stenton

My fiancee and I have been offered a job in Dubai and despite loads of research I still have a couple of questions (surprise!)

We are planning to get married before we go - if we do can my wife still work? (I saw a story somewhere about married women not being able to).

Also - any tips on villas / places to live i.e good value, not dodgy etc?

And finally, we have a newborn son. Will the weather be too much for him (he will be about 6 months) and is there an asthma problem due to heat/humidity etc?

It seems like a great place to live - I just have to find out if it can be comfortably done on a teacher's salary!

Benson

welcome to the site,

1 - most jobs looking for women ask for them to be on father or husbands visa. Therefore they don't need to pay or go through the proccess of getting them a visa. So no problems for your wife getting a job. Only problem might be that it might not be a well payed job.

2- Living of one salary obviously depends on many factors. How much, what lifestyle and what extras you get with the job. eg housing transport etc. Can be done but the biggest expense is housing and utilities are rising in price.
Should get an anuall ticket and maybe for your family also.

3- heat is difficult, I would think that the pollution would be a more concern for asthma but I not aware of a major problem with it here. plenty of kids here and most have a great time. My kid does get a bit bothered by it but the temp is slowly easing of now so it doesn't last all year. After a few years you think the winter is freezing here!!!!

4- places to live is a very lively dinner table convesation here in dubai. everyone has theroys and horror stories. Mirdif is one of the cheaper areas but we have to duck when the airplanes fly over!!!!!!

good luck and hope you find this info usefull

B&H

lillygirl

It depends a bit what job your wife wants to do. As Benson said, there are jobs here, just depends what field she's in and what salary she'll earn. But as she'll be on your visa it will make it easier.

Everyone has a different opinion on housing - just read back through the threads on here! Best thing to do is wait until you come out and have a look around. It depends on where you'll be working, how much you want to pay, aprt or villa etc etc. Traffic can be pretty bad so ideally you won't want a very long journey.

Weather - well it's bloody hot, but everywhere is air conditioned and there are lots of babies here, so it can't be too much of a problem!

Good luck!

Heart of gold

The first visit I made to Dubai my son was 4 months old, then 6 months and finally moved here when he was a little over a year old.

He coped fairly well, as you dont tend to spend a great deal of time out in the heat.... its home to car to shop.

As your son will be 6 months if you take up the job offer, you will find most things that he will need though there are a few little comforts that I missed and bought as much as poss when visiting the uk.

As far as salary goes... I dont work, yet! But I guess its down the life style that you wish to live.

HTH

Malteser

As regards to the asthma question. Both my kids and me suffer from asthma. I am the worse as have had it since the age of 1yr.

All I can say is that my kids didnt need any medication whotsoever for asthma since we have moved to the Middle East and mine has been under control, no attacks at all. So far I am very pleased about this

secretdubai

One serious point: you're probably going to need to get married. Especially as you have a baby.

It's technically illegal to live together unmarried, but loads of people quietly do. But having a baby is quite another matter.

EDIT: Ah - you are getting married before coming, I missed that bit.

Re married women working: I've heard mixed opinions on this. I had heard that even an independently employer-sponsored woman needs her husband's "permission" to continue that job after marriage. I've also been told this isn't true.

However if you are your wife's sponsor, then you would more likely have to sign permission things for her to work. Also note that you can't legally work on "husband or father's sponsorship" - but everyone does.

stenton

Just a quick note to say thanks to you all for your advice. We are still waiting for confirmation about the move but your replies were a great help.

Hopefully we'll be over there soon!

CMtoronto2dubai

Hello Stenton

Wonderful to see young couples who are deciding on a great journey living in Dubai.
I have been in the same shoe as yourself in the past 2 years. Last year I got married and for the past 2 years I have been travelling to Dubai to set up our permanant home.
Although I have my own company which I operate within Middle East.

In regards to your questions,

Your future wife should not have any problem whatsoever to finding a reputable position as a teacher in Dubai. there are many job placment agencies operating in UK for Dubai, therefore I suggest that you consult with one of them, to find a position for your wife prior to going there.
There are many brand new schools which are opening, and have been operating as well.

In regards to areas.
Ourselves we are currently living in the New Dubai area. To be exact this is the interchange of the Hard Rock cafe.
On your south side you will find the premises of Dubai Marina and the soon incredible JBR ( Jumeirah beach residence ) Although JBR is not completed yet, it will be trully amazing development once it is finished.

