Originally Posted by tomi53

Hello All

HELLLPPP!!!!

Now i have that off my chest i should probably explain! My work have offered me a job out in Al Ain and I am due to start out there on the 1st April. My family (Wife and 2 kids - a 2 year old boy and a 5 month old girl) will be moving out with me and my company will be providing us with accommodation. We currently live in the UK and have a very long list of questions and are struggling to find any information on th web. So back to the start; HELLLPPPP!

We are hoping to have some input in to the accommodation that we get so would really like to know a bit more about the city and what the different areas have to offer. My wife does not drive so we would need to be within walking distance of things like playgroups, shops, parks, preschool, a doctors surgery etc. We would like to live in a thriving expat community ideally in a villa complex with a pool (no idea what budget we are working to here so a range might be useful). Does such a place exist? I would be working near the Al Ain hospital so should be easy to get to from most areas (?).

Also we have quite a close knit group of friends that we will be leaving behind and we are very keen to meet people. Are there and social groups/coffee mornings/mum and baby groups in Al Ain that anyone would recommend?

Thanks all for any guidance you can offer.

Originally Posted by Bluelionesse

Good luck

Originally Posted by Stelara

Hi Everyone

are there any medics here folks?

I am a medic living in UK and considering a move to Al-ain. Can any body (ideally a hospital consultant) give me an idea of salary range and benefits on offer.

That would be a great help.

What is the hospital consultant salary range I have 2 years experience of working as a consultant in UK.

Few recruitment agencies have asked me my salary expectations( I dont know what to say)! some have flogged a figure of 40,000 to 45,000 AED per month.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Stelara

Originally Posted by Dfhap

Hi Bluelioness
I have seen lots of posts from you - Very helpful indeed.
I am one of those anxious mums thinking about lots of things with the impending move to Al Ain -
I have 2 children aged 5 and 8 and they will need moving over there.
We have a pet dog (and kids will not come over without the dog).
The offer does not include relocation expenses - Is it worth moving all the house hold stuff or do we start from scratch there...my head is buzzing
We are hoping to move in 2013 - my hubby starts in Nov 2012.
ANy thoughts and help would be useful.
Thanks
Dawn

Originally Posted by Bluelionesse

Hi Dawn - it's a good question. You can buy a lot of goods secondhand here although many people buy from Ikea. You can even get furniture custom made very cheaply - have a look at the Sanaiya post in my blog (www.mbfullemptyquarter.com). We moved in 2009, and coming from NE Scotland it was very expensive, so we took a 300 cubic foot groupage option with pickfords. Retrospectively, I wish we had taken a lot more and had a whole container, either that or take just our clothes, certainly taking just some things was not cost effective! The 15000aed we spent on the groupage would have gone quite far on secondhand stuff.
Sorry can't give you more definitive advice but hopefully you have some food for thought

Originally Posted by Claret_In_The_ME

Hey all

There's a terrific community here and, specifically, this Al Ain thread is awesome! There's some great information in here and I've learnt a great deal from the many forum members already.

I hope you don't mind me jumping right in and asking some questions about life in Al Ain, but I'm both anxious and excited about the prospect of living and working in the town. I've never lived abroad before, so I'm sure you can sympathise with the intrepidation! Some of these questions are touched upon by previous posts, but this thread was started over 5 years old now and I want to make sure my info is up to date!

My family and I are considering a move to Al Ain, which may happen as early as this September. My soon-to-be-wife is looking for work at an English Curriculum school and we're hoping to move ASAP with our 3 year old daughter.

If I may ask;

1 - Are there any areas of town we should avoid when choosing where to live? Likewise, are there any recommendations of good places to live?

2 - The school is located in Al Masoudi, which from the map seems to be on the outskirts of town to the north. Does anyone know what the area is like? What is the trip into town like?

3 - Regarding housing, what kind of house would an allowance of AED 110,000 get us? Ideally, we'd like to be detached, with an outside area for the little one to play in (garden preferable), 3-bedrooms and, most importantly of all, in a nice safe area. Are these realistic expectations considering the budget?

4 - I've had a quick look at some rental sites - firstly, what exactly is compound housing? Secondly, can anyone recommend a reliable rental agency/landlord?

5 - Has anyone here worked at the Institute of Applied Technology, or know of people who have? What is the school like to work for on the whole?

I'm sure I'll come up with a million more questions for you guys over the coming weeks and thanks to anyone who has taken the time to read and reply to my lengthy post!

Regards
Claret_in_the_ME?

Originally Posted by Dfhap

Hi Blurlionesse,
Can't thank you enough for your help with this - Most appreciated.
I could not get this link to work - www.mbfullemptyquarter.com
In your view would you have gone for a full container from Pickfords or would you have started from scratch and travelled with your clothes?
We were scratching our heads thinking "we love our new sofas so much - should we not take them!!! etc"
Thanks a million
Dawn

Originally Posted by Bluelionesse

Oops! The link should be www.mbfullemptyquarter.blogspot.com! Sorry about that.

How long are you planning to stay here? If it is for 2 years then I would put my stuff into storage, longer then probably take all my furniture. Remember though the room sizes here are generally huge compared to the UK so sofas and tables etc might look a little bit lost!

Originally Posted by Darren_T

@Mk6666 Do you know of any reputable agents or suggest good places to live (we are a young couple with no children). Thanks.

Originally Posted by Dfhap

Hi Marina
Many thanks for your reply - We are going to be there for good as per the plan now. I am now thinking of getting my stuff here sold and buying things over there which would be more suited to life there. I have a good 7 months before I join my good half there but hoping to come with him for a week (with the kids) when he joins beginning of November.
Went through your blog - It is so well written and such a great resource for families like us. Many thanks for your hard work.
Dawn

Originally Posted by Dfhap

Hi
We are hoping to move to Al Ain from Northe East of England later on in 2012.
Our heads are buzzing with similar questions.
Dawn