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A Switch, and Living

 
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Generasian X



Joined: 06 May 2003
Posts: 50

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:19 pm    Post subject: A Switch, and Living Reply with quote

I.
If you are employed by a school like Abu Dhabi University (for example) Rolling Eyes , and after a year or so, you have a better offer, can you leave for greener pastures or is your VISA eternally linked to your first employer?

ALSO...

II.
BEFORE I ask this question, I want to state the obvious, "How much you save depends on each person individually and his/her lifestyle." Wink

But given the "usual" benefits package (housing, travel, insurance, children's schooling, etc), how well can a family of three (husband, wife, 2 year old child) live on and potentially save with a 10,000AED per month salary in AL-AIN?

Thanks in advance for any responses!
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well Genereasian X

You have asked two unanswerable questions. Very Happy Must be a skill...

I would expect that transfering employers in mid-contract would depend on whether your employer 'wants' to give you a release. If I had to bet money, I would choose that they wouldn't. Your best source on a question like this is what has happened with previous teachers who tried it. In other words, if you are planning to take a job with one of the places with a bad reputation, don't count on being able to switch to another job in the country if you are unhappy.

And then you have told us that we can't answer your second question and then still expect an answer?? sigh... Ok, here's my take... With the normal benefit package, your expenses would be food, utilities, entertainment and a car. How much you would be able to save would depend on whether you eat at home or in the hotels - whether you buy a small cheap car or want a huge expensive 4WD - how much will you travel on breaks? Normally people don't save as much in their first year, what with getting a car and getting your home organized.

Does that help? How much you save very much depends on how much you 'want' to save. Cool

VS
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Wigwam



Joined: 27 Dec 2004
Posts: 93
Location: Abu Dhabi

PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 2:23 am    Post subject: Saving Reply with quote

Ditto
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nomadykaty



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I. Your visa is tied to your job. Most universities/higher Ed institutes escort you out of the country. If you find a better job, you have to leave the country for 6 months unless you change from private to public or vise verse.

II. If you're based in Al Ain with 10,000AED per month salary- you might be able to save. If you haven't applied with UAEU- I recommend you do. Their base salary is much higher.
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nomadykaty



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One more thing I should mention- If the university (e.g. Abu Dhabi U) offeres a furniture allowance and you leave before your contract is up- you have to pay most of it back. So jumping ship can be a very expensive thing to do.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Repaying a furniture allowance is standard with most Gulf employers. It is normally spread over a 4 year period.

BTW, employers _can_ give you a release that allows you to avoid the 6 month ban. Most probably will not.

VS
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Stephen Jones



Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124

PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saving in the first year is difficult, as there are so many setting up expenses.

Over a two year contract you should be able to save half your salary without too much sweat.
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spicegirl



Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 112

PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi, Generasian X. I agree with Stephen and VS: setting up in the first year always takes up big chunks of your salary. You'll probably buy a car, get phones, e-mail, TV subscription etc. set up. As VS says, after two years you'd have to repay part of your furniture allowance, pro-rata.

If you wanted to switch to another university in Al Ain (or elsewhere in the UAE), either private or government, it's doubtful whether your sponsor would release you to do this. The UAE is a small country, and your employer could easily find out if you were planning to do this .... they all have their 'contacts'. You'd most likely have to leave the country and come back in on a new visa.

I'm not sure that I totally agree about the fact that you can save about half your salary over two years. This would mean that you'd be living on Dhs 5.000 a month to support 3 people. Of course, it depends on your lifestyle, but if you have a small child and a spouse who possibly isn't working, then you'd probably need to join one of the hotel health/sports clubs for the recreation facilities it offers. This can cost around Dhs 2.000 a year in Al Ain, or more, depending on your choice of hotel. This is of course much cheaper than in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, but is still a considerable amount.

Prices are rising noticeably in the UAE, but if you eat lots of veggies, rice and dal, then you'll be fine living on half your salary. If you like more 'western' type foods, then it'll cost you a lot more. You didn't mention your nationality, but unless your home country's currency is US dollars, then you'll find transferring any regular savings to other countries costs about 30% more than it did this time last year, because of the free-fall of the US dollar.

Activities for 'mothers and toddlers' are also available, but these also add to your financial outgoings. Perhaps you're thinking of enrolling your 2 year-old in some kind of play-group. These are privately run, and aren't particularly cheap. In the hotter months, your electricity/water bill will probably be around Dhs 600 a month. It can be more, if you run the ACs all day because you have family members at home during the day. Some universities pay something towards utilities, but not the whole amount usually.

What kind of end-of-service benefits is the place offering? Government universities give one month's salary for each year completed with them. This would add to your take-home money at the end of the 2 years, and would probably cover any furniture allowance or car loans that you have to repay.

Nomadykaty suggests that you apply to UAEU/UGRU. If you have a Masters and considerable experience, then you should apply there - they're advertising at the moment. Or why not apply to the HCT?

You're right to do your research. Good luck.
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nomadykaty



Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everyone says that you have to have a lot of experience to get into UGRU-but that's not true. There are teachers at UGRU without post-grad experience.

If you have a master and a few years experience (even at the language school level or as a English tutor) it's worth applying for. You have a much better shot at UGRU than you do at HCT.
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