Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Hey everyone,

I'm obviously new to the forum. I'm a Canadian who fell in love with Dubai when I was there in 2000 on business. I was over for a job interview (advertising agency) this past April. I didn't end up taking the gig because my wife was too uncertain to go. Unfortunately the Middle East that North America sees is based out of CNN and that ain't pretty. We have a 2 year old son and she was nervous about moving our little family to a strange place. No matter how many times I told her she was still nervous. More to do with she's a home body than anything. She lives in her hometown and literally 2 minutes away from her parents. She keeps on about her "support network" here and that we'd be all alone over there. She was also worried about the education our son would receive. She's a grade three teacher and Canada has a phenoinal education system so...you might see her point. Although I do know that there are American and British schools too. Although, I'd most likely choose British, sorry to any Americans on the board but your spelling is just wrong! All kidding aside, how does the primary education stand up in Dubai? How expensive is it? Does anyone know of any good links to pass along? I haven't given up hope that'll I be in Dubai before long.

Cheers!

here u go. try this link. it is a primary school that from what i saw in the site they teach the british curriculum & there u can check about the registration and fees also. http://www.jebelalischool.com/
from what i heared it is one of the best.

good luck to u and welcome on DF.

Cheers!

Moved to Expat Help

Well, as you might have seen, Dubai is not the same as it was in 2000. Your wife can find work here since she is a qualified teacher, and the expat community is very supportive. There are tons of ladies groups that she can join for support with childcare issues etc. It still isn't the same as having your family around though. She might cope better if she knows it is a move for only a certain period of time, e.g. a 2 year contract. If it is indefinite, she might not like the idea. Many people choose to move to Dubai because of the money, but truthfully, the cost of living has gone up dramatically over the past couple of years, and depending on how good a deal your company gives, it may not be possible to save much money here. If your wife works that will help you save more money. If you are motivated to come for sunshine and experience living abroad, then it is still worth the adventure. Just my opinion.

Education is pretty good from what I see. My daughter is only 3 but we've been looking at schools already (foundation starts at 4 here) and it's a healthy selection, particularly in the West end of Dubai.

I'd say the greatest proportion of schools at this end teach British curriculum and have British teachers leading the classes. International schools are available too.

Cost is about 30,000Dhs a year on average per child, don't know what that is in Canadian dollars but say about 8000US.

Jebel Ali primary does have a good reputation though is out of town a bit, plenty in Jumeirah and Springs too.

scot1870 wrote:Education is pretty good from what I see. My daughter is only 3 but we've been looking at schools already (foundation starts at 4 here) and it's a healthy selection, particularly in the West end of Dubai.

I'd say the greatest proportion of schools at this end teach British curriculum and have British teachers leading the classes. International schools are available too.

Cost is about 30,000Dhs a year on average per child, don't know what that is in Canadian dollars but say about 8000US.

Jebel Ali primary does have a good reputation though is out of town a bit, plenty in Jumeirah and Springs too.

Scot.

I've a 3 y.o son & thinking of sending him to playschool when we get there (I'll be there in March but they family's only coming over in July).

You mentioned foundation starts at the age of 4...anything for a 3y.o? My son will be 4 in Nov.

Cheers...

Absolutley loads of pre-school care, but it tends to sit seperately from the schools.

There's another topic with all the school names, but basically there are dozens of nurseries in Jumeirah and Bur Dubai, plus some in the Greens area near Emirates Mall.

The only issue is how long you need it for each day. A lot of nurseries will only open 8am-1pm or 8am-3pm or something daft, basically designed around non-working mums who want a bit of a break and a structured learning area. Latest I've seen shuts at 5:30pm.

Get your name down early as the waiting lists can be long. I heard of a British Orchard nursery opening in Bur Dubai this week, one option although you have time on your side.

If that doesn't suit and you only need it for a few months, I'd consider getting a live in maid/ childcare for that period. It's not perfect but as it's only for a few months it's not going to ruin your kid's life. I believe the cost is really cheap, say around 2000Dhs a month (close to 300 quid) and they'll clean and look after your child. You have to provide a room and food for the period as well. If you're here before the family there will be loads of opportunity to find someone, the local supermarkets are full of adverts and people at your work will be able to recommend too.

Finally (phew!), there are professional child care companies and also child carers who won't live in with you but are a bit more expensive and charge by the hour. They'd cost say 20Dhs-25Dhs an hour (GBP3-3.50). Again, easy to come by once you're here.

Finally, school registrations for the autumn are under way already so put that on your list as an early thing to do when you arrive.

Thanks Scot for the extensive feedback.