Abu Dhabi

[GwenaelleLaGourmande]

Does anyone know anything about it?

DH has been contacted about a job there.

Vvvvv early stages and a completely new idea for us..

My DH worked there a couple of years back, it was a temporary contract so I stayed here with the kids. The money was good but he said it wouldn't have been a good place for the kids and I. He never really specified why but I got the impression that it's a very male dominated environment. I guess it might depend where you were located though.

Do a search there is quite a bit of info on here. Also checkout expatwoman dot com.
It's a great place for families, good schools, lovely villas, beaches, nature reserve, mountains, shopping. Women only queues in banks and post office. Multi cultural, christmas Diwali, holi, Eid. Downside, it's expensive.

I have since searched - was a bit in shock this morning :o

Thank you for the tips. I think the main reason it couldn't work for us is the same reason I have never been tempted to go and visit: the heat. Am not even good with 30degrees, let alone 40+..

Plus the odd ethical concern but this thread is not the place to debate that.

Looks like good schools are oversubscribed too.

I visit there a lot, have family there. I would move there in a second. It's only unbearably hot about four months of the year and they do a lot to accommodate that, lots of indoor activities for kids etc.

I'm in AD and we are all very happy here. Weather is hot in the summer, but it's different than being hot in the the UK for example. Everywhere is air conditioned and you just avoid being outside. Rest of the year is great.

Schools are not impossible to get into. Depends on age if children. Younger years are in more demand.

PM me if you would like some further info. Also, have a look at the Abu Dhabi Woman forum. It can be very useful.

Thank you. I will PM you if it goes any further.

Am swinging between wooo hell yeah and eeek no fucking way from hour to hour.

I already live abroad. We rent. No family ties as we are both a good 1000+ km from our families. It could be very easy.

But I do love winter..

We're moving at Easter. DH there already. Lived in Bahrain for three years and have wanted to go back to the Middle East since we came back 4 years ago. Got school places for all our dcs relatively easily. I can't wait. It's great for families. The heat is fine, air con everywhere. I love winter too, but I'll love it even more when I am back in the UK occasionally on holiday rather than a two hour commute in the cold every day. You can pm me if you like.

Thank you it is reassuring to see you are going back iyswim.

I'm only hearing good stuff really, apart from the cost. So I guess it would also depend on the package.

Hi Gwen

I'm living in AD and we love it. The heat is not really a huge problem as a PP above said. I would make sure you get the right package as schools are very expensive. The AbuDhabiwomen forum was very useful when I moved here I've met many of the woman all very nice and have made some life long friends.
Good luck with the move

I'vebeen in Dubai for 7 years, AUH is about 90 minutes drive away. It's quieter than Dubai so not as much to do.

Absolutely love living in the UAE. Contrary to what the world may thinkng, it is a marvellously tolerant and peaceful place. Very ambitious, creative. A great place for families, very safe. Very friendly, very mixed.

Yes it's hot in the summer but only for a few months, the equivalent of a uk winter ie staying indoors more. I usually still spend weekends at the beach, just under a parasol. I would like to stay here forever!

Kelly1814 No it isn't a tolerant place at all. Women can't work without their husband's permission and it's perfectly acceptable for a man to physically punish his wife. It isn't a democratic country. And sharia law underpins its legal system. YUK.

OP, AD is a great city (and I'd choose it over Dubai in a flash) but I think you're getting an overly positive view of the weather.

You'll have AC inside but if you want to spend any time outside you will be in 30 degree heat a lot of the time. If you genuinely can't cope with that it's not the place for you.

Coming from another gulf state you have 3 months when you really can't spend any time outside (short of running to the car!) because its 40+. But they'll be another 4 months (ish) when it's 30 plus. I call that perfect park weather but I know some people really can't cope with the heat.

You do adjust though.

Oh and Alpha you might want to actually look up what tolerant means as you don't seem to understand the word.

I'm not in the UAE but a more restrictive country and I don't need my husband's permission to work (maybe on certain visa types I would be) and domestic violence is certainly not completely acceptable. I'd be surprised if the UAE was different. Law is underpinned by Shari'ah - don't have a particular issue with that but then of course I actually have an idea what that means.

