My husband and I are considering a move to Dubai.
Any teachers out there willing to comment on the cost of living in the UAE ?
What has it been like living on 30,000 dollars yearly plus housing in Dubai ?
Has it been hard to make ends meet ?
What is the cost of going to swim at a private beach or hotel pool ?
What is the social life like ?
Is it a hectic city ? Are there times when the place is calmer ?
Are there opportunities to travel to nearby countries ?
Any information about the good and the bad would be great! :P
Questions,cost of living, UAE, Dubai
Re: Questions, cost of living, etc. Dubai, UAE
Dubai has experienced a period of rapid growth. There has been a shortage of housing, so greedy landlords starting raising rents by up to 50%/year. The government has stepped in with rent caps, but some landlords are finding loopholes in the law. When you say that housing is provided do you mean actual housing or a housing allowance? (I would be very hesitant to accept a contract which stipulates a housing allowance.) Will utilities be provided or do you have to pay your own?
Costs of everything are going up quickly and they have been experiencing double digit inflation, in part because so many goods are imported and the dirham is pegged to the dollar, which hasn't been doing well against other currencies.
Private beach club or hotel access runs about $50/day, but most hotels no longer open up their beaches to the public since there are long waiting lists for beach club membership. Membership costs (along with everything else in Dubai) are going up (if you can get in). I would guess that the joining fee is probably in the range of $2,000- $4,000 with an additional $250+/monthly fees, depending upon which club you join and whether you are joining as a couple or a family. (Buy a Dubai Explorer and they list all the clubs and current fees.) Keep in mind that you have to pay for the full year upfront and there are no refunds for months not used (like summers or when you move)
Traffic is a nightmare and the highway fatality rate is right up there as being among the worst in the world. Things are calmer in the summer months when the expats leave the city to escape the heat.
Great travel opportunities, not only in the region, but great access to flights to Africa, Europe and Asia. Will you get a home leave allowance or just an air ticket home? (Some schools give an allowance of a full fare economy ticket, which will easily pay for some extra side trips or some stops along the way when you go home in the summer.)
When you say that you and your husband are considering a move, I'm assuming that means you are a teaching couple and you will each earn $30,000/year? You can certainly live on that, although it sounds like the low end of salaries in Dubai. Much depends upon what your lifestyle is...will you hire a maid , will you live in an apartment or a villa where you'll need a gardener, etc.?
Which school are you considering? Dubai is growing so fast, there seems to be new schools popping up almost daily... is it a new school or one of the more well established ones?
Costs of everything are going up quickly and they have been experiencing double digit inflation, in part because so many goods are imported and the dirham is pegged to the dollar, which hasn't been doing well against other currencies.
Private beach club or hotel access runs about $50/day, but most hotels no longer open up their beaches to the public since there are long waiting lists for beach club membership. Membership costs (along with everything else in Dubai) are going up (if you can get in). I would guess that the joining fee is probably in the range of $2,000- $4,000 with an additional $250+/monthly fees, depending upon which club you join and whether you are joining as a couple or a family. (Buy a Dubai Explorer and they list all the clubs and current fees.) Keep in mind that you have to pay for the full year upfront and there are no refunds for months not used (like summers or when you move)
Traffic is a nightmare and the highway fatality rate is right up there as being among the worst in the world. Things are calmer in the summer months when the expats leave the city to escape the heat.
Great travel opportunities, not only in the region, but great access to flights to Africa, Europe and Asia. Will you get a home leave allowance or just an air ticket home? (Some schools give an allowance of a full fare economy ticket, which will easily pay for some extra side trips or some stops along the way when you go home in the summer.)
When you say that you and your husband are considering a move, I'm assuming that means you are a teaching couple and you will each earn $30,000/year? You can certainly live on that, although it sounds like the low end of salaries in Dubai. Much depends upon what your lifestyle is...will you hire a maid , will you live in an apartment or a villa where you'll need a gardener, etc.?
Which school are you considering? Dubai is growing so fast, there seems to be new schools popping up almost daily... is it a new school or one of the more well established ones?
cost of living in Emirates
The cost of living in Dubai and Emirates seems to be based on what locals and high paid executives of foreign countries are willing to pay - a bit out of reach for teachers. You can live on salary stated, esp. with housing included (actual housing - not an allowance), but joining clubs would be pricey. Still, we know many couples who do belong to hotels with beach and pool access (most did previously at lower costs and are grandfathered in - too bad for newcomers). In terms of travel opportunities, while Dubai has flights just about everywhere, they aren't cheap either. Check them out online - you might be shocked.
Most schools in the area simply haven't kept up with the cost of living in terms of teacher pay- they may raise their salaries annually, but perhaps haven'e changed items like settling in allowance or COLA benefits for years. While most foreign professionals from the US or Europe go to the ME for double or triple what they got paid at home, in addition to tax and housing benefits, teachers often get the same or less pay than they would in their home countries.
Most schools in the area simply haven't kept up with the cost of living in terms of teacher pay- they may raise their salaries annually, but perhaps haven'e changed items like settling in allowance or COLA benefits for years. While most foreign professionals from the US or Europe go to the ME for double or triple what they got paid at home, in addition to tax and housing benefits, teachers often get the same or less pay than they would in their home countries.
