JoeLon

Thanks Dominoman. I also contacted few people working there, through friendly contacts. Trying to get some "insider insight" :-) I want to stay for a longer period. Don't know if that's advantage or disadvantage. Should I emphasize this?

sukanm

Hi

I live in the UK, and earn around £120k at the moment. I am interviewing for a role which is offering around 48k AED / Month, car and 30k AED schooling for my child. But there is no accommodation allowance. Clearly we have yet to get to any negotiation, but should I push for an accommodation allowance? Ideally I'd like to be able to save more money in Dubai that I can in the UK. Thoughts?

Notnewtome

Maybe you've had an offer and made your mind up, but here is my take. I am about to turn to the region, but have done 2 stints in the UAE.

Many employers have taken the opportunity to downgrade packages in response to the credit crunch, lower oil prices, etc etc. Going on my own experiences in the financial services sector, your salary doesn't sound that special, but the car is a good and rare benefit (no outlay for you, no paying insurance etc). 30K schooling....my kid has finished university now so I am not up to date with school fees and whether 30k will cover it.

Paying a separate accommodation allowance has pretty much died out now (unless you are super senior in an organisation maybe). You could ask, but with the factors explained above, I wouldn't hold out much hope. It depends on the company policies and how much flexibility there might be.

I hope this helps.

woodenfrog

Could anyone shed some light on Wesgreen international school.. Have interview this week but the sound of horse riding and cricket in the nearby area appeals any information would be appreciated

UKMS

Joined this a bit late ....... Has accommodation allowance all but died out ? I'm on my way out to Dubai in 4 weeks, my company pay it across the spectrum of employees at all levels and every other role I researched for myself in other companies was pretty much the same (tech companies).

weasel decentral

They may pay it in the sense that your salary is broken down to reflect an allowance towards housing, vehicle etc. but that is just to reduce the EOS payout. The headline figure given is all in.

In the good old days, you negotiated the same salary level then lumped on all the rest on top. And if you were a negotiating ninja you also agreed for the employer to organise it all on your behalf.

UKMS

Fair enough ....I must be lucky ... I've ended up relocating with the company I now work for in the UK (global tech company) they have operated the same model for years, having transparent level based salary ranges and then housing and car based on your level. So a new joiner in my company would negotiate a salary within his/her job level and is then entitled to the housing and car allowance aligned to that level which are non negotiable..... from what you are saying this is old school.

Cheers

JoshKes

Hi guys,

Sorry if this is in the wrong thread I've just joined the site.

I am looking at moving over to Doha in the next few months,

I have a job offer of 33,000 QR per month which includes health care, flights home & a housing/car allowance. I'm moving out on my own but with family back home to support as well.

Ive been looking around at 2bd FF apartments to grasp an idea of price and found some ranging from 6500 - 10,000 QR (I don't really want to spend more than 10,000 as id like to save as much as possible)

How much is the cost of monthly living out there at the moment, including utilities, food/groceries, internet, phone, car, fuel etc.

I'm aiming to save around 20,000 QAR a month if possible, just wondering is this realistic and do able. Can i live off 13,000 QR a month comfortably?

Thanks again guys.

Josh.

DXBtoDOH

Not if you spend 10k a month on your flat.

Look mate, if your family is in the UK and you're not bringing them out, then why a 2-bedroom apartment? Qatar is a dull place, not like the UAE, so they won't be coming out for holidays more than once or twice.

Someone like you might do well to stay in one of the Garvey properties. They rent out serviced rooms in villas. 5-6k a month all in. If the family comes over, book a hotel for the duration.

If you want your own flat, look at Sadd, Nasr, Bin Mahmoud, along the C-Ring Road. Many decent (by Qatari standards) buildings and get a furnished 1-bed for around 6k. There's a few bog-standard hotel apartments, clean and respectable enough, where you can get a serviced 1-bedroom apartment for 6500.

Qatar's economy is in the toilet so there's lots of pickings. The problem is that being Qatar, most of the pickings are still crap

If you cap your rent at 7k, spend 2k on a car, and 3-4k for monthly food/entertainment, you can send 20k home easily. The trick is: can you do it?

Calum123

Hello Josh,

Welcome to the forum.

I would like to start by saying Qatar IS NOT a dull place in the slightest. It is completely what you make of it. I personally prefer it to Dubai, UAE can get a bit overwhelming for some, Qatar is a lot smaller and manageable. I wish people wouldn't say this to new comers and put them off their journey before they have even started it, I was told the same thing when I first came onto this forum. Granted it doesn't have as much going on as UAE but your only a 45 minute flight away for as little as 65GBP return so yeah..

I agree with DXB if your not bringing your family out or intend of having any visitors then your not going to need a second bedroom, unless you are going to have people coming to visit you (which I'm sure you are). Which would mean the second bedroom is fine.

Unfortunately I can't comment on rent/bills prices as my accommodation is paid for and all inclusive of bills. as DXB mentioned 3-4k for entertainment/food should be enough for a single man, the supermarkets are more expensive over here and it can be quite frustrating to find what you are looking for at times, one week it will be there the next its gone.

If you want to pick up a car rental then 2k is plenty to do so, if your going to do it long term then you can find places that will give you a good reduced price. I rented for 4 months before buying my own, which saves money in the long run.

