Teaching abroad, potentially Dubai

[Plantsandwine]

My husband and I are both teachers in England. We have a 7 month old a nearly 2 year old. We have a mortgage, cars etc so lots to consider if we move abroad. We are considering teaching in an international school in Dubai. We would rent out our house whilst living abroad to hopefully cover our mortgage. We would essentially be going for about 2 years to experience a different country and to save money. Does anyone have any experience of living in Dubai, particularly with children? Any comments, good or bad would be welcome. Or would anyone suggest a different country that offers a good salary with good packages? Thank you for any help.

Packages in China have historically been very good but air pollution is a bigger issue. Dubai threads tend to turn into a pile on here as a warning.

Lots of people on here live in Dubai and have children and there have been lots of threads. What particular questions do you have?

I would say it's not easy to save money on a teachers salary in Dubai, particularly with a two year old so you would need childcare. It costs a lot to relocate. You'd have to be very focused on saving to save a decent amount of money in the first two years.

Echoing the "Dubai is not the place to save money" comment above. Other places in the UAE are probably cheaper in terms of cost of living -excluding Abu Dhabi.

You might like to think about 3 years in order to save - we hemoraged cash the first 6 months after moving.

Also, look carefully into childcare options. We were in an unpleasant bit of the middle east - your choice was basically a live in nanny unless your work provided a creche.

The cost of living in Dubai is v high although they’re facing difficulties so perhaps rents are cheaper now. Some schools provide accommodation I guess but others will just give a rental package (a set amount per month) which often is not enough to rent. Also there are many international schools so you’ll have to do your research on which ones are any good. Muscat would be a nicer place to live. I would avoid Kuwait (a bit boring).

I have been in Dubai for 10 years and had both my kids here (age 5 and 3)

Dubai is expensive but a big expense is school fees, which most teachers would not have to pay, or would at least receive a whacking big discount for. A lot of schools would also offer staff accommodation as well (an apartment or villa) although the standards and locations will vary.

Kids start school at 3 here. Before that, the options are nursery (expensive but plentiful) or a nanny. We do both to be honest - we have a nanny and my youngest is at nursery part time and it feels like the best option for us.

Pros of living here with young kids:

• So many great things to do - beaches, play spaces, fab indoor activities
• Very sociable! We are all 'away from home' and in the same boat, so we found it quite easy to make friends
• Feels safe
• Very international - I love that my kids are growing up in such a multicultural city

Cons

• Expensive! Food shopping, days out.... it is very hard to live here frugally
• The summer heat - it reached 50 over the weekend and obviously at the moment, there is little opportunity to escape for cooler climes!

You would save alot more in Saudi. Teachers are accomodated in high end compounds and you can hire a nanny cheaply. When children are young the sun and pool lifestyle is the same.

@DancesWithDaffodils Quite! Our recent move within the UAE cost us GBP5k and we are not big spenders! If you're trying to start life from scratch, I don't think you can realistically do an international move with a family for much under GBP10k, probably more like 15k. That's 2-3 months salary for two teachers straight out the bank.

Are you looking at moving for September 2022? If you're thinking of September 2021, be aware that, whilst you may get lucky, the reality is a school having vacancies now for both you and your DH for a September start is a red flag and I would tread very carefully. The good schools that pay well, treat teachers well and are schools teachers would happily send their own children to tend to find it easy to recruit.

If you have two children under the age of two, would you actually be able to save much money? Won’t you be spending a large whack on childcare?

Thank you for all your replies, it seems it is a bit unrealistic to go for two years and save. When I have looked at adverts some say a package for children to attend school, would this not include nursery too? If we had to pay childcare fees for two I don't think it would be possible to save much at all!!

@Normaigai

Are you looking at moving for September 2022? If you're thinking of September 2021, be aware that, whilst you may get lucky, the reality is a school having vacancies now for both you and your DH for a September start is a red flag and I would tread very carefully. The good schools that pay well, treat teachers well and are schools teachers would happily send their own children to tend to find it easy to recruit.

