Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Hello everyone,

First time poster and I'm hoping its in the right place!

I've been offered a teaching job for IAT in their 'Al Baynounah male campus' which they say is 175km from Abu Dhabi city.

Now, the only place I think it could be is Madinat Zayed although I could be wrong. Assuming it is, can anyone give me any sort of advice on moving there? I'll be taking my wife and 2 year old child, and will be looking for a place to stay. My total income including housing allowance will be around 22,000 AED. Is that enough to get a nice house/apartment?

Does anyone here live there at the minute?

I will also be wanting to buy a new car, will it be feasable to apply for a loan to get something nice?

Just anxious about the whole thing as I can't find much info on this town!

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

would say its madinat zayed which is miles from auh. you may well have to go back to auh to shop tho.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

I have had a search for property in this town and there is not a lot available, which means prices are very high. ADCP have some villas on their website for 85k. This would be required to be paid up front in one lump sum plus deposit plus agents fee.

I don't think 22k is enough for a married man with a child in this location - in a relatively short time your child will be going to nursery and that doesn't come cheap.

Is there a relocation allowance or shipping? All rentals are unfurnished so its expensive to get established.

Madinat Zayed is a lovely city if you like dune bashing but it is a bit of a backwater and shopping etc is limited. There are some nice local arabic restaurants but you will have to jump in your car and drive 20km to the Tilal Liwa Hotel for international cuisine.

Finally, you will have to put a 20% deposit down for a car loan - but try not to get into debt out here. If your job ends for whatever reason your bank account will be frozen and all loan or cc balances will be required to be paid before you can leave the country.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

It's a long journey, but most people I've known who have worked in Madinat Zayed chose to do the daily commute from Abu Dhabi rather than live there. Read into that what you will...

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Thanks for the replies guys,

I might consider staying in abu dhabi. I do get a £3k relocation allowance which will help. I'll also be selling my car here first so that'll help too. Oh I don't know if it made sense but that 22, 000 aed is my income per month, works out around £3600 per month. is that still really low?

They offer tuition expenses which will be useful, are there any nurseries in Madinat Zayed? If it's possible to get a loan then that will make life easier, hopefully my job doesn't get terminated prematurely!

Any more info on the area? Is anyone on here staying there?

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

bumpage

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

I think the silence following your last post tells you everything you need to know...

It's not called the "Empty Quarter" for nothing. Beautiful though it is, that area, including Madinat Zayed is likely to be a fairly challenging place for an expat to live. As I said before, people do commute there from Abu Dhabi, but the ones I know were paid a lot more than 22k per month to deal with that long, arduous and dangerous drive each day.

And whether you live in MZ or Abu Dhabi, 22k per month will be difficult to live on for the three of you.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Just a thought - where you live might be dictated by your wife's requirements for day to day living.

What does she want to do while you are working?
Stay in the house all day and watch tv?
Meet other expat ladies and toddlers? (won't be too many expats with wives and children in MZ - and local ladies in general do not socialize with expats)
Go shopping? (Abu Dhabi a better bet)
Go out for walks? (not an option between June and September)

If you live in Abu Dhabi you may be able to live in one of the cheaper areas which are nearer to the E11 (the main road to Madinat Zayed), eg Mohammed Bin Zayed City but to get something decent I think you are looking at 95-100k per year.

On the subject of the E11, the section from Abu Dhabi to the turnoff for Madinat Zayed at Tarif offers some of the most challenging driving in the UAE. It is two lane, only had streetlights at junctions, and the slow lane is mainly populated by trucks heading to Saudi and Bahrain. The fast lane has many impatient drivers, often with Saudi plates, who tailgate so close to you that I know somebody who had their reversing alarm set off (and that's at 120kph).

If you have to travel this road at peak times I would suggest you buy a chunky 4x4 with the spare tyre on the back, this will offer you most protection when (note the word I have used there...) you have an accident.

If you have time/money it would be well worth you coming across here for a week and doing a recce of the area. It's one thing moving as a single person but you have to be sure that your wife and child are going to be happy and on that salary and location there are certain challenges.

Good luck.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Sorry for the late reply,

But this is what confuses me Norm_UK, people say my salary isn't enough to live on, then I'm told I need around 85k for housing... My company is offering me 140k housing for the year so surely that more than covers a basic apartment? And I do get £3k relocation allowance which is around 17,400 AED.

On top of that would be my usual monthly salary of 13k AED p/m for the rest of my expenses. I must be missing something obvious :huh:

Nonetheless, I'll be living modestly and cautiously for the first few months to find my feet.


Bluelionesse, She would hopefully be wanting to go out and about yes, find other expats in MZ in similar situations, take a trip into Abu Dhabi every now and then etc.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Relocation allowance - that should furnish a place with Ikea or second hand furniture ok.
It is easy to go through 13k aed per month - if you do live in MZ then I think on many weekends you will want to escape to Dubai so I would budget 1500-2000aed per weekend for hotels, activities and shopping. (that is a budget option, you could easily spend a lot more).
Your company gives you 140k per year housing allowance - do you get it as a lump sum as part of your wages every month? What if you rent somewhere for 100k, do they still give you the 40k balance?
Can you come out for a couple of months then have your wife and child follow you, after you have recce'd the accommodation and social options?

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

It is by default monthly but they can pay a lump sum if needed on request with a good enough reason (I'm going to mention that i'm moving my family across and expenses will be high). It should be 140k regardless of whether I find a cheaper house or not as it is up to me to find and pay for one - obviously they will get me in touch with agents etc.

I will be coming out myself for a month first anyway, which will make things easier. Ideally I don't want to be parted from my wife and son for months on end :(

We would be paying visits to AD on the weekends, its only around 1.5 hours-2 hours drive so I don't think we'd need a hotel.

I did want a decent car similar to what I had over here, but I'm worried about getting into a crash after hearing what other people have to say :(

Moving to Abu Dhabi - Where to live?
 

Hi all,

I will be moving to Abu Dhabi in August and would like some recommendations on nice places to live on the island. We have a budget of around 100,000. Apartment or house. Close as possible to the Corniche.

Cheers

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi - Where to live?
 

About 8,000 a month for rent.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi - Where to live?
 

You would not get a villa for 100k anywhere near the Corniche. A 1 bed apartment for 100k is possible, but will be in one of the older buildings. Consider Reem Island as well, new buildings, good facilities and close to the city center. You will get a 1 bed no bother for 100k

Also it is pointless pricing housing per month. You will be expected to pay in one or two cheques, plus you can add another 10k on the first cheque for agent fee and deposit. Plus another 2k for deposits for utilities.

Re: Moving to Abu Dhabi region
 

Hi there, you mention the drive.

I just wanted to point out that the only route I know from MZ towards city AD (I believe there's only one main route if anyone knows otherwise) is not lit up for quite a stretch if you drive at night. I think it's two lanes. So you have huge trucks in one lane and beaming lights at the back, indicating you should give way...

If the position were in MZ, don't know if I could be based in AD because the drive back would have to be in the evening anyway (and long too).

Just a heads up.

Congrats on accepting the job.