Tallybalt

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EW GURU

Latest post on 20 August 2015 - 15:12

I have written a Children's book and am on the lookout for literary agents specializing in children's books to help me market my book in Dubai and/ or USA/ UK/India/ China. Interested literary agents may please contact me at [email protected] I don't think it quite works like that. You do your research, identify prospective literary agents and send a query letter. They don't come to you. Good luck. It's a long, hard road to getting a book published. Especially children's books. Another option is to self publish.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 09 August 2015 - 20:46

You've pretty much summarized the feelings and concerns many expat ladies first have when they move to Dubai (or other expat destinations) and realize they can afford to have home help. It's obviously different for each family as it comes down to personal comfort levels. Not everyone is comfortable with having a non-related, non-family member living in their house. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of someone whose sole job is to clean the house. Not everyone is comfortable being a "madam" and having to be a boss giving orders and setting down the rules. And yes, there are maid horror stories out there. So you might now be asking why do people bother having maids! The truth is that for every horror story out there there's a success story and I dare say there's more of the successes than the horrors. After all, people aren't posting the success stories on here because they don't need to. Having a maid is wonderful for me. And it's pretty much for the reason you suggested, which is having a pair of helping hands in my house. I have two young boys and having the maid means I can pop out to the supermarket or quick errands without having to take the boys along. It means DH and I can go out to dinner with friends or even just a walk around the neighborhood without having to find a babysitter. I also like not having to clean or do the laundry or the ironing, although it doesn't necessarily mean I have more free time to myself! DH works long hours so I end up doing all the errands for the family so he can relax on the weekends, and between the school run, groceries, cooking the meals, post school activities, playdates, doctors' appointments, taking the cars to be serviced, handling any of our affairs in the States via phone/emails and dealing with the Dubai bureaucracy that's always unavoidable, it's a wonder I'd ever have time to clean and do the laundry! And I do love that the villa is always sparkling clean and that the laundry is always washed and ironed and put away without my having to think much about it. As for the maid itself, I would not worry about there not being enough to do as you'd be surprised by how easily it can be to fill up those hours. The maid should regularly be doing tasks you'd rarely do, such as dusting bookcases or polishing picture frames or the staircase bannisters. But beyond that it's not typical for the maid to be fully occupied eight or nine solid hours a day, at least for western families (I hate to resort to stereotyping but some nationalities seem to keep their maids on their toes from dawn to midnight). My maid works in the mornings till one or two PM and takes a long break in the afternoon when she naps or spends time on her computer or with friends, and then an hour in the evening to tidy up the kitchen after dinner so that it's clean for me the following morning. As she's an efficient cleaner, she probably averages six hours a day of cleaning and laundry. What I'm really paying her for is to be there when I need her. And it's clear in our mutual understanding that I expect her to be available at any time up till six and, with advance notice, any evenings when DH and I go out alone, which is probably once every two weeks. The real challenge to having a maid for someone who is inexperienced is finding the right balance between the maid and the family. This will be very dependent on your personality and the maid's personality. Some families are comfortable integrating the maid into the family life as an extended family member, with her dining with the family and taking her everywhere with them. Others don't. We fall into the latter category. I find it easier as it gives both us and the maid our own respective privacy and the maids usually prefer to eat their own food. But there are some maids who are happy to become part of the family. A good madam will decide at the onset what kind of working relationship she wants, a casual one or a more structured, formal one, and in the interviewing process sense out from the prospective maids how she would fit with that type of working relationship. But even in the casual relationship it is essential to have rules laid down at the onset regarding her working hours, availability after hours, duties, salary advances, loans (both big no nos). And you should never feel uncomfortable telling her that she didn't clean something well enough and to do it again. I have probably written too much on this topic! Having a maid can be a wonderful advantage and a godsend, especially when you're so far away from family and friends and with three young children. By the way, it's true that many maid's rooms are absolutely tiny. Shops even sells special sized beds for the maid's rooms. While you might be astonished at first, do remember that many maids come from homes where having even a space that small is a genuine luxury. They're used to very crowded and cramped living quarters shared with too many people.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 11:59

I would go speak with RERA. I imagine a simple phone call from RERA to the landlord will be sufficient to scare them into issuing the check. I imagine it's a landlord who thinks that by making it difficult, you'll eventually give up and let the matter go. You really need to be proactive and stay on his case the whole time till you get the cheque back.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 July 2015 - 10:25

