greengirls

My husband works a 28 day off 28 day on rotation from Africa. We were planning move to Dubai as fell in love with country doing many visits.

I currently am a housewife, have three children 7,13,16 years old...My 16year old is going to be doing Highers after our summer holidays.. This is whats holding me back..

Do you think its a good place to live with children and are there any schools you would recommend.

Also if anyone knows of good british communities for me to make friend when husband away.

thank you in advance

Kix

Hey Mrs Green!

Welcome to the bored.

There isn't British Communities as such here, we're well integrated with the other races too!

Loads of schools, do a search under dubai schools, I'm sure there is more than one very comprehensive thread on them. All I'll say is about schools is avoid anything by gems, they are just a money making outfit that care nothing for their students.

Plenty of places to make friends here, and, as you've been an expat before, I really wouldn't worry too much.

I'm sure plenty more people more knowledgeable than me will stroll by.

Eva

Highers - isn't that a Scottish qualification?
I don t know of any school offering a Scottish curriculum in UAE so be careful
your sixteen year old does'nt lose the opportunity to get the certificates he/she
has been working to achieve.
A friend of mine faced the same dilemma on moving over to M.E.

greengirls

Hi Eva,yes think this is the last year of highers all moving to the new curriculum of excellence..

I see looking on web that some of the international schools have british qualifications so that If they were to come back to the uk.. there qualifications stand.

Suppose im a bit worried its the wrong time for her to move school.. Also for me being on my own in a strange country knowing no one for a month.

Kix Thank your for your school advise and your kind words..

Eva

My friend left her son with his grandmother to complete his Highers and brought her younger two to UAE.He did really well and got unconditional acceptances for Uni' s as a result.
British curriculum is different and we spent many hours looking for a way to slot him into schools in Dubai or Abu Dhabi so that he could pick up A levels instead of Highers but the added problem was his History and English syllabus were different to Brit schools so it didn t work out.
Yes of course GCSE s and A Levels obtained in UAE are recognized in the UK, I have two nieces and three nephews in Russell group Unis- all educated in Abu Dhabi.

You have three kids, you will meet people at school ,don t worry so much about that.
Your daughter's exam timetable seems to me to be the priority.
Good Luck.

greengirls

Eva, thanks thats reasurring

Yes did think about leaving daughter with parents to finish school.. Or wait until she finished. Then son is going into S4 so nearly back to the same problem..

Maybe im not destine to move abroad.. thanks you for your comments thought has helped alot

scot47

The decision has to be yours but I think, given the cirumstances, a move to Dubai would not be smart.

Kix

OK, pedant me, but it's Abu Dhabi, not Dubai. Also I thought by reading the OPs OP that the family were in Africa?

I guess not.

greengirls

Kix My husband works in Africa on a rotation, Me and my children live in Scotland.. sorry for the confusion

Eva

SHoots then leaves Kix..

The move is to Dubai.
Husband works 1 on 1off month in Africa.

Kix

I truly am going mad!

But I stand by my comment about Gems.

Ethos83

There is a problem, is there not?

Husband is a UK national working in Africa with a family based in Scotland.

Residency in Dubai requires visas.

Schools won't take the children without a residency visa.

Will the husband's company provide his family with residency visas for the UAE? School fees? All that crap.

scrubbedexpat141

Mrs works for them, avoid on the basis that:

-Some of the other teachers (at least at her place) are complete idiots.
-THey will charge you for every single little thing imaginable.

Plus side, they do have lots of good teachers and they are big enough that the facilities are incredible, the parent interaction is fantastic and they are big, safe schools.

Bingo.

OP - Will you get visa's for Dubai provided?

Does he work for a UAE company?

Blue Cat

exactly, you can't just come here and live, you need sponsorship and a lot of cash.

scot47

And after the rotation job in Africa ends, what then ? It really does seem unrealistic. Why not think abouit relocating to some country where there are no issues with residency ? EU ? Perhaps Spain ?