lazybones

Hi All,

I have been offered the following to move to Dubai with my current company. Trying to see if it is a) Practical, b) worth it:

Telecoms (Sales, Business development, R&D), 15 years experience.

All numbers Annual. Me, Wife, 2 kids, 4/6

Salary
460K AED

Car
42K AED

Housing
143K AED

School
25K per child

Medical
1 flight home per year

Due to local pay policy the salary is around 26% lower than my current salary in the UK. The benefits make it approx equal to UK but tax free.

Any advice appreciated.

Live for now

have alook at the cost of living threads and that will give you an idea of cost of rentals and schools for the kids but your overall package will see you ok.

MrsHaps

Did you get the offer based on your family or was it the job package? I am not sure how this works. I have been basing everything on our wage forgetting they usually offer you a package!

Doh.....

lazybones

Based on job offer, school is standard per child so job offer is 460+42+143 = 645,000 AED plus 50k school fees for the 2 children

MrsHaps

oh that is good, i am pleased about that! Mind i dont have any kids so dont need to worry about the school fees, i heard they were expensive.

I will base our offer on what you have, glad i have come across this now!

Thanks

lochdaz-of-blantyre

Thats a good offer. Assuming your wife will also have income it would be even better.

Daz

arbroath_abroad

is it not the company that gives you an offer?

Just Browsing

Hi Lazybones,

You have an almost identical background to myself, what company do you work for if you don't mind me asking?

shakh your bootie

housing & school allowances are light, you'll dip into your basic to cover them....

Madam Medusa

yep, i agree...and given the salary is supposedly only on a par with the uk, then you've gotta ask what's the point...

MM, xx

lochdaz-of-blantyre

Eh? the weather? Taking kids to beach after school instead of having them run around the house high on blue smarties(which I think they're bring back by the way!), BBQ in the desert round a fire...oh and who could resist not giving 40% of my earnings to Mr Brown. Budget next week...you lot in UAE poised to laugh at how much fuel will go up too?

Daz

lazybones

The offered salary is 26% lower than the UK salary

The salary + housing + car + schooling is equivalent to the pre tax UK salary

As a package they are the same. No tax in dubai covers additional living expenses as UK and Dubai are roughly equivelent price wise.

Is it usual for people to subsidise housing and schooling from their salary in Dubai?

Is the overall package good enough for a family of 4 to have a good lifestyle in Dubai (645K without schooling or 695K with schooling)

There is also a bonus element (in both the UK and Dubai) but I dont want to count on this as part of making a decision to move

Madam Medusa

that's exactly what i mean...if your salary is going to be less than the uk i can't see the point...it is more expensive to live here, and your housing and schooling allowance are low, so you will need to subsidise, which is never a good thing...

people try to avoid subsidising their housing at all costs...

sure you COULD live on it...but whether you want to is a different matter...

MM, xx

Madam Medusa

you just pay different taxes...and the op already said his salary was 26% lower before he even started on low housing and schooling allowances...that's why...

MM, xx

lazybones

HR tell me that being a global company they have pay bands for different regions. They take current salary and benefits in the UK and translate them to new location. In the case of the UAE it is roughly a 26% salary cut. This takes into account the tax status and the local rates for similar jobs. The car/housing and school allowances are standard for the company in the UAE. The local benefits roughly make up for the salary cut. This would work in reverse if we moved back to the UK i.e. 26% salary hike, loss of local benefits and of course 40% tax. Or if we moved somewhere like Japan, salary hike and higher local allowances.

Reasons for move:
Opportunity (career, travel etc)
Experience for Kids (culture, schooling, lifestyle)
Something different
Weather
Facilities