Louniliki

Hi I'm currently working and living in the UK but originally from Ireland. I'm a 27 yr old single female.

The opportunity has come up for a job in a Dubai but i don't know much about life in Dubai and am lookin for advice as to whether i should consider taking the job.

I have so many questions about what life is really like living and working in Dubai.
What are the people like? Is there a big ex-pat population and are there many ex-pats in my age range? What social activities are there? What are the beaches like? What things should i think about before considering a move.

Any advice would be much appreciated,
many thanks,
Rachael

Shadya

Some of the more popular social haunts here in Dubai include the Dubliners Arms, Fibbers Magee, Waxy O'Connors and the Irish Village...need I continue?

Blue Cat

just book your flights, you will have an absolute ball!

Eeyore

Rachael,

Have you tried using the forum search function? Hundreds of people have asked exactly the same questions as you, and the answers are all there to be found if only you look for them Also, check out the wiki links to things like the UAE cost of living and lifestyle - these are at the top of the main forum page.

If she ends up working for a company that's paying her too small a salary and doesn't offer a realistic housing advance - or any at all (as is increasingly common now) - "an absolute ball" isn't how I'd describe what her life here will be like. Best to find out absolutely everything first

Dutchie

Off topic remark / question perhaps if allowed? I wonder what will happen to the UAE economy if the trend of no rent compensation by the employer becomes a widely accepted term of employment. How many expats would actually stay in the UAE?

Eeyore

I've asked the same question before, but it's something of a haram subject, apparently

Certainly, it would cause a major upheaval here. There are plenty of expat families who can only afford their villa and school fees because their company is paying for them. If they were given an all-in salary and told to sort everything out themselves, many of them would probably find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to come up with the necessary lump sums.

Of course, the flipside of that would be that with far fewer people in a position to be able to afford the rents being demanded, many landlords would be forced to lower their rents just to get people in. Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other.

Blue Cat

is it is a good job, are you getting accomodation included?

Blue Cat

been there and done this one numerous times, what difference does it make if your employer gives you a lump sum of 240 k per annum for housing - you go off and pay your rent. Then your employer decides that he would rather give you an extra 20k a month instead. Would everyone up and leave because of a change of payment? the bottom line is either you can afford to live here or you can't

Dutchie

I was talking to a rather high ranking government employee recently, working for the Dutch Foreign Ministry. He was telling me since the Dutch government was officially warning people about the UAE, to think twice about investing money, or if offered a job to be warned about the doubtful behavior of local landlords. (40 to 80% increases in rent per year is considered a crime in Holland) Maybe that's why there are so little Dutch nationals over there. In the 1980's and 1990's when I was in the Middle East, there where +/- 350.000 Dutch people spread out over the entire Middle East. 95% of them returned to Holland or went to what is called here the new Middle East.

Dutchie

But what if your employer would leave away any form of rent compensation, meaning you paying it 100% yourself. Would it still be worth the effort to you to stay in the UAE?

Eeyore

What you're overlooking (as I've pointed out numerous times before ) is that while you seem to be suggesting that an extra 20k per month is simply a straight, painless swap for 240k upfront, it's not.

Sure, if the change to 20k extra per month was accompanied by a change to paying rent monthly, then fine. But how does an extra 20k per month help when you need to come up with 240k in advance?

That's the real problem, and I think that a lot of people who get an upfront lump sum to pay their rent don't really understand the difficulties that those who don't have to face. I just hope they do understand how lucky they are to still get such a perk.

Another thing to consider is that companies are generally trying to reduce their staff costs, not simply maintain them, to try and mitigate the impact of inflation on their bottom line. Hence, in the above example, the 240k upfront lump sum probably wouldn't be replaced by 20k per month, it would be more likely to be 10k or 15k per month, maybe even less.

Blue Cat

at the end of the day we know what we need a month to be able to sustain a decent lifestyle here. We are in a lucky position of only paying 85K rent and receiving 120k per annum, which is currently under review so we may well end up clicking a bit more.

Eeyore I see your point. It is difficult for me to comment on myself personally as you know I lived with my parents here before meeting my husband anyway. But if Drew and I had to move to say Qatar and get a bank loan to keep a roof over our heads, then no we wouldn't move. We would expect it to be part of our package so to say. We have always had packages like that and I know you are going to say, perks, thing of the past etc etc

Dutchie

And keep in mind that the UAE has to compete on a global level. Being the shop until you drop country, and like people say here Europe, being Walt Disney's backyard is nice. But on the long run they won't be able to manage and maintain these artificially high cost prices either. The fact commercial companies are fine tuning their costs is only a sign of things to come. I think as a country it's only logical that at some point in the foreseeable future the UAE will have to admit things have to change. Changes that will affect everyone in one way or an other. Is it therefore wise as an expat to commit to a long term lifestyle in the UAE?

Blue Cat

I can see your point and yes I can see big changes ahead here in the UAE, petrol prices will increase of that I am sure but as long as they don't hit UK standards then we will cope with that. My husband left the UK nealy 30 years ago, returning only for short visits. My family have been here in Dubai now for 22 years, myself permanently for nearly 13 years. It is a big chunk of our lives. Alot of the changes in the UAE have been good ones and if everyone was still paying cheap rents no one would be complaining.

Dutchie

I can understand your points of view Blue Cat, for me it was always making a mental list, once I had earned what I wanted (read on a European bank account after deduction of all possible costs) it ment the time had come to leave. I've worked in several countries all over the world, always with the mentality "Home is where I hang my hat, and keep my stay here as mobile as possible...". For the generations of expats that have been in the UAE 20+ years? They've earned there money, at least one can assume that. But for someone moving there today? I don't know if I would go to the UAE with long term plans. But hey, old school expat here, you're only really welcome in your own country.