set up. I'd advise that he gets a Gold Class card as the regular class (Silver) can get crowded. The metro doesn't go everywhere but it does get you to many places. Even if he drives and there are places you want to go that aren't handy to a metro stop, taxis are common and cheap and quite reliable. By the way, there are many young families in the Marina too. Going for strolls around the Marina promenade or along JBR Walk you will run into quite a few young mothers and toddlers too.
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Latest post on 30 November 2015 - 21:05
Welcome to Dubai! Downtown is a lovely area, really, quite lovely. And another great area to live in is the Greens/Views, which is very close to the Marina. It's green with parks between the buildings and a pretty lake to walk around and children's play areas. The towers have wonderful views. Those two are probably my favorite areas for a more urbanized living environment in Dubai. But I will say if you don't intend to have a car of your own (other than your husband's) living in the Marina is probably your best option because of the easy metro access. You can hop on the metro and whip down to various big malls and other places and within the Marina you have so many dining options and coffee shops and of course, the beach. The tram runs around the Marina making it ideal for hot weather when you don't want to walk too far. Another feasible option is JLT, which is right opposite the Marina. There's a lovely lakefront promenade with many very reasonably priced and quite good restaurants and parks and children's play areas. And it's just across from the Marina via the metro bridges. Your money will go further in JLT. I will say, however, pick your tower carefully in the Marina (or JLT). Unlike Downtown where all the towers are more or less of the same quality, the Marina towers vary greatly.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 November 2015 - 18:30
Hiccups - exactly. This is where my pan Arabia remark sprouted from. That and the other thread asking if Catholic Churches only have phillipinos and Indians attending ?! Fear of living next to D list celebrities and people using the public beaches , becoming a lady who does nails/ facials to fill her day, the stereotypes go on and on. I truly feel if you asked these questions and raised these concerns on here than this really is not the place for you. And really it is one thing for insight on these forums but a lot of these questions are easily found online such as dress code and if English language movie theaters here exist. You lived in Ethiopia and Rwanda. With all the background and information concerning you wouldn't a visit here appease all this? Once again I understand posters reaching our on here for other insights but some of the blanket stero types are what is raising red flags. If I am off than apologies. If you take this as an adventure and like others aspects in life do not have very high expectations you most likely will be pleasantly surprised. One of the characteristics I enjoy here is that you can never be bored. There is always something going on here and so many different sides to this city. I assumed she was a wind up when she asked if a 500,000 housing allowance was sufficient and in the same post talked about wanting to save money to pay for her children's weddings. A 500K housing allowance usually means a base salary between 1 - 1.5 million. People who can command that level of packages are generally not worrying about saving money to pay for weddings, unless she's a modern day Mrs. Bennet with five daughters to marry off. People who can command that package generally have already been earning high salaries for some years too, you rarely stumble into those kinds of roles out of sheer luck. DH works for a major company in a senior role and many of the wives work (and he works with some women whose husbands also work). Unless it's a traditional local company or a very unique office, I don't think most employers care about the wife working. If she's real, then good luck. I'm sure she'll enjoy Dubai. If she's not real, better luck next time.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 November 2015 - 15:14
He didn't do a very good job at negotiating. The housing allowance only works out to just under 360,000, which is nice but not terribly impressive by Dubai standards. Someone making 183,000 AED a month should have demanded at least twice that much.;)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 November 2015 - 08:37
Makes me wish I had my mink with me (inherited from my grandmother, not that I'd ever buy one). What fun it would have been to go down to Spinneys in a mink. I'd be a real Jumeirah Jane :biggrin: Too bad it's in storage in the US.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 November 2015 - 14:40
No wind up, honestly. We are totally unfamiliar with UEA money and what it means in real terms. We live OK in UK and have a lovely lifestyle in rural area but defo not flashy. We just want to get a feel for how good a package it is and whether worth leaving the cat for a sunnier climate. How much would a car cost to buy and run? Hubby may have a driver for work but we are not sure transport allowance will run to a personal one? Very few people have drivers in Dubai. Generally only certain Asian expats do. Westerners don't. What is your transportation allowance? If the housing allowance is anything to go by then it's probably sufficient to buy an expensive European model, or at least a Toyota Prado.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 November 2015 - 14:24
