heathcliffe54

Could anyone please advise me on the distance from Al Ain to Al Dhafra? My husband has accepted a job in Al Ain (we thought) and we have just been told he will initially be stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base. From there it will be up to his line manager where he will be stationed. This has thrown us completely. I have been researching Al Ain and looking at villa rentals. I am finding it difficult to get any info on Al Dhafra.

Would appreciate any advice. We have 2 small children, aged 3 and 1. Anyone advise if it's possible for my hubby to commute from Al Ain to the air base in Al Dhafra? If not, can we please have advice on the rental costs and facilities in the area? Thanks so much

co durham boy

http://www.ourairports.com/big-map.h...8,airport=OMAM

Looks easier to live in A.D from the map .

Miss Anne Thrope

Google is your friend. There seems to be lots about it and it took me about 90 seconds to find this map which shows it located close to Abu Dhabi:

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/...iew/?service=0

As it's near the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi road I guess it would be about 90 minutes from Al Ain but why not live in Abu Dhabi instead?

Oyibopeppeh

Between 60-90 minutes drive from Al Ain to Dafra unless there is fog-induced carnage on the motorway...

Otherwise 15-20 mins drive from Khalifa A, MBZ or Al Reef.

A no-brainer I think

heathcliffe54

Thanks very much for your replies. Looks like we would have to live in AD but that concerns me. We were offered, and accepted the job based on research we had done on Al Ain. Accommodation, education costs etc. It would seem that AD is much more expensive than Al Ain? I am now concerned that our accommodation allowance of 135k which seemed more than adequate for Al Ain is now very low? Also, I have been advised education costs are much more expensive in Aby Dhabi so now I have no idea if our allowance of 25k AED per annum for primary and 35k AED for secondary is sufficient. We have 2 boys - aged 3 and 1. Oldest is 4 in April so I expect him to go to KG on arrival.

Can anyone advise? I am concerned that, what is a good offer for Al Ain, does not equate when you apply it to living in Abu Dhabi.
Thanks all xxx

Norm_uk

Not sure about education costs in AD but for 135K you should be able to find a three bed out of the city, Khalifa City way etc...rents are still going down in AD as more and more construction finishes.

N.

archie159

I personally would not consider living in Al Ain if the work is in Al Dhafra, unless you love driving. But I am concerned that your husband's line manager seems to be able, from what you say, then post him anywhere he likes. Surely you must me able to agree before you go out where you will live?

By the way, I'm sure you know that there is often a probation period in jobs over here, often 3 months. I was certainly advised not to bring out family until that was finished. Is his time in Al Dhafra just his probation period, from where he will be sent somewhere permanent? In which case, maybe you need to consider waiting until that is confirmed?

If you do end up living in Abu Dhabi - the rates you quote are on the lower end of the scale, but not impossibly low. It all depends upon how much the rest of his salary will be - some companies do expect one to top-up ones allowance (our own HR make it clear that education allowance is seen as a contribution towards the cost of education, rather than being expected to cover it totally). As said, costs of rental in Abu Dhabi are dropping, and that rate you quote would easily cover a 2 or 3 BR place in various areas off-island as long as you didn't expect your own private pool etc. Be aware also that some companies, mine for instance, won't pay ANY education allowance until your child reaches the age of 4, so check that for yours. Those rates definitely won't cover the entire cost of any UK-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, but maybe you are expected to make up the balance out of your salary. Without the rest of the info it is hard to say whether you have a problem or not.

Oyibopeppeh

There's plenty of accommodation around that price in Al Reef (the Dubai side of AUH). It's only about 15 drive from Al Dhafra.

There's not much in Al Reef itself, it's a bit isolated, but Yas Island is only 10 mins drive.

shawgialbess

Hello Everyone,

I had the same issue with one of the employers , they offered me a job over in AL Ain, me and my wife have done our research on housing, education, life style, etc... after reading this thread we decided to contact our employer and ask them if the job will be located in Al Ain or Abu Dhabi, unfortunately I just had an answer saying it will be in Abu Dhabi at Al Dhafra Air Base they messed it up now we dont know what to do!! Shall we negotiate for more money since Abu Dhabi is more expensive than Al Ain, or shall we suck it up? I already signed the offer

one more thing , now I just found out that shift working hours will be determined by my manager so I don't know if i ll be working first, second or rotating shift ( to be honest I cant do rotating shifts)...I am so confused I need advise here ...

pretty much I had same issue like heathcliffe54 , so what happened with you heathcliffe54 ? how is it going so far ? any tip or advice?

thank you everyone for this thread