Daily life in DXB
 

Hi Folks,

Just a few questions here from a newbie.

I am thinking of pursuing the EK job and wonder about a few things. I have lived overseas for quite a few years but currently am living and flying in the US and am a US national.

How are the basics of daily life in Dubai? Shopping? Telephone/Cell Phone? Cable/Satellite TV? Internet?

I would be going as a single guy and would (if selected) get the single housing which I guess is a 2-bedroom apartment. Are these decent places? Safe? Quiet?

I would love to hear some thoughts on the basics of daily life in Dubai when not working.

Thanks!

I see ya new here?

While ya wait for anyone replying, try the search function, there is a bit out there on this topic....

I have done a fair amount of searching and will certainly do more. I do appreciate all opinions.

I have lurked for a quite a while but have never posted.

Thanks!

Lived in Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain, and Michigan before...you especially as a single would enjoy DXB for sure lots to do in most areas..safe yes..not likely to get mugged or carjacked..leave the ice-fishing shack at home:ok:

What are the basics of life like? Services?

How expensive is telephone service? How about cell phone service? When I did my search I gather that Skype is not available and I figured out that the internet is very restrictive.

I have no doubt that I might like the single life.... :E

But I have also to know about some of the every day things. Are there stores that cater to westerners?

Any thoughts on the things we tend to take for granted in the western world would be appreciated!

DXB is a busy city
 

With all services available, water, electricity, and even telephones. But NO skype.

Western shops, include such clasics as McDonnalds, and Spinneys.

The quality of life is what you make of it.

It is a manic city at times, but can be fun.

Just get here, and enjoy, bit sticky in summer, but great most of the year.

Thanks!

I hope to interview soon and will get a glimpse then what it is like. I have seen much of North America and lived in Europe for 12+ years but have never been to the Middle East.

The roadshow by EK presented it is very much a 'First World' country, but not a 'Western' country, if that makes sense. I do not use these labels in an offensive way, so please understand my meaning without reading anything negative into them.

It'll be interesting to check out.

Quick point - my Skype DOES work fine when I'm in Dubai. I think the problem is, the skype website is blocked, so locals can't download the app. in the first place. But if it's already on your laptop when you come in, no problem. Believe me it makes a big big difference to your mobile bill :)

You seem to be missing the big issues
 

If you are single then you will not have to worry about a bored wife, schooling for kids etc. The big issues come when trying to balance your work and being here with the needs of a family. US and Europe are nothing like here, totally different culture with a heavily ingrained class system. UAE nationals at the top, western expats in the middle and Asia/sub continent expats at the bottom. As someone has said this has been done to death on these forums.

If your only real concern is the cost of phones and Internet then it is a no brainer ... come and enjoy the hospitality of the most tolerant Arabic/Muslim country and the biggest, tallest, widest, largest, bestest, most wonderful place on earth ... no wait that's Disneyland isn't it?

Most of what you have in US is here consumer wise, there are bigger malls being built all the time. Cars are cheaper to buy and run, labour is cheap so you needn't ever have to clean your apartment, wash your clothes or iron your laundry whilst you are here if you choose.

Once you get used to the god-awful driving, perpetual road works, manual paper based systems and dealing with the various cultures you'll be fine.

Internet and phones are not the only things by even a long shot. But they are examples of small things that can be frustrating if they don't work as we expect them too.

I continue to search. But I do appreciate the answers and thoughts.

You are right that I won't have a wife or kids to worry about. It's just me and whether or not I like it. That sure makes it easier.

Most of the things I read about Dubai from pilots tend to be negative. Of course, probably a majority are satisfied and have no reason to whine about their lot in life.

Don't be fool by the Emirates "First World" crap, Dubai is nothing more than a third world country getting a "First world Fake over". Don't come here with "rose coloured specs" have your eye's very wide open.