Sorry another thing - money We want a nice time out there obviously but our main motivator is to save some money for (hopefully one day) the children's weddings and maybe help them onto the property ladder. Is it easy to get money back without losing the lot in tax? Is the cost of living likely to make this impossible? Salary n offer sounds very nice but we have been around long enough to know that all that glistens is not necessarily gold! Do People tend to stay put or make frequent trips home? The employer is offering six business class flights annually. This doesn't seem many so is it realistic to think we'll come back more (ageing mothers with failing health, daughter at uni in the UK ) Please don't take this the wrong way if I'm incorrect, but I'm slightly inclined to think this may be a wind-up. You have a housing allowance (or budget) of 450,000-500,000 for housing and six free business class roundtrip tickets back to the UK per year and you're worrying about saving money? If you wanted to save money, you would cap your housing budget at 250,000 for a still pleasant villa within 15 minutes' walk of the beach and save the rest. We pay that much for our 4-bedroom+maid's villa in Umm Suqeim so it's eminently doable. As UK expats your entire income is tax free but you need to be out of the country for at least a full year (I think, others can confirm. I'm only American and we still have to pay tax on DH's package above $100,000). Dubai can be very expensive but it can also be reasonable and low key. It's entirely up to you to decide how you want to live and what kind of lifestyle you have. I don't consider myself flashy and I'm now too close to the age when I cannot be anything but middle aged, but we're happy in Dubai.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 November 2015 - 11:01
Teachers, like anyone else, are not immune to the prospect of higher salaries and better packages. The non-profit schools in Dubai do seem to have a much better rate of teacher retention as well as hiring more experienced teachers. The turnover of faculty among the for-profit schools tend to be higher. But there are for-profit schools that have good reputations and great teachers (and they usually have fees to match!).
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 October 2015 - 16:59
Good point blondie007. I actually dont mind & even welcome the Dubai bashing articles as they tend to deter stupid and ignorant people from coming to our part of the world. Let them go get wasted in Ibiza instead... Unfortunately, the kind of people who get wasted at Ibiza are the same people who come to Dubai as well, if the bars and brunches here on the weekends are anything to go by. Whether we like it or not, the city does attract the heavy partying crowd, but it's not the only type of tourists who come here, or the only type of people who live here. My particular argument against the article is that while there is some truth to what he said it is still remarkably one sided and it completely ignores that the people and activities criticised can just as easily be found in London or New York (I don't think I've seen a scale of drunkenness in Dubai that can match Soho on the weekends!). And it's ignorant because the people who sneer at Dubai and make reference to human rights doubtlessly happily travel to many countries in Asia and Africa where violations of human rights are even worse. Thailand certainly comes to mind. As does China. Sneering at the Dubai summers is unfair when the winters back home are long, cold, dark and dreary.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 October 2015 - 16:49
At DH's level it's expected that he will make these sacrifices. If he needs to travel on the weekend, such as not flying back from overseas meetings until Saturday and still going into the office the next day, that's the way it rolls. The compensation is, well, his compensation. It's normal at senior level. But DH does make sure that more junior staff underneath him don't lose too many weekend/holiday days due to work and is always checking that they get their time in lieu.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 October 2015 - 09:23
International companies that bring you out for a visit/reccie before you move here, suggest you start off in temp accommodation because they know house hunting is stressful and most people don't want to jump into something, hate it and move a year later when the lease is up. Unless you are a very seasoned expat and used to moving every few years, it is generally best to start off with temp accommodation - a hotel or serviced apartment. Temp accommodation will give you time to get familiar with where your husband (and maybe you) works, the roads/commute in rush hours and crucially, where the schools are if you have children. (If you have more than one child, there is no guarantee that they will all be at the same school. And if you choose your house first and then discover your child's/children's school is over an hour away, it can be a real nightmare) It also takes time to get used to the quality of driving here and how quickly a 30 mins commute can turn into 45 or 60mins! It can be very stressful on the roads here, so limiting work and school commutes is always a good idea. While the Ranches & Vic Heights are developed/gated communities (essentially large compounds) they are quite a distance from DIFC and traffic in and out of those areas easily bottle necks. The Meadows would be a good compromise, as it is a lovely community and not too far out. I have recently moved from Umm Suqeim 2 (which has lovely compounds/communities) due to the heavy construction, noise, traffic, etc due to the Dubai Canal Project. So I can't really recommend that area right now, although it is closer to DIFC. Umm Suqeim 3 is less affected (for now) and is considerably closer to DIFC. It is one of the older neighbourhoods, but has wide streets, good compounds with mature gardens and is close to decent