There are number of places which you can rent in the new condominiums in Dubai Marina as well.
If you are looking for a Spacious villa, then I would suggest the Lakes, The Springs, the meadows depending on your budget.
This is a development which was completed by Emaar.

Then there is also the Jumeirah villas. But as a new couple living in Dubai, I would suggest the gated community of Emaar. You will find much more to do there.

Yes Dubai is costly, but not as costly as UK or US. Therefore if you land a great position, and same as your wife, you can advance your life and do very well in a very well reputable and rewarding city such as Dubai.
It has many wonderful things to look forward to in the future, including the good weather which is not in the future LOL

If you need any more help, drop me an email

From Carlo

shiva

ok

1.dont use an agency, use google and approach the schools directly, they dont like paying agency fees and are always looking for good teachers. also gulf news has aload of teaching jobs at the moment and is available online

2. do you work for emaar?

3. south side marina? that would be west or north west not south.

4. "the soon incredible JBR ( Jumeirah beach residence ) Although JBR is not completed yet, it will be trully amazing development once it is finished." have you actually seen this disaster area?

5."Spacious villa, The Springs, " youve not been in them then!

6." I would suggest the gated community of Emaar. You will find much more to do there." you do work for emaar, as they are gated yet wide open to anyone who wants to visit your house and borrow your belongings, and there is loads to do like walk around the fetid insect ridden ponds and watch them build the horrendously overpriced mini leisure club.

7."Yes Dubai is costly, but not as costly as UK or US" no petrol is cheap but rents are obscene.

8."If you need any more help, drop me an email" and i'll sell you an overpriced piece of junk which will collapse long before you 99 yr ownership expires.



If you want the real view spend some time reading all the threads on this board and you will get a pretty accurate view of things here.

ray2gill

Little confused, have you both been offered jobs or just yourself? If your fiancee is looking and is a teacher there are about 7 new schools in Dubai which have or are in the process of opening. Suggest she looks up website for schools and submits her c.v. as interviews are conducted via conference calls. Jan / Feb time is when new teachers are required for mid year replacements. therefore these psoitions are being filled now!

FYI we only duck when the Russian aircraft fly over. If looking at Mirdif make sure you know exactly where the flight path is and don't live under it.

Your fiancee as your wife would be better off on your sponsorship then if she doesn't like working for a company/institution she can walk out with no reprocussions i.e. employment bans etc. when a women is on a companies sponsorship they tend to move the goal posts.

alowicious_28

Hi,
I would get married before you come out here to be n the safe side. The weather is very hot, I was really looking forward to the heat cos I hate being cold but I actually can't stand it, its like walking into a sauna and the sweat pours off you !!! Thank god for air conditioning!!!!

Just make sure that you check all your costs before you come out here, great if your new job(s) give you a package deal with accomodation and car etc but otherwise everything is very highly priced here.

I used to like in the UK and in my opinion the cost of living here is much more expensive expecially if you want to buy typically english foods from the supermarkets ad the rents for a decent place in a nice area are ridiculously high.

But don't let me put you off, Dubai is a great place to live and as long as your wage is good you can live the high life here and still save money.

Hope everything goes well for you x x

MJC

Too much information young lady.









or you'd best buy mitchum!!

Eeyore

Some things are more expensive here, others are much cheaper, yet more are around the same price.

Rents are indeed expensive when related to the wages of too many people in Dubai, but unless you're flat-sharing, rents take a big bite of your income in *most* halfway-decent cities. We live in a 3-bed villa in the Springs with off-street parking for two cars, a large garden and a swimming pool a few hundred yards away, and we pay the equivalent of £243 per week - you couldn't get that much in London for that price, unless you want to live in a crack den.

Cars are much cheaper - we bought a brand-new fully-loaded Jeep Cherokee for less than what a bottom-end model would cost in the UK, and it costs us the equivalent of about £11 to fill it with petrol compared with the thick end of £60 in the UK. We literally couldn't afford to own that kind of car in the UK (mainly because of the running costs).

If you want to buy foods imported from the UK then of course you're going to pay a premium for them, but it's not like there aren't plenty of cheaper, local alternatives.

MJC

If that isn't stating the bleedin' obvious Gareth, I don't know what is.

PS Your missus (and mine) are at the Burj for cream tea - hope you've just been paid!!

Fairydust

God hope she's not gone to buy the diamond