It's not a bad place to live but it's not great by any means. In America and Europe if you live there you're all covered by the same rules and laws, not here buddy, put a foot out of line and you're locked up then deported, while the local gets a slap on the wrist :ugh:

The whole place is one big money making machine for the arabs, that's all it is, "A money go-round" It's getting more expensive by the month and the Emirates pay rise does'nt cover inflation, the layover allowance will only cover room service, so you're out of pocket before you start!
They're so short of accomadation at the moment you may well not get that shiney new apartment you're hoping for, there are some real horror stories going around at the moment about temp accomodation, so be warned. :=

Good luck

It's a candy coated Turd.............all sugary on the outside, but take a bite........:uhoh:

puff, are you getting secret extra payments? I would have said "won't" where you've said "will only" in that sentence.

.....

On another point mentioned above about the pecking order of expats in the Sandpit, as I sit in airconditioned comfort in my car, I sometimes find myself behind a truck (admittedly, more often a bus these days) packed to the gunnels with Pakistani or Bangla Deshi workers, (or in the middle of the night, drive past a gaggle of the poor buggers standing on the side of the road waiting for the bus to arrive to take them back to 'rest' during the day in their 'looxuries-filled' barracks).

I've often wondered how much I'll squirm should one day one of those men get himself an education and write a story on what life in Dubai was like for him and his fellow workers as they built the Dubai I'm very comfortably living in.

Come on guys, get real.

You mean to tell me you go to the UK for example and need more than £50 - £60 to feed your fat faces over 24 hours. Most hotels offer a good enough discount. Most around 30 -40%, even on the old amber nectar, so unless you're having fillet steak for breaki, lunch and din dins, can't see how you feel hard done by. I'll admit that you can't put it towards the alimony but I always come home with a full tummy!

This Company ain't perfect but be realistic.

Harry

Well, at my own airline in the US we are paid $1.50 Per Diem while away from base. $36 per day. I guess it adds up and it is tax free, but it's still not much. Plus there are no crew meals at my carrier.

For some the deal is maybe rotten, but for others it might not be all bad.

If you are married with kids forget about coming to Dubai. Costs for your wife and schooling for your kids will be 5X the costs as in the states. Your phone calls which because of the local monopoly blocking tactics are over 60 cents a min overseas. Don't listen to the pack, Sykpe is blocked unless you do some fancy stuff to your computer so plan on spending big bucks on your phone bill.
My advice is you have a job in the states, stay there and enjoy all the offerings. Rememeber no matter what EK tells you it is a 3rd world police state. You have no rights and your sole being in Dubai is to make the ruling family money and you won't make as much money as you would in the states. You might make more money but you won't save as much as you think either. Think long and hard about joining and get all the information you can to make an informed decision.

Here with Wife and two school age kids, and very happy thankyou.

Can't comment on the States but, even with high inflation, cost of living is still less than Europe, and Schooling is paid almost entirely by the company.

So LHR knows more than everyone else? Skype is blocked, but there are simple "ways" (so I'm told!!) around it. Additionally, if you have people you regularly call (parents, siblings etc.) there are dozens of computer to computer VOIPs that are available and legal.

Err...Which? Obviously compare the net salary here to there,Bear in mind rent/medical/utilities will be paid for,take your own circumstances into account, and, as LHR wisely said, make an informed decistion.
From what I've seen single guys have a pretty good time here.

I appreciate all comments, good and not so good. Anyway, I don't have a wife or kids so that's not an issue. However, I do have family in the US and so I like to keep in touch with them by phone. I do spend a lot of time online and on the phone and so they are not entirely trivial issues.

Seems like it could be decent since I don't need to worry about a wife or kids.

A couple of aquaintances seem to like what they have seen so far. We'll see.

BTW, the US job market is not great. Yeah, folks are getting hired but at truly pathetic salaries. First year pay at the majors is about $40K/year or less. And working in the US at the airlines has turned into a pretty miserable experience as well.

Anyway, there are good points and bad points to every company and every country and that will never change.

Yes Wiley, only some places are covered by the poor allowence. Like DAC.

Sorry Harry I but I like to eat in a resturant and not in my room for dinner, try having a three course meal (not unreasonable) and a glass of wine and you will find yourself very much out of pocket!

Just done it in SYD and even with the dicount it's very short of enough.