schools, restaurants, supermarkets, clinics, shops, vets, etc. Saying that, your best bet is probably Jumeira - there are some lovely, gated communities/compounds with mature gardens, friendly neighbours and good facilities and... it is close to DIFC. You just have to give yourself some time to look around... I have had friends who moved to the larger, well known, family orientated communities (Ranches, Meadows, etc) and struggled to make friends. One lady resorted to setting up cooking classes in her house when the kids were at school, just to meet people! Others made friends instantly. I've also had friends move to smaller communities/compounds in Umm Suqeim and Jumeira and instantly clicked with their neighbours, with the kids all playing on the swings and in the pool together. Having moved around my whole life, I've learned each place is what you make it. So take your time, be patient, do as much research as you can when you get here and good luck!! I wonder if you have your communities mixed up? I live in Umm Suqueim 1 not far from Umm Al Sheif and we are not affected by the Canal project at all. That's down by Safa Park and it's Jumeirah 2 that's mostly affected. Umm Suqeim 2 is even less affected as it's further away! Umm Suqeim 3 is the furthest out and the furthest away from DIFC and is the newest of the beachfront areas along with Al Soufoh. Your description of US3 sounds more like Jumeirah 1. But otherwise I agree. All the Jumeirahs and Umm Suqeims are lovely areas to live in, whether compound or independent villas, and none are really far from DIFC.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 September 2015 - 18:56
Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department Both Gargash and Emirates are local companies. There are thousands of small to larger non local private companies. I'm sure the government will try initiatives to push Emiratis to work for the non-local companies but there simply won't be enough Emiratis to pose a serious threat to expats in senior roles. Perhaps you should go on LinkedIn and use Etihad Airways as a case study to understand where emaritization is going. Their careers section screams nationals only. Have you considered the oil prices drop and how it has reduced job roles? How abundant are the executive roles to start with? On what are you basing your stats on? Because my friends in recruiting have complained this is the worst year so far. Personally i think they still need expats in some key roles for the next ten years, before they start to hand it over to nationals. I don't think you understand what I was saying either. Pointing to Etihad or Emirates or a major *local* company as an example of Emiratization only ignores that these companies are already locally owned, semi-government and prominent within the Emirati community as workplaces. Same with banks. I have no doubt that the long run will see more Emiratis working in those companies (and if those companies continue to grow, other expats too). But there are thousands of non-local companies in the UAE. The free zones are filled with them, for example. Then we have major multinationals with regional offices. These companies are not likely to discriminate against Emiratis, but they're not going to hire less qualified Emiratis over more qualified Emiratis unless in certain business development roles or token positions. Many roles absolutely need qualifications and it's still quite some time until there's sufficient (if ever) Emiratis with those qualifications to be taking away jobs from expats in significant numbers. You also mentioned a few Emiratization schemes but from the perspective of many companies it only invites government intrusion into their affairs and potential hassles, as well as the peculiar situation of having an (overpaid) employee's salary partly paid from outside the company. Companies that rely on substantial government contracts will make efforts to recruit Emiratis, but many companies here don't rely on government or even UAE based work (the free zones once again). A qualified Emirati is certainly worth his/her weight in gold (or platinum) and a bright, ambitious Emirati has so many more opportunities available to him/her if he/she goes after it in this country compared to most people elsewhere. But at the end of the day it remains Emiratis make up maybe 10% of the UAE population (or a bit higher depending on whose statistics you believe) and it's a country that's rapidly growing and attracting investment from overseas and a job market that continues to grow every year. It's a peculiar, odd country from this perspective and in the foreseeable future there is no real danger to the highly paid expatriate population on the whole.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 September 2015 - 09:03
Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles. the government is paying 5k on top of each UAE national salary who works in private sector in order to match the salary of the public sector the government started sending high school graduates overseas with a scholarship in order to study majors which doesn't have lots of nationals like engineering etc ... it started actually few years back , i can see nationals in our projects department and maintenance ( engineers , electricians etc .. ) actually the head of the maintenance department is a UAE national i walked that day into gargash showroom and i saw a UAE national guy at the reception. the way that the UAE nationals think has changed. in previous years the government used to push the emirtization however nothing much used to happen apart from career fairs etc and few vacancies for the record , nowadays they are quite serious about it. In 2011 emirates airlines employed 500 uae nationals fresh graduates as GR8 and many more to be employed by the end of 2016 they are aiming of at least 40% nationals in each department Both Gargash and Emirates are local companies. There are thousands of small to larger non local private companies. I'm sure the government will try initiatives to push Emiratis to work for the non-local companies but there simply won't be enough Emiratis to pose a serious threat to expats in senior roles.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 September 2015 - 21:49
