Elaussie09

Hi i have a few questions, and i hope you may be able to answer them
I have recently got an oppertunity to live in Dubai.

The offer is as follows GBP 50,000 which translates to AED 303,389. They are will to pay for two months rent, but thats it. I will be working in Dubai Media City. I may be able to get them to pay medical insurance.

I have a long term girlfriend (together 10 year) i know, we just havent got round to it yet.

My questions are as follows.
1. is this enough money to go out on.
2. Will there be a problem for my partner and i to live there.
3. Where would you suggest living as i will be working in Media City.
4. I have heard that it is hard for females in the UAE, is it likely that my parner will be unhappy. We are both not from the UK and are from the international schooling system, but have never lived in an Arab nation.

Thank you for your help in advance. I am going out to see the company on Monday and will be in Dubai for 4 days to check it out. Can anybody suggest what to look out for, and where to start to look at apartments and prices etc.

Thanks you so much

Chris

Patsy Stoned

I would suggest that you do more research before you come here or check your source this is NOT saudi!!!!
Other than that there have been numerous threads regarding the above questions, please try a search.
I would say 25,000 without housing or other benefits would not be enough plus you can't sponsor your GF but as I said do a search.

The Dean

Just to clarify - Patsy means AED 25,000 per month (which she has calculated from your annual figure). Out here everyone talks monthly, not annual, salaries.

And she's right - it's not much, especially since you don't mention anything about your partner working.

By the way, strictly speaking, it's illegal to live together as an unmarried couple, although many do quite readily.

And finally, the two months of housing is nonsense - out here, you either get a full annual allowance, or a bigger lump sum as an overall package. The two months is neither one thing nor another, so I suggest you dig your heels in and ask them to revisit that point.

Blue Cat

is this a teaching post?

your girlfriend will love it but it's better to make her your wife if that is what you are intending to do anyway. Two bed apartment near Media City approx 85k per annum. Start on www.dubizzle.com. Good luck

Patsy Stoned

^^^^^^^^^ Blimey!!!!!

Millhouse

I think is this a misunderstanding - clearly it's the standard month or so in a hotel apartment until you find something to live in... i.e no housing.

For what it's worth, you can probably do it - but you will struggle, and you will need to make an honest women of her if you want her to come with you.

Ethos83

I will offer a differing viewpoint. A lot of people here overestimate how much one needs to live on in Dubai, probably because they have wives/husbands and children, which puts them into a different ballpark.

25,000 AED is not shabby. That's probably average for a young expat in their mid-late twenties to be making (single, not with a family). It could be better, it could be worse.

If you rent a two-bedroom flat in Al Barsha or Tecom or Jumeirah Lakes Towers, all in New Dubai near the Marina, you can expect to fork over 80-90K AED a year, plus maid and DEWA (water, electricity). A one bedroom can be had for 65K. Discovery Gardens on the opposite side of the Marina is even cheaper.

All these flats will be new, relatively stylish and comfortable, with pools and other amenities. Marina flats are more expensive. Expect 100K minimum for a two-bedroom.

I'm single, I spend 500 AED a week on average on food and entertainment (I enjoy cooking so I cook most of what I eat). I don't go wild when drinking or eating out, and it suits me just fine and I live well. Some weeks I spend a lot more, other weeks I spend less.

New Dubai can be expensive. Dining out, the bars, the expected shopping all adds up. But if you take advantage of Old Dubai, eat at cheap and fantastic Indian/Paki joints, only go to brunch once every few months, spend weekends doing camping trips in the desert or the mountains instead of forking over thousands for a mediocre hotel room in a mediocre resort, life can be relatively inexpensive in the UAE. After all, the good majority of the UAE lives on less than 25,000 AED a month.

I tell people back home that in Dubai you can have the lifestyle you wanted in London but couldn't afford, but you won't save any money. Have the same lifestyle out here as you did back home (except perhaps fewer drinks) you can save quite a bit of money. I save 2/3rds of my income, which isn't too far off the 25K mark, and I still live comfortably with money left over for travels and have picked up a few decent Persian rugs too.

Note: will your girlfriend (future wife?) be looking for a job as well? Jobs are difficult to come by, but it's not impossible to find one. Even if she finds a mediocre one offering only 10K a month, 35K aed/month is a very comfortable dual income for a couple with no children.

Millhouse

Actually very sensible advice. I would struggle on 25k a month, but that is because I have three mouths to feed and school fees to cover. Adjusted for this, I'd easily be able to get by (and save) on 25k.

The Dean

You may be right, but he/they should still sort out the housing thing though.

The Dean

..... ah, sorry. Only just noticed your earlier post.......

[slaps own face... gets coat... crawls away, stage left...]

Ethos83

I want to add a few more bits:

1) The UAE regulates expats' packages. A company registered in the UAE is legally required to break down the package into base salary, housing allowance, transporation allowance, and annual flights home. You haven't mentioned anything about this, so I'm assuming it's a company based overseas that wants you doing work in Dubai? I wouldn't worry to much about whether you have a 'housing' allowance as that would just come out of your base salary. If it's an UAE registered company, it's better to have as small a housing allowance and as large a base salary as your final gratuity is based on salary, not including housing allowance.

But you should ensure annual flights home are included in your package, regardless of whether it's an UAE company or not, or negotiate an extra 4,000 AED/year for flight tickets.

2) Health insurance. You didn't mention this, so if the employer refuses to provide health insurance through the company, make sure that the salary goes up at least 650 AED a month, which is the monthly cost of a good quality health insurance policy through Goodhealth (or double that to include your partner).