Contract offer -- your thoughts

[Minerva]

Hello,

My partner's been offered a contract and I'd like to get your thoughts, particularly on the housing allowance - is it doable for a family of 4? The job's in the internet city part of town so we'd need to be quite close.

Salary 330,000/yr
Housing 165,000/yr
Transport allowance 18,000/yr
One time relocation grant 33,000

The company covers things like medical insurance and school fees so we won't be paying that. It seems like a very good offer, but as I said, am not sure what to expect on the housing front. I've heard rent is astronomical in Dubai. Thanks in advance.

Minnie

[Maz25]

Bhomes.com and dubizzle will give you an idea of accommodation cost. I would say though that with the housing allowance, you will be looking at just a 2-bed apartment! There might be cheaper options but I haven't come across any!

[flossie]

Originally Posted by Minerva

Hello,

My partner's been offered a contract and I'd like to get your thoughts, particularly on the housing allowance - is it doable for a family of 4? The job's in the internet city part of town so we'd need to be quite close.

Salary 330,000/yr
Housing 165,000/yr
Transport allowance 18,000/yr
One time relocation grant 33,000

The company covers things like medical insurance and school fees so we won't be paying that. It seems like a very good offer, but as I said, am not sure what to expect on the housing front. I've heard rent is astronomical in Dubai. Thanks in advance.

Minnie

Honestly, it's a hard question to answer because what be right for me isn't neccessarily going to be right for you. I will give you some figures, and you can work it out from there. Personally, I would not come to Dubai unless I was going to be substantially financially better off.

Do you want an apartment of a villa? For a small 3 bedroom villa with a small garden in an area like the Springs or Arabian Ranches you need to allow about 300,000 AED per year. Paid upfront with 5% agency fee and a security deposit which is usually around 10,000 AED. You also need to allow for the housing fee which will come with your monthly power and water bill. This is 5% of your rent divided by 12.

You can get a three bedroom apartment for around 250,000 AED, depending on the area you want to live. Do you know where you will be working?

Are school fees really paid or are you getting an allowance?

You will need two cars. Will you be bringing money to buy these or do you need a loan? What sort of cars do you want? I would advise anybody with children to buy a 4WD for the safety aspect. Also, many roads are not finished. It's not unusual to see someone bogged in the sand (myself included ). As a guide, we have a Rav4 which we pay 1800AED a month for and DH has a Prado which is 2500 AED a month. Insurance is expensive. Usually 5% the value of the car. The good news is that petrol is cheap, cheap, cheap!!

Groceries. Well, that all depends, doesn't it? I don't like the quality of the local fruit and veg here so generally buy imported. (Ironically, most of it's grown within an hour's drive of where we're from in Oz, but I digress!!) Allow around 1000AED a week, although some would say alot more and some less.

Water and Electricity can be expensive, especially in summer. In summer, our bill (minus the housing fee) is around 2 to 3000 AED. We have quite a large garden, though. In an apartment, with no garden to water, it would obviously be alot cheaper.

Do you have a mortgage to pay in your home country? The exchange rate is dire, at the moment. But that is something to bear in mind.

Are the company paying for annual flights home for the family? If not, something else to budget for. What about travel plans?

How old are your children? It can be a bit of a nightmare to get places in schools for younger grades. Also, there is not much free entertainment for kids in Dubai. Most things cost.


Hope this helps. I'm sure someone else we be along soon to give you some more advice.

[flossie]

Sorry, just read hubby will be based in Internet City. Springs would be ideal for you, location wise.

[flossie]

I also notice you said 'partner'. Are you and your partner married? If not, you could have problems getting residency for yourself and the children as he would not be able to sponsor you.

[Minerva]

Flossie, many thanks for this, it's super helpful. Yes, we're married; have gotten into the lingo of these parts where everyone's a partner We would probably be looking at an apartment rather than a villa initially, with a view to a possible move after a year perhaps.

We're told they'll pay the 5% agency fee but no mention was made of a security or housing fee. Forgive my ignorance but does the latter apply to apartments as well? Assuming we get an apartment -- btw, is the Marina area any good, for supermarkets, etc? Ideally the Jumeriah Beach Residence -- what can you expect roughly in terms of monthly utilities?

We're selling our place here so no mortgage to carry and we'll definitely be buying a car, so I can ferry the kids around. Thanks for the tip on school fees! Hubby is checking now on whether it's an allowance or fees paid. We have a 6-yr-old and 2-yr-old, so school's just for one at this point. We've gotten a committment that they'll pay for the little one if we're still here when he's school ready.

Yes, they are paying for flights home, once a year for the whole family. Rather than flying home though we plan to explore the region; we'll be back home soon enough!

Minnie

[flossie]

The housing fee will apply to living in an apartment, also. I can't help you with the cost of amenities in an apartment, sorry, because we live in a villa. I THINK that the cost of airconditioning is included in your rent, so utility bills are usually alot cheaper. (Hopefully someone who lives in an apartment can give you the heads up on that!). Companies don't usually pay for housing fees (only in the olden days!!) and it just comes on your DEWA bill (water and electricity bill). As a rough guide, on a place where the rent is 250K, the housing fee is just over 1000AED. Have only called into JBR to take my daughter to a birthday party, so don't know much about what's around there. I don't think there's much there at the moment.

If they will agree to pay 5% agent's fee, then they will probably agree to pay the security deposit because you should get that back if the place is left as you found it. Then again, it has been know for landlords be right a***holes about returning the deposit, but that's a whole different thread.