Job Discussion Forums

yavannah · Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 26 Location: OH, USA

Does anyone have any info on this organization as far as what these places are like to work for? Is it actually possible to live on the 9k/10k AED they offer?

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Someone else was just on here asking. In a nutshell, no. I believe they're telling you to go find your accommodation on that salary, correct? If so, run far away.

yavannah · Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 26 Location: OH, USA

lol... well, they said they would "assist in finding accomodation." But it seems unlikely that they would be able to find anything decent to leave one enough to live on at that salary. They also seem to be desperate for teachers and hiring rather frequently, which leads one to believe they are having problems.

Are rents bad for westerners or just in general? I have friends with Emirati relatives.. is it more likley they'd be able to find me a better deal than I would myself or letting the company help me?

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Rents seem to be universally high across the board. I do not think having a national with you or negotiating will make any difference, unless s/he is incredibly well-connected.

I did see studios for rent in Jumeirah for around 5000/month. You can check out the Gulf News online for an idea of what you'll be paying for in housing. Is it just you, or are you taking children/spouse w/ you? Here's a reasonably priced studio for its location in the city:

yavannah · Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 26 Location: OH, USA

Thanks. I know that the woman I'm staying with here in Oman is getting ripped off on her rent because she's a Westerner. (She's paying for a studio what an Omani I know is paying for a two-bedroom in a better area.) So I wasn't sure if it would be a similar problem in the UAE.

Thanks for the link. I will look into it. I do have a child who isn't with me now and who I was planning to bring out eventuall, so that adds some limitations as well.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I think that you will find that Western expats will always be charged more than locals. We are short-timer renters, the locals are not. We are also usually paid significantly more - particularly in Oman.

Teachers should avoid contracts that don't provide housing or provide a reasonable housing allowance in addition to a salary that low.

VS

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Well, in many countries that would be the case. An accepted "tax" that foreigners must pay. While Emiratis are given a good few benefits by the sheikhs, if you called a number in the paper and asked the rent and then asked an emirati to do the same, you would both be quoted the same price (barring some connections between the building owner and the renter).

The Gulf news should give you an idea of what places are going for. You'll notice that some ads even specify nationality. The cheaper the rent, the crappier the area for the most part. Show me where the 22,000/year studios in Dubai still exist, and I'll show you where I won't live.