In Qatar you DO have things to do. If you like eating out there are lots of restaurants to choose from in the hotels and some of the food is really great. Alcohol is quite expensive so if your a drinker you could be in for a shock. I have weaned myself onto wine because it seems to be the cheapest out here. You can buy a half decent box of wine for about £16 equivalent. Once you start getting to know people I'm sure you will get invited out to a brunch, which is basically all you can eat and drink for about £60-80 lasting about 4-5 hours. Make sure to get the Entertainer app when you arrive as you can get great discounts pretty much anywhere you go ( 2-4-1 brunches, makes the price more bearable).

If you head south of Doha you will find the Sand dunes where you can rent ATV's and go camel riding.. great fun you must try it and fairly reasonably priced. The Souq is an experience as well, I like going for a cheap meal and shisha (if you smoke).

North of doha you can find lots of beaches which are full of expats having bbqs, camp outs or just chilling by the water for the day, which is a cheap day out and it gets your away from the city... these are just some of the things you can do here which make the place far from dull.

There are alot worse places you could be living. I say go for it, what have you got to lose, if you decide its not the right move for you then you can always go home to your family but you will never know unless you try it first!

Goodluck

DXBtoDOH

I don't want to start a fight but look, the difference between Dubai and Doha is that Dubai actually has, gasp, sidewalks. The quality of just about everything in Dubai is vastly superior - from accommodation to food to activities to overall quality of life (next time you come over to Dubai, pop into a big Carrefour and compare it to the Carrefours in Doha - you'll see exactly what I mean). And I'm not even getting into workplace quality if you aren't in a western firm. I don't understand how one can claim to find Dubai overwhelming while preferring Doha, because the things that one can find overwhelming about Dubai, such as the traffic, driving standards, bureaucratic inefficiency, office politics, are all present in Doha to a much higher degree. Nor is Dubai that much bigger.

It doesn't mean Qatar is bad but when you're no longer a bushy eyed twenty something who's happy anywhere as long as there's a steady supply of booze, you start paying a lot more attention to the little things that make up a good quality lifestyle, and it isn't just dropping money on brunches. I ain't saying don't come out to Doha, but make sure that the money matches your tolerance for the place. That will vary from person to person. The OP seems keen to save money in Qatar - and he can - but it will mean a very quiet, simple lifestyle in a dreary flat in a dreary part of Doha.

JoshKes

Cheers for the reply guys, Ive been looking at more places and you're right realistically i don't need a 2 bed place, and them garvey places look decent enough for 6500-7500 instead of spending 10,000. This will free up extra money for me to save.

Just looking forward to getting out there now, awaiting my background check to be completed in the next few days then i should get a date!.

Thanks again.

Josh.

chileflake

Hi Lads!,

I've just joined the site Currently living/working in Dublin, but with an offer for Abu Dhabi. Married but no kids yet (maybe next year) and also we've never been in the UAE before, so I've been doing lots of research lately and awaiting my background check to be completed to have a date too.

----------
Package:

Total: I negotiated it to 38K AED/month (Inclusive of basic 50%, housing 30%, transport allowance 20%). I can spend it how I wish.

Health Insurance: medical plan for self, spouse and up to three children. Daman Enhanced Silver. Includes Dental & Optical.

Annual Holiday Entitlement: 30 calendar days per annum + one return flight for each family member.
Annual Bonus: Up to three times basic salary.
Group Life Insurance: Life, personal accident and disability insurance for self of 3 times basic annual salary.

Education Allowance: 20K AED per child (up to 3 children above the age of 3 and under 18 years)
Working Hours: 8 to 16 hrs only
Office Location: AlDar HQ (that black disk in Al Raha ... doing technical IT stuff, senior level)

----------
Does it look good enough? possible savings of 15-20K AED or less per month ? we don´t go to pubs or restaurants, mostly healthy cooking at home... but will require some IKEA trips at the beginning :]

I've been doing my homework for months, so maybe a 2-bed apartment between 100k-135k AED/month ? Recommendations? I´m still thinking if living in the Corniche area is a good idea or not (due to the office being near the Airport). But here my wife will be able to just go out and walk to all those nice places, instead of taking a taxi or driving (hopefully we'll get a car after a few months) and feeling isolated, what do you think ?

So these are some options: Corniche, WTC, Al Raha Beach, Al Reem Island, Yas Island, etc .. Saraya (corniche right side) looks like a good option as well, since I could drive through Saadiyat, instead of going through the city (is that a good idea to avoid the morning traffic?)

Also, I've seen that the rents posted in (e.g. propertyfinder) can be negotiable (10% less or how much in average ?).


Thanks!,

ChiLeFLaKe

kgatuk

Hi ChiLeFLake,

Can I ask which recruiting company did you use to find job in UAE, if you don't mind. I have been applying online using Linkedin, Bayt etc but to no avail.
Any help will be appreciated as is the cost guide in this thread.

Regards

kgatuk

chileflake

Hi kgatuk,

I was contacted by a Dublin Headhunter (I was not looking for a job over there)... so, good luck!, there are plenty of IT jobs over there if you have the correct skills and credentials afaik, but you need to negotiate everything.

ChiLe FlaKe