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.

[veiledsentiments]

With HCT, you should be fine. Their housing is normally acceptable and the housing allowance is generous enough that you can't complain too loud. Let us know what you get. You can be our reporter on housing in Sharjah!!

VS

[herenow]

As mentioned before it really depends on the place and the employer as far as what is in the apartment. It seems most of the "furnished" places are actually "residence hotels" which means you get everything. A friend of mine was in one and she even had maid service every day -- they changed the sheets, towels and toliet paper.

With unfurnished apartments the trend seems to be if it is two bedrooms or smaller it comes with appliances (stove, fridge, washer/dryer) and if it is three or more bedrooms you have to get your own appliances. But once again I suppose it depends on the building.

The best advice as mentioned above is ask your employer what will be provided.

[uaeobserver]

housing with laundry sounds like a furnished long-stay hotel, like the Platinum Residence (a perennial favorite of HCT and ZU).

If you're there --- it's a washer with an unimpressive dryer. Better to use one of the dime-a-dozen cleaners in the city.

I'm personally partial to the cleaners --- the attendant helps me practice my Arabic - and we've become fairly good friends. The week would be incomplete without him.

It's also hard to complain when someone does all the week's laundry for about $15.

[globalnomad2]

Hard to complain about a $15 weekly laundry bill? That's true in the West or Japan etc., but it's still more than $60 a month or $780 a year based on 52 weeks. My washer and separate dryer together cost about $575 new, and I don't have to lug all the clothes every week. The second year will save even more money. That seems more logical and convenient to me.

[Stephen Jones]