shake2000

Thank you all for your feedback and apologies for not posting for a week, things got a bit busy in my current job.
I agree with all the pros and cons and having worked in the region (Doha) for 1.5 years, have dealt with a few of the social issues directly. The "Hindi" comment is a good and valid one as the special treatment usually starts as soon as people hear my name or see it on a document. We don't look the usual "Pakistani" family and are somewhat fair with green eyes which helps avoid the initial "special treatment" but as soon as people read the name, it's right there in your face.
After thinking through everything and seriously considering the pros and cons, we have decide to move ahead with the opportunity. The points below are based on our personal opinion after thinking about all the great points you all have made. I am not in any way trying to convince anyone to agree:

1. Doing the math, we're at a point where we will need to move and invest in change locally (bigger place, new car etc..) so believe it somewhat (somewhat!) negates the extra cost to start. I understanding settling in a new country has additional costs but this is a factor.
2. Personal choice - It would be nice to be close to home and be able to travel a bit more. We do feel we're somewhat isolated in this part of the world as travelling any place different requires tons of travel time and a high cost. I do not get paid when I don't work.
3. No matter what anyone says, Toronto to me is and always will be the best city to live in. Dubai as fancy as it is and how good the weather is, will never match Toronto summers! We still plan to do our annual Cottage trip when we come back in the summer for holidays.
4. Finances - The cost of living is high in Dubai but compensated by a better salary. Based on my math we feel we will be able to save more. Remember - I am an independent consultant with no benefits, no vacations, no bonus and no pension plan. I made the choice as it allows me to have better control over taxes (all legal) as I appreciate getting the money upfront and managing my taxes with my accountant rather than getting dinged at source in a full time job. The hourly rate is good and worth giving up everyone else.
5. Big cons are still education expenses and high cost of living. Schooling cost is something you either accept before moving to Dubai or you don't, we have decided to accept it. Housing I still feel is comparable taking into account the same size with cost to commute etc. Dubai is still more, but better standard of living.
6. Last but not least, we travel home every year in the winters. This alone costs around $12K (4 tickets with high seasonal cost during Christmas) which is a bad hit to savings. The move saves us this expense and our annual return flight home are part of the package.

Again, the intention is not to justify or convince everyone but just our point of view. There will always be pros and cons to every decision, we just feel with the place we're at, this feels like a good move.
Thank you again for all your feedback! Much appreciated.

carcajou

Your reasoning and analysis is sound. Good luck to you, and I hope you contribute regularly to the threads here and share your experiences with others.

scot47

Some people never get over the shock of discovering that things are different. Best to be prepared. That is why i posted the remark about being denigrated as "Hindi".

There may be lots of chavs around in the UAE but this is not Essex.

shake2000

Have to admit, I had to use the urban dictionary for that....