dnje1955

Thanks for the clarification ..

stenjo

Hi all,

We are looking to move to Al Ain from the UK (Newcastle). Dont really know too much about life there other than what we have read on the forum.
Can anyone please advise as we have questions which we do not know who to answer;

Cost of living
Cost of accomodation - we would be looking for a 3 or 4 bed villa/apartment
Best schools for our kids - primary and secondary schools
Activities to do in Al Ain
Healthcare - cost, if its paid yearly or as and when needed
Life in general in Al Ain, are Westeners generally accepted

We have heard some 'myths' about the UAE which we are keen to dispell.

Sorry for the 20 questions but any friendly advice/encouragement would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bluelionesse

I think you will find that many of your questions have been answered, some very recently, on the Al Ain thread. It's a bit long to read from the very start, so the easiest way to access the info is to use the "search this thread" button on the right hand side of the blue bar.

If you have any questions after your searches, and I am sure you will, then ask away!

Good luck with making your decision!

Bluelionesse

New free magazine in Al Ain. Don't think there are many copies left in the malls - so here is the online link

http://www.myoasisliving.com/downloa...010/index.html

GatehouseFamily

Hi,

We only moved here 3wks ago, but I can answer a few of these questions for you, but Bluelioness is right, there is lots of info on this on the forum;

Schools: There are a number of schools to choose from and we chose AAESS (Al Ain English Speaking School). From my experience of international schools, none are perfect and with them come some frustrations. For me, this seemed the best choice for us.

Villas: We have just found a villa and looked at almost every villa available in Al Ain it felt like................they're are plenty available. We could have gone for a mansion 4/5 beds for around 150K but chose a more modest house (still large compared to UK standards) for less which had 3/4 beds. Having done the school run a few times now, being not too far from school is a definite plus. Traffic at that time in the morning is quite heavy and at the moment I have to leave at 7am to get to school for 7.45am. Our new villa is in Falaj Hazzaa, right by the schools' road (the road where all the schools are found) so the commute will be far less.

Cost of living - not really sure yet. But tend to do a big(ish) shop once a week (we have three children) and it comes to around 600 - 800dhs. I think it may be a bit more once we move and have to buy cleaning products etc for the house.

Medical - your employer has to provide medical coverage by law. Ours is yet to come through but had to take one of my girls to the doctors yesterday and it cost 120dhs for the visit.............we went to Oasis Hospital where they have several clinics for different things, one being children. It was very smooth and I was very impressed (mind you we have just come from Montreal in Canada where the health system is dreadful).

I am by no means an expert and very new to Al Ain life, but there is lots to do if you get out there and do it. alainexpat.com is a fabulous website and Emma and Sandra (go to real estate on the page) are great at finding the right villa for you............I would highly recommend them!

Hope it all goes well

haloola

Hi, I've also only been here a few weeks and am still looking for accommodation, though I don't have my residents visa yet so havent been searching frantically. I'm looking for a flat for myself though which are harder to come by, but like the previous poster said there seems to be plenty of villas for families around. A good website is http://www.alainvillafinder.com/ which will give you an idea of size/cost and has pictures.

Activities, what I've learned so far - horse riding, shooting, rugby, football, arts & crafts, swimming, tennis, netball, Naturalists Society, amusements and rides in the malls, off roading, cinemas, gyms...........Lots of stuff!

As for westerners being accepted - I've found whilst walking around my myself that the Emirati men completely ignore me, some women smile and are friendly while others give dirty looks, some groups of Blangadeshi/Indian men leer but they also drive most of the taxis and are very friendly and I've had no untoward advances. But maybe I'm too old! As far as I can tell most people stick to their own groups and there doesnt seem to be much mixing, so you might find that you spend most of your social time with other expats anyway.

As I said I've only been here a few weeks but these are my initial impressions. Seems to be a good place for families. Good luck!

UkMum

Hi, I have been here 3 months now and am just starting to get settled - I'll have a go at answering the questions. We have just moved from the UK (North) as well.
The cost of living - we do a big weekly shop and it costs around 900Dhs.
The best school around seems to be AAESS - lots of demand and not many places though. The alternative would be the International School of Chouifat - educationally good and very big on discipline.
Healthcare must be paid by your employer. Using it is a nightmare with paperwork, but the care itself is excellent.
Accommodation, you can get a 3 bedroomed villa for just over 100,000Dhs. Around 140,000 would get you a nice 4-5 bedroomed villa.
I would suggest not to go for something too big as even if you are shipping everything, it costs a bomb to get enough furniture to fill it. Plus all the UK furniture looks like lilliput here as the rooms are just HUGE.
The other thing you might want to factor in is cleaning. Most people have some kind of cleaning help, impossible to clean the houses yourself, especially with all the tiled floors. There are two options, live in - which costs around 700-1500Dhs per month (depending on how kind you are) or casual cleaning, costs around 25Dhs per hour.
Up to now, we love it here. Westerners are VERY accepted. In fact, it feels like Al Ain is made up entirely of expats (not necessarily a good thing - lol).
Good luck making your decision. Please PM me if you want any more help,

UkMum

Forgot to say - internet/tv/phone costs a bomb here. Around 500Dhs a month (£100) for a basic package. Also, I find that although there are a lot of activities etc for the kids, they are very expensive.
Pool membership for a family of four is around 5000Dhs a year (not bad) though.

Bluelionesse

We are running a charity drive on Friday 22nd October 2010, as a fundraiser for Tawam Hospital Breast Cancer Patients Charity.

The event will consist of a short drive - two to three hours - near to Al Ain, followed by a BBQ in the Tawam Recreation Centre.

Registration forms with full information can be obtained from the Tawam Hospital Breast Care Centre.

doktorka999

Any good beach hotels in Sharjah?

Thanks

Luxorhouse

Hi, Michelle, I arrived in Al Ain Sept. 18 and am working as Communications & Special Events Coordinator for UAEU's Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (Maynard Malzahn's Faculty). I've read your posts about beading and tried calling you today. What type of beading does your group do...bead stringing and/or bead weaving? I do both plus chain maille. How does the group work? Also, I understand there is a bead shop near the Choitram's downtown??? Can you provide more information? Thank you!
Lynn

Bluelionesse

Lynn - my favourite bead shops are at the town square (where the fountains are), one is the golden thread and I can't remember the name of the other one but it's just beside it. Didn't know you did beading etc, I have loads of beads but have done nothing with them since I came here!

dania

hello,
just wanted to ask if you like to push for a crafts exibition in AA , we can ask for it at Jimi mall or Bawadi mall wht do u think?

dania

new facebook page: Al Ain-4 women 4 family‏

Luxorhouse

I know what you mean....I brought several projects and first brought them out yesterday!!!