Job Discussion Forums

[adorabilly]

Hey 773.

we have that problem in parts of RAK. There are areas where dogs are lavished and the neighbors really love them, and there are other areas where local kids go out of their way to throw things at dogs and cats, and go out of their way to run them over if outside on the quad runners.

[cmp45]

I didn't know cats and dogs drove quads in the UAE; smart pets over there!

[nellie5]

One thing that one needs to remember is that 10k is in dirham not Dollars, Euros or Pounds. So, if you have any investments outside of the Emirates like life insurance, housing or debt this needs to be taken into consideration as they are based on your home country currency.

Secondo, having housing and schooling paid for really helps (even though I can count a few schools here in Al Ain that are decent). Health insurance here is a hit or miss. Al Ain is not known for its outstanding health care and now with universal coverage, well the hospitals and clinics are over run with patients. If you need better health care this could take place in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, but most insurances won't cover outside of certain places. This could mean having to pay out of pocket for better health care.

Thirdly, there have been recent changes to hiring and paying for help. Most embassies are requiring anywhere from 800 dirhams to 2000 dirhams be given to domestic help. So, you need to budget and make sure you are paying the correct amount for the help you are bringing over.

About food, you can live pretty frugally on food here as long as you are not stuck to certain brands that have to be imported. Also, because this is Al Ain, there are not a plethora of restaurant type choices like Abu Dhabi and Dubai to eat. Most nights we eat in and only splurge on take-out when we travel to above mentioned cities.

If you need a cultural fix and believe me you will! Dubai and Abu Dhabi are great places to get away, but they also cost money. So consider this in your monthly budget.
Adorabilly had a pretty good take on budget with a few exceptions:
*car rental is usually around 2000 a month minimum
*the government in the Emirates is considering hiking gas prices, so if you want a 4wd this will cut into your monthly budget fuelling it up.
Also, I don't know if other have this problem, but decent clothes are somewhat expensive here. I have turned to saving money to buy clothes when I go back home on vacation. Any one else have this problem?
Hope this helps Nicki!

[adorabilly]

Hey CMP.

Yes the pets over here are amazing... absolutely.

Of course it also helps that I ain't no engrish teacher.

yet.

[nellie5]

When we first moved to Fajal Hazza, the neighborhood was mostly local and they were okay with our dogs. We actually let the local kids come over and play with them and no problems. Then the locals started to move out and landlords took the villas and split them into one and two bedroom rentals. Needless to say non-western expats starting moving into the neighborhood and things got hairy. We use to have around 8 local kids in our neighborhood; we now have close to 20 children of different nationalities living with their families in these places. I think what happened is the old saying, "there goes the neighborhood" and to save my sanity and my dogs safety we also have to move out. I think it is just better to live where there are more westerners accustomed to dogs. Aw, well so goes life!

[veiledsentiments]

[mishmumkin]

I'll send that, VS.

I purchased shoes and bras at home. Loved getting stuff made (and looking forward to it as we plan our move back).

[veiledsentiments]

[mishmumkin]

[ardiles81]

One of the fine and marvellous things about living in Al Ain is the relative lack of dogs - no horrible cack lining the road or polluting public parks as is the case in too many countries I can think of.

However, it would be nice to let a few loose now and again to cull a few of those manky bin cats - rank. Then again I suppose a few would have to be kept back to cull the inevitable growth in rats.

[DesertStar]