Help- Finding a job in Dubai and moving with 2 kids

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and I am hoping some of you lovely people can help. I am an MFL Lead Teacher in the UK with 4 years experience. I am looking to relocate to Dubai as my wife has family and some friends already there. My wife is a Lawyer and there are a lot of international law firms she could apply to out there. I would appreciate any help with the following:

1) What are the best websites/ways to find and apply for jobs in the UAE?
2) What are the schools I should apply to or avoid? (I have seen GEMS jobs and a few others)
3) What sort of salary and/or housing allowance should I expect with my experience?
4) How long does the application, interview and job process usually take?
5) Any advice or tips on how I should go about things?

Please feel free to message me or reply to this thread if you have any words of wisdom. It would be really appreciated as the thought of moving abroad with 2 young kids is really daunting but we are hoping it will be a positive step for our future.

Thanks

Mr Stroud

 

Lots of threads on Dubai. Use the excellent search function on the forum.

 

You will need to consider who will pay the school fees if you both work in Dubai. Will the company your wife is working for pay for the accommodation and school fees or will the school offer free places to you. I have noticed schools only offering only 1 free place per teacher and then 50% reduction in fees for a second child.

Many schools may only offer you a "local hire" contract due to your wife working already.

 

unless GEMS have changed their policy in the last few years, they only offer 2 bed flats and no cash alternative until you've been there 2 years. I may stand to be corrected given I left 4 years ago!! There are very few 'not for profit' schools in Dubai and there is a huge variety in salary depending if it is one of these or a profit one. I worked for a 'outstanding' School and it was the worst salary I've ever had (still had fun there though!!) You'd certainly struggle on just a teaching salary so hoping it is the lesser salary - I'm not sure if law firms do accomodation etc but you'd prob be better off taking that as the job to move for if they did - personal thoughts only before people shoot me!

 

Your family will get a much better package overall if or when your wife gets a job in a law firm.

The bff is a lawyer based in Dubai but her husband works as a "local" hire. Package is a motza! They get a pick of the schools for their (3) kids, all paid for and he didn't have to "settle" for a job. He took his time and actually got to really know which schools are "good".

Consider flipping which job hunt goes first.

 

Like international schools, law firms come in many shapes, sizes and qualities. Having had occasion to vet and hire some lawyers during my many years in the Middle East, I can attest that there are indeed lovely high-quality firms with fancy offices, plush leather chairs and lavish packages for their lawyers. Follow the continuum down to the bottom, and you'll find the same range as in the UK, right down to a poxy office in a strip mall with dirty coffee cups and a broken desk lamp.
If the OP's wife works at the level needed for success in the high-powered international firms, then yes, 100%, the family should turn its job search on its head, and let her take the lead in landing a phenomenal job. Then move the family, and then search for a job for the OP.
If the OP's wife is not at that high level, it's trickier to give advice. The middle and lower end of the spectrum are much less likely to be interested in hiring expats, as their business will be more local than international, and will require extensive knowledge of local legal context, which is quite different than UK. For those who are interested, their packages will be substantially lower, and the working conditions less attractive. There may be little to nothing that makes such a job attractive to someone used to working in the UK. In that case, the family might want to reconsider whether moving there is still a good idea.

 

Some wise words from gulfers, as per usual.

This smelly old hippo has sent the OP one of those TES Conversation things, also as per usual.

 

I am good friends with a couple of Lawyers here and in Dubai and if your wife can get a law job then I would think that the salary would dwarf anything you can get, which would mean you might have to worry less about the housing situation.