I'm Thinking of moving to Dubai.

[merlin the learned]

Originally Posted by hayden-16

Hi all my name is Andrew and im looking to move to dubai with my girl fiend and dog.

Iv been offered a job, the offer is 9000p/m + commision AED,Fully expenced company car, health insurance, x2 flights to uk per year, mobile phone.

Would this be enough to live on out there?, is food and drink expensive?, i would like to rent a 1 bed property near the expat community could you please let me know where the best place to look is?, my budget for a 1 bed property is around 3,500-4000AED, Would you know if bills would be included in the rental of the property?, If i have left any thing out could you please fill me in.

Many thanks for your help.

Andrew.

Hi Andrew

One upfront cost overlooked, about AED12000 at Ikea to put in basic funiture/cook gear/utensils etc I dont know if I'm correct but I believe most places in Dubai go unfurn unless you can find an expat leaving his stuff behind.

If your employer will rent the accom then deduct cost from your income it makes it easier but at min AED5-6000 rent, your balance is enough for rice/tin fish diet if you dont sell. If you sell do you still get paid if the client does'nt or is late paying, a common event in Dubai.

A point to be aware of, if you sign a predated cheque and it bounces, in UAE its go to jail automatically.

Water, electric, gas about AED800-1000 p/m.

On paper its a no go and you should never plan on two incomes to live, second income should be 100% unencumbered.

[hayden-16]

Hi Merlin,

Thanks for your reply, The director has found a few properties in the international city for around 2300aed fully furn, so in a few weeks time i will be poping out to have a look at the company and the country. If yes i will be looking to start nov-dec, then my partner will be coming ouit to work end of jan so im thinking on two salerys we may be ok.

[mrbig]

sounds like you have your mind made up. good luck hayden16.

[hayden-16]

i'v pmed you.

[hayden-16]

Thanks Mr Big, I will let you know how things go. thanks for all your time and advice.

[justforus]

I think it would be wise to see if you can get accomodation allowance or company accomodation. At least then you know you have roof over your head should you not get any commision that month. Everything is paid in cheques in advance here (don't know if you know that) It seems from the people that I have spoken to that they are generous when estimating the commision you will get each month to get you here.
Pay as mentioned does seem very low if no place to stay is offered, you don't want to end up in Dubai in a small studio in the middle of Sharjah where you spend your life in traffic. Think M25 at rush hour.

[hayden-16]

Thanks for your advice.

[mgb]

Originally Posted by hayden-16

Hi Merlin,

Thanks for your reply, The director has found a few properties in the international city for around 2300aed fully furn, so in a few weeks time i will be poping out to have a look at the company and the country. If yes i will be looking to start nov-dec, then my partner will be coming ouit to work end of jan so im thinking on two salerys we may be ok.

Accommodation for 2300aed - check that this is exclusive accommodation, and not shared "bachelors accommodation".

You should also know that once you accept a contract here, you can't change jobs within the contract period without permission from your employer - and as it will cost them a lot of money to get your visa in the first place, that can be hard to come by.

Also, it is illegal to live with your girlfriend here, a lot of people do it, but if you are caught then you can expect jail and/or deportation.

We (1 adult, one 16 year old and one offshore worker, only here half the time) need a minimum of 9000 per month for food, basic needs and one outing a week, one month we had to live on about 4000aed and it was hell! If you get into debt out here and your job finishes for whatever reason, you can expect to go to jail.

It's a great country to live in, but make sure you make the right decision before you come here, otherwise you are looking at a minimum of 2 years living on the breadline, which will spoil your expat experience somewhat.

[merlin the learned]

It's a no brainer, can't say you have'nt been warned of all the pitfalls

[MaggiO]

Have a really hard think about moving to Dubai. It is not like the UK and can be really hard place to adjust to if you do not have the pingers to go with it and especially if you do not have any support systems..i.e. expats you know already living here, it could be a very bleak journey for you. Also I would not recommend bringing your dog...its a really hot summer here and your dog would spend most of that time (4-5 months) inside like yourself so something else to consider. Good luck!