Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Lexy is married to one! maybe they are ok until you marry them :rofl:

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Perth, by an absolute mile. Australia has a stable economy with a relatively strong currency. It is a wonderful place to live, Perth is a beautiful, modern city surrounded by beaches, river and parks and you will enjoy a high standard of affordable housing there. There is great public transport, great healthcare (Australia's state health system shits on the NHS) and after just two years you could qualify for permanent residency or even citizenship.

You will never qualify for that in Dubai - at least not in your likely lifetimes.

Dubai was a great bet ten years ago. Now it's a mug's game.

I guess it also depends what kind of people you are. If you like nature, culture (yeah - even in Australia!), freedom - and you may not fully understand what this means until you have lived in the Gulf, then there is just no question.

Incidentally, you do realise that legally, you can't just come over to Dubai with your boyfriend. He won't be able to sponsor you - you'll have to get a job and sort your own visa out. Living together (though you will probably get away with it) is illegal. Getting pregnant would be a legal nightmare, if you wanted to keep it you would have to marry asap, if you didn't want to keep it you'd have to go overseas.

Whereas in Australia, you would get a visa as his de facto. You would have all the same rights: and assuming they haven't changed the laws, as the partner of the work visa holder you would be free to work for whomever you wanted to. (He will be tied to the one employer). But if he wanted to change jobs there would be no "work ban".

For me Dubai vs Perth is just a brainless question.

EDIT: I just noticed your "little neighbourhoods" thing. 100% you need Perth. And I don't know what kind of lawyer you are but you cannot practice as a foreign criminal lawyer in Dubai.

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Interesting post, saw perth on the front of the fourm and thought it was a australian forum post.

Couple of things, perth now has the most expensive average house price in australia, cheap, no way. Cost of living in most of aus now is equivalent to the UK at least, with lower wages, petrol being the one thing thats obviously cheaper. Oz is in severe drought, food price hikes of 500% :blink: are being thrown about. Medicare does not cover everything, waiting lists on many ops, treatments, plus for those with kids be prepared to pay for docs, prescriptions, glasses and what must be the most extortinate dental prices on the planet. Perth has a very high rate of migrants return to UK (moving back to UK and OZ forums go into that one). Its a lovely looking small city but its also quite remote from any other oz city which many say is a disadvantage. Currency is doing well at moment, buying 41 UK p and 82 US but they are 16 year highs.

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Thanks for the advice guys. I was expecting everyone on this forum to tell me how great Dubai was and that we should pick it over Perth but looks like I had that wrong! We still haven't made a decision and think we'll try to put both offers on hold for a while till we figure out what we want to do. We're currently on a tiny caribbean island so a bit concerned at the size and pace of Dubai, and agree that Perth may be a bit isolated. I suppose nowhere's perfect! This is a really hard decision to make just now, whereas moving to the Caribbean was a no-brainer (although it turned out to be a bit rubbish...).

Anyway, we'll keep researching and maybe take a little trip to Dubai soon to check it out. Thanks again!

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Dubai.

Perth is full of old people and mariners.

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

are you a kiwi Jeeper? do you have the 'kiwi can do' attitude? hahaha
I hate that saying. Makes me want to hit someone .

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

I find it funny how Brits have a love affair with Australia. Even if there is sand, surf and sea there, Oz still has its problems. We have heard the old 'Britain is overcrowded' line, well Oz is not much better. Yes theres loads of land but very little of it is habitable and there's a drought problem.
Oz is far less tolerant and openminded than the UK, in fact race relations resemble Britain of the 60s and 70s.
If I were you I would pick Dubai because it is very multicultural..although the different groups dont really mix, but that is another story..but on the whole, the different groups get along and there is no tension. Its also better located.. Perth is on its own and once you've got fed up of place, it will be very expensive to travel somewhere else (remember you will be on Ozzie wages which are a lot lower).

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

If the salary is very good in Dubai and you're able to save a substantial amount- then most definitely Dubai for a couple of years.

If the salary is about the same or even slightly lower in Perth then it would have to be Perth.

We chose Dubai over Melbourne/Sydney - for us it was a no brainer. But we would have to move there in a couple of years......and then I'd be happy if I could even make 10% of what I get here:unsure:

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

So what you are saying is that it isn't very multi-cultural.

Oh, and ethnic tension is everywhere in Dubai. It's just that the strictly enforced racial hierarchy (enforced by jail and deportation) keeps people largely in check.

Whiteys just don't realise it, all is rosy in the European garden, they don't see the ethnic tension - all would be well if it wasn't for those ****ing smelly Indians, oh and those lazy ****er emiratis and those ****ing sleazy arabs...

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

first sensible post from you in a long time!! :p

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Yes I am and no I don't. I have a very poor attitude.

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Kiwis are fine. Aussies are obnoxious, boorish louts, on the whole. I was in Aussie Legends in Doha last night and the cricket was on. Jesus. It was enough to convince me never to go to that prison colony. Ever.

*dons tin hat*

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

And that's just the women...

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Hi

Just read all the replies you have received and all give some great advice and help. We currently live in Perth and have done for the last 3 years, we came over here originally with very open minds and set to make it our long term home, but after 2 years we felt that we have outgrown it for a number of reasons. Very isolated, you really have to venture out to find things to do and everywhere shuts down for the night at 9pm. Lots of rules and regulations to follow, which 'yes' does have an advantage but where is the fun in that? Do NOT try travelling at speeds more than 100k anywhere as you will be slaughted by demerit points on that one! You will even get them if they catch you turning right at a roundabout without indicating, now that is rebelling! If you own a dog, do not walk them without their leads on (no running free anymore for these little chaps) as the ranger will give you on the spot fines, they hide under bushes and wait for you to appear. :huh:
Everyone is English, not bad but it is now called 'Little Britain' as everyone else has left :confused:
Other than that, great beaches, too many rips in the sea to swim safely and fab weather but very windy most of the year (known as windy city), and plaqued by flies through parts of the year. Property now most expensive in Australia, though I will miss the sizes of them, they take forever to clean, only the wealthy can afford cleaners, and I'm not one of them unfortunately :( . My favourite place to visit - Dunsborough, love it. Anyway main thing that I will really miss are the lovely friends that I have made over here. Oh and schooling is another thing, but as you do not have children hew! that is one less problem to consider. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do and wherever it is that you go - think of it as an adventure, we all have different opinions otherwise we would all be in the same place :eek:

Re: Help! Dubai or Perth?
 

Come and visit Perth before you decide.

I reckon Perth over Dubai especially if you have or want to have a family. Best place to bring up kids in the world I reckon.

I've lived here just over 4 years, love it.