Hi everyone!
My husband and I have been thinking about a move to Dubai with our 3 children. I have been reading up on various things some are very negative and some are positive. Can anyone tell me if a move to Dubai with a young family is a good idea?? I am concerned about the driving out there! and is there lots of things to do with the kids! Help I dont know what to do!

A lot will depend on your lifestyle, what package and work you do and what your expectations are.

Have a look through some of the recent threads like the rent committee thread and places to eat threads for a glimpse of life there.

And welcome to BE

Harryharris, happyfeet, hgardner

All registered yesterday/today.......mmmm. Good one!

Mods, could you check the IP address.....

If in the UAE, chances are of the same IP though

Read a blog or two. Secret Dubai Diary, One Big Construction Site, Al Ain Taxi, and er....Beer and Bloating in Dubai are all good.

Hi I am nothing to do with the other two people that have registered yesterday/today ......I am seeking help in making a decision for me and my family - could you help me!!!???

You need to bear in mind that your quality of life in Dubai, especially with a family of five, will depend very much indeed on the type of package you can get. Just off the top of my head, I'd say that you need to be looking at a *minimum* monthly basic salary of 25,000 dhs. On top of that, the company should be paying for your accommodation, school fees for all three kids, medical insurance and annual flights home for everyone. A couple of cars would be nice too. If you can get that, you'll be doing OK out here.

Sorry to bring it down to money, but that's really what it's all about in Dubai. We can wax lyrical about the sunshine and the lack of income tax and the lifestyle etc, but Dubai isn't a cheap place to live. For many people, the effect of the high cost of housing and schooling on their disposable income means that they might as well be paying income tax.

Thanks for that I need as much info as possible

I would say that hgardner is genuine.... It would appear that many of the "Newbies" that have joined over the past week have got heaps of Karma!

How old are you children? Some companys will not pay school fee's until the child is 5 years... Some children attend earlier than this which is quite frightening.
Unless your company is prepared to foot the bill for all school fee's ( not including playschool - some refer to it as nursury ) then it will be very expensive, and that does not take into account all the school uniforms... they are all marked with individual school emblem, from ties, shirts and blazers etc!
We paid equvilent to 700GBP per term to send our son to playschool and this was out of our own pocket -it does mount up ... then you have the maid senario - But I wont go there

I learnt to drive in the uae, which in itself is hard... But once your out there it is like a race coarse and each for their own!! You need eyes all over the place as cars appear from no where!!! Once you get the hang of it you should be fine.

I personally found that unless you have a cash tree in your garden then there is not much that is free in Dubai - accept the pools on your compound, and the beaches but Im sure that can be debateable.

We moved there 4 years ago with a two children the youngest being a year old at the time - we have since returned to the uk. You will always get both negative and positive - more of one than the other, it depends on each individuals outlook.


Good luck with your decision.

I've been here for 14 months now, and have 2 young kids (4 and nearly 2). We've loved it here, and there is loads for kids to do - parks, beach etc etc. As for driving, it's true, they are bleedin maniacs here, but to be honest I didn't find it that much worse than driving in central London - the key is to get out on the road as soon as possible after you arrive or it does become an issue...

As others have said, you do need to make sure you've got a good financial package here, cos it ain't cheap...

Good luck with what you decide...

MM, xx

Are you honestly being serious? I am in London every month and the two do not compare. In terms of general traffic flow and poor quality of driving, Dubai is a world beater

Agreed. And at least you can be reasonably sure that everyone in the UK has taken & passed a driving test.

I am, sort of (and I did say "that much worse" )...I'm thinking of places like Hyde Park Corner roundabout at rush hour, that stressed me out loads more than anything here!

MM, xx

My children are 12, 9 and 6. It certainly sounds very expensive in Dubai, I was told that if we moved out there we would be sooooo much better off and the kids would have a safer life, and I dont doubt that but I assume every country has its down points - I suppose you make your decision and go for it and deal with anything that hits you along the way!!!! A big thank you to everyones input, it certainly helps getting feed back from people who are still leaving there and who have left. Maybe I should be thinking of Australia??????? Thanks again guys