Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Hi,

Recently have been offered a position in Dubai, where the pay would be US$6,000, accomodation and car also included.

I'm unsure how what the exchange rate is currently ... As after reading thru the forum here, you state the dhb ? currency...

This would be for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.

thanks...

3.65 is the exchange rate, so......

21,900 dirham

Thats a really good package, go for it!!!

thanks guys...

so like, basically.. this is a very good package.. that we could live on, and be able to return to our homelands with a reasonable/decent bank balance?

btw.. the kids would not be in school... i assume that there are things to do during the day with kids? i.e. play grounds, etc...


oh... and beer.... is there a good selection up there? .. and how do the prices compare? lets talk USD ok..

Yes there are many parks and playgrounds.... Also there is the beach and also most decent appartments have pools and gyms incluided in the rent, so the pool can keep them busy... Make sure you have LOADS of sunscreen if you are white

As for beer, I dunno, I am not a beer drinker.

Wait is that 21,000 Dhs for all 4 of you? OR are both you and your husband working?

With regard to beer, first of all to be able to buy it you have to apply for a liquor licence and if you're working for the government good luck with applying for that! It gievs you a monthly allowance, otherwise you have to go to one of the bars, restaurants, clubs associated with a hotel as that's the only place you can sit and have a drink (alcoholic).

Otherwise you have to drive to a hole in the wall in Ajman or Umm Al Quain where a 24 can pack of Heineken lets say will put you back about 100DHs / 28 ish Dollars.

Booze is more expensive in the bars, around 18 - 25 Dhs for a beer, upto 7 Dollars for a pint / bottle.

find out if the accomodation and car are INCLUDED in the 6,000 or excluded. make sure your offer is very clear and not open to any sematical interpretation!

"Recently have been offered a position in Dubai, where the pay would be US$6,000, accomodation and car also included." is too ambiguous.

your husband needs to work! unless you are a medical doctor a woman may not sponsor a man! sexist

Akasha wrote:Wait is that 21,000 Dhs for all 4 of you? OR are both you and your husband working?

With regard to beer, first of all to be able to buy it you have to apply for a liquor licence and if you're working for the government good luck with applying for that! It gievs you a monthly allowance, otherwise you have to go to one of the bars, restaurants, clubs associated with a hotel as that's the only place you can sit and have a drink (alcoholic).

Otherwise you have to drive to a hole in the wall in Ajman or Umm Al Quain where a 24 can pack of Heineken lets say will put you back about 100DHs / 28 ish Dollars.

Booze is more expensive in the bars, around 18 - 25 Dhs for a beer, upto 7 Dollars for a pint / bottle.

i live in golden sand area and theres this store who sell beer (SMB, red hourse)for 100ead/24 the good thing about it is they deliver it to your doorstep. i think its an underground business

hi ... thanks for your replies...

it would be my husband who is working....not me...

so that 21,000 would be for all of us. however, me and the kids only intend to come visit for say 3 months .... as he is not required to work the 2 months in the middle of summer. (he will return home then)

accomodation is a definite - but i suppose you mean, i should double check that THEY would be paying for it ... i had assumed they would be. ditto for the car.

with regards to beer... the average person who wishes to drink at home, as opposed to in bars has to have a liquor licence? wow! are these hard to get? would that also apply to wine, and other spirits?

You need a residence permit to get a license, but apart from that it's easy - costs somewhere around 120Dhs. You don't, however, need a license to go to the holes in the wall which seems to me to be what most people do!

And you can buy booze at the airport when you land.

Don't mean to be rude but to be so concerned about getting your hands on booze is kinda sad, remember you are coming to a Muslim country - OMG what will happen during Ramadan when everything is dry - ahhh tragedy!

Akasha - no worries.... however, we enjoy a beer.. and realising that dubai is somewhat of a "dry zone" ... i feel that i must ask about booze!

at this stage.. i am seeking information about life in dubai... on paper .. it looks good over a 2 year period... but .... does that reflect actual living.. that is what i'm looking for!

hence... any help you people, who are actually living there, is very much appreciated!

Akasha - how long have you been in dubai for? ... if that is ok.. for me to ask..

Hiya,

No problem at all. I've been in Dubai 2 years now, although my parents have been here nearly 8!

The time has absolutely flown by I have to say, living is pretty easy here, once you've got yourself sorted and trust me the first fews months you will be running around like a blue arsed fly, sorting visas, licences etc. But once everything's done and sorted I'm sure you'll be fine.

Everyone seems to get on very well and it's one of the things I really like about Dubai is that there are so many nationalities and for the most part there are no real issues.

As a girl sometimes you can be made to feel self conscious as there are a lot of guys who will just stop and stare, so there are places and times when I will dress more modestly, just to avoid the prying eyes because it's not like the guys are discreet they literally stop whatever they're doing and stare straight at you - awful.

