sassypilotswife

I totally agree with you Anthony. There is no way that even my husband and I could make it on that salary, let alone having a child or children. The only way I think it could work is if the figures you mentioned were dollars and not dirhams. Best of luck in the renegotiations

Amazing Grace

I havent got any children here at school and a lot of the posters who do will be away on hols until September. Having said that I believe that a lot of the schools are full and have waiting lists. You could try contacting the admin offices from the websites but again not sure if the admin staff will be there or not back until middle of next month. Hopefully someone with kidlets will be along and will be better to answer your questions.

Aikman7981

Only one choice, AAESS. Chouefat and ENS are very different kinds of schools.

Chouefat actually refers to itself as an assembly line for learning. Very regimented and all learning is by rote.

ENS has somewhat of a bad rep around here. Also worth noting it is heavily favored by wealthy locals so very few Western kids. Also the most expensive of the bunch. Really nice facilities though.

I keep hearing there is a Manor House School (maybe Manor Hall) so check into that too. Oh, and there is the Alliance France as well which is small (in a villa) but does have some English speaking kids and might be worth a look as they seem to be on the come up. No secondary though.

I think you need to contact AAESS posthaste. There was a wait list for this term but I don't know what the future holds. It sure seem that far more expats are coming than going in Al Ain. Best of luck.

Aikman7981

Hey look! I'm a senior member. Hooray?

sassypilotswife

Yea ! Now you qualify for a 10% discount at your nearest Shoney's

Cochraf

Hello

I have contacted you all previously but just had final notification that we will be living in Al Ain starting mid August as my husband has a teaching position there.

We are looking forward to it. We are looking forward to meeting people there and wonder what is the best venue to do so.

Also I am really interested in doing some kind of volunteer work mostly likely in something to do with animal welfare. I know there are some organizations in Abu Dhabu but have not come across anything in Al Ain.

Our dog will be joining us in September and we are still concerned about the quality of his life. Any suggests etc would be appreciated.

Any suggestions regarding restaurants etc would be appreciated

sassypilotswife

Hey there Cochraf I know this is a very exciting period for you and welcome to Al Ain There are all types of volunteer organizations that alot of expats are involved in. There is animal rescue, support for breast cancer patients here. Tess can provide that information for you as I'm very new to it all. I am in the process of raising money to help in the aid of tending to abandoned pets. We brought 2 dogs here and neither one had a problem. Is your dog a short nose breed ? We brought a lab and a pomeranian and both adjusted with no problems. The lab has put on a little weight because she doesn't have squirrels and birds to chase after on 1 acre. Feel free to PM me if you would like my number and we can keep in touch.

Bluelionesse

Restaurants - what sort of food do you like and how much do you want to spend?

We are on a tight budget at the moment and had a super meal at the "Super Restaurant" the other week. 90DHS for 2 courses and soft drinks for 3 adults. A bit like an indian cafe, but we enjoyed it, the jalfreizi was very flavoursome and not too hot.

I have read on this thread somewhere about the Golden Sheep restaurant, which I think serves Lebanese, going to try that this week.

Of course there are all the hotels which seem to have multiple restaurants serving all sorts of lovely international cuisine, so the choice is unlimited. At the moment hotels are not allowed to sell pork products (swine flu), although the usually do. Dreaming of a bacon sandwich, with bacon top and bottom and a slice of bread in the middle

Mand33

Thank you for the information about the schools. I have emailed them and will wait and see what happens. I couldn't find the Manor House/Hall school in al ain. Does anyone know the school personally who could give me the website/telephone number? I would be most grateful.

Thanks again

lawyergirl

Hi guys,

Sorry I have a lot of questions but hope you can bear with me.

Has anyone taken language lessons in Al-Ain. I'd like to take advantage of being in an Arabic country by learning the language. I'm thinking my best bet is to start as soon as possible after arriving.

Can anyone tell me whether there are classes for foreigners in Al-Ain, or whether private tutors are hired and what the average costs associated with Arabic-learning is?

Thank you

Amazing Grace

Readily available LG, some friends of mine are taking them now with homework too

lawyergirl

Thanks!!

irelandcalling

Hi

Heading over in 13 days. Thinking we will need a car fairly soon. Do we need to put down a deposit on purchasing car. what are the interest rates on car loans...

thanks

sassypilotswife

Hi Ireland,

You will have to rent a car until you have your Resident Visa. Once you have that, your bank will tell you how much your approved for and go from there. Depending on what you purchase and what year the car is, will determine if you need to put down a deposit. Some put down none, some have had to put down as much as 10 and 20 %. Those that do, have ways of getting around it. I'm sure that once you're here, you will have friends offering you helpful information Best Wishes for a safe trip

irelandcalling

Thats for all your help and advice. I really appreciate it. Getting near getting nervous and excited mixed emotions. Heres hoping it is a great adventure. Looking forward to meeting ye all for coffee...