You've caught me in time as we're flying out today for the rest of the summer. The American community in Dubai is growing. It's much bigger now than it was when we first came here eight years ago. As you can infer, we're still here after eight years and will likely be here for a few more years at the least. In terms of amenities, Dubai is very "western" friendly. In my time here I have seen scores of American brands open shops in Dubai. While McDonalds and Starbucks were here, we now have everything from Shake Shack, PF Changs, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Banana Republic. The supermarkets, while very modern, are more European in their selections and will have far fewer American brand goods but a lot of it is still available (at a markup) and there's one American supermarket called Safestway that has imported American processed/junk food at a big markup. What you don't find are large discount wholesalers such as Target and most clothing and linens and household goods are more expensive than comparables in the US. As for schools, the top two American curriculum schools are the American School of Dubai and Dubai American Academy. We are at ASD and we are very happy with it. Note that admissions is difficult due to the volume of people applying for spaces, but there are also plenty of other Western international schools. If you're not used to paying private school fees you will find the schools in Dubai expensive so either you need a large enough package to cover the cost of fees or a school fee allowance. We are fully covered by our school allowance but many people aren't and need to top up from their base salary. Housing is very expensive, depending on where you come from. If you're from New York or California or Washington DC, you'll probably find it comparable. If you're from the rest of the US you will probably find it very expensive. Do you want a villa? An apartment? There are variations in rental costs depending on the area but on the whole you will pay more than a comparable property in the US. We have a villa near the beach in Umm Suqeim and pay 225,000 AED for the year (in one check!) but 150,000-175,000 will still get you a comfortable villa in a popular expat area like Arabian Ranches or the Springs. Apartments are better value. Popular areas for villas include Jumeira and Umm Suqeim (by the beaches), Arabian Ranches, Meadows, Springs, Lakes, Victory Heights (master planned suburban communities similar to an Arizona or Southern California subdivision). New areas with cheaper rents but still convenient include Jumeirah Village Triangle, The Villa, Falcon City. For apartments, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Motor City and the Greens/Views are all popular options. The Marina is the most popular due to its amenities and has the highest rents, but if we were to move to an apartment it would be the Greens/Views, hands down, because it is just a lovely community and very convenient to everywhere. Utilities costs vary. We have a villa and I don't think we've ever paid more than 2,000 a month in utilities and that was with the air conditioning running around the clock. We don't have the A/C running for at least 7 months of the year, so other months it's quite cheaper. Apartment utilities are much lower as many buildings include free air conditioning. On top of the utilities is a 5% housing tax which I haven't included in my figures above as it's 5% of the rent you pay. Internet is expensive. Day to day living expenses does depend on your lifestyle. It can be very expensive if you only shop at the fanciest supermarkets, eat out at fancy restaurants all the time and go to brunches every weekend and your recreational activity is shopping at the Dubai Mall. But if you buy food at Carrefour (big French hypermarket and quite decent quality), spend your recreational time at the beaches and camp on the weekends and don't drink too much alcohol, Dubai can be quite reasonable. I find Dubai a comfortable and easygoing place to live and enjoy living here. I love the sheer diversity of the place and that our friends are from all over the world. I love being able to travel frequently with my family and exposing my children to so many different countries. I am in no hurry to leave, but that's also partly because we are comfortably situated, thankfully. We're also more frugal than many people and haven't become swept up in the "Dubai lifestyle" that too many people are. I do strongly encourage you to keep coming back on here and asking more questions once you get the details of your husband's package offer so we can offer more detailed feedback on what's feasible and the kind of lifestyle you can have on that package. As Americans our salaries aren't tax free but there is a tax exemption of 96,000 (goes up every year by about 1,000-1,500, I think), but you can also deduct a portion of your housing allowance/expenses on top of it. Keep in mind that any income above the exemption is taxed at the full tax rate for your entire income. And also keep in mind that while you won't be contributing to social security, your employer won't either, nor will you receive any IRA Roth matching or pension schemes, unless it's negotiated as part of your offer and this is really only found in people doing a short term internal corporate transfer by the same company. So you really need to make sure you have sufficient income to be able to save an equivalent amount.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 01 July 2015 - 10:08

Traffic has substantially reduced in the last two weeks. The Sheikh Zayed bottleneck normally begins around Al Barsha in the evenings and it's now clear and free all the way to WTC. It's now possible to find parking at Mall of Emirates on Thursday and Friday nights. Summer slowdown is already here, at least for a lot of us.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 28 June 2015 - 15:05

I suspect the UAE's high ranking has much to do with that it's a small country while China and the United States are enormous countries. The pollution levels in the Chinese cities are averaged in with the rest of China, which is still very rural, so China comes out with a lower pollution score. But if you compare Dubai directly with Beijing, there's no question which is the most polluted city. No question, whatsoever. And the same is true for any large Chinese city.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 25 June 2015 - 20:00

If you are shipping this time of year, your container will get very hot. Prolonged exposure to heat in a closed metal space will likely turn your olive oil rancid by the time it's delivered to your new place, which can take several months. Pass all your food to your good friends.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 13 June 2015 - 11:42

You are paying her an extremely generous salary plus benefits. And you mentioned that you were also generous to her family. While there are always two perspectives over what constitutes plenty of free time and not a heavy workload, nonetheless, for the salary she is being paid as a maid she can hardly complain. It sounds like you fell into the trap of being too generous and not firmly establishing the parameters at the onset of the employment. Is this your first time having a maid? I would not dismiss her immediately because there may be other factors we're not aware of such as unhappiness or stress at home, which can affect a person's mood temporarily, but I would sit down with her and have a frank discussion about her behavior and how it is unacceptable and that you are not willing to tolerate it any further. Tell her that if her feelings are very strong, she is welcome to leave immediately because whatever her issues are from home, they do not belong in your villa and they are not your problems and you will not be penalized for them. If she wants to stay, put her on probation and if she doesn't improve both her work and her attitude, you will have to dismiss her. There is nothing like an unhappy maid to make your life miserable too. It's not worth it. For the salary you are currently paying you can easily find another maid happy to get it. I also agree with Marroosh regarding the mistake of blurring the line between your maid and your family via Facebook friendships. It's not wise. No matter how much you want to be egalitarian, a maid-madam relationship is not an egalitarian one and cannot be treated as such. She is not a family member, she is not a friend, she is your employee. You need your own privacy from her just as she needs her own privacy from you. It would only be after at least a decade of working for me that I might consider allowing our relationship move beyond employer-employee into something a little closer and only then would I consider allowing my maid to friend me or other family members on Facebook.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 09 June 2015 - 23:04

This thread comes up every year I've lived in Dubai. But I did recently read this article in the Daily Telegraph: http://my.telegraph.co.uk/expat/annabelkantaria/10159217/how-to-leave-the-uae/ It doesn't say much other than the writer is also experiencing the same thoughts as others on this thread. We do know people leaving. It seems that a big reason compared to past years is that the job market has greatly improved "back home," and other reasons are education and cost of living. One of my friends who left last year said the UAE was a wonderful place to raise young children, but not teenagers and she wanted her children in the UK for their teenage years. It's a sentiment I sympathize with.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 08 June 2015 - 09:40

