Moving to Dubai as a single mum....

[singlemumz]

I'm thinking of moving to Dubai from the UK. I'm a single mum of an 11 year old boy and 2 year old Labrador. Has anyone else made this move as a single parent? I've got a job offer with my current company with a good relocation package. My son is into football and trampolining. Any experiences or guidance would be welcome! Thank you!

Is your son's father involved in his life?

Are you divorced , still married or never been married?

If your ex has pr you will need experience .

I do know someone who moved to Dubai ( not Lp) but he came back and said it wasn’t what he was expecting so maybe worth looking up fb groups of people living near where you plan to go

I don't think I'd do it as a single parent because you will have a complete lack of support. I grew up in the ME.

School starts early and finishes early. What will your childcare be? Is it covered in your package?
Are school fees covered?
Will you be renting - are dogs allowed?
Will you stay through the summer - what will happen to the dog?
How will you exercise the dog in summer heat?
How long would your contract be - will you end up moving DC back to the UK in GCSE years, will you be able to find a space?

Haven’t you posted before about this?

I live in Abu Dhabi, down the road from Dubai. There are single parents here.

What you need to look at before you come is your employment package. You want to have a good relocation allowance, a good housing benefit and good school allowances. Education is expensive!!! My kids are in a British school. They start school at 7.20 and finish at 2.35, with the option to stay until 4 sometimes later depending on activities. School buses are common place for working mums with bus nannies on board so kids as young as 3 all the way to end of secondary.

It’s a fantastic place for kids and teens growing up, as long as you package is right and you can afford to live and this is really about checking out schools and their prices and accommodation. School fees in dubai have come down a lot due to so many new schools opening.
Also you will want your child to be able to experience what his mates are too. My eldest is 15 is heading to New York trip with a focus on Business and economics, my 12 yo daughter is heading to Japan on a geography trip. These trips aren’t cheap of course but more affordable than when living in the UK. My kids play football with Manchester City football schools and Rugby with Harlequins. Schools out here have fantastic GCSE and a level records as majority of kid are coming from educated backgrounds and you just don’t have the socioeconomic problems and government cuts that you see at home.

You cannot use public free schools these are for locals only.

Housing is expensive but your only bills is A/C and electricity. Maintenence has to be included in your rental agreement so if a pipe leaks or the ac stops working you have someone to you in a few hours to fix it at no cost.

Oh and yes of course dogs are allowed, the poster who said they are is completely false. We have our dog. In the hot months we walk very early in the morning and late at night so she doesn’t burn her paws, but October to early May is glorious weather.

What salary / package is on offer? You'll need a good one which includes schools plus to ability to accommodate / afford a nanny.