Job Discussion Forums

[football]

I was wondering if anybody out there had heard of any moves to increase the housing allowances for teachers in any of the tertiary institutions in the UAE. I know that HCT pays 85,000 dhs for a family with 2 children, but with rents rocketing all over the UAE I have also heard that teachers are haivng to dip into their own pockets.

[Wigwam]

HCT have a number of houses on their books so when one family moves out another moves in. Though it is difficult there are still places you can find (a bit older I know) for 85 - 90K. It just depends on the area you look at. I don't know of any other institution that is putting up their ceilings.

[caliph]

I'd say that many people are having to dip into their own pockets. The HCT management doesn't really care about the teachers, as long as they (the management) are comfortably housed, they won't help you. Theyare supposed looking at this on a case by case basis, but I know of no one who has gotten help.

The older houses on the books have had rent increases also.

The HCT can no longer compete with other companies like the oil companies that will pay pretty much anything that landlords ask. Because of this the HCT is priced out of the market and the management won't do anything about it.

People have, and will continue to leave because of this. After all, with the loss of income due to exchange rate and soaring inflation, who wants to subsidize greedy landlords with their hard earned salary?

[Afra]

http://www.gulf-news.com/nation/Housing_and_Property/10071320.html

[Afra]

http://www.gulf-news.com/nation/Housing_and_Property/10071320.html

[Manny2]

I believe the policy is that the HCT will pay up to 30% above the allowance and for those with the lowest allowances , singles/couples/couples with 1 kid , I think this maxes out at 100,000.
However, if you moved into a place out of HCT found accomodation and lets say were opting to pay a thousand or two extra above your allowance than you are in trouble as any increases will not then be covered by HCT. I know alot of people whse rent has gone above their allowance and it has not been a problem so far although some families have had to move as increases in their villas in Dubai went skyhigh. And another thing to remember that as long as HCT provides the housing they pay the 5% municipality rental tax which is now strictly enforced on all new rentals.

[caliph]

Manny2,

Well that may be the policy at some campuses, (depending on the director), but certainly not at all.

I know of many people who are getting no where near that much help, and are paying considerable sums out of pocket. One is paying Dhs.35,000. annually. That's the price of a new small car EVERY YEAR!!!

As a demoralizing factor, housing is at the top of the list, at least equal to lack of salary increase.
The HCT just doesn�t get, and it will suffer when good people vote with their feet, (about the only voting going on here).

[Manny2]

Caliph is correct it does depend on your Director......HCT policies are not 'system wide'

[ckhl]

I agree that rent increases have become untenable for many teachers. But what will the allowance now get them? If it gets them what a teacher in London, Hong Kong or New York could expect to get on his salary, there should be no complaining. Otherwise they really should leave. Too many HCT faculty see it as an entitlement to get a villa or accomodation superior to what they would get back home. This is silly. Why should they expect to get anything superior to what they would get in an expensive urban area back home? And free of charge? I should think that in London or New York a family of four with a teacher as the main bread winner would consider it adequate to get a 2-bedroom apartment, with the kids sharing a bedroom. This should be expected in Dubai.

[ckhl]

A caveat....I can remember perusing the benefits package all those years ago before I went to work for the HCT. It warned--faculty SHOULD NOT expect accomodation to be of the standard they would expect back in their home country. Granted, this is sweeping but it does spell it out pretty clearly.

[Afra]

The problem for many people is that they live in an apartment or villa for years, it becomes home, and then they have to move because the rent is too high. If there are children at school, the school is probably fairly close, as are the children's friends, but all the rents in the area have gone up. So where to go? The local papers have recently reported children spending 4 hours travelling to and from school each day due to traffic problems in the Dubai/Sharjah area.
The other difficult area has been that some colleges have tried to cut costs by moving people to lower quality accommodation than they have previously lived in; not the standard of housing they would have in their own countries.
The problems of housing are now too complex to be written off as 'people wanting more' although I agree that there is always an element of this, which was not helped by the HCT recruitment video showing a family, 4x4 at the gate and pool in the background, emerging from a large, modern villa. I don't know if this is still used but if it is, it's very misleading!

[Iamherebecause]

Let's just remember that HCT is not the only employer - I think the o.p. was about housing in general. Many institutions offer far less than HCT; for example at UAEU (UGRU) the housing allowance is 50 or 55k a year, and has been stuck at that level for ages; very few people have gardens(well, not even gardens, yards), some barely get a balcony to dry washing on. The space is livable but not generous. AUD housing is also, er, compact. I am sure there are others where the allocation is less than HCT. And although housing allowances may be 'under review' we all know that that means very little.
That said if your housing is more compact the a/c bills should be lower... swings and roundabouts.

[ckhl]

I agree that there is always an element of this, which was not helped by the HCT recruitment video showing a family, 4x4 at the gate and pool in the background, emerging from a large, modern villa. I don't know if this is still used but if it is, it's very misleading!

Indeed. And scandalous. Those in the more rural emirates can still aspire to this, although with the extension of the Emirates Road and increasing numbers of commuters this too will fade.

[ckhl]

The local papers have recently reported children spending 4 hours travelling to and from school each day due to traffic problems in the Dubai/Sharjah area

One thing about the local press--just because such issues are getting media attention doesn't mean it will lead to any positive changes or improvements. It appears that media attention is in itself a kind of smokescreen meant to give the impression that something is being done.

[Gordon]

Why is everyone flocking to the UAE if the housing situation is as bad as everyone here lets on? The salary is not that great, so what keeps people there?