If your contract is coming to an end and the landlord already served you with the eviction notice last year, when you renewed the contract, then you are obliged to move, as long as you were given 12 full months' notice. But the landlord is not allowed to rent out the property for two full years after you move out. If you see the property advertised for rent, you can file a case against him at RERA and you will win. And you will get compensation. I've heard of people getting an entire year's rent as compensation! You can tell the landlord that you know the law and that he's not allowed to rent out the property after you leave and that you will be watching the property like a hawk to see if there's any new rental activity.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 June 2015 - 12:26

When we leave Dubai it will not be the fancy hotels or brunches that we'll remember. We do enjoy the nice places and there's no denying Dubai does hotels very well and there are many wonderful and expensive restaurants. What we will remember be the camping trips to the deserts, exploring the wadis of Oman, being able to walk to the beaches from our villa, the cheap local cafeterias tucked between the fastfood joints on the Beach Road, the warm weather between October and April, wonderful travel opportunities and of course, our great friends. I can understand the frustrations many people do have. The traffic does seem to be getting worse due to the renewed construction (and that friggin' canal that no one wants). Endless speculation on whether rents are going up or starting to decline. School fees going up every year. Being nickled and dimed in many new ways. The sheer inability of service people to say no, which always causes complications down the road because they don't follow through with what you're expecting them to do. And the city is busier and less "local" than it was eight years ago. Will I be sad to leave the UAE? Probably not because my family is first and foremost and wherever we are is where I am happy. Life is always what you make of it, there are people unhappy in London or New York or in the mountains of Colorado. Right now we're taking advantage of everything Dubai has to offer, both the high end and low end, and we break up our daily lives with regular trips to Bur Dubai, the beaches, the east coast, Oman and the desert and overseas. And I know even if we were transferred to the middle of Ohio or Kansas, we'd have the same attitude towards taking advantage of our new home to the fullest. But if you are genuinely unhappy, then move on. Life is too short to be miserable.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 June 2015 - 12:14

Don't forget your credit cards. [i'>All [/i'>of them.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 24 May 2015 - 10:49

2500/month, visa expenses, annual flight. Five days a week. And yes, everyone we know works five day weeks except for a handful in construction. It's rare in western circles to be doing six day weeks. She works nine hours a day Sunday - Thursday. She also does the periodic babysitting on weekends, for which we pay her extra. It's agreed that it's non-negotiable if we want her to babysit weekend but it doesn't happen often and we always give her plenty of advance notice.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 May 2015 - 09:36

There's only a handful of US curriculum schools in Dubai. A good approach is to find a school for your children and use that to determine where to live. Dubai is not a big city and the airport is not that far from anywhere in Dubai. What makes a difference is the direction of the traffic flow. In the mornings it's much easier/quicker to commute to the airport from anywhere south, and the reverse is true for the afternoon. The good news is that most places where you would want to live is south of the airport! Some of the American schools are: ASD, Dubai American Academy, Universal American, Bradenton, Collegiate American School and Universal American School. ASD and DAA are considered the most sought after (and competitive to gain places). Be aware of the differences in school fees. Popular communities where you can get something in your budget are Arabian Ranches, Springs and Victory Heights. These are masterplanned communities somewhat similar to the large masterplanned developments you find in Arizona or Colorado or California and about 20-30 minutes from the airport. You may be able to find something smaller and older in Jumeira/Umm Suqeim by the beaches but these will be older compound villas, but it is a lovely area with a bit of a California beach community vibe and very central. Mirdiff is east of the airport and probably the cheapest place to live. Some people really love living there.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 May 2015 - 10:20

All renovations must be approved of by Emaar. They're apparently strict on renovations that change the exterior of the property. So you should speak with your local Emaar office about what's doable.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 13:22

The "old" and "new" Greens have the same interior finishes. Nothing fancy, but perfectly fine. The exterior of the "new" Greens is slightly more modern/nicer and have fancier courtyards/pool areas, but otherwise they're similar enough. The difference seems to be that the "new" Greens apartment blocks tend to have many more bigger 2-3 bedroom apartments, while the "old" Greens is primarily 1 bedrooms and smaller 2-bedrooms, although there are some bigger 2-bedroom units. I don't think they have any three bedroom apartments in the "old" Greens. The highrises in the "Views" have both smaller and bigger apartments, depending on your needs. The finishes are nicer than in the Greens and the pool areas tend to be lovely. Then you have what I call the "midrises," which are in the Views side of the Greens and along the lake. The apartments have similar finish qualities as the highrises and vary greatly in size and floor plans, but some of the ones facing the lake on the upper level do have massive balconies and terraces and a number of them don't have upstairs neighbors, so you don't have the risk of people throwing debris off their balcony for it to land on yours. We had friends who lived in one of those apartments and it really was lovely, wonderful views overlooking the lake and park, calm and serene, and the massive terrace was wonderful for dinner parties.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 28 April 2015 - 13:19

There's a nice sized British expat community in Dinan, which is also a lovely town. Popular with tourists, which will help out when the property is being used as a holiday let. I would think if you wanted a property that can be used as a holiday let, pick a popular tourist town so people can walk to restaurants and shops, or a place along the coastline. Brittany is a lovely part of France. Hmm....already salivating over memories of those fab apple pastries and Calvados and seafood.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 27 April 2015 - 20:40

