New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

Need some major help, been offered a position in Dubai internet City.

Am destined to go to an orientation of sorts for a few days to see what i can get but dont want to be steered in a certain direction also want to get some research done and the best people to ask are those already there.

Been offered a housing allowance of 21563 GBP per annum.

Want to know what i can get for that price,villa , apartment , house? im married i have 2 children, one aged 3 and a half and the other a girl aged 10 weeks.

Ideally near a good school and / or near shopping centre, something for the mrs to do during the day if poss, near a beach, 3 bedroom if possible, would love a pool!!

Also any good schools? The education allowance is also 21563 GBP per annum is this do able for a decent school for my 4 year old?

sorry if i sound a bit naive but i havent a clue abut costs etc.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

Your housing allowance may squeeze a 3 bedroom villa in Mirdiff..

but the fact that your education allowance is so high (another 150,000dhs - are you sure that figure is correct?) then you could put another 110,000dhs towards something a little better if you wished (as even the best schools her are around 40,000dhs for a 4 year old - most are 30,000dhs or less).

I would check on the education figure as that seems very high, especially in relation to your housing allowance.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

Remember that your salary here will be similar to your net salary at home. So, although the housing may be less than you ideally want, when you are at home, you pay your housing (mortgage/rent) out of your salary.

So, when you move here, the allowance will cover *most* of the housing, then you could top it up with some salary.

Or, like is mentioned above, if you get the education allowance (rather than it being via reimbursement) you could use a chunk of that.

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

well the education allowance doesnt come into effect i would have thought until he is 4, he's only 3 and a half now.

Ill doublecheck on the education allowance too. Thanks for the advice. Just checked you were right the amount is 12970GBP

So wheres the most sought place to live then? Anywhere near Dubai Internet City would do. And read some threads about bank accounts, scared myself silly! Do i open up two bank accounts? One account in Dubai (im with lloyds) and another offshore?

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

Deemi, there is a wealth of information already here. Use the Wiki at the top of the forum to answer what you can and don't forget to use the search function. There have been a number of threads in the last week about education already, so they may be able to steer you in the right direction.

Of course, if you're still confused asked away and I'm sure someone will be able to help.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

deemi I am guessing your housing allowance is 150k per annum, Admon has converted it to Dhs. A three bed villa in the Springs is going for 200k and over per annum, you could get a two bed apartment in the TECOM, Al Barsha area for about 130 - 150 k but personally if I was your wife I wouldn't be happy being stuck in with a three and a half year old and a new baby in an apartment. I have a 4 year old but she is at school now.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

Yeah my housing allowance is close to 160k per annum GBP.

Im kinda thinking along the same lines as in a villa rather than an apartment as it just wouldnt be suitable especially with kids of that age. Can anyone recommend a good website and/or estate agents of sorts to check out or is it best to run around looking.

I need to be close to the internet city as i believe its where the position is based.

Am being flown out for an orientation mid june what property etc i can get for the price but not sure if the people i see will be expensive or biased in their views of villa's / apartments.

Does anyone know if these allowances are negotiable or are they pretty much standard

Also i know this is goign to sound stupid but it terms of council tax and stuff, do i tell my local authority im off and no longer will pay council tax etc?

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

160k will get you an apartment, you might if your lucky get a 2 bed villa on the springs but I doubt it very much. I would have thought you might be able to get something in Mirdif which is the other end of town but I doubt that now.

Read this from another site

http://www.expatwoman.com/vbulletin/...threadid=53383

you will have to get back to them and ask for your housing allowance to be renegotiated.

not sure about Council tax :(

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

so does anyone know of a decent complex for a resonable price near dubai internet city?

I ideally want a villa 3 bedroom.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

With £160k, you wont have a problem... Have just pm'd you the name of a good realtor place...

If it was 160k AED, then you definitely have a problem.....

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

sorry im getting all my figures wrong, its close to 160 000 dhs. But i am pushing the company to increase the housing allowance to 200 000 dhs.

For 200 000 will i be able to get a 3 bed villa?
What sort of bills will i be looking at i.e elecricity , broadband, gas etc etc.
Also the company pays the housing allowance in two 6 month installaments, i have heard that rentors want a full year in advance.


Also my wife wants me to add if there are any women groups that she can join so she can spend my money and relax with the kids during the day whilst im working away!

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

Also does anyone have any experiences with shipping things over to Dubai from London or the UK? As in computer, TV etc etc.

Costs? Worth it?

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

With all due respect, you really need to sort out your figures and your arithmetic before bothering us with your queries. Once you know exactly what you are getting, then maybe we will be more helpful.

Re: New job, new life, new home, help needed
 

ooh, get you.

Re: New jod, new life, new home, help needed
 

We have recently arrived here and if you want a villa you have to get your housing allowance up. Although we are in Abu Dhabi we also have done some research into dubai and have found that Dubai is slightly cheaper in accomodation for what you get (ie amenities) and there is a bit more avaliable as a real shortage in Abu Dhabi. From our research I think you would need in Dubai around 200dhs - 250dhs for a villa as you should factor in that 5% service fee from the realtor ......