Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Good Afternoon,

Long time reader (Several weeks), first time poster here. Basically I have been offered a job after 3-4 grueling months of tests, interviews, assessments & meetings here in Dubai with what is now my new employer.

Due to the nature of the type of work I will be doing I cannot discuss fine details regarding my role. Therefore I apologize in hindsight if I may seem slightly vague towards some responses.

What I can say however, is that I have been offered employment at Dubai Internet City as a Systems Consultant subsequent to finishing my 4 year BSc degree course at university in the UK. I have visited Dubai several times over the past year both as a tourist and I guess you could say as a potential candidate for what will be my new job and as a result have quite a bit more experience than most potential expats.

My reason for signing onto this forum today is to ask a variety of questions to current expats who have made the transition to the ME. I would prefer what is local knowledge from expats who now live in Dubai rather than the information Google tells me when I click the search button, hence why I am here. I have done my own research but would like to have a wider source of information and I believe I can find what I need on this forum via recommendation.

My questions are,

1) What Apartments, Studios do you guys recommend which are close to Dubai Internet City.
2) Typically what sort of package is generally offered to expats in terms of Benefits / Bonuses such as Medical Care and as a benchmark, how much should I be looking to earn as a UK Graduate in Dubai.
3) Finally, quite possibly the most important for me. What are the procedures to transfer or send money back to my UK bank account, potentially avoiding being taxed. Also what bank do you guys recommend? I bank with HSBC in the UK would it be wise to do the same here or is there a high chance of them cross-talking with regards to my finances?

I have done my own research but it is only internet based and that I dont believe is a very good resource for accurate information. I would like to thank anyone who takes the time to read my post and your responses are most appreciated.

Thanks

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Without wishing to sound like a right old grinch, all the questions you ask above are ones that are asked on this bored all the time - the replies are usually very current.

Just do a basic search within the last month and I am sure that you will get the answers that you seek.

PS - welcome to the bored.

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

The Marina is perfectly close to DIC; if you lived in a tower near the Westin you could even walk it.

Your questions about taxation and banking are somewhat strange. Not sure if you're making assumptions about the general situation, or if your particular situation is somewhat unusual, but this part raises questions:

"What are the procedures to transfer or send money back to my UK bank account, potentially avoiding being taxed. Also what bank do you guys recommend? I bank with HSBC in the UK would it be wise to do the same here or is there a high chance of them cross-talking with regards to my finances?"

But Tillybean is right, these kinds of questions are answered frequently here.

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Quite. Either you are UK resident and subject to income tax on overseas earning, or you become non-UK resident for tax purposes, per HMRC guidelines, and do not pay UK income tax. There is no income tax liability on remitting overseas income to the UK if you are not a UK taxpayer.

I long ago lost count of the times I have explained these issues, but this link to an entry on my personal finance blog/website will tell you pretty much all you need to know about the current tax situation and becoming an expat.

http://financialuae.wordpress.com/20...ated-may-2011/

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Your underlining is scaring me ;)

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

See this thread from last week ;)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=723666

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Haha, I had... it may be very tough for me to remain an expat next financial year. No point in living out here alone if I'm paying UK tax anyway (though as wifey is not British and doesn't have ILR, who knows how they'll look at it). Trying not to be reminded ;)

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

yup... for once House Kitty may have got their timing right (unlike when we came out to Dubai, 2 months before the Crash! lol)

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

I'm more intrigued by the fact that Jinsuko (a game I hate, by the way - I can never get the lines and boxes to add up to 9) has been offered a job, if I understand correctly, while still at university in the UK..... unusual, I'd say.

I'm also fascinated by the type of employer that is too sensitive to mention......

In fact, I'm intrigued and fascinated in equal measure.......... :o

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

I'm guessing that Jinsuko is a hacker for the newly-formed UAE cyber-terrorism unit. He/she was recruited by one of the faculty at university who everyone had assumed was basically harmless but who in fact has 14 different passports and knows nine different ways to kill you with a pencil. Once Jinsuko reaches Dubai he/she will clear immigration in record time and leave the airport in an unmarked, black SUV and all the traffic lights will mysteriously change to green as the car approaches.

Probably.

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Thanks for your replys :thumbup:

@Typical - From my own research I found The Marina and JBR seemed to be the most suitable locations also, I will look further into these areas.

@Meow - The blog is a great resource, thanks for sharing; my financial concerns have been answered in your blog :) I will bookmark it for future updates.

@csdf - Very impressive assumption, I think you watch too much TV haha!

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

"3-4 grueling months of tests, interviews, assessments & meetings"?

I would like more details about the grueling nature or is this sensitive as well?

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Your mission, if you choose to accept it...

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

I'm interested to know how you could stretch out an interview process to 3-4 months of "gruelling tests, interviews, assessments and meetings" for an undergraduate. What questions were they asking? Beyond determing that you're a reasonable human being and discussing his/her as yet incomplete university course and thesis what depth is there to go through for that long....?

"What were the most challenging aspects of your Saturday job in W H Smiths?"

Come on - spill the beans - who are you here to kill? :)

Re: Potential Expat Seeking Advice
 

Honestly, sounds like Google. I know people who had 25+ interviews before being employed there.