Economies are never static and always evolve over time. Dubai is no different. There are doubtlessly roles nowadays that are filled by cheaper expats or nationals which would have been filled by a British or other western expats in the past. But I do know that in the over eight years we've been in Dubai the American expat community has exploded in size. There are many more Americans now than in 2007-2008, and they are not coming over on measly packages. The high cost of housing and schooling continues to persist despite any small declines in rent, and that strongly implies many people are still being recruited from overseas on large packages although it's probably true that Westerners are now competing directly with highly qualified Asians or Arabs. There are also very few Emiratis, if any, in DH's sector. The large majority of Emiratis still work in the public sector as the wages, benefits, hours and holidays are much better. I'm not judging them, I can understand why the public sector is simply much more attractive to most Emiratis. The vast majority of private sector companies outside major local banks or companies like Emaar or Al Futtaim have preciously few Emiratis and that's really not going to change until the public sector becomes less attractive. An old time expat once told me that the drive for Emiratization is pushed by the government every few years but rarely goes anywhere because there aren't that many to begin with, and even fewer want to work in the private sector, and fewer remain in the private sector after a few years once they find their ideal public sector job. And many sectors hire based on qualifications (engineering, architecture, construction management and Oil & Gas come to mind) and few Emiratis have those qualifications as of now. That might change in the future but the UAE is growing faster than the number of Emiratis capable of serving in senior or qualified roles.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 September 2015 - 09:55
As a housewife every day is a holiday ;) But it seems the private sector really got screwed on holidays this year.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 September 2015 - 10:28
Most of the villas around us in Umm Suqeim that were vacated at the beginning of the summer still haven't been rented out. We know several people who work in merchandising (high up in car dealerships or furniture distribution) and they say sales are very flat, even bad. But the traffic? My god. It feels so much worse compared to this time last year. Sheikh Zayed really has exploded. It's genuinely awful. It used to be that northbound in the mornings was clear and free but now both directions are backed up. I can't make heads or tails of it. I don't think anyone can.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 September 2015 - 17:01
It's quite normal for people to start working before the new visa is ready. If the company won't allow your DH to start working until the new visa is ready I'd go for a nice long holiday somewhere.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 September 2015 - 14:08
I'm aware of the short term visas and that many consultants on a few months' contracts don't even bother with those but do visa runs. My main question would be if the husband is on a short term visa will he be able to extend the visas to his family, who are not employed by the company. Is that possible at all? Will the company also organise the short term visas for the family members or expect everyone to do visa runs? The primary reason for asking this is health care. No local visa, no local health care. They would have to ensure their home coverage also covers them in the UAE.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 September 2015 - 12:46
Hi All! My husband had a three-month assignment in Dubai, when he got there last week they told him it might be six mths and asked him if he'd consider relocating the family for the assignment duration. I have a few immediate questions, and maybe you ladies will know what questions I should be asking that I'm not yet :) 1) I hear everywhere that it's required to rent for 12 months in Dubai, yet there seem to be a lot of short-term flat rentals for various areas on Dubizzle - are these shady or not on the level? I checked into the serviced corporate apartments, but 6K USD seems awfully high for monthly rent - I definitely liked the rates I saw on Dubizzle better. 2) what should be my primary concerns about bringing a four-month-old and an 18-month-old ? Would it be difficult to get medical care and/or immunizations for them on schedule ? 3) can anyone ballpark a comfortable grocery budget for family of four that includes eating out 2-3 times a week? I am most likely to stick to the European grocery stores except for fresh fruit and vegetables. 