It was more September 2023 :)

I read it as seven year old and thought only childcare for one child! Agreed, you won't save if neither child is in school unless you plan on not actually enjoying Dubai at all and then why be in Dubai. Dubai can be a fantastic place (and it's not all shopping malls and Instagram influencers) but it is not somewhere two teachers with two children requiring childcare can save. If your priority is saving, you should head somewhere like Saudi as others have mentioned. I've heard the big compound life in Saudi can be great with young kids.

School is normally from age three. Fees won't cover nursery unless the school also has a nursery. I've never heard of a teacher having nursery covered. Some schools will provide the wrap around care for school age children.

I'll stop but what you need to consider is that Dubai is no longer a 'hardship posting'. People actively choose to come to Dubai. As a result you don't find you can save much more than you realistically could in the UK, once cost of living is taken into account. If you want to save then you need to move somewhere it's harder to recruit teachers to like Saudi or Qatar or Kuwait.

@Normaigai

I'll stop but what you need to consider is that Dubai is no longer a 'hardship posting'. People actively choose to come to Dubai. As a result you don't find you can save much more than you realistically could in the UK, once cost of living is taken into account. If you want to save then you need to move somewhere it's harder to recruit teachers to like Saudi or Qatar or Kuwait.

That is all really useful, thank you!! Do you know if Singapore would be any different in paying nursery fees?

I don't but Singapore is also not an option to save money!

I don’t have direct experience of Dubai, but know a couple of teachers who have lived there for many years now. They supplement their income with private tutoring which is very lucrative. They enjoy Dubai and seem to live well.

I also know a lot of teachers in Hong Kong. I think it would be fine on two teaching salaries, as long as school places are included for your children. There are loads of different international schools in HK and also a scheme within the state sector that hires overseas teachers, so a lot of options.

China, as a pp said, is also big for international schools. I knew lots of teachers in Shanghai and their circumstances really varied. I’d recommend looking at Yew Chung (I think that’s the name). They provided decent accommodation near the school (often provided accommodation is a bit crap).

Maybe don’t focus on one country, but take a look at what packages are available/which jobs come up in interesting locations and take it from there.

@Normaigai

I don't but Singapore is also not an option to save money!

Agree- Singapore is very expensive- land of the plus. China is worth considering, but nursery care would not be provided unless offered by the school. My dd’s school took children from age 2. With regard to saving you also need to consider exploring your new home. Imo there is little point in moving to a new country if you don’t plan to travel and explore the area.

Have you considered South East Asia? I've taught in Malaysia and China (pre kids) and really enjoyed the lifestyle and the perks over there are great too. Malaysia is a great place for young children and the packages are generally pretty good with a relatively low cost of living compared to Singapore. You'd probably need a nanny before they were old enough to attend school with either free/reduced fees

If you think the place sounds lovely to live in, the chances are you wont save masses.
Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai - prime expat locations and high cost of living.
Go to somewhere less popular if saving is your prime motivation.
2023 - would your oldest be in school by then?

I have taught in Thailand and South Korea when younger (both were private schools) but that was pre children and house so I had a lot less to consider!! I would be open to somewhere different to Singapore or dubai but didn't know if my partner and I would make much money. We want to travel but also save.

@DancesWithDaffodils

If you think the place sounds lovely to live in, the chances are you wont save masses. Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai - prime expat locations and high cost of living. Go to somewhere less popular if saving is your prime motivation. 2023 - would your oldest be in school by then?

Do you think it would be easier to save in an unpopular destination? Yes she would be :)

I've realized you're saying "partner". I'd seriously consider getting married before you make this type of move, particularly if you're thinking of the middle East. Unmarried cohabitation is now legal in the UAE but not in other gulf states (maybe Bahrain?). Unmarried pregnancy is going to cause issues anywhere in the Middle East.

Yes its easier to save in an unpopular destination because you are usually paid relatively more compared to cost of living - if given the choice between Qatar and Dubai, most people would only mode to Qatar if it paid a significant amount more. There are a body of (usually young) teachers who take jobs without thinking it through fully of course!

@Normaigai

I've realized you're saying "partner". I'd seriously consider getting married before you make this type of move, particularly if you're thinking of the middle East. Unmarried cohabitation is now legal in the UAE but not in other gulf states (maybe Bahrain?). Unmarried pregnancy is going to cause issues anywhere in the Middle East.

Sorry, we are married, I don't know why I said partner 🙈