The gatehouses are more for show than anything else. Places like the Ranches have main streets that run through and are open to anyone, with the sub communities accessed via a gatehouse. There will be two entries, the one on left (gated) for visitors and the one on the right (usually left open) for residents. Frankly, if you're a Westerner or driving a nice enough car just drive through the resident's side and no one will bat an eye. Alternatively, give them a random address. Villa 4, Street 7b. Or park in one of the community shopping areas and walk around. They all have pathways that take you into the residential clusters.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 26 April 2015 - 14:20

Do you own the property? If not you should get your landlord's permission first. He may expect you to remove the paint when you move out. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 26/04/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 25 April 2015 - 13:13

Ideally you should get the schools sorted out first before deciding on where to live. If you get places in Jumeirah Primary School and your husband works at DIFC, ideally you should live in Jumeirah or Umm Suqeim otherwise both of you will spend ages in the car commuting and doing the school run. We live in Umm Suqeim and from there to DIFC is 15-20 minutes for DH, and to the boys' school is also 20 minutes, and just about everything I need from malls to supermarkets is within 20 minutes too. Perfect for us! If the school ends up being Nord Anglia then Victory Heights/Ranches are good options. Just be mindful that living anywhere on that side of town will mean spending a good portion of your life in the car! Of course, a lot of it will come down to your housing budget.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 23 April 2015 - 13:47

I do this periodically. I go down to Satwa to one of the Pakistani bread bakeries (those tiny shops who only make the flat Pakistani bread in their clay ovens). You'll see someone in the rear kneading and forming the dough into balls. I buy several of the balls of dough from them for only a few dirhams and take them home and roll them out and they make a lovely pizza base. Rather sourdoughy tasty, which is my ideal. My pizza topping is quite simple, diced tomatoes, usually from Pomi, seasoned and topped with mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with parmesean cheese. Sometimes I lay slices of proscuitto and mushrooms as well. If you do this, take a plastic container and put some cornmeal in it, or flour if you don't have cornmeal, so you can put the balls in it and the cornmeal will prevent the balls from sticking to one another.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 23 April 2015 - 13:40

There are people who are, by nature, very touchy feeling, whose brains don't tell them that it's not polite or appropriate to touch strangers. Sometimes cultural norms fuel this symptom, other times it's just a biological thing. I'm sure we've all met people at one point or another whose first instinct was to immediately touch you, and we didn't like it! Regardless of who is at fault here, the courts should have a quick judicial process for tourists over something very minor like this matter. Six months in jail? The whole thing should have been settled in a few days and the poor man deported as soon as possible, rather than letting this matter blow up into yet another international scandal for Dubai. It's not the arrest for touching a policewoman that's attracting the international attention, it's the six month jail time.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 April 2015 - 12:51

As harsh and cruel as it may sound, you need to cancel her visa right away and send her back to her home country for the remainder of her pregnancy. She is no longer able to do the work she was hired for and you do not want to be liable for her medical expenses. Complications during pregnancies are commonplace enough and the expenses can too easily mount up. I would probably send her off with a month's salary as a token of gratitude for the work she's done and to help her out a bit with her pregnancy, but my obligation would end there.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 16 April 2015 - 08:59

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is currently at 97K. The way it works is that if you make 150K, you deduct 97K from your taxable income. However, you still pay taxes on the remaining 53K at the 150K tax bracket, not the 53K tax bracket. You can also deduct a percentage of your housing expenses on top of the exclusion. But be aware that if you have income generating investments in the US, property and so forth, it becomes complicated. You still have to pay full income tax on those incomes and you lose most of your standard deductibles once you elect to use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. That's where a proper tax expert steps in. Someone told me that the first 97K you make overseas isn't taxed and is considered you made $0.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 15 April 2015 - 10:03

With a budget of 140K your choices will be primarily Mirdiff or Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC). But don't be surprised if you end up dipping into your base salary for another 30-40K, as that will bump you into Arabian Ranches or the Springs. You'll understand why when you get here, although your tolerance level will play a factor in whether you'll be happy with JVC/Mirdiff versus the other communities. Your company should be offering you hotel apartment accommodation for at least a month, ideally three, and that will give you time to find a place to live. Most agents in Dubai won't want to work with you until you're on the ground, and ideally ready to move in a week or so. Landlords rarely sign leases that won't begin for a few weeks or a month, they want it to start right away! A good agent is as rare as hen's teeth. But use your initial month to view as many areas and don't be afraid to call up multiple listings to see what the villas and areas are like, narrow it down to your preferred ones, then in the last week make the offer on what's available. Most properties are identikit properties, so there's rarely a rush to get that perfect villa. By the way, the rental market is softening and rent prices are starting to drop. Properties asking 175K now may be down to 165K (or even less) by the fall. If you're able to pay the rent in one check, you will have some bargaining power!

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EW GURU

Latest post on 14 April 2015 - 21:35

I don't have a dryer. I have a maid. She spends most of the day fanning the wet clothes with a peacock fan :) It's so warm year round that most people dry their clothes on drying racks. In the summer months you can dry an entire rack of clothes in a hour. Dryers are becoming more and more common, but the old fashioned drying method is more environmentally friendly and doesn't drive up your utilities bill. The other upside is that your clothes last longer as dryers are harsher on the fabric. The downside is that you don't get that soft feel and fresh smell you get with a dryer and dryer sheets and clothes dried on a rack can be a bit stiff, although a maid with a iron can take care of that problem. I love my freshly ironed sheets. I have read that they don't use DRYERS in the UAE? WHAT IN THE WORLD? How do you dry your clothes? :biggrin::biggrin:

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 April 2015 - 19:56

Regardless of the temperature, it still cools noticeably after 4:30 so the evenings are always pleasantly warm, and it's like this through May. July and August are when the evening temperatures rarely cools down. Be prepared if this is your first summer in Dubai!