The things people whine about the most are:

Bad driving - it's horrific, sometimes I wish I drove a tank. And as a mother I'm sure you'll freak out at the parents who let their kids jump around on the back seat or sit in the front on someone's lap or stand between the 2 front seats - make my blood run cold!

Rising rents - it's getting silly.

Rising costs of living - still far cheaper than many other countries.

Monopolising companies who give bad service.

Impatient people.

Everything here happens either lightening fast or at a snails pace, but one phrase I've used a lot is to 'go with the flow.'

Once you get over the initial culture shock everything is fine. Before you come I would suggest dosing everyone up with vitamins etc etc as everyone gets sick when they first come to Dubai, chesty, throaty, fluey stuff, buts it's all down to the climate change and AC use.

Hope that helps.

Enjoy.

Things I dislike about Dubai

Superficial and expediant people, High rentals, Heat and humidity in summer, Dust, Bad drivers, Sea temperature in summer, Camels with no road sense, Pedestrians with less road sense, "indirect tax" levied by the municipality and government, Litterers, Spitters, Lack of architectural sensitivity, Money is everything attitude of some people and the Arrogant attitude of others, Morning and evening traffic jams, Siesta - even in winter??? Dual standards in most things, DSF - to commercialised and few bargains, To many malls, Rules and regulations that are changed without notification, The "small print", The waste of money on some projects that are absolutly hare-brained when other more deserving causes are basically ignored....

Things I love about Dubai

A/C, Cheap cost of living, No tax, Fair exchange rate, Cheap petrol, Cheap vehicles, Autumn, Winter and Spring, Desert drives, No lack of vision, Good road system, Cheap electronics, Multi-cultural, Rain on the odd occasion, Greenery when you least expect it, To many malls Dynamic, Safe, Builds character, Pace, True friends..... oops almost forgot my one-day weekend!

I don't understand why everyone says that cars in Dubai are "cheap". I looked and asked and in essence, most cars are only 5% less than in Canada. Thats not cheap... But then again Canada is cheaper than the US and Europe for the price of cars... Why? I dunno...

dbxsoul - you say your one day weekend? ONLY ONE day?

how does the cost of clothing compare? i would image that with dubai being soo multi-cultural there would be an amazing array of products there that are not necessarily available in our own countrys....

Clothing is about the same price as in Canada (dunno for other countries). It is cheaper than western europe I think. Of course, being in Dubai tempts one to buy chic stuff and hence spend more than he would back home on clothing to get the designer brands when you can just as well get something really nice from Zara (affordable chic)

they are cheaper to buy, run, maintain and insure than most other places in the world (US and Canada excluded )!

in SA i would pay three times (the converted rate) more for the same vehicle as what i would pay for it here - bargin!

your husband needs to work! unless you are a medical doctor a woman may not sponsor a man! fun


Is thios true? My husband and I intend to move to that part of the world but I'm the principal as I'm an IT PM. He's in sales but doesn't have higher education. So the idea is for me to find a job and sponsor him but from what I hear that's not possible in UAE?!!!!!!!!!!
Please clarify.

pretty certain (95% sure), medical doctors and i think at one stage teachers were also allowed to sponsor their husbands.

if you give me a day i'll check to make 100% certain

That can't be true ! We we're planning on moving there, I've already signed up with jobsindubai and according to them it should take 1-4 months to get something.
I have a one year old which I most certainly won't leave behind !
Any suggestions ? Thankx

dbxsoul wrote:pretty certain (95% sure), medical doctors and i think at one stage teachers were also allowed to sponsor their husbands.

if you give me a day i'll check to make 100% certain

Doctors (dentists included) can sponser. Teachers I think it changed.

maica wrote:That can't be true ! We we're planning on moving there, I've already signed up with jobsindubai and according to them it should take 1-4 months to get something.
I have a one year old which I most certainly won't leave behind !
Any suggestions ? Thankx

Jobsindubai are no help.... If you get something with them in that time frame I would be extremily surprised!!!!

And its true, a woman cannot sponser her husband....

kiwi_lady wrote:dbxsoul - you say your one day weekend? ONLY ONE day?

how does the cost of clothing compare? i would image that with dubai being soo multi-cultural there would be an amazing array of products there that are not necessarily available in our own countrys....

yep, a whole one day off - luck of the draw! some people get a 2 day weekend running over thursday and friday, others get 2 days over friday and saturday, and some of the larger multinational companies run a traditional saturday and sunday weekend to reduce "down time"

the uae has a 48 hour working week (by law), this is normally broken down as 6 x 8 hours, but can be re-configured by the employer. service and entertainment industries (retail, hotels etc) have a 54 hour working week (by law). they also have an odd way of calculating overtime, none of this double pay for overtime as what you would get in western countries.

And some of us get the pelasure of the oh so annoying 1 and a half days off, you work half day Thrusday and then get Friday off.

I wish there was a generic weekend it's a pain if you have one set and your mates or other half has the other set then you're stuck.