4) we have lived in both London and Hong Kong - is the public transportation via train/tram/tube/metro comparable in Dubai - or is it more bus and taxi based? Or -car? I don't think you will be able to get residency visas for a six month contract. Visas are expensive and take time to organise so I'd be surprised if the company would be willing to do it for non-employees. By the way, is your husband on a visa at all? Is your husband in company provided accommodation? He must be if it's a reputable firm. Just ask them to extend the accommodation for his entire stay and if they want the family to be with him, it's reasonable for them to provide you with a two bedroom hotel apartment. Just make sure the accommodation has a properly kitted out kitchen as many of them don't even have ovens to go with the stove, or microwaves, or sufficient cooking supplies. Without a visa you won't have health care. So you need to check out how this would work. I wouldn't risk living in Dubai with a baby and toddler without proper health care. Will you be covered by an international provider from your home country? If you're coming from an approved country you can easily rent cars. Dubai isn't like HK or London with wonderful mass transit available. There's the metro and the buses but most people drive if they can afford to do it. If you're coming to Dubai during the winter months, it's a wonderful place to be as long as you're aware of the limitations. And yes, it's quite expensive but it can be done more cheaply if you're careful. But you must get the accommodation and health care situation sorted out with the company before making the move here.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 September 2015 - 09:49
It would be unwise to bring large amounts of Syrian refugees to the UAE. They are performing military operations in areas many of the people come from. How do they know they won't bring in militants into the country? This nation has its own security to be concerned with first. What if "IS" barbarians start entering the country and start bombing the place here? Will they still be able to raise hundreds of millions of dirhams in aid for Syria, Yemen, and the many other countries the UAE supports? No they won't. And the people calling the loudest for the leadership to take the actions THEY think should be taken will be packed up by their embassies and flown home leaving this country to pick up the pieces. We have seen what is now happening in Saudi and Kuwait. Do we need that here? There is a reason we are living in a safe and prosperous country, because the leadership here acts out of knowledge you and I don't have. I wonder though, how many of the people who shout the loudest about OTHERS not doing anything, are actually doing anything productive themselves. In an ideal situation, they could open the doors and allow anyone in who needs it. But there are already people here, who came not as refugees but on tourist visas. And again, there needs to be a balance between helping others in need while also maintaining security in your country. And that is probably not an easy task, but let the ones who are in charge don what they need to do. And let's be fair, a very small percentage of refugees actually is in Europe, the majority are in neighbouring Arab countries. One can say the same thing about the European nations.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 September 2015 - 14:13
Please stop whinging! It has been the hottest summer ever and I have been here 20 years so I know. I have heard a lot of people say their gardens have died while they have been away and I think it because of the severe heat. Think for a moment about these poor guys working outside in 50 degree temperatures. Has it really been the "hottest summer ever?" Or is it only anecdotal? I may have only been here for 8 years and never for the entire summer but June and the last two weeks seemed no different from previous summers and DH himself even said the summer wasn't too bad, and he was here for the majority of it. It's always very hot every summer. It always feels very hot well into October and we always get complaints on here! As for gardeners, I've been through four gardeners before I found one that worked well. You do have to be extremely explicit in your instructions and make your anger known if they do something wrong.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 August 2015 - 16:45
Could someone please enlighten me ? Some people are lucky enough to have their hubby's companies here pay for their employees children to attend school here which is a great thing given the cost of them. But why when someone who has the same job, same job title, same salary and working for the same company and who doesn't have any small children attending school do they not have perks to make up this difference? Surely that brings the other employees salary/perks way above the other employees? Does this mean their work is less important? Honey, If all other things being equal except that you have no children and your coworker has children and gets school fees, you are much better off, financially. Children cost a fortune. Having children is like having a hoover attached to my purse. I took out a thousand AED from the ATM the other day and I'm already down to under 100. Why? Because of the kids. My god, if I didn't have kids I'd be all over the Fashion Avenue shops at Dubai Mall! When we first came here expat children were not allowed to attend local schools, so they had to go to international schools. The law has since been changed so they can, in theory, attend local schools, but it's an impractical option for those from the US or the UK or elsewhere, as local schools are strictly in Arabic. School fees are meant to ensure that your child is being educated in a decent school somewhat comparable to a decent school in your home country. It's not really a "benefit" as you term it, but an essential aspect of any family's decision to come to the UAE. The school fees goes straight from DH's company to the school. It never comes through our bank accounts. If we didn't get school fees or a corresponding bump in our package, we would seriously re-evaluate staying in the UAE. If DH left, it would cost his company a great deal to replace him.
 
 
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