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 April 2015 - 18:43

It's up to your employer and it should be mutually agreed between you and your madam when you're hired. I provide my maid with sets of matching single colored trousers and shirts to wear around the house while cleaning. I didn't like her original cleaning clothes because they were worn and rather tacky such as t-shirts with cartoonish imagery, but I didn't want her to wear her nice clothes either. So I went to Carrefour and bought new clothes for her to clean in, and I replace them as needed.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 11 April 2015 - 00:31

Your husband's current salary is a very good one by American standards. Out here it translates into a normal western expat salary (for western expats with families). If the new employer gives your husband the equivalent package in Dubai, you will be fine and will live comfortably, but because school fees and housing will eat up so much of it (once all three children are in school) you'll feel worse off compared to staying in the US and your tax savings is wiped out. I would not make the move to Dubai unless your husband receives, at a minimum, the same salary plus full school fees for all your children, or something equivalent. As another poster pointed out, because of school fees going up every year, it's safer to have guaranteed full coverage rather than a specific offered sum, because companies rarely increase the school allowances. However, it's also useful to look at the total package value and how the package is structured. This is the typical (or used to be) package structure: Base salary Housing allowance School fees Transportation allowance Annual flights home for the whole family Health insurance Relocation allowance (one off) *occasionally, furniture allowance See what you're offered and add it all up. If your husband's base salary offer is the equivalent of his current salary in the US, and all the other benefits are on top of that, including the housing allowance, then you're in a very good position, even if you need to dip into the base to cover the differential in housing and school costs. The next step to ask is if the benefits outside the base salary use it or lose it? Some people save from their housing allowances, for example, while others spend it all because they don't get to keep the differential. Also find out how the housing allowance is paid. Is it paid as part of the monthly salary, or is it offered in a lump sum for the year? This is important because rent checks for villas are between 1-4 for the year, with 1-2 being the most common for the popular areas. We pay our rent upfront for the whole year. Also find out who's responsible for paying the real estate agent, and the dewa as well. Those little expenses do add up. You really need to get the company to clarify what they mean by school fees, and get it in writing. Most employers offer a certain sum per child, sometimes it's sufficient, sometimes you need to top up. Some employers do offer full school fees at the school of your choice. We're completely covered, but we are unique in this (and thankful for it). There are other schools besides ASD. Look at Dubai American Academy, Collegiate American School and Bradenton. There's also quite a few British curriculum schools which will be perfectly fine for the elementary years. It's very normal for people to start out at one school in their first year and then move into their preferred school after a year or two. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 11/04/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 10 April 2015 - 22:35

Before you sign the contract and commit to the move you do need to get a sound grounding on the financial reality of life in Dubai. I saw your other thread where you mentioned your housing allowance and it's wholly insufficient for a family of five wanting to maintain a similar middle class lifestyle comparable to the US. Dubai is very expensive, especially if you have three children. That's three sets of school fees to pay.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 10 April 2015 - 22:17

If your housing allowance is only 100K, I'm wondering what your school allowance is. Our boys go to ASD and it's a wonderful school but it is not cheap. Have you looked up their school fees and the various facility and capital fees? https://sites.google.com/a/asdubai.net/admissions/tuition---fees A 3-bedroom villa anywhere near ASD is going to run between 150k as a bare minimum to 250K and upwards from there. Between school fees and villa/apartment rents, Dubai is extremely expensive and you do need to make sure you can afford them before making the move. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 10/04/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 07 April 2015 - 10:54

There are plenty of companies in Dubai that will only hire Indians, and even only Indians from certain parts of India. And there are Arab companies that clearly prefer to hire Arabs. I don't like the preferences by nationality, but it's the way things are out here and in a way it does make sense because of the different working expectations and environments.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 06 April 2015 - 13:17

$200,000 AUD or USD for housing? Very generous and will give you your pick for the most part. If it's 200,000 AED, then your choices are much more limited, but will still get you a nice place. We've always lived in Umm Suqeim since coming to Dubai and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else except Jumeirah next door. These are the original expat neighborhoods, very central, walkable for the beaches and many dining and shopping options within easy reach. The vibe is a bit different than the big master planned communities like the Ranches or Meadows/Springs, a bit more "local" and more "expat experience," and the villas run the gamut from mini palaces to small and old and rundown and the location cannot be beat. What many people do is to find the schools first then pick a house close by. School places are not easy to come by, although everyone manages to find a school eventually, even if it's not their first, or second or even third choice. edited by Tallybalt on 06/04/2015 <em>edited by Tallybalt on 06/04/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 31 March 2015 - 10:09

Your problem isn't so much getting married but that the father of one of your children is fighting you taking him out of the country. I don't think it matters what the UK judge may say. Because the child is not a biological child of your partner, the UAE will not allow him to be sponsored by your partner, even after you marry, until they receive a letter from the child's father granting permission to take him out of the country. This letter needs to be signed and notarized by both the British and UAE authorities. Will the UK judge order your child's father to prepare such a letter? I have a feeling they can't force him to do so, and even if they did, he could easily separately notify the UAE authorities it was done against his will and they can reject the sponsorship. The UAE operates under Sharia law and according to Sharia law, the son belongs to his father's family, not his mother's family, once he reaches a certain age (I think it's either six or eight). It's a very peculiar concept for a boy to be raised by a man who is not his biological father, or his father's family . Every now and then custody disputes between a Western woman and a local man blows up and can be very nasty, which is why someone married to a local and in a failing marriage is often urged to get herself and her children out of the country as soon as possible before the father exercises his legal (in the UAE) rights over the children. If you tried going down the route of finding your own job and getting your own sponsorship separate from your partner to avoid getting married, you still have the issue of getting the father's permission, let alone the chancy difficulties of being unmarried and attempting to sponsor children born out of wedlock. Also be aware that if your partner's company is providing school fees and health insurance, they will not provide them to children who are not directly sponsored by him. Before you make any move to the UAE you must get the custody issue sorted out and permission from the father. And, no, don't wait till after moving here to get married. It's a whole set of headaches living in the UAE unmarried with children because they will not be able to get sponsorship as long as you're unmarried, which means they cannot enrol in any schools or nursery. edited by Tallybalt on 31/03/2015 <em>edited by Tallybalt on 31/03/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 17 March 2015 - 11:43

