paulmk

Hi,

I am currently in UK and have been offered a Job in Dubai. Offered Salary is 34K per month. In the initial email there is no mention of any additional allowances.

I am married and have 2 boys aged 10 and 6. Please help me understand if this is a good offer, because from what I have read, looks like it would not be enough - High residential rents and education for kids.

The job is in Internet City.

Thanks

Meow

If the school fees aren't covered, forget it.

Ethos83

34K plus full school fees plus bupa quality health insurance plus annual flights for the entire family is just about doable, even without a separate housing allowance.

The above + housing, you're set.

Let me give you a breakdown:

408,000 AED for the year (assuming insurance taken care of)

Minimum requirement:
School fees: 85,000 AED http://www.wellingtoninternationalsc...v.00l002006003

Housing:
3-bed in Springs: 110,000 AED + 12,000 in DEWA and DU bills = 122,000 AED.

You are left with: 201,000.

2 x cars at 2,000 month apiece = 4,000 x 12 = 48,000 + 8,000 in petrol (annnual for two cars) + 7,000 annual in insurance (only approximate, depends on age and value of cars) = 63,000

Monthly food bill: 4,000 x 12 = 48,000.

You are now left with 90,000 AED.

4 x airplane tickets to UK/holiday destination + 2 weeks' holiday expenses = 24,000 AED.

Down to 66,000.

Once monthly night out to dinner with the family = 500 AED x 12 = 6,000.

Bullshit expenses associated with sprogs = 1,000 AED x 12 = 12,000.

Down to 48,000 AED.

So far net savings is 8,000 GBP at current exchange rate.

But as you can see from the breakdown above, there's a lot of other expenses that aren't factored in.

To summarise: you can sort of do it but you'll save nil and you need to be exceedingly frugal about entertainment, dining out, going to the bars and restaurants and brunches and doing all the overpriced shit Dubai is famous for.

Why is this package a killer even though it's 68,000 GBP?

School fees. Period. It makes or breaks the difference between coming out here, having a decent life AND saving a nice sum of money at the end of the day.

Get school fees included as part of your package and then yes, do it.

An alternative is trying to find a job for your wife? Say she finds something making between 15-20,000 a month, then yes that's doable for an expat family.

lionheart

Surely the package is bound to include annual flight home allowance. Also some relocation expenses and medical insurance may be included. You can probably save on school fees and food shopping by looking around. Likewise, you may get by with one car, especially if school transport is arranged.

Millhouse

I wouldn't assume this - mine isn't. I have to cover everything.

Ethos83

That's the problem. You can make the package work but you have to sacrifice something, or in his case, quite a lot.

If your kids are already in a good school why uproot them to Dubai to go to a mediocre school because you can't afford the better ones? The cheaper schools aren't the best of the bunch, academically.

A family can survive on one car, but it's not easy out here, especially if you live in New Dubai. You will sacrifice in time and convenience.

You can get a cheaper villa in JVT but it's a shit area with no pools or landscaping. Mirdiff would be a long commute for him. Apartments could be the answer but if his family already lives in a house it's difficult moving two boys into a small apartment.

His package offer doesn't give him a lot of manuevering room if he's expecting to have a conventional Western lifestyle.

Hello.Kitty

We're on around about that and doing just fine (no separate allowances, it's just a lump sum and we sort the details out ourselves) BUT we don't have school fees to worry about (2 pre-school children). Were we to have school fees, it wouldn't be worth us being here.

Try gettign the company to pay for schooling, absolutely, but don't hold your breath. Mr Kitty was told his salary is now pretty much what he can expect from anywhere, what with the downturn and construction bods falling over themselves to get a job.

MataHari

you'll also have to pay 5% commission and 5% deposit, and a Dewa deposit of 2000 dhs, so that's another 13,000 dhs (in the 110,000 villa example) you'll need to pay when you start out here.

paulmk

Thanks you all. It is very informative and have decided to negotiate on

Medical cover
Holiday flights for the family
Rent
Education

Regards

paulmk

Hi,

Have just had few more details about the package.

34,000 AED per month is all inclusive.

Only additional benefit is year flight tickets to back home.

Can someone please provide information regarding how much medical insurance would cost?

Also, looks like place of work is going to be around international airport area, what would be the housing localities around this area and schools as well.

Thanks

MataHari

the closest area would be Mirdif...
there's a few schools there, the most popular one is probably Uptown Primary, followed by Royal Dubai School. Then there is Deira International and American Universal and Star International.

You can get good 3 bed villas in Mirdif for around 90,000 dhs with a shared pool....as it's close to the airport there is noise from airplanes, but it does depend on which area of Mirdif you are.

Mirdif City Centre is quite a big Mall where you will find most of what you'll need and there are plenty of smaller shopping malls dotted around for your day to day needs.

There are a few nice parks with play areas for the kids and there is the big Mushrif Park as well.

It's a very family orientated neighbourhood.

Meow

How long is a piece of string? It varies hugely dependent on scope and level of cover as well as ages. I'd need to know how old you and your wife are to even give you a ball park figure.

I still say it's a non-starter without school fees beng paid (or a higher income).

paulmk

I am 37 soon to be 38

and my wife is 36 soon to be 37

Kids one has just turned 6 and other is 9 soon to be 10

MataHari

yeah, I just checked for Uptown school, the fees in total would be 85,000 dhs, add the rent to that plus the extra costs for the first year would be at least 100,000 so that would be half of the salary gone just for those 2 things and then you haven't even started spending money on everything else....

Meow

Ball park for intermediate cover with a decent company with no restrictions on hospitals/clinics and good at dealing with claims, you are looking at a premium from £320 per month for all of you. Comprehensive cover will obviously be more, but this is absolutely not something that you want to do on the cheap.