Francesca McAuliffe

Hi,

My name is Francesca and myself and my fiance (Ashley) are looking to relocate to Dubai in the next six months. Ashley is a Commercial Manager for a construction company and I am in Property Management.

It looks like we will be getting our accommodation through Ashley's work and I think I will get a job once out there.

I would really appreciate some help with the following questions if at all possible:

Where is a nice area for British Expats to live in Dubai? I'm worried about accepting accommodation and not knowing the best place to live, where we will feel happy.

We are a couple with no children. Can we still ask for a Villa, or will they put us in an apartment?

What else should we be asking for in a package as a bare minimum?

What is Abu Dabi like? Ashley is being offered allot of work there, but we are not familiar with the area.

Even though his wage will be tax free, do we have to pay tax on any monies transferred to the UK? Are there any other implications regarding this?

Sorry to flood this mail with a load of questions that I am sure you have heard before, but I want to be fully aware of things and not go into anything blind.

I promise to be more interesting in my next mail!!!!

Kind regards

Francesca

nottmbantam

Hi Francesca and welcome to the Board.

I'm waiting to come out to Riyadh so am expecting to be there in the next couple of months, and had lots of similar types of questions.

There are some really helpful people on this forum ( and I'm not one of them! ) who I'm sure will be able to offer you lots of info and advice. Perhaps log on again tomorrow, as I'm sure you'll realise that due to time difference, there may not be many folk logging on in UAE right now.

Have a read of this thread - another poster asking lots of similar questions, and maybe try a few searches:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508428

In the meantime, best wishes for a smooth and swift re-location - mine seems to be taking ages!

Eva

Maybe its the water........
Billeous.

Madam Medusa

do a search, there is loads of info on here...

as for where to live, completely depends on where you and partner will be working and the budget, what is your accomodation allowance, as you will see, rent is a killer here...

yeah, it's tax free but expensive here...

you want flights home, medical cover, car and a proper rent allowance in your package...you could push for beach club/gym membership but this is getting more unusual in packages now...

think abu dhabi is much quieter than dubai, but the AD people (syb and annacarna) will i'm sure fill you in...

MM, xx

Sam FTQ

Abu Dhabi is a lot more chilled out than Dubai. Having said that, Dubai has better shops, but it is only a hour's drive away (on a good day!).

How it usually works with accommodation, is that your employer will give you an allowance. If you decide to rent a more expensive property, then you just pay the difference.

You should also ask for medical insurance, car loan, flights home, school fees (in case you have children in the future!), relocation cost, erm, can't think of anything else right now.

If you are renting out your property in the UK, then you will pay tax on any profit you make.

Good luck!

Sam x

Madam Medusa

you not feeling right eva, lol...

MM, xx

Inselaffen

where you live really does depend a bit on where you will be working.

personally I wouldnt want to live in one of the expat Villa areas as they are a bit out of the way. An apartment in the marina is better located, will have great views and be closer to bars/restaurants/clubs.

Make sure your company will advance the full rent. You are likely to have to pay the full year rent or at least 6 months in advance.

Make sure your package includes full medical insurance, 2 return flights a year and that your holidays are working days not calendar days!

Blue Cat

is it the norm to get two return airfares a year? we have only ever had one

Inselaffen

thats what i was advised to ask for when I moved out here

Eeyore

We get two return flights a year - or, to be strictly accurate, I get a "flight allowance" as part of my monthly salary. The theory is that you save that each month, and at the end of the year you've got enough to pay for two return flights.

The old system of companies buying the tickets for employees on request appears, like so many other perks, to be disappearing. Shame really, I'd much rather have that than the flight allowance.

angelynv

oh dear, i didnt get a car allowance, nor a housing allowance and i get only 1 flight per year.. did i get a rubbish deal?

Eeyore

More likely you got a very typical deal by the standards of modern Dubai. Housing allowances, in particular, are nothing like they used to be... in the good old days nearly everyone would be given a separate amount of money for their housing that they didn't have to pay back to the company - that's how a lot of the people who were here 5-6 years ago could afford downpayments on mortgages when the market was opened to expats.

Nowadays, most people just get an advance on their salary to pay their rent, with only the privileged few getting a true company-paid housing allowance.

AdamADR

Alot of the time they will offer based on dependency status. A villa isn't out of the question, nor is an appartment, it's completely down to the company. You could always 'request' one or the other, but there's no guarantee

Depends on the seniorirty of the role, but as a commercial manager; A car, travel expenses, annual tickets once a year, medical and other insurances.

I've 'heard' Abu Dhabi is very nice - alot more laid back, but in terms of construction it's about 4-5 years behind Dubai. It is however catching up... Hence your partner probably getting alot of work there.

Money transfers can be taxed, however there are several methods in transferring the currency back to the UK tax free - Google is your best friend Easily researched.

angelynv

Money transfers can be taxed, however there are several methods in transferring the currency back to the UK tax free - Google is your best friend Easily researched.[/QUOTE]

can i have another hint please? did a check on Google and came up with nothing.. Thanks!

simwaz

What sort of property would £400 grand get you in Dubai ? bearing in mind we have 2 young children and have a 4 bedroom house at the mo! We would like the same (or better) , would it be best to live on an expat village or somewhere closer to town ? Si