You have two options to ship pets. Option one is for the pet to fly with you as accompanied baggage. Option two is for the pet to be shipped separately, with a professional shipper covering everything from pick up at your end to delivery to the new country. As you can imagine, Option two is by far the most expensive, and the quote you received is probably for this type of shipping. Option one is much cheaper but requires special permission from the airlines before you make your flight booking, and only some airlines accept pets as accompanied baggage. Of those who do, KLM has the best reputation. A very good and licensed pet shipper based here in Dubai is a lovely woman named Alison and her company is called Dubai Doghouse FZE. You can find her website by googling it. We know people who have used her to fly their pets to the UK/USA at a fraction of the cost charged by other agencies for shipping pets separately. I do recommend you contact Alison via her website and she'll give you all the options for shipping pets, the individual requirements and the prices for each option. Shipping pets really does not have to be that expensive if you're willing to do some leg work and are flexible. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 17/03/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 16 March 2015 - 21:50

Nezesaussi in the Al Manzil hotel does lovely burgers and it's a smoke free pub as well.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 16 March 2015 - 13:46

The real downside of going to the smaller C4 Expresses over the big hypermarket is that I have a feeling they dump the older produce at the expresses, either that or the turnover isn't fast enough so you end up with more shriveled looking produce. And of course the range is much smaller. I've been surprised at some of the more exotic things that can be found at the big C4, such as quinces at times, which won't happen for the smaller Expresses. does anyone know, are the small Carrefour Markets equally priced than the big Carrefours? The general pricing is exactly the same. The only difference is that they don't have as many special offers on. When I need a lot of household items like washing powder and cleaning stuff, I tend to go to one of the larger ones.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 16 March 2015 - 13:41

If you're sticking to the metro you can get to Carrefour at MoE and Prime Gourmet by metro easily. The metro stop after/before MoE is literally in front of Prime Gourmet in the Gold and Diamond Park. I'm new too and was a bit sick of the usual run of the mill supermarkets that were overpriced and 'nice' (and within walking distance). So I set out to Al Barsha Mall to the Co-op. I was pleasantly surprised - the quality of fruit and veg and other grocery items was good and well priced. I managed to get all I needed (and more) for a fraction of what I had paid at the 'other' stores. The fish was really fresh too. The only thing I did not buy was meat but then I have not been impressed with most of the meat so far. Must try Prime Gourmet.. It will be easier when I am driving as I'm using public transport and taxis. - I'll have a really good look around then. Thanks Tallybalt for the rundown - great list...

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Latest post on 14 March 2015 - 20:56

Oh, and one more market ;) Union Coop. Emirati owned and very popular among Emiratis but it's open to everyone. They probably have the cheapest prices but the range isn't as big as at Carrefour or even Spinneys and I've never been impressed with the quality. But many people shop there happily. They have a big store in Al Barsha mall, as well as scattered across the more traditional areas of Dubai.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 14 March 2015 - 20:46

