_jon_

I've posted the house husband question but then other issues crept in and it seems fitting to ask them in their own right as they may be overlooked.

Wife is being approached for move to Middle East subsidiary of her large international company. I'd have to take a career break from work.

Offer currently mentions:
house for entire duration,
kids education costs (up to 10k US$ each).We have two kids, 12 and 3.
Company Car
annual flights home

We are aware that the education allowance may not cover the costs fully.

We have to consider what salary to ask for as discussions continue, she was told 'name your price'.

What IS enough money for our lifestyle.

I ride a Harley (would export it) and drive a 5 year old Honda.
We have a two week holiday to the Far easy or USA every year.
She shops in All Saints or Zara.
I don't shop unless its in the States. (Abercrombie too expensive in the UK)
We eat out once a week, somewhere like Wagamama or a Balti.
We don't drink or smoke.


In the UK her salary is 50K plus 10% bonus, I'm on 35K that we'd have to give up.
Our disposable income in the UK would be about £1400 a month. We spend it all.

We have to budget for about £1100 of send home money to cover mortgage and endowments plans.


Where does that fit in with a Dubai income.

Millhouse

upwards of 30k AED + everything covered. spend half - save half

Patsy Stoned

Millhouse means 30K+ a month..

mentalist

On your present salaries and life styles, why on earth would you want to move?

_jon_

To further the wife's career.
To get out the UK for next few (dismal) years.
To give me the kick to leave the public sector.
To get the kids away from binge drinking teendom.
To ride my motorbike for more than 4 months of the year.
To bank a shit load of cash.
To get away from my mother.

weasel decentral

I have to say this post has puzzled me,you are currently living some kind of suburbia existence and want to recreate it in UAE to the point of even relocating your motorbike, taking the same holidays and buying abercrombie clothes in the US.
I think you have an unreasonable expectation,and the streets are not paved with gold.
Anyhow good luck, also you will ride the bike less than in the UK as its too bloody hot. You ought to get a lot more than just 4 months by the way.

_jon_

I think perhaps you misunderstand.

The question merely attempts to describe how we live.
If I were someone else, I may have said my wife works in Tesco, we shop at Debenhams and Primark and go to the same hotel in Spain every year. We shop at ASDA and my kids survive on processed chicken dippers and chips.

What I am trying to illustrate is how I live. What we don't quite know is the cost of living in Dubai when comparing it to how we live.
I don't want to replicate my UK small town life, but in moving I expect to be able to go out, eat well and shop as I please.

If I'm honest, the idea of asking for a salary of 30k, so over £5000 a month, would seem like a dream income here as we get along with around 2/3 of this in our bank account.
That is, of course, unless the lifestyle we have in the UK costs vastly more to attain in UAE.

weasel decentral

Ok well in general the prices are much higher, but if the company are paying for a car, accommodation, schooling etc well essentially you have no outgoings except discretionary spending.
While going out will be more expensive you will still have a lot more disposable income than you do now, so 5,000 - the cost of servicing the mortgage at home.
Buy a second hand harley here, not worth the shipping costs etc from the UK.

it will be interesting to see what figure the company have in mind for your wife, I am guessing the very same salary as the UK except tax free.

_jon_

We are waiting on that....the job is a step up the ladder and they came after her, so that is our bargaining chip.

Then I just need to find the 'Gentlemen that Lunch' group.

mission

yep, agree with WEASEL....if the mrs gets the equivalent of what she is on in the UK, then you'll be laughing all the way to the bank....but i am very dubious about companies out here who say 'name your price'....usually its BS....especially when they can get someone with the same skill sets from the subcontinent and pay 2/3 less then they would for a western expat.

flood2

I moved out from the UK with my large multi national in April to the UAE.

After all my allowances etc are added I get approx double my UK basic salary. When I take out the tax I have approx 2.5 to three times my previous take home.

This was calculated by the company as they benchmark prices across the world to compare costs of living.

Boomhauer

Consider it a mixed blessing that you don't buy Abercrombie in the UK. Over here (US) it has a reputation for being over priced preppy poser wear synonymous with douchebaggery.

OleJanx

O.K, on the face of it you appear to be onto a good package.
Just make sure that it is ring fenced, and forget about bringing your Harley:some prat in a Land-Cruiser will make you a statistic on the SZR!
(And that ain't being cynical, it's a fact of life....)

_jon_

OK we are getting further along.

The offer is 25k

plus

house
car
health and dental
annual flights home
broadband
(may include electric)
mobile phone

Then there is a bonus that can be 40% of the entire package.

We are going to try and edge the offer towards 30k, try and get a 2nd car on 2 month lease and another set of flights.

Unreasonable?

scot-ish

doesnt make sense to me for you to move for that?

you shared 90k between you in the uk, and your coming over here for 25k plus house etc ? seems like you will be worse off?

with your £1100 per month sending home, that leaves you with £900 or so, a month to live off here, with 2 kids- I doubt that would be comfortable.

and a big international company, and "name your price" 25k is poor is it not? my partner earns that as a primary school teacher with only 1 years exp, with much the same package exluding a car. thats a single person's salary.

maybe im wrong, but i wouldnt shift my family accross the world for 25k when you earn 90k between you already.

EDITED- to say, if you mean 25k AED pcm, then ignore my post, but if you mean £25k per yr, then i wouldn't shift.