kittycat1

Hi Jacko- Welcome to the bored.

You need to get in touch with Spugsy- he is a graphics person and also plays footie.

I think there are some better hotel apartment deals about at the moment though. so I'd say carry on looking. Your wifes employer should be putting you in a hotel first so you don't need to rush in with both feet. Alternatively whileyou find you way around you could look at moving in witha house share- much much cheaper. I know a lady who rents out rooms on a month to month basis- nice apartment in Jumeriah and she has a room free at the mo.

Good luck

Kittycat
x

-jacko-

Hi Kittycat and Hi Meow..

thanks for the replies both..great to hear from you

I have sent my CV and portfolio to quite a few agencies / Design companies but just never hear anything back.. I have interest when sending my CV etc to companies here in the UK (as i was doing up until my Wife was offered the Dubai role) so it can't be an awful CV! (but you never know) I will keep trying etc for sure, but just thought as soon as they saw a UK address and phone number on my CV then it was deemed not suitable and cast aside.

We are looking at flying out on the 9th September, we do have the option of a smallish apartment for a month in the marina that has been offered to us through a friend of a friend kind of thing so if we can sort that out we will probably go for that and look once we are there for suitable accom after that initial month.

I will get in touch with spugsy too, seems he's the man too chat with about footy and job.

best wishes

-jacko-

also thanks for the invite to the BE night out..could be just what we need in after our first week in the sand.

Meow

A lot of designers have been made redundant over the past two or three years and whilst most have found new jobs, there is a decent pool of talent here, so employers do not need the extra expense and hassle of employing someone from out of country.

Blue Cat

Hello Jacko and welcome to BE, you sound really positive and upbeat and have obviously done your research. I haven't heard many good reports about that Liwa Oaks place to be honest with you. Take a look at Crystal Living in Tecom and the Layia Oak Hotel in Tecom as well, I would say only do it for 2 months till the wife gets her visa and then you can rent an apartment.

Spugsy it seems is your man for the rest of the stuff

simcalreet

Think I might take a look at those two myself, after 2 months the hotel is getting a bit dull, might as well try to get used to the drive to work from Dubai to AD for when the missus comes out...

Blue Cat

Look at Fraser Suites as well

-jacko-

Hi Blue Cat, thanks for that..I will be sure to check them out. Its good to have your input so much appreciated.

What do you think the wife and I should be budgeting for an apartment hotel thingy for the first 2-3 months? is it hard to say?

be good to hear of any figures that could help us in budgeting. just a rough figure will be great. my guesstimate is something around the 8000 aed mark, will I be far off? just need a apartment with separate bedroom nothing too flash or fancy and near the JLT district so my wife is ok to get to her office for the time being.

thanks all..

dawnio

Hello
My name is Dawn and i live in rehab i mean Riyadh. If only it was.
Anyho been living here for 9 years ( ouch!! )
Work as a personal trainer and came across this site when looking for a villa to rent. Still am looking for one which is big dog friendly.
For some strange reason Islam over here hates Dogs!!!
I'm 31 and from ganged torn London Town.

Blue Cat

yeah 8k should cover it, get in touch with Fraser Suites, see what they offer you, well nice building, easy access to SZR, quiet area and nice pool etc, know their offer down.

Blue Cat

good luck with that then

hotsawz

Hey all,

Been recommended to get on here by -jacko-

I'm moving out to Dubai some time in October and looking for like minded peeps to pester with my barrage of questions. In all honesty, I've done a fair bit of research over the last few weeks so think I'm fairly well versed but there do appear to be a few questions that provoke different responses.

The first being the situation with living with your unmarried partner. Some say while illegal it's highly unlikely you'll ever get caught, others strike the fear of god in you at the very suggestion.

The second being the property rental situation. I'd like to get somewhere but not tie myself into a years contract which I understand id quite common. Are there alternatives?

The later (and I've asked so many people but am struggling to get a definitive answer) is where to live. I'm white (not that it has any bearing, atheist, 31 and a bit of a flamboyant designer-type so prob best to stay away from the overly pious religious areas. I'm gonna be working in Jebel Ali (no idea what that's like) but would rather have a bit of a comute and live somewhere cosmopolitan. I'm a big modern architecture fan and the thought of living somewhere high rise excites me a lot. Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

Something else I'd like to know (which doesn't seem to exist on the forum) is, what are the first 10 things to do when you get to Dubai. Whether trivial and silly, or practical and droll, your thoughts on the top 10 things would be ace.

Mogs

Dubai Marina is popular with couples and is the right end of town for Jebel Ali. JLT (Jumeriah Lake Towers) is the cheaper neighbour of the Marina (inland with less facilities, etc).

Bahtatboy

1 In the same manner as when watching films: "An essential part of living in the UAE is suspsension of disbelief".
2 Maintain your sense of humour. If you don't have one to start with, don't board the flight...
3 Get some skin cream. The sort that toughens your skin, unless you're pretty tough-skinned to start with.
4 Understand the basics: no behaviour that's likely to upset the natives.
5 Party like you're 21 again.

hotsawz

That sounds like a pretty good todo list.

What about foods, sights, sounds and smells. What should I make sure I get done as a matter of priority?