School allowances

[haveago]

Can someone please tell me what the annual school allowance is that we get with Emirates. I can't find it! Primary and secondary? Also just to confirm that these fees get paid if I send my kids to a paid school in the U.K.. Thanks!!

[donpizmeov]

Tuition only is paid at schools away from the UAE. You pay the fees, get a receipt and then fill in an online claim form, get claim number from that, and send it all to HR on the 6th floor. Reimbursement, using the EK exchange rate, is paid to your account on the 26th or 5th depending when you submit the claim. It's all on HR direct under education claims. I think it states the amount there as well, if not its definitely in the employee handbook, also on the portal.

Also get a letter from the school, stamped of course, and take it to HR at the employee service centre. You need this so your child can get ELTs and be covered for medical when out of the UAE.

[halas]

Groupworld>
Employee Centre>
Employee Handbook>
Internet user click here (not obvious)>
Employee Handbook (Again?... WTF)>
4 A3 Education Support Allowance Limit or
4 A6 Education Overseas

Whilst there look up disciplinary stuff.
Not many people are aware until it's too late.

halas

[fliion]

Effective 1/9/15

Primary ESA limit 47,500
Secondary ESA limit 72,500

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that's up to max 90% of fees.

So if secondary was 85k you get full but if 75k subtract 10%

[harry the cod]

Almost correct.........

Allowance amounts are spot on but not the deductible figure. Effective from the 1st September 2015, the first 36,250 of the education fee is paid 100%. 90% of the remainder is then paid by EK subject to a maximum of 72,500. Anything after that you pay 100%. Ouch!

The employee contribution of 10% was brought in for our benefit apparently, allowing employees to feel more 'connected' to their own children's education. How kind of them! :hmm:

10 years ago it was all free......much like DEWA.

Harry

[Sallytraffic]

How much could I expect to pay out of my own pocket for 2 kids in school? Nothing too fancy but a decent quality school.

I was told at a road show that 'Emirates has a close relationship with several schools' does this mean a decent price?

Thanks

[Saint]

further to Harry's post...

School fees in high schools vary from approximately 40000 to 90000 per annum. Primary about 30-60k.

Note: EK do not pay for nursery. EK do not pay for the school year in which the child turns 4. i.e. FS1 in British curriculum and only locals get fees for more than 3 children.

You pay 100% of fees above the cap for the age group. So if in primary school and fees are 60000, you pay 60k-47k =>13k plus 10% of 47k-20k =>2700. So rough total is about16k per child in that scenario.

Add in school transport ¬3000, meals 3000, (optional!) trips, after school sports including club kits, musical instruments and teaching, so add another 10-12k per child per annum. So that is one month's basic F/O salary per child per year that you would contribute.

The best education is mostly from non-profit schools which are in short supply because their main purpose is to educate c.f. the other model which attempts to extract the maximum fees from parents by all means while using smoke and mirrors/sales b.s.

Or home school
or send them to boarding school elsewhere
or...

Horses for courses.

[Sallytraffic]

Just going through the recruitment process and trying to do the sums, I have two kids so to lose 2 months a year purely on schooling fee's would be a massive hit.
Add in a couple of trips home a year and all of a sudden its hardly worth it!

How much could I expect to pay to send the family home to UK on staff travel? Wife & 2 kids? I'd probably try and go id90 and try and fit it in around days off.

Cheers

[haveago]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate it. Making the exit plan!!

[fatbus]

Sally , if that's your approach to coming here , don't . You will hate it.

[The Guru]

Sally,

Expat inflation (the cost expats are charged for the privilege of living in Dubai by the local retailers) is out of control, and you will not find any official figures published.

The examples provided above are an accurate illustration, and food, insurance, sports, electronic gadgets, toys, a meal with friends are all similar examples where an expat is charged well above the going rate for the product or service. As an expat, you will find that Dubai is one of the more expensive cities in the world in which to exist.

Expat salaries, especially when you work for a non-government entity, are not tied to an inflation index and so your EK salary may not rise for several years.

If you are attempting to compare your quality of life through a cost of living analysis, make sure your figures are accurate and you have allowed a significant buffer. An analysis done 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and just last year, will all have very different results.

Cheers
The G

[777boyindubai]

JESS is "not for profit" yet refuses to publish accounts. The school lost a highly valued Head of Jumeirah campus last year. Seems EK have a big roll or stake in the school as they handle the finances through two board members. Is there something fishy going on?