Brits who moved to Dubai, how's life?

[Southparkt]

I had several friends who moved to Dubai in the last 3 years and they are really loving it and have no plans to come back. We have been considering a move as we have young family and will be very thankful if we can afford to have nannies and driver etc as our friends have. They feel more relaxed in the sun and can afford big house with swimming pool etc. We are high earners here and used to have nanny for our oldest but if we keep spending at that rate, we can never retire here with the Cost of living increases.
I am looking to hear from Brits who moved to Dubai and how life feels like now?

Would Googling really be beyond you?

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates

Sounds horrific. I lived in Shanghai for 5 years and every summer there was hell, it felt like walking around in a 100% humid filthy polluted soup.

@Kerrisk we went in early May and it was 48 degrees and quite windy - I can only describe it as being like in a hot tumble dryer!! Swimming pools were not refreshing as were simply too warm ( and I’m one who doesn’t like cold water) -sea wasn’t very nice and contrary to what others might think the beach isn’t very nice either - as I’ve said before I can see the appeal for 5 days of sun and lying round a pool maybe in February or March or October/november - but that’s as far as I would go - I did enjoy the desert dune bashing though -

It's not a term I usually use but was replying to the other poster who had used the term.

Not all of them have social problems. In fact many have large family all living in the same town unlike middle classes who tend to move for work and not have family in their locality. I'd say living in a council house is an advantage rather than a disadvantage because the rent is so cheap compared to the market rate. Everyone looks down on people with low cognitive abilities. Most try to be sympathetic to individual cases but keep their distance.

Interesting that’s not really my friends’s experience, they’ve been at beach clubs non stop this summer (with small children). I’m sure they spent the afternoon heat indoors / at the mall but I don’t think it’s normal to claim it’s unliveable for 3 months! Unpleasant maybe but a trade off some people will happily make for 8 months of lovely weather, unless they hate the heat! As some people do. I ‘lived’ there for a work project for 5 months, until August, and honestly I thought it was fine. I even walked to work in the mornings!

I am not sure it is lovely weather. For me lovely weather changes. Seasons change. It’s all part of a natural cycle of life.

When you live in a desert there are no trees or changing cycles throughout the year. So for me that wouldn’t be lovely at all ( I have lived somewhere similar and it’s very boring)

I look forward to snow, misty mornings, autumn colour, spring flowers and blossom, early summer etc. It enhances my life and every day is different, no two are the same.

Human Rights in UAE

This well respected human rights organisation would appear to disagree, OP.

My late father worked most of his life in the petrochemical industry, and he wouldn't go there, or to Saudi Arabia, despite being offered vast amounts of money to do so on several occasions.

I get that, I quite like the seasons too but if you do like it warm and sunny Dubai is a good choice. Not my vibe but I’d absolutely consider it if we had small kids. Childcare where I am is as expensive as in the UK and the thought of coming home to dinner ready, the laundry basket empty, the fridge stocked and a tidy house and never having to run to the dry cleaner or Tesco before/after work and just being able to relax with my spouse and kids sounds fantastic tbh. My friend spends the weekend at the beach/park/play dates/bbqs with her family and has zero drudgery in her life when she leaves the office. I understand the appeal!

Abu Dhabi is very different. It's quieter with more of a family/community feel.

Your friends are using slavery to benefit their existence.
Driver, maid, nanny, all on the cheap rate.

@MotherPupprask your friend if she would feel quite so casual about it if she was paying a proper going rate at the rate she expects to be paid -about £2000 a month should do it -

otherwise they are happy to use slave Labour - I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable with that but I guess some people don’t give a shit -

Correct. Yes, it’s bloody hot but, can’t go outside? Not true. You can go to pool
days at fancy hotels, just take shade under parasols when you’re not cooling off in the pool.
you learn to adapt, just like you do in the UK when it’s minus four in the winter!

Well all I can give is my experience of living over there for two years, only being able to use the complex pools after sunset June - October and having drivers actually flagging me down in concern when I tried to walk to work in August. I remember the night we arrived in July , trying to walk out onto the terrace in the hotel we were staying in and being physically stopped ( in the politest way!) by the staff. The only way the outside is bearable is via aircon - air-conditioned bus stops and beach clubs anyone ? I never thought that the sun could actually feel scary until I lived there!

They could go back in secondary school and go to UK as UK students, or study anywhere else in the world.
I have many friends who grew up in international communities and none is terrified 😂😂😂😂😂of going wherever, have you spent your whole life in one place, as maybe this is colouring your judgement.
For many, many places feel like home, not none.

@Puppylucky even in May I found it unbearably hot and I honestly couldn’t breathe that well and believe me I’ve done Greece easily in 43 degrees in July - it’s a very different kind of heat I felt and weirdly wasn’t that sunny when we were there but quite windy . I literally used to stand outside hotel and get cabs to air conditioned malls in day - I was too hot to even lie around pool- after7pm it was a bit more bearable but it wouldn’t be for me at least 4 or 5 months of year.

Those of you who have moral issues paying their domestic staff low wages - the idea is that people who are doing those roles are earning way more than what they would in their own countries.
How much easier would our lives be if we could all affford domestic help in UK?

I guess no one knows how you are paid in most roles according to your passport?

Dubai doesn’t hide what it is …. Unlike some western countries

Wow. What a truly vile opinion. It's like stepping back 100 years. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.

But they aren't living in their home countries, they're living by their new country's economy.

Glitter sprinkled on a dustbin. You get to look at the glitter and pretend it's real. Poor sods have to do all the shitty stuff.
That's Dubai.

I agree! I can somewhat agree the logic for the labourers and dometics as they are not able to bring their families over but they apply the same logic through other sectors of employment as well

It's not just the low pay. It's the contempt/ lack of human rights.

What is the obsession for having nannies, drivers and house keepers anyway. Some help is amazing but why bother having kids if you want to do zero for them. It just sounds lazy.

Your post has made me realise that people that move to Dubai are just the same as the Royal Family 😆

I think the point is if you have two parents in full time hectic professions where wrap around care doesn't cut it you want all the time you can get with them.

Like "yes love we will both take you for pancakes, then to your swimming lesson, then we will go to your playdate and mum and dad will have a BBQ while you play with your schoolfriends" [because we don't need to go to Tesco, clean the house, do the ironing, walk the dog or worry about parking or drink driving].

Sounds good to me.

I meant more that your kids will remember what you did to help and care for them in quite a basic sense rather than the fun they had going for pancakes and getting taken to parties. If they go running to the nanny when they hurt themselves or the chef when they hungry I think you are missing a really important aspect of being a parent. It feels very empty and sad to me.