valeboy

Thanks Mastro100,

Can anyone who is actually living out there at present give me conformation of what Mastro is indicating or have the prices dropped? Could be a deal breaker for me so I need to get good solid info please, thank you all.

larnie

Definitely not enough valeboy! There is no such thing as furnished accommodation except for some of the educational institutes who rent whole arpatment blocks and furnish the with basics. If you are looking to rent a villa then it will come empty and that includes whitware. No stove, fridge or anything. And expect to pay at least 10K for a villa twice that depending on how big and where it is. We had a 5 bed duplex in Al Muwaiji in an Arab neighbourhood and once we had it painted throughout and filled with modern furniture it wasn't too bad at all. We paid 5K a month but when we left the landlord tried to double the rent. For 3K you would be lucky to get a small flat above shops in the middle of town.

sassypilotswife

Valeboy, your housing allowance won't get you anything that I know of right now. Especially if it is paid monthly. My husband gets a crappy allowance as well and its paid monthly. In order for us to have a nice villa, we had to have " family" move in with us. I do know of a 1bed villa that is being built right now and almost complete but it is very small. I can get the owner to take monthly payments on it. The next up is brand new 2 bed villas that are brand new and extremely cute for 70k. I am asking the owner take 2 cheques but i am sure he won't go monthly. What kind of work will you be doing ?

valeboy

Thanks Sassy,

This is what I thought which puts a bit of a downer on the prospect of moving over.

So you share with another family, how does that work out, it must be tough on the privacy, aren't they about to make it illegal over there for that to happen?

If I take the position I'll be working at the University.

Amazing Grace

It always has been illegal, they talked about relaxing it and then recently they have re-itterated the legality of sharing. If you are going to be working for the university I would have thought they would have an orientation package giving you all the do's and dont's about life in the ME.

You obviously are thinking very carefully about coming out here which is great. I have been here for just over two years now but have lived and worked in the ME and the FE for quite a few years now. When we came here two years ago we did a budget for the whole project my husband is involved in and AED80,000 gave us a 3 bed villa in a compound with all the amenities, today the same villa is at least AED160,000. We knew someone who lived in a 3 bed duplex and their rent was AED36,000, it certainly wasnt up to expat standards and I would not have wanted to live in something like it.

The prices have shot up mainly due to demands from people working in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, what they would get for their rent allowances there would rent them a mansion here in Al Ain but they have to commute to work every day and its at least a 1.5 to 2 hour drive depending on the traffic and the weather and now there is a shortage unless you want to live in a 5 upwards bedroom villa.

I love living in Al Ain with all the culture and the quiet way of life but housing is a major issue and the guys building more cannot work fast enough.

Chica88

Thanks for your advice Melanie! I got an offer letter from the SSAT with an August start date, but had little info since I received it last week - not got much time to get organised - anyone else in the same boat?!?

lawyergirl

Hi Chica,

A similar thing happened to me - got the offer letter and then didn't hear for them for a week until I emailed twice. Then finally got the contract and didn't hear from them again.

Based on what I'm hearing on this forum, this is the usual pace at which things tend to move and patience is the key (along with keeping on your employer yourself).

I'm moving mid-August, after taking a suggestion from this forum and getting in touch with my employer, they have been really good with sending me updates every other day or so. Having said that, I specifically requested some kind of informational package regarding Al-Ain or living in the UAE but this was not acknowleged.

I had no idea sharing was illegal and did not know that a lot of landlords don't take monthly cheques.

I am coming as prepared as possible and with an open mind and you should too. Be ready to be very patient and willing to work around new information and rules. I'm guessing the week they put us up in a hotel will not be enough time in which to find a place to stay - *gulp. Oh well, let the adventure begin!

LG

P.S Can anyone PM a monthly rate on a hotel stay so I can get an idea of whether it might be better for me to stay at a hotel. I know the daily rates are pretty high but am hoping there are special rates for long time guests. I wouldn't be required family-sized rooms, just enough for a couple and don't really mind that its small.

Thanks.

Chica88

Thanks LG, don't know where I'd be without this forum!! Looking forward to meeting everyone when I get to AA!

HELEN44

Hi, I just read a recent msg of yours and wondered if you have any contacts who could tell me how well I could cope on 11000 dhs monthly. Could I affors to be a gym member etc? How pricey is food?

HELEN44

Hi there,
I can see that you know all about Al Ain. I'm about, hopefully, to accept a Primary teaching post, but as I'm in my early fifties and not an experienced traveller, what advice would you give me? On 11000 dhs, could I afford a life and save a little. Many thanks

Amazing Grace

Hi Helen

I dont like talking about people's salary on a public forum, to me it is a very personal thing but as you have mentioned AED11,000, I pressume this is monthly but is this just basic salary before the allowance for housing and ticketing or is this an all in salary. It sounds very little on first reading it. Will you be working at one of the main international schools. SO many questions but I will try and help answer them for you as it is very poor than none of the new people here have been given orientation packages with their offer of employment. Please ask away

Pleae PM me with your questions, its more private!

Amazing Grace

For anyone free and available tomorrow around 10 ish we are meeting in the coffee shop in the lobby of Al Ain Hilton, everyone welcome. A different venue during the holidays, look forward to seeing everyone there who can make it.

gosiabekker

Hi, Can anybody advise me how to find a 2B room apartment in a nice surrounding in Al Ain?
Thank you,
Tara

brendon2001ad

I was wondering whether anyone could offer any advice on what to look for when making shipping arrangements. I have looked online at the different companies but does anyone have any recommendations or experiences regards companies or methods to ship from UK?

HELEN44

So sorry but I'm so new, I don't know how to send you a private message.

Thanks