Possible move to Dubai, possibly quite soon. Anyone out there with good advice on areas for families, schools, life in general?

[Desertrunner]

DP (about to be DH) is in final stages of interview for a senior role in Dubai. Assuming he gets it, I believe I will be a quick turnaround so potentially we would be over there in July. Therefore I have been researching schools, areas etc and so far potentially can get the kids into Repton, with a view to living at Arabian Ranches or Villa Project. Anyone done this, and can give some advice? I know schooling can be a huge issue (with 3 kids this is my primary concern). Have been on expat woman etc and opinions seem to vary wildly so am looking for UK based ladies views if anyone can comment? Thanks

If he's media city based then why not look at the springs/meadows/lakes? There's a new school under construction near springs town centre, not sure what year group it it thou, that says opening for admissions from September 2014. Given the choice I think I'd choose ranches, but I lived in the springs with a friend of mine and she was at work in media city within 10 mins in a morning and it's much closer to most things, and near SZR rather than emirates road which makes commuting easier.

There's a few species of snake here that can be an issue but it's rare that there's bites - they have venom in their rear fangs so you pretty much have to stick your finger down its throat to get bitten (there was a bite on DHs construction site from one hiding in a pipe, but he was out in the proper desert)

The biggest piece of advice is beware the cost of living - nothing (except petrol) is cheaper than the UK.

I have three DC in school and the school fees and villa cost close to £90k before anything else is factored in. My grocery shopping is close to another 1.5k a month and I feel we eat less well than in UK.

If you have the means life here is good, but it can be a huge shock paying £50 for a bottle of Jacobs creek that'd be 2 for £8 in Sainsburys.

I would also caution about the difficulties of being a 2 working parent family - getting decent childcare is very very difficult and employing a FT maid is not really an appropriate option if you are out the house for any length of time. I have a western nanny but it is extremely costly.

Other than that it is very clean, safe and a great base from which to explore the rest of the ME. The country is young, and is both growing and learning rapidly. It's not for everyone and the extraordinary wealth makes it an easy target for hatred- I always find it bizarre that Dubai is loathed for its lack of human rights whilst places like India are hailed as fabulously worthy yet suffer the same realities with no real attempts to change.

Hi SteveBrucesNose - thanks for that, will have a look into the new school option.

LivesAndWorks - cost of living is a concern, and until we know the details of the package on offer its difficult to work it out properly. Obviously having looked at schooling and housing prices we have an idea of how much we will be needing - which is considerable!
Any more info on childcare would be useful - I am intending to work once we have got settled - do most schools not offer after-school care then? Here we have a childminder after school and the option of an after school club til 6pm - is this possible in Dubai? Not sure if I would want a nanny as all 3 are at school.
Many thanks for the feedback

DesertRunner, my info may be a bit out of date, but when we were there NO schools provided after school care and DS used to finish at 1.15pm when he was in Y1. Have you checked on the school websites?

Sure, there are families with 2 working parents, but it is the minority not the norm and these families would tend to have live in maids and potentially a driver to get the kids from school. I would be very wary of school buses in Dubai for small children. They are not always supervised and of good quality.

In other words, you need to be aware that there will be different challenges in being a 2 working parent family from those you would encounter in the UK. Many expat women start their own businesses and work from home.

What sort of work are you looking for? If it is school based that helps.

Another thought....Try and get DH's employer to pay for an education consultant who will know all the ins and outs of the new schools/waiting lists etc.

After school clubs are few and far between and depending on the ages of your children the school day is often staggered, meaning different finishing times and therefore additional juggling. Even with staggering the school day tends to end early compared to UK system which means even part time work is hard to manage.

The entire system here is set up for one parent based at home plus staff (nanny/maid/driver).

My children are school age but I have decided a FT nanny is the only viable option as a working mum.

You should also investigate whether you will be able to work here. Depending on your experience it is not always possible, many "mid level" positions in areas such as nursing, accountancy, operations HR (to name a few) are not always "open" to western expats because the pool of qualified candidates from other countries is vast and typically arab or Indian expats will expect a far lower salary. I have had a few friends fall foul of this phenomena.

Having said all that my experience of Middle East is positive - just go with your eyes open, and always with a fall back plan.

Thanks all.
I was under the (probably incorrect) impression that you couldn't start your own business in the ME without doing so in partnership with a citizen Emirati? I have been self employed in the UK so it's something I could certainly do again if possible in Dubai and then wouldn't have to worry re child care, drivers, nanny etc?
Any feedback on that would be useful. Thanks

My understanding is you can start your own business, but to do so without and Emirati partner, you need to be based in a freezone such as Jebel Ali (JAFZA), if you have premises, but I think there are ways round it. you just always have to be very careful of your visa status. Your visa may well say on it that you are non working.

Having said that, have a look at this:

www.toffeeprincess.com/

it's is a business started in her kitchen by Suzanne, a fellow JESS mum whose daughter was in DS's class. She lives in the Ranches and I'm sure if you contacted her via the website she'd be able to give you lots of advice on starting a business.

