thedogsdisco

Hi
My wife and I, and six month son want to go to live for a few months in the middle east next month. Which country/city is the cheapest to rent an apartment and which has good quality of life. We are opened minded. Any suggestions please.

scot47

What is your nationality ? Some people can make short trips to the UAE and get a visa on arrival. Other countries in the region are not so easy.What is the purpose of your visit ?

thedogsdisco

We are English. In April I will have passed a celta course so want to teach English in the future but have to wait 6 weeks for the certificate to be sent so would like to go away for a few months before looking for a job hopefully in Saudi but am open minded where we end up.
Thanks

DXBtoDOH

I don't think you really understand the Middle East.....

None of the countries in the Gulf are places to hang out cheaply for a few months. Very, very, very expensive. And for what?

Go to Asia.

mikewot

Most places in Thailand and the Philippines (not Manilla or Mindanao). Nowhere in the ME.

Bahtatboy

Cost: Ok, somewhere's got to be the cheapest among the various options. Egypt maybe? Jordan? Iran? Would you really want to take an infant there?

Quality of life: That's just too broad a question. A Pakistani taxi driver once told me that Saudi was the most wonderful place on earth: everything's relative. However, you've said you're English, but you're still going to have to narrow it down a bit: what, to you, does "quality of life" mean?

sicklyman

teaching in Saudi on a newly printed CELTA with a wife and infant? To prepare you for that, you probably want to try...

... sorry, forgot. There's nothing, even elsewhere in the ME, that will prepare you for that baptism of fire.

NorthernLad

Try here...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/middl...ats-me-873855/

TheTrailingSpouse

I agree with the previous posters. With a brand new CELTA cert you will find it extremely hard to get a job in the ME. Even more so a job that affords you a decent lifestyle with a family in tow. All the employers I've seen want 2 years post-qualifying experience as a minimum. You will find it much easier to get a job in the Far East. Vietnam is somewhere you could potentially earn a good enough wage to support a family whilst working as an EFL teacher.

As for your holiday, if you've plenty of savings then you could spend your couple of months in Dubai in a budget hotel. You'd still eat through a lot of money though. You can check various hotel booking websites to see exactly how much. The ME is so expensive I don't really think it's a place to spend a few months though. As others have said you'd be much better going to the Far East and having a lovely and cheap family holiday while trying to set up a job. Good luck.

Standanista

Cyprus, Turkey (avoiding the refugees/teargas) or Israel. Nowhere in the Gulf without a job unless you're loaded.

mission

f*k that hell hole

Meow

"Hopefully in Saudi". For real? That's anyone's first choice?

EFL teachers are 10 a penny (Dirham/Riyal/Dinar) so that won't pay much and the cost of living, especially in the GCC countries, is high. Mind you friends have recently returned from Jordan where a pint of beer or glass of wine there makes the Burj al Arab prices look cheap.

Have you done any research about the ME?

Lulu77

Saudi Arabia is the cheapest, but lifestyle isn't a privilege in KSA, i think you should go any place except Arab countries, because they are either expensive, damaged because of war or not good in lifestyle. If you insist, you can ask about Jordan.

mikewot

Given the vagueness of the question what do you think?

Meow

Surely you picked up the weariness and hint of sarcasm in my question?