Because I'm a bored housewife ;) I cook a lot and so I've come to know most of the supermarkets in Dubai pretty well. Spinneys and Waitrose are more or less the same supermarket, under different names. They're both owned by the same local company (Waitrose is a UK supermarket but operates under the Spinneys license in the UAE). Same bakery, same range of goods, same meat, you get it. The advantage of Waitrose is proximity to you and a slightly broader range of Waitrose brand goods, and that it can be ever so slightly more expensive. They are very British focused, carrying staples imported from Britain that you can't find elsewhere. The bakery is quite good, excellent range of breads baked in house. They are both pretty supermarkets, attractive to the eye, and the quality is quite decent, but they are also expensive if you do all your weekly shop there. Choithrams has fewer stores than Spinneys, but there's one in the Marina as well. They are less British focused, although they do carry some Tescos products (another UK supermarket). They also carry a number of American goods that you won't find at Spinneys. Some people like their meat department, especially for kebabs and sausages. Choithrams also carries a range of Indian produce that you won't find at Spinneys. Choithram stores aren't as pretty or organized as Spinneys/Waitrose. Park 'n Shop is owned by South Africans (I think) and has a mix of British and South African focus. Traditionally their meat counter was the best in Dubai and when we came here eight years ago that was the case, but other stores are now giving them a run for their money. I used to frequent the Park 'n Shop on Al Wasl and it has a loyal following, but they are still expensive and I don't find their produce or range of goods as good as Spinneys, so I rarely go there now. Their pork, by the way, is among the cheapest in Dubai as they carry a lot of African pork and you'll often find good prices for packets of frozen bacon. Carrefour is a big French hypermarket. The two huge locations are Mall of Emirates and Mirdiff City Center. They also have a bunch of smaller Carrefour Express, with a more limited range and convenient for popping in to get the odd ingredient. The big hypermarkets have the biggest range of food available and it's pretty comprehensive. As you would expect from a French hypermarket, the cheese counter is excellent and fairly priced. The range of Carrefour brand goods, from pastas to biscuits, is also quite good quality. The bakery is average. Produce is pretty good, both locally sourced and imported, plus a whole range of organic produce. People will debate over whether the produce at Carrefour is as good as Spinney's/Waitrose's, my opinion is that sometimes it's better at one and other times it's better at the other, and at the end of the day Carrefour has by far the best prices. I don't buy meat at Carrefour, I find it disappointing and lower quality. Geant is a slightly inferior version of Carrefour. Lulu is another hypermarket, but with an Indian focus. People say it's even cheaper than Carrefour but I can't comment as I've never shopped there. There's a big store in Al Barsha, behind Mall of Emirates. Al Maya's is a small chain of small supermarkets. I find them very overpriced and the quality of meat and produce is inferior. They seem to capitalize on their locations more than their food. For speciality shopping: Prime Gourmet in the Gold and Diamond Park has the best meat in Dubai. Only beef and lamb. Most from Australia. Has both grain fed and grass fed beef if that's important to you. Prices for the quality you're getting is excellent. Galleries Lafayette at the Dubai Mall has a food hall with an outstanding cheese room and pork room. Organics Foods is an organic supermarket on Sheikh Zayed and there's another location in the Greens, too (if it's still there). As you can expect, it's organics and modeled after the American Whole Foods. Very expensive. I've never been impressed with the produce from there. Jones the Grocer is a boutique cafe/gourmet market. Expensive but lovely and sometimes has the odd ingredient you can't find in the other markets. Milk and Honey is a very upscale gourmet market with a location in the Springs and another one on the Palm. Ridiculously and shamefully expensive. I was with someone there once and she bought jacket potatoes, smoked salmon, sour cream, salad mix and the bill came out to over 300 AED! But they do have the odd luxury ingredient. Ripe Farm Shop and farmer's markets (weekends). Organic and locally raised produce. Quite good prices. You just cannot get the quality of produce you can find in the UK or the US, but for this region Ripe is not bad. They have farmer's markets on the weekend in Zabeel Park. For baked goods, there's quite a few French style bakeries now. I like Crumbs on Sheikh Zayed for their French bread. I used to love their croissants, but it's been disappointing for a while, but the bread is still good. Where do I shop? Most staples and dry goods from Carrefour. Most of my produce from Carrefour as well. Cheese from Carrefour. The trick is to go to Carrefour at 9 AM when they open and you get the best pickings. Some produce and some meat, usually pork, from Spinney's/Waitrose, along with breads. I buy Waitrose brand flour for when I bake. I often go to the Waitrose on Al Wasl as the nearby Spinney's car lot is always packed yet it's the same store! Prime Gourmet for most of our meat. Sometimes I'll stop in Ripe, when I can remember.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 17 February 2015 - 13:22

Oh, yes. I remember that thread! What a ball it was. That was years ago! Right up there with the woman who found her teenage son having an affair with the maid. (Does anyone remember the chick from the US Southern region who didn't want to move because she'd have to leave her lovely life, cotillion organisation and fabulous dinner parties, but her wretch of a husband was planning on dragging her out here anyway? Comedy gold). PPS. You even made me look up your other posts, lord love you. FYI: when you're talking about which section of Meadows into which you're locating, just remember that when someone asks you which Meadows, they're wanting the number of the community, not the type of villa. 'Hattan' tells us nothing, other than that you did do a teensy bit of research to 'establish' yourself in a pretty top-notch eff-off villa in the region. Though truthfully, you should have gone all-out Emirates Hills. If you paid 450K for a Hattan, you might be getting a good'un, but you've also probably been ripped off ... but since this is all conjecture and you're a wind-up merchant, it hardly matters, I guess! Absolutely. I'm shocked MF didn't go for the Palm Jumeirah. By the way, I googled her username and Dubai and she's been posting on another popular British expat forum. Claims we aren't very nice to her on here :) <em>edited by Tallybalt on 17/02/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 February 2015 - 13:51

It's one of those funny areas, isn't it? Perfectly happy to go to restaurants to be waited upon by the restaurant staff, or attend corporate functions or weddings where the waitstaff serve you drinks and food. But when it comes to a private house, somehow it's cringeworthy? I'm not trying to stir up an ugly debate, but as long as the OP and the maid fully understand the expectations and are happy with it and the duties aren't onerous or unreasonable, then it's really nobody else's business. Not necessarily that, just expecting your home help to act as a waitress. Wanting them to help clean up afterwards etc fine, but serving water and food etc? just the thought makes me cringe.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 February 2015 - 09:40

Once in a while we will have a more formal social event at home and I will expect the maid to help out. She's in the kitchen most of the time, but she does bring out the appetizers when we're socializing, never walking around offering food but putting the platters out. When we're sitting at the table, she brings food to the table and clears away the dishes between courses. It's not quite Downton Abbey with the footmen serving each guest, but I coordinate the schedule in advance and she brings out the platters or bowls of food to me, and I individually fix each plate and pass it around. When she comes out with the food I will tell her that the pitchers of water needs refilling (if needed). While we're eating she will start the washing of the pots and pans and any dishes from the earlier courses. When we finish the dinner and return to the sitting area or outside, she will clear the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher and put away the leftovers. It's really not that much work as she doesn't cook any of the food, her role is just being available and some serving. I will tip her extra. It does mean I get to spend much more time with my guests.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 24 January 2015 - 16:31

There has been a massive, practically catastrophic collapse in oil prices, from over $100 a barrel last July to under $50 a barrel at the moment. Who knows how much further it may go or if the market will recover somewhat. As DH says, people in Dubai seem to be strangely silent, even in denial, on the oil price drops. While it's true Dubai has little oil, much of the operating budget of the UAE comes from oil, as does for the surrounding Gulf states. If they have to scale back on infrastructure projects due to declining revenues, that could have a knock down effect on Dubai. And of course there's investor money, so much investor money in Dubai real estate was coming from other oil rich countries, and enough of these investors may start feeling financial pressures at home and will want to start selling their Dubai properties to raise cash. Large scale layoffs have already been announced in Houston's oil sector. Dubai has many subcontractor firms that support the oil sector one way or another, and I wouldn't be surprised if these firms start scaling down on staff. We could be headed for a trifecta of factors that could see another big swing in property prices similar to what happened in 2009-2010. Since you asked if it was a good idea to buy property here [b'>this[/b'> year, I would say no. I would wait at least another year to see what happens to oil prices and what the effect is on the Dubai economy before buying any property.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 24 January 2015 - 11:16

