sparky15

Hi,

Just come back from dubai sadly after few interviews, had three offers the best package so far is 16,000,

Basic Salary: 10400
Acom: 4000
transportation: 1600

Just woulding is this liveable and looking at apartments have only been able to find over in int. city.

Thanks for your help.

Dave

Inselaffen

if you are single you can live on that no problem.
you should consider living in a shared villa/apartment then you can live closer to all the action.

admon

Sorry Dave, could you say what job it is that you have been interviewed for?
That way can perhaps make some recommendations.

sparky15

Hi,

Yea sorry, it is working as a landscape architect will be coming on my own and gf joing me after a month or so.

cheers

admon

Is your girlfriend intending to work? what does she do?

Inselaffen

you will struggle on that amount then unless she will be able to find work.

sparky15

Yea she is intending to work, she works for a university placing students in the fashion industry and the marketing she is looking for work in hr, marketing after about a month when i have been there.

Yea i know acomm is expensive out there.

admon

If you can work your girlfriends salary into your living calculations, then maybe you can look for a 1 bed somewhere (I think International City, Central Business District 1 beds are about 70-80k now) or maybe a flat share in the marina or another area, dependent again on the location that you will be working and how far you want to travel to get there.

fsazhar

depends how much experience u have seems bit low.

3 bed appartment in abu dhabi is 165000 per year
Improted food is same price as in UK
so is clothing and electronics / electrical appliances
resturants and fast food is cheap, almost half the price in UK

So as a rule of thumb:

You should look for Gross UK salary + 10% more
Accomodation paid for including bills ( go for accomodation rather than allowance - since rents go up 7-10% every year)
Car or allowance
Fuel Card
2 flights back home if single or 1 if ur bring faimly over
Education allowance for ur children atleast AED 35000 per child
Private MEdical Insurance

admon

fsazhar, you are a bit off base with some of this. Appreciate that you are trying to help him though.

Using UK salary +10% just doesnt work in most scenarios
He doesnt need a 3 bed in abd as he is living in dubai.
Unless you are higher up in the food chain, most positions here offer only 1 return flight a year. Although that is a good point Sparky, you havent mentioned either those, or health insurance, which is worth another £1k+ per year.
He hasn't stated whether he has children, as he hasn't mentioned them, we presume not.

Inselaffen

and paid for accomodation rather than an allowance is pretty much impossible to get these days in Dubai.

admon

Yep. Agreed. I was trying to be polite.

weescot

You should also consider the holiday allowance offered. And some companies also offer inerest free furniture loans or furniture/disturbance allowances as you will have to kit out your apartment yourself.

Agree about flights home - 2 a year is unusual (only1 is required by law).

sparky15

hi,
Thanks for everyones advice.
I have no kids yet, just a gf but she plans to be wokring to, so we will be looking for a 1 bed apartment.

inlcudes medical, a flight home, 25 holiday allowance no furniture thou and a busary for training and to extend my qualifacations as im starting out at graduate level.

cheers.

admon

At the end of the day. You are young, it will be great experience for you two out here, and although you are not going to be able to afford to sip champagne every day or drive a bentley, so long as your gf is earning 12k or so, you will be fine.
Get out here and enjoy it.