faz1939

Hi to you all on this site.

I am scheduled to start employment in ABD in February 2008. I will be moving from the UK with my wife and six-month old boy.

My company have offered the following package:


£15k accommodation costs
1 family flight back to the UK per year
Family medical Insurance
Car (merc or landcruiser)

Is this a normal kind of package, or should i be asking for more?

Will i be income tax free immediatley or in the second year of my stay? Ive been told different things.

Would i be able to rent a decent flat with nice views in a nice area with £15k or should i be asking for more?

I look forward to your replies

Kind Regards
Ken

twistopher

Hi Ken,
Welcome!
Sounds like a typical package, but £15k for rent will probably not meet the sort of property you are looking for - i would certainly ask for more.
You will be able to find something for that (if you look hard), but it won't have lovely views and won't be in a lovely part of town.
Rents here are climbing steadily due to the very short supply. Not only that, but it is very hard to find much at all.
I would suggest you try and get as close to (or over) the £20k mark to allow you to get something nice.
You could try and balance that with getting a car allowance instead of a co. car and use any money you save on that towards your rent.
Be aware than your annual leave figure here means calendar days, not work days - makes a small difference!
If you can sort these things out, you'll love Abu Dhabi - it's great for families (supposedly better than Dubai) much less traffic/jams/construction (for now anyway), no salik etc.
Hope you manage to sort it all out - let me know if there's anything else you need.

lionheart

If you are getting paid by your ABD employer then your salary should be tax free from day one. However, you need to check on the situation that arises when you return home. I believe you may need to be away for five years to get exempt from paying back taxes once you start work in the UK.

twistopher

As i understand it (and may be wrong) you will be exempt from Uk taxes if you are a non-resident and so long as you have not spent an average of 90 days in the UK in any one tax year, taken as an average over the last 4 years. However, year one starts from the year that you leave the UK, and not for the preceeding 3 years when you lived there as a resident. So, Ken, i guess you will be liable for tax on the earnings you will earn from Feb-Apri next year. After that you will be fine for next year as long as you meet the criteria above.
Hope that makes sense - i am feeling too tired to explain it better (it is Thursday after all).

Meow

Right - the situation regarding income tax from one who knows - rather than those guesses above!


If you are moving out in February 2008, your income will be free of UK tax with effect from 6th April, being the start of the tax year. Provided you spend no more than 90 days in the UK during a tax year you qualify as being non-resident for tax purposes. Ideally, you should ask for your new employer to delay paying you until 6th April to receive February's and March's income gross too.

If you have any other income in the UK, such as interest or rental income, you can also receive that, subject to a limit of £5,225 in the 2007/08 tax year, without paying any tax. You can register for gross interest on both current & savings account and should also fill in the appropriate paperwork for HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs).

Feel free to PM me if you have other tax related questions.

weescot

I have just moved to Abu Dhabi and notwithstanding it is Ramadan, the rental market is very grim and getting worse. 15K will not get you very much - at best a one or two bed flat, which are just not available. I was therefore compeled to look at places larger than I needed - viewed some 3 bed flats at around 18/20K and they were desperate - old and rather run down. You need to ask for a minimum of 22/24K (esp if you want a parking place) and explain you are fully aware of the dire rental shortage and hyper-rents set by greedy landlords.

I would also ask for the longest possible time in a hotel and ask your company to put you on the waiting list for any new builds. They just need to make a couple of calls to agents. PM me nearer the time and I will give you the names and numbers of 2 decent agents (both British girls) that will at least return your calls and offer you something to view.

Your first couple of weeks will be very stressful with this - but then it gets better. good luck.

faz1939

Thank you all for your information - it looks like we have now signed the contract and i hope to move out there in September of this year.

I will be working near to the Mafrag Juvenile prison - i have been informed that this is 40 mile in land from AB. Is there compound villas for rent in this area? Would the rent be cheaper?

Once again many thanks for your help and support

Kind Regards

Ken

The Dean

I am scheduled to start employment in ABD in February 2008 (Quote: Ken, Oct 2007)
i hope to move out there in September of this year. (Quote: Ken, Feb 2008)

Welcome to Middle East bureaucracy, Ken...........

faz1939

is it that bad??? lol

Eva

Hi Faz1939,

The red tape is a pain but AD is a great place to be-just left it and missing it badly.Doesn't 'Mafraq Juvenile Prison' sound so sad? and hopeless?
Anyways..............
The good news is 15k per month will get you something half decent in and around Mafraq.What you have to be aware of is local families leasing properties built on 'gifted land' down in Mafraq-this is not allowed and even though you go through the 'proper contractual' procedure(as they will suggest) you could end up well out of pocket and no home.There are houses being thrown up there(as with every other area in AD)-if you have a 'buddy' at your future workplace(not the Hosp is it?) get him to scope for you.Anywhere else in AD-that budet is just useless.
You WILL need a car;probably two.
Apart from hosp,which is very good-thought that's not really what you need to hear- there is a very old hotel which has a swimming pool.Other than that-you need to travel.
Watch what you view from your wife's perspective too.Many large villas are now being'converted' into 'labourer accomdation'-ttally ilegal but going on so make sure you meet the neighburs for your other half's peace of mind......
There are two other Boards worth subscribing to: Expatwmanabudhabi and abudhabiwoman-fr things like?????docs, dentists, nurseries etc
Best of luck.

gentlejitsuka

Hi - I'm moving over in June - when I do start looking for accomodation, what are the 'nice' areas of town to consider and what should I avoid? I've heard that it's a constrained market already so there's not much choice but all the same it's worth a look!

arbroath_abroad

whats your budget?

gentlejitsuka

Good question - I don't know as yet. The role I'm moving to is new and I still have to discuss the package. Is it two much of a wide question to ask what sort of range 1-2 bedroom apartments should go for in a 'decent' area? I suppose it's more a question of where I should direct the search...

arbroath_abroad

im not sure about 1-2 but our company rented a couple of 3 beds in Kalidya (wrong spelling of course) for around 190,000AED

Sure there will be better deals than that, I live outside of AD but there are posters who live in apartments in AD and will have a better idea..

At a guess thou for a decent 1 bed in a good area i would say 140K??

Again that is just a guess

gentlejitsuka

Thanks - it's always good to have a benchmark ball park figure in mind.

(Just realised I made an unforgivable spelling mistake before. I guess my brain just shuts down sometimes...)