Yellow Snow - I can only go by the advertised prices for the villa I'm currently sitting in! The same floorplan is now above 250,000, up from 160,000 at the start of the year and 180-190,000 six months ago. It is certainly not the fault of Serco that rents have gone crazy, and bringing in an increase earlier than expected shows a level of responsiveness that is rare in ATC management. Still, isn't it fair for an ATCO to expect to be able to afford a 3-bedroom, non-flashy villa?
Anyhoo, away from rental prices and whatnot, Dubai is a great place to work thanks to a cosmopolitan crowd who generally display a lot of humour and a great ability to support one another, especially when newbies are settling in. The work is challenging, and so is trying to last the evening after Friday brunch...