Strasbourg is a lovely market in a lovely city and it's also apparently the oldest Christmas market in Europe. It's been years since I was there but what I remember is that it's primarily one very large market in the city center. And rather touristy. Vienna has multiple markets all over the city. The big one by the town hall (rathaus) is the biggest and also the most touristy and rather tacky, although young children will probably love it. But there are scores of smaller markets that seem to cater primarily to Viennese residents, who pop over after work for an hour or two of mulled wine and food and walking around in good spirits. What I remembered of Strasbourg was that I was surrounded by thousands of tourists, while in Vienna (other than the Rathaus market) I felt I was surrounded by Viennese people. We didn't go to Vienna just for the Christmas market, so by combining visits to the various markets with other activities it did make for a very lovely trip. Keep in mind that pretty much all the markets across Europe will offer more or less the same things for sale and most of it is overpriced, some rubbish, some nice, but still overpriced. I wasn't paying 20 euros for a small Christmas tree ornament! What we took away from the markets were the mugs that came with the mulled wine. Very cheap, around three euros each, and made perfect gifts for people back home. Each market has its own special mug.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 23 January 2015 - 13:46

It's a perfectly valid question to ask if you had plans for tonight. It has nothing to do with a lack of respect because we live in a part of the world where last minute mourning and dry nights do happen and people will want to revise their plans accordingly. Does this mean it will be a dry weekend? lounges/hotels = no alcohol? Sorry but this is really priority? The UAE govt is showing a sign of respect for a brother that just passed away and will be buried today, and first thing comes to mind is whether there will be booze? I am sure the UAE govt won't want to inconvenience anyone's need to drink while mourning. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 23/01/2015</em>

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EW GURU

Latest post on 19 January 2015 - 12:43

If he's going from the Greens to the airport in the morning, he will be going against the main traffic flow, which will be AD/Jebel Ali bound, so there shouldn't be any problems either way. You can take luggage on the metro now. Taxi will be quicker. The metro will probably take around 45 minutes.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 18 January 2015 - 14:45

265K is a healthy budget. You should be able to find a villa on the Ranches for that. Other nearby communities include Lakes, Meadows, Green Community and Victory Heights. And there's Al Barsha itself. Kings Dubai is also not that far from Umm Suqeim, which has the beaches handy. From my villa in Umm Suqeim it takes about 20 minutes to reach ASD, and Kings Dubai should take about the same, although in a different direction. Take a look on Dubizzle for available properties.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 January 2015 - 15:35

Are you sure you contacted the right Trade Centre hotel apartments? We know people who stayed there last year and had pets with them. I know one of the three buildings doesn't take pets, but the other two should. There's also a separate hotel tower on the other side of the Trade Centre that has a similar name. That will not take pets. If I were you I would drive down there and speak to the reception in each of the three buildings because for a long time they were the only hotel apartments in Dubai that accepted pets. Knowing Dubai what you're told over the phone may be different from speaking to an actual manager in person.

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EW GURU

Latest post on 12 January 2015 - 10:43

Persian rugs are a tricky subject. If you buy one of the typically new, flowery Persian carpets, which includes all the new silk rugs for sale in the UAE, the western markets don't favor those types of Persians as the western market is dominated by the antique tribal persian rugs that are no longer woven, such as Heriz, Malayers, Shiraz, Isfahans and Balouchis, except possibly as copies from India. The copies can still be quite good quality but won't be officially traditional Persians. Dubai unfortunately is an overpriced market for Persians. Almost everything sold here is of the newer Persian variety, including the silks, as that seems to be what the Arabs prefer. If you pay full price for a rug here and take it to the West you simply won't get your money back if you ever decide to sell it. Even with resale within the UAE you're unlikely to get more than a fraction of what you paid, partly because there's already a huge supply of rugs. When you go buy a rug here, the dealers will talk ad nauseam about investment value, so never believe it. The best places to buy proper Persians are in the West as that's where you get both a greater range and more competitive prices, as these rugs have been imported into the West for centuries now. The auction houses in the UK will have plenty of Persians on offer, and all the big auction houses have specialist rug auctions where for the price of an inferior new Persian in the UAE, you can get a truly fantastic antique Persian. As it is, you should never buy a rug as an investment. It should always be a personal decision reflecting your taste and appreciation of the rug and what it means to you. The Blue Souk in Sharjah is the best place in the UAE for rugs, with scores of shops. Take your time, visit all the shops, and the dealers will be more than happy to talk to you about the rugs and the differences between rugs. Never feel guilty or pressurized into buying one just because the dealer is chatty and nice, it is their business to show you many rugs and to understand you may need to make repeat visits before deciding upon one. Now, if you have serious money, my favorite rug store is Miri, in the Dubai Mall. Their rugs are brand new, but woven in the style of the traditional Persians from the past. Their rugs are absolutely spectacular and of extremely high quality. But unfortunately not cheap. DH really wants to buy a rug or two from Miri, but as we are Americans there is an embargo on all products from Iran and when we go back to the US someday we wouldn't be able to take Miri rugs with us. Heck, we wouldn't even be able to buy an antique Persian at a rug auction in the UK and take that to the US even if it had been in Britain for 100 years!

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