Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

eusweetheart wrote:Hello,
I am new to this forum and have looked through other posts but I still have so many questions.

We are an international family (all hold British passports but I am Candian and my husband Colombian) with 2 children moving from Germany where we have lived for 4 years. My husband has just got a job with Barclays Capital and we expect to be there for 2 years.

1. Areas- are there specific areas which are nice for expat families? I read that all areas are considered 'expat areas' but we really need to be near an international British school and would like to enjoy our time there. We did it the wrong way in Germany (temporary attitude from the beginning) and we regretted not having certain conveniences throughout our stay. We heard the RANCHES is nice.

*NOTE we are going from 2 incomes to 1, we are NOT on an expat package and will therefore fund our own schooling etc. AND I will have our 3rd baby at the end of May & therefore be stuck around the home and looking for ease of commutes to and from the school.

In that case I suggest you find and get admission to the school you're targetting first. Then you find the place to stay.

2. HAVING A BABY. I had my first in UK, second in Germany. Both not so pleasant experiences. A bit worried about this time around. Any tips on good hospitals, mid-wives etc? Baby groups?

Many paeditricians, baby play centers, baby stuff shops, mother-baby groups. Check also dubaifaqs.com and expatwoman.com

3. Is there a Canadian or British Women's Club??

4. Are school runs normal- do alot of people carpool (we do that here in Germany)

Most schools provide school buses, from as little as kindergarten. It is common here, apart from dropping/picking by your own car.

5. Heat in the summertime- am I going to find this extremely difficult with a 5yr, 2yr, and newborn?

Avoid being in outdoor. Even grown ups can't stand to stay outside for long time. High temperature with high humidity in summer months (May-September).

6. Swimming- I have heard we can use a 'club' for expats. Is it true we cannot wear bathing suits at the beach?

You can swim in many hotels and clubs. You can definitely wear bathing suits even bikini at the beach.

7. Skype etc. - I am going from a busy finance position in London/Germany to being at home. I would like to continue to speak with my contacts where possible. I have heard SKYPE is available. Does anyone have another idea of a route to go? What about internet? Is this easy to set up?

Skype is blocked, so do other VoIP calls. PC to PC video chat is possible. Internet is easy to setup. Not the cheapest one in the world, but Ok. Not much choice though. Some residential areas are fixed to use one ISP (out of two).

8. Due to the children, my job and my pregnancy, we have thought it best that my husband go for 2-4 weeks before us to help us 'set-up'. Do you think that this is sufficient time to get things done? Some places take ages...we have some experience with this.

If the time is for looking for a place to stay, then it should be sufficient as nowadays it's pretty easy to get a vacant one. Don't rush. Lots of empty apartments & villas. Get the best bargain.

Sorry so many questions!! Any tips/suggestions you can give us would be fantastic. We almost moved to Dubai 2 years ago so we have really been reading up on almost everything. These are practically the only questions I have which are still unanswered.
THANK YOU!!!!

Your husband is lucky. Some of us here are struggling to get jobs. But now is the good time as the accommodation price is at the lowest (but prepare for increase in short time). Also it's winter time, the best season of the year.