salha

Hi Everyone

I'm a business analyst' in the middle of salary negotiation and would like some helpful advise before moving to UAE.

1. I've asked for £55k plus the usual package i.e. home, car etc - will this be enough for me to live in UAE, send money for my family in the UK (including mortgage), and still manage to save?

2. what is the best way to get paid i.e. UK account or do I need to set up a local account?

any hhelpfulinfo would be greatly appreciated

Patsy Stoned

How on earth would we know if it was enough unless you told us how much your payments were back home? You might have a morgage of 800gps a month..in which case no..... you might have a wife and 5 kids all of whom are attending private schools..please do a bit of research ..there are plenty of threads already re cost of living..
55k works out about 27,000dhs a month which if you got everything else paid for would be ok

salha

thanks Patsy Stoned - ok here is a bit more info, my UK salary is around £60k gross, my mortgage is £500 p.m and have a wife and two little monsters.

now that the cost of living is taken care of, how easy is it to set up a local bank account or can I be paid into my UK account?

Bob

You're looking to move and earn less money? Are you crazy? Tax free, but you've still got to meet requirements, it isn't automatically tax free.

salha

True, but I was one of the "cuts" victims and the Market is almost dead for what I do (healthcare business analysis) and this role seams like a good idea especially when some of my friends have been out of work for a year. I will try and negotiate a better deal and I'm plannng on bringing my family over after a year - that would work, won't it?

Paracletus

Wouldn't the package be better than in the UK considering not paying for a wide array of things like housing, car, etc, etc..?

Bob

schooling isn't cheap, but you didn't mention how old the rugrats are....but it all depends on what you can negotiate

hnd

Sorry to nit pick but your spelling:

"hhelpfulinfo would be greatly appreciated"

and grammar could be improved, especially if these mistakes appear in your CV and your CV ended up in front of someone like me. Thankfully it won't.

I know this is 'only' a forum but it's worth taking the time to make sure that what you put out in the open on forums/fora such as this is as good as the information/CV you send to prospective employers.

You never know who's watching/reading.

Paracletus

I'm just gonna leave this here.

commander

OMG...get a grip.

Patsy Stoned

If you want to bring your family over you need to negotiate a "family" package ie... make sure that they include school fees, health insurance and flights as a family otherwise that money will not be enough. Also you need a housing fee that will cover a 2/3 bedroom villa or apartment.

Depending on your seniority most companies will bring you out for a look see.
It is very expensive to live here. There are lots of hidden costs aswell..10% deposit on rental, 5% agents fees, 5% housing tax, Dewa deposit, cost of setting up internet/phones etc. Car costs, and so the list goes on.
Do think carefully and as I said, try and come on a visit first.
Good luck.

Patsy Stoned

Do get a life darling!!!

Bahtatboy

If you get your employer to provide your accommodation and car, then those are the two major expenses and risks covered. On top of that you'll need (I would imagine) relatively frequent flights home, which are increasingly expensive (GBP700-800 a pop), plus food and entertainment here. Food: you can lively frugally (possibly more cheaply than in the UK), or splurge, up to you. Entertainment isn't that cheap, but it depends what floats your boat.

Provided you get your tax situation sorted in the UK, and if you live relatively frugally, you should be able to send back GBP 4k pcm (less what you need to accrue for air fares in addition to those your employer provides). Doesn't sound too bad.

Employers increasingly are moving away from actually providing accommodation to giving employees allowances. If you're headed for Dubai, rents have tumbled (have a scout round dubizzle.com), so you may be able to realise some more cash by renting for less than your allowance; watch out for DEWA (utilities) charges, but if you're on your own then a 1-bed apartment should suffice and both rent and DEWA will be cheap.

If your employer is a local organisation, you'll need a local bank account, which is easy to set up. I survived 2 years here without needing a local account, but its probably worth having one.

Good luck.

Patsy Stoned

27,000dhs a month is 4500gbp, there is no way you can send back 4k and live on 3000dhs a month!!!!

salha

Thank you all for your helpful comments, plenty food for thoughts.

my package includes: housing, car, travel, school fees, health insurance.

From what I've read, you need around AED 4-5k p.m. to live and still enjoy yourself - is that true enough?