We lived in Abu Dhabi and we loved it! Very safe and a great place to raise a family. It is very bureaucratic and you need 'permission' (i.e. 'No Objection Letters') for everything. So yes, you do need to get a NOL from your husband to work, if you are sponsored by him. I was on my own sponsorship so didn't need it. I did, however, need a NOL from my company to get a car, and alcohol licence, etc. but it's not that big a deal. Just part of life there. And the benefits more than make up for the mindless bureaucracy disadvantages.

As I suspected. You need permission from your sponsor to work. That's not because your husband rules your life but because he, as your sponsor, takes responsibility for you.
If you don't use this visa type then no one cares

I live in Dubai and I love it! Abu Dhabi is quieter than Dubai but I know plenty of people who previously lived in AD and raised kids there that loved it!

The main concern when initially considering it is what kind of package your husband would get. Housing is very expensive - roughly 200,000dhs a year £40k) for a three bed villa. Often rent is expected to be paid in one cheque up front.

Schooling varies but it's roughly £10k per child. Groceries work out at London prices unless you are buying British imports which are massively overpriced! Water and electric are very expensive but I worked out that in a year it was slightly more than UK gas, water, electric and council tax combined. Cars are cheaper than the UK and petrol is a 5th of the price. Plus you need to factor in air travel.

It is a tax free place to live but don't be fooled! There are taxes on everything such as "fees" to connect utilities, tolls on the motorways, "fees" even to get a phone or TV subscription! You end up spending lots on these things which is almost as much as you' be paying in tax!

I was terrified of making the move but quickly made friends with great down to earth people. DD settled straight into school and we're all very happy!

The heat and humidity gets a bit much from May - October but there is so much to do indoors that you don't have to spend much time outside. The rest of the year is lovely. You do quickly acclimatise! It was 20 degrees when I did the school run this morning. I was wearing jeans, t-shirt, fleece and flip flops!

If you have any questions I'll be happy to help you.

In response to it being tolerated for men to hurt their wives. Firstly, don't move countries or in fact, live, with an abusive man! Secondly, it isn't tolerated. Many times I have seen in the paper that a man has been sent to prison for hurting his wife or children.

You don't need permission from your husband to work here, get a driving licence alcohol licence etc - you need permission from your sponsor who happens to be either your husband or employer. If a woman gets a job and brings her husband out here then she is his sponsor and would have to give permission for him to have those things.

You think a country that makes homosexuality a crime is tolerant?

How about stoning of women for infidelity?

How about no right to free speech?

How about its lack of democracy?

How about its treatment of its migrant workers (the ones who do all the dross work)? UAE is totally dependent upon these workers and they treat them terribly.

UAE's poor human rights record is widely known. Working (tax free) in a country such as UAE means you are aiding and abetting a very horrible regime. I think you should travel out to one of those migrant workers' compounds and see how they live.

Again I refer you to the definition of tolerant. You've provided some good examples of why the UAE isn't a great place. Except for the point on homosexuality none of them have anything to do with how tolerant the place is.

Plus you've just shown that you don't actually know what you're talking about with the stoning point!

Actually arguably the free speech point is connected to tolerance too. I can't comment on how the UAE is on this as I don't live there.

Alpha, get a grip. Have you ever been to the UAE?

I work, and my husband has not given me permission, for a start.

If more people took their head out of their backsides, and visited the rest of the world rather than relying on google, the world would be a better place.

Just last week I was at a christening, in a church. The windows were open and I could hear the call to prayer from a nearby mosque. A beautiful moment.

www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/religious-tolerance-in-uae-hailed-by-us

Kelly1814 - Wow that sounds amazing. Pity about their anti-semitism.

It wasn't that long ago that the UK wasn't tolerant of gay people either. Some parts of America still aren't.

The UAE was only formed 43 years ago. Many changes have taken place and many are still happening. No where in the world is perfect. The treatment of migrant workers is a concern, however, it has vastly improved.

As for visiting labour camps? I have. I do my bit for charities supporting migrant workers right here in the UAE. I find it more helpful than simply being an armchair warrior dependent upon the daily mail for my source of information.

Women do not get stoned for infidelity. They get divorced just like most other places in the world. Conversely, a woman can divorce a man too.

You can have free speech too. In a diplomatic and constructive manner. It is not acceptable to insult Islam or the Sheikh but then again, should people do that? Respect is a good quality. I think you are confusing the UAE with Saudi.

Alpha, I'm not sure that supporting palestine makes you anti-Semitic.

Have you visited palestine, but the way? I doubt it.

Great post orange peel :)