Job Discussion Forums

[theeus]

Well off I go a newbie to the ME having a contract which includes a furnished apartment...
and as i prepare to make the trip end of next month i have a million questions, and i have found these boards great for clearing most of them up. I am sure over the next few days i will ask a dozen of them...
but to start with i am trying to figure out what furnished apartment means in the middle east. My contract says I will get a washer and dryer, which is nice, what else should I expect?
Sheets...cutlery...a toaster...a blender...a tv...?
Will those that have gone to Abu Dhabi and received furnished accommodation, which seems to be everyone (i will be getting a one bedroom apt.) please let me know.

[veiledsentiments]

It depends on your employer. But, usually it is just basic furniture and appliances. Getting a washer/dryer is very unusual, as I always had to buy my own.

I think your best source is your new employer. They should inform you of exactly what is in the flat so that you know what to bring if you wish. Although you will find most everything you need in Abu Dhabi.

You will find threads on what one should bring here and there in the Middle East sections... You may find that most of your questions have been answered.

VS

[stoth1972]

VS, you never got the washing machine provided?

[veiledsentiments]

Nope... my last employer in Oman would have bought me one, but I had the one I had just bought in Kuwait. Two of my employers gave housing allowances. SQU never provided them in their furnished flats. At HCT, the flat they provided had no place to even install one. My choice was to have one of the toilets removed or to lose the smallish eat-in area in the kitchen and extend the plumbing and electric over there. (all at my expense, of course)

Even the ones that provided furnished flats never provided any kitchen things like dishes, bed linens, or luxuries like a TV. (furnished flats in Cairo provided this stuff, but 90% of it was unusable. )

VS

[stoth1972]

Choueifat didn't provide any allowances besides shipping, but they did fully furnish the flats, including irons, kettles, washers, plates, cutlery, towels, cheap-o bed linens...none of the stuff would be my prefererred style, but it was ok for a young person. After leaving there, the flat I rented in Barsha w/ my allowance included a washer.

[veiledsentiments]

This could be a difference between international schools versus college/university level... which is why I suggested to our OP that s/he needs to first ask his/her employer.

When I was in Abu Dhabi, there were only two buildings in our price range that came with kitchen appliances... all of the rest had only the kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures. I moved over to one of them a year later and it had a washer/dryer combo unit, so I sold my pair to a new teacher.

VS

[ProfessorsWife]

I've heard that an unfurnished apartment may not even have basics such as a stove and fridge. How much truth is there to this?

[stoth1972]

Well, I didn't experience this, but I was given an allowance and sought out flats w/ those appliances. VS, do HCT contracts normally include those items or are you expected to purchase them w/ your allowance?

[veiledsentiments]

Not sure who the employer is here... that could make a difference too.

Depends on the city and the landlord in the building. Abu Dhabi was famous for empty flats as I said above. Dubai flats normally came with appliances (and we HCT teachers got the same allowance - not really fair). The two buildings in AD at the time that came with fully fitted kitchens were owned by Dubai Sheikhs.

With all the new building, this could very well have changed. The best source here is your employer.

VS

[ProfessorsWife]

The employer is HCT, Sharjah Women's College. We'll be arriving on Saturday, I suppose we'll sort it out then.