Here's a list of articles on the rising cost of living in the UAE. This comes from Gulf News, one of the English newspapers in the country.
http://gulfnews.com/indepth/costofliving/index.html
http://gulfnews.com/indepth/costofliving/index.html
Re: cost of living in Emirates
[quote="scribe"] teachers often get the same or less pay than they would in their home countries.[/quote]
Any sign of this changing soon? Surely, with the lowering of incentive that is happening with the lack of improvement of housing benefits, no COLA (for most schools), no signficant increase in salary....
Soon, shouldn't the schools be forced into a position where they have to pay more? I am aware that the limited places for students fill up so there is a demand for more teachers, but is it a case where schools are happy to get teachers with less experience just to get a warm body in the classroom and collect the tuition?
It seems very unfair!
Any sign of this changing soon? Surely, with the lowering of incentive that is happening with the lack of improvement of housing benefits, no COLA (for most schools), no signficant increase in salary....
Soon, shouldn't the schools be forced into a position where they have to pay more? I am aware that the limited places for students fill up so there is a demand for more teachers, but is it a case where schools are happy to get teachers with less experience just to get a warm body in the classroom and collect the tuition?
It seems very unfair!
Over-supply of teachers
You would think that the increasing cost of living might eventually lead to a shortage of teachers willing to live in poverty (or at least nowhere near middle class) while they teach overseas. But it hasn't happened yet. Wages are stuck at mid-eighties rates all over the circuit while the drop in the American dollar has made the situation much worse. In addition, the Canadian dollar is now at 90 cents while our government is reworking non-residence status in an attempt to get their hands on our ever dwindling wages. Why do we still show up at job fairs? Obviously those that are over here to save money soon won't, it makes less and less fiscal sense every year. I can't speak for the Americans on this but chances are you could make as much money as a sub back in Canada as you can teaching at most schools overseas. It seems that the teacher supply depends more and more on first year teachers (primarily Canadian) who can't get positions back home and American teachers who are trying to escape their weapon and metal detector public school culture. Mid-career teachers with options are all trying to get out. I don't see the school owners raising wages any time soon, it's much easier to accept a drop in the quality of education. First year teachers can be motivated and excellent educators, but they need balancing with age and experience. So until the provincial governments start to decrease the number of education grads, which they won't as the oversupply helps to keep down teacher union wage demands, or until Americans suddenly start paying teachers a living wage and give up guns, the supply of overseas teachers will never dwindle. The schools will just get worse and the teachers less affluent.
Re: cost of living in Emirates
I am aware that the limited places for students fill up so there is a demand for more teachers, but is it a case where schools are happy to get teachers with less experience just to get a warm body in the classroom and collect the tuition?
It seems very unfair![/quote]
When push comes to shove at this point in the year, I believe Goddess has hit the nail on the head.
It seems very unfair![/quote]
When push comes to shove at this point in the year, I believe Goddess has hit the nail on the head.
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Umm Rashid
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:07 pm
[quote]I am aware that the limited places for students fill up so there is a demand for more teachers, but is it a case where schools are happy to get teachers with less experience just to get a warm body in the classroom and collect the tuition?
It seems very unfair![/
Yes, indeed! We have paid around 8 000 US $ for first grade at Deira International School. Our child received second to none academic background, non-competitive with other school's requirements. The Arabic language education is not second to none, but non-existent, despite rules from Ministry of Education. After one year with largely advertised *highly qualified teachers* Jacqueline Schwartz and Mrs. Nasra, our child didn't pass the admission tests for other schools, despite the very good marks in the daily school book. The teachers are careless and just passing easy time. We consider that school a total waste of time and money.
I, as parent was treated with arrogance, insulted and humiliated by primary school principal Martin Clifford, headmaster John Bastable and ESOL's supervisor Bassam Abushakra. In my opinion and to second xyz, many schools in Dubai will hire any one just to keep the enrollment flowing and charge the high fees to parents who wish the best for their children.
Many take for granted the reaches of the Middle East and believe that people here are fools with bags of money..............I guess it's the right place for ESOL.
:( [/quote]
It seems very unfair![/
Yes, indeed! We have paid around 8 000 US $ for first grade at Deira International School. Our child received second to none academic background, non-competitive with other school's requirements. The Arabic language education is not second to none, but non-existent, despite rules from Ministry of Education. After one year with largely advertised *highly qualified teachers* Jacqueline Schwartz and Mrs. Nasra, our child didn't pass the admission tests for other schools, despite the very good marks in the daily school book. The teachers are careless and just passing easy time. We consider that school a total waste of time and money.
I, as parent was treated with arrogance, insulted and humiliated by primary school principal Martin Clifford, headmaster John Bastable and ESOL's supervisor Bassam Abushakra. In my opinion and to second xyz, many schools in Dubai will hire any one just to keep the enrollment flowing and charge the high fees to parents who wish the best for their children.
Many take for granted the reaches of the Middle East and believe that people here are fools with bags of money..............I guess it's the right place for ESOL.
:( [/quote]