LivesandWorks can probably provide more info.

Hi mateysmum
Will have a look at those links, thank you! And another question, are the JESS waiting lists really as horrific as I am lead to believe or are there possibilities of getting kids in at the beginning of September? I have heard this of other schools but don't know about JESS.
Thanks so much

The JESS lists really are horrific. DS got in because DH's company had a debenture and then when we did our second stint in DXB he got in because he was secondary age and there is much less competition at that stage.

This is a really helpful list:

www.jess.sch.ae/Introducingjess/schooladmissions/waitinglist.aspx

The waiting lists are mostly closed ie. there is no possibility of anybody else getting a place.

JESS has after school clubs, but it really depends on the age of your children.

Tinies finish at 12.30pm and KS2 finish at 2.10 with clubs running until 3.10pm. Secondary finishes at 3.10pm with clubs running until around 4.30 - 5pm.

Other than extra-curricular opportunities, after school care doesn't exist, and as LIVES and MATEY say, professional childcare isn't an easily available option - although many use maids which can be a difficulty in itself.

I think Matey is right: that Dubai is set up for 1 working parent (Dad) with a train of support staff.

Thanks mateysmum and truly.
I think, taking those comments on board I might look into setting up a business myself then I can work around the kids and not have to worry about nannies etc as I would rather avoid that if possible.
Another question tho ( sorry I have a lot of questions!) is it easy to book good baby sitters so we can go out in the evenings sometimes?
Thanks so much for all the responses. Some really great info and help much appreciated.

And also (sorry) Repton school looks like our best bet for places for kids at the moment but v mixed reviews online. Any one have kids there or know how it is doing at present? I appreciate its a huge school which might suit some kids and not others but am not unduly concerned by that as mine are in large schools here and so should be ok.

Hi OP, no knowledge for you but I'm rooting for you. Hope your DH gets the news you want to hear.

(Really am subtly marking my place because I want to know what happens! Am very envious. Good luck with it all)

Oh thank you bowler! DP is flying to Dubai soon to go through final stage so we can't do anything but wait at present! Will update for those who are interested in the outcome - fingers crossed its a YES!
Thanks again

Most people have some help in the house, so would use them or perhaps a neighbour's maid that you can trust. They are all keen to earn extra. There are also some teenagers that will babysit, but it's much less common than here. I bet you have a maid within 6 months of moving there, 3 kids and a business...the houses are big and the sand gets everywhere!

Re schools, as you have 3 children to place, you may have less choice. It is also very common for people to move school when their preferred one becomes available.

There are a few good babysitting agencies, we don't have a maid so use them frequently and never have any problems! Not cheap though so it can be tempting to use a nearby maid but although substantially cheaper this isn't legal and i'm too much of a wimp to worry about getting caught!!

Thanks matey! That made me laugh. Maybe I will end up with a maid, guess I will just wait and see if we get there and how it goes and play it by ear. I have had both cleaner and nanny before but would just prefer to avoid a nanny for sure, less concerned about the maid. I can see how some help might be good if the houses are bigger and I end up being really busy.

Jo - thanks - if we do move in the summer I might be asking for babysitting service recommendations! Good to know they are available.
I am just trying to do as much research as possible in advance as if we get the green light to move we think it might be quite a quick process and I won't have time to faff about and start researching at that stage. Plus I am a control freak and need to know what I am doing lol

Well actually when I say control freak, DP would laugh at that bcos he thinks I am almost horizontal I am so laid back about most things. But he hasn't seen the frantic 4am googling that has been going on haha

Desert - if you want to get ahead, I would start thinking about what you would take with you and how you would transport it. Might be a bit premature but it can be quite stressful working out what to do with all your worldly goods under pressure of a deadline. What will you do with your house etc?

Oh and you will need all your legal paperwork - marriage certs, birth certs, passports etc. You will need notarised and stamped copies of these - see

www.gov.uk/search?q=apostille+documents

It's years since I did this so someone else may be better able to advise on current regulations.

Hi matey. House and contents I have thought about. Getting things notarised - I knew I had to but no idea HOW! I had assumed my lawyer could do it, but haven't actually asked him. Sounds complicated! Oh god

Your lawyer can notarise things, but you still have to get some things apostilled by the gov I believe.

As you children were born before you were married, you should make sure you dot all the "i"s on paperwork as the islamic system struggles with this concept - again, I'm not sure of all the details/procedures. I assume DP's name is on their birth certificates?

Ah ok matey, thanks. Will speak to my lawyer and see if he can help with that. Sounds like a mine field of paperwork! Thanks a lot for the advice.

Yep, get copies of everything! Spare birth certificates, marriage certificates, photocopies of passports, masses of passport photos, you'll need them! I took a pack around with me everywhere for the first month as everyman and his dog needed copies.

Regarding notarising, this was again something the company sorted in our relocation package as well so make sure DH gets the specifics of what would be included in his. It took a lot of the stress out as we had so much advice on shipping, visas, wills etc Really is worth having that if you can negotiate it!