PunkDebutante

Hi all! I have been asked to fly out to Dubai for a final interview for a banking position. Before I get there, my husband has asked that I fin out what typically a package should consist of. I am married with three children (an 8 year old and 3 month old twins). My husband is also hoping to find work soon (he is an IT Director). I would prefer to live in a villa since we have so many kids. Plus, we are already paying for independent school here in the UK and all seem less expensive out in Dubai (which is a welcome relief).

I just want to make sure that we are covered until he finds work as well and we don't want to short ourselves. Any help will be appreciated.

Regards!

username 34

well, I dont know what lifestyle you lead in the UK but from knowledge of living in the area and friends currently out there what you would realistically need is:

300,000 AED annually (minimum really)
school fees paid
house in family area close to work (traffic is APPALLING!)
flights annually for family back to UK
shipping relocation costs
dental and medical cover for family


Dubai isnt the goldmine it used to be - cost of living is very high, you do spend alot of what you earn, cars are relatively expensive, schooling is pricey. Make sure they pay your utilities also on your house as the AC bills can be LARGE!

I'm basing the 300,000 AED as the sole income though - is your hubby's working too then obviously your package wouldnt need to be that.

Autonomy

Sorry - too busy to reply in full right now, but do you realise 300,000 dhs is equivilent to approx 44,000 UK pounds. This is tax free income so you could possibly equate this to 65,000 UK pounds salary.

You have one hell of a salary expectation there if it is one salary!

Second - original poster wins this years best newbie name award. PunkDebutante great name - though not sure how applicable it is to a high up Banker with three kids that attend public school and an IT director as a husband... Malcom McLaren would not approve...

I, and many others, have posted a lot on topics like this recently.

I hesitate to enter into this topic again... have a look at the sprawling monster that Littlejimmy's post became...

If you have any more specific questions please post them...

Good luck.

Auto

username 34

yeh dont worry I know how much 300,000AED is!LOL! it sounds high but having been there, having friends and business colleagues there for a family of 4 or 5 this is what you're gonna need - bearing in mind this is the SOLE income.
If I were to go, and hearing briefly about your life in the UK I would ask for nothing less if this is the only income.

PunkDebutante

Thank you both so much. I really do appreciate it. I am looking forward to flying out there for my interview and seeing everything in person. I am not looking to make a fortune while we are out there. I am looking to have some fun and experience another culture for me and my family.

Thanks for the compliments on my name. As I told my husband, I may drive a Volvo estate and be a banker, but underneath I am all punk baby!

MJC

I agree with the islandmom, AED25k/month, 4 bed Villa in Jumeriah incl utilities paid for, school fees paid, health/dental insurance etc. paid.

That is what you want to be looking at.

That's worth 20k/month for the housing/utilities, school fees are about 2500/month, insurance about the same.

So that's a AED50K/month package. You'll be OK on that

Go for it, and I look forward to seeing you pogoing in one of our salubrious clubs soon!

Autonomy

Just curious - how many expats get 300K+ in one salary out here? Combined over 2 salaries ok, but in 1... No idea but less than 2.5% of expats perhaps? And in what industries? Am I naive here?

Actually - anyone have any idea of "standard" or usual salaries for various jobs?

Truth Speak

Aut...If you do something specialist and very specific that few people possess the skills for, the rate is very high here........ I would suggest that 300k is below average, with a hec of alot of people earning at least double that.

TS

Eeyore

But that's only going to account for a small percentage of the Western expats coming in to Dubai these days.

I don't buy that at all, TS. Maybe you'll be making 600K if you're a senior manager in the oil industry, but for the average Western expat in a non-management position, it's far more likely that your salary will be in the 180K-240K range and you'll have to pay for *everything* out of that - you won't get rent or utilities or school fees paid for.

In the last few years, companies really have reined in their packages, because they no longer have to offer the big bucks and benefits to lure people out here. Like I mentioned in a previous thread, they just do the whole "Hey look! The climate's great! You can go to the beach in the middle of winter! There's no income tax and petrol is dirt-cheap!" thing, and offer lowball salaries without mentioning how expensive things like rent are.

Some of the expats I work with have skillsets that would easily earn them £50K-plus in the UK, but they're on 130K here, having to pay rent and send their kids to school out of that... it's crazy

Truth Speak

There are few western expats being employed nowadays unless they have a skill that is not available from elsewhere. How many people have we seen searching for gold paved streets only to go home empty handed 3 months l;ater. They ahve degrees, but so do those from other countries to the east of here who are prepared to work for much less.

So I would suggest that the majority of newbie qwestern expats earn a heck of alot more than 300k a year.....




Again I don't buy this...... I work for an outfit that surveys the region for living costs annually and takes that into account when doing the package for the next 12 months... & before you jump in here.... this is actually quite normal with alot of outfits out here. Those based in the free zones are there because its cheap and so are cheap themselves. Work for a company not registered in a free zone and the package will be alot better.

well thats my theory anyway

chin chin

username 34

If you read the OP first post the fact she is in banking, hubby in IT and they are paying for private school in the UK suggests they are already in senior management positions and earning a nice salary in the UK.

This would equate to the position OP would look for in Dubai so definately 300k AED is the lowest salary to start with PLUS all the perks.... The add-ons (house, flights, school fees, medical and dental are the MOST IMPORTANT to get) - otherwise it just isnt worth it. I mean the following are current prices:

3 bed villa in Jumeirah area (average price) - 165,000 AED per year
School fees at Dubai International Academy - 34,000 AED per year......

there alone is 200,000 AED so a 300k package and pay your own way isnt possible for the OP and family and standard they already hold in the UK.

If you want to see your money haemorrage Dubai is a good place to do it - being a member of the club, nights out, live-in maids, keeping up with the Jones's etc....

most people I know in Dubai earn in excess of 300k AED and have all the perks and spend EVERYTHING just keeping up with the lifestyle!

hope you get a great deal PunkDebutante - fight for it!!

Eeyore

You've been here too long, mate - the sun's got to you!

Seriously, of the Western expats I know who have revealed their salary to me, nearly all of them work outside a free zone and most of them are earning about 15K-20K per month.

Not necessarily. I work for a free zone company and I'm doing OK - a lot better than average. Which is fortunate, since I have to pay my own rent.

username 34

see thats the good thing about this site and getting lots of views - you may not know anyone earning the bigger bucks but in the industry my hubby is in and the jobs he has been interested in all are 300k plus with all house, car, flights, school perks.

there is a broad spectrum of earning potential in Dubai still - and many many high earning expats believe me!

what has occured though is a dirth of lower paid expats as now they can reliably employ indian, pakistani etc workers, who they used to consider a manual labourers, and who now have degrees in most fields and will work for considerably less than European and US candidates - for instance they are willing to flat share saving costs to the employer whereas many Brits and US have a family to bring.

Eeyore

Oh, I don't doubt it for a moment. But they *are* now the exception rather than, as they once would have been, the rule.

username 34

oh yes - I agree with that. Dubai used to be a pot of gold no matter what you did back in say early - mid 90's. Now with the massive poulation explosion of expats in all industry's and the lifestyle Dubai now gives as a tourist playground and a celebrity hotspot they dont have to lure people over!

same as anywhere really - the top jobs remain the top jobs and will always earn a good salary and package.