Moving to Abu Dhabi

[YummyMummySasx]

Hey Ladies
Darling Husband has been offered job in AD. We are moving next month. He is getting 57k AED per month plus 30k AED per year per child for schools.
We have two boys and live a reality simple lifestyle..
I am panicking about the financial side of it.
Will we be ok?
Thanks

@YummyMummySasx assume the employer is covering health care but not accommodation?
The school fees will probably be double the allowance for an established British school so allow for that.
You won't be able to afford a large rental property on that salary but you should have a decent lifestyle with some savings. The tax free salary makes a huge difference and there are loads of paid public holidays too on top of annual leave.
You will need a few £000 for upfront costs to set yourselves up and there is loads of admin to do, UAE is bureaucracy central.
I enjoyed living there in the early 2010s and there's much more going on now.
There's loads of expat info on Abu Dhabi which will give you more insight. Good luck!

Hey. Thank you.
Yes employer covers healthcare for whole family. I think Repton costs about 60-70k per child per year so yes we know we have to put towards. But the school looks to be high quality compared to the local comp by us! Thanks

Have you actually applied for school places? The end of term is this Friday and decent schools are often full for next year already.

Hey
Yes they are both enrolled at Repton on Reem Island

Don’t panic but do be cautious. Are you coming for the lifestyle or to save? Clubs and activities add up fast here. PP is correct, budget for set up costs - cars, white goods, uniforms etc etc.

No wonder you’re worried about the financials!!!

that is very low.

Tutoring?

Moving next month? In the middle of summer??
how long ago was this agreed?

New Principal is fab.

Really? When my DH spoke to UAE financial advisor he said average expat salary in AD was around 30-35k AED so we thought we would be ok! Yikes

April

Hoping to save some money but enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. Is that possible on this salary?

Talk to those on that income @YummyMummySasx and see what they tell you

Y I doubt you’ll find any ex pat over the age of 23 who are in the country and earning that

Did you ask for the average profile of the person receiving this salary? I suspect not.

Will be very young, temporary, and travelling around with no dependents.

It will categorically not be a family, with one income, with children.

I am concerned you are moving next month. It will be 40 degrees minimum day in day out.

Teachers earn around 10-15k, they can only manage because they get free housing and education. Even senior leadership don't get much past 20k in many schools.

You'll need to be careful with that salary and maybe should consider schools that are better value than Repton.

Yes well aware. DH goes first and we arrive at very end of August.

@YummyMummySasx you could always work as well once everyone is settled?

It’s not low? It’s £11k a month?!

He’s on 57k a month?! I don’t see how that is low?

Is your housing paid for?

@Haphazardlyread it - it says month

@Friendsinahighplaceyes, and 11 million people live in the UAE all year round. The infrastructure is designed for the climate.

57K certainly isn’t “very low”. I’d imagine it’s an average salary for a qualified/experienced hire. Of course many earn a lot lot less, and many earn a lot more. We arrived with DH on 60K and a plan for me to work at some point… if I didn’t work we wouldn’t be saving. We now manage a very comfortable life here and save.

The bigger expenses that you might not initially plan for:

• clubs/activities (try to do ones included with school)
• upfront costs - car, rent cheques, white goods etc
• flights home or away - lots of opportunities to travel from here, we spend a lot on holidays as it’s nice to get a change of scene from time to time.
• nanny and her visa, medical insurance etc
• entertainment can be expensive
• phone/ internet packages are expensive

I would just crunch your numbers thoroughly and make sure you can save something.