So the question is just who is Wizo getting paid by. Are you under orders to refute every statement in the quickest of time? AAR or TC order you to do this or do you feel that you have to "protect the company".
Now on to the truth...
If Lugano had kids it would cost him three months salary to educate two of his kids out of his pocket. Now that is a fact.
If he wants to eat out for dinner it would be more expensive than any city in the US. Fact and that includes NY or SFO.
There is ways around the phone company but why do we have to do such things to our computer. Other than living in a 3rd world police state there is no reason to block anything on the computer.
Why would you leave the US and come to the sandbox?

On leave and not going away for a few days, so a little bored, and I choose to refute information which is bollocks.


No, that's bollocks. My kids go to DESS, which was our first choice (along with JESS) as it is an excellent school. They charge 25500 per year per child. I pay 10% of 15500 each (read your contract!), which is to say 3100 dhs a year- around three DAYS salary, not three months! There are more expensive schools (I believe Rexton is about 40k for primary) and if you want to send kids there, you pay for it (though for two the excess would still be more like one months salary). So, what would you be paying for a comparable school in the UK?

Had a great meal at the Automatic for 35Dhs a head. Try THAT in NY. 5 Star resturants have 5 star prices, same as everywhere.

Did you miss the bit about 40k for a MAJOR? regional guys are earning around 25 as FOS and TOPPING OUT at 50k for Captains! Regional FOs in the US qualify for foodstamps!!

LHR, this place is DEFINATLEY not for everyone. For many coming was a big mistake (seems like you fall into THAT catagory!). People making the decision on whether to come or not deserve accurate information from people who have a variety of points of view. PPRUNE is becoming less and less usful for this as anyone who dare say anything positive or correct blatently inaccurate information is shot down in flames as a management stooge. How about we agree to dis-agree, and you accept there are more than one view on being here?

wizofo

:)

thanks for all the informations, could you kindly give bit in detail how the meal allowence or perdiem works with EK. Is the allowence enough to cove meals while on lay over, amount in AED.
Cheers, Merry X-mas
MP

There is no information that is bullocks.
If Lugano is an American and did have kids ASD, DAA, AIS would all be anywhere from 55,000 AED to 65,000 AED per year per child. At the young age EK only pays 32,000 AED read your contract. That is about 30,000/child you would have to pay and with two kids that is about 3 months salary. I know all about the British schools thank you.
I would not consider the Automatic a 5 star resturant but that is about the extent an EK pilot can afford to dine at. As you say most 5 star resturants are the same price everywhere so that proves my point exactly. In other countries you get paid more so you can afford the higher ended items the 1st world offers.
I agree that there are more than one view point but I want to get the word out that EK so cleverly does not tell an applicant. I have not lied in any posts and I take offence when I point out the obvious which is called bullocks.

middlepath,
overnight allowances are paid in cash in the local currency at the hotel reception. They will cover your costs of eating fine at that hotel or if you step out to the local food places (most destinations), you will have some extra play money. I rarely eat at the hotels, preferring to sample the authenticity of local food, and in doing so have some coin left to bring some nice bottles of red home to Dubai. The majority of cabin crew BYO food and save the money or spend it shopping.
LHR rain,
from my experience, in Dubai, like Singapore, if you want to dine out like a tourist, you will be paying tourist prices for your experience. If you are steet smart you will pay less than many many modern cities for a good 'nose bag full'.

Well, lets test that shall we?

DAA charge 55 944/yr for grades 1 and up. After grade 6 the company contrubution tops out at 50k, so the shortfall would be just over 5. So IF he had two kids between grades 1 and 6 simultaniously, he would be up for 23944 each, for the couple of years until one went to secondary school. So IF this was the senerio, and IF he was an FO the entire time, and IF he only earned base salary (so I guess he isn't flying for three years), he would indeed be up for slightly over two months salary for a maximum of three years, so lets round that up to three months shall we?

No you didn't lie.

Neither did Tony Blair.

What you did do was look for the absolute worst case senario and paint it as the norm.

Wizo

You only have to look at LHR's past posts to realise he's one of the 'grumpy boys'.

We had a meal at Ashers recently, probably one of the top Indians in Dubai. After the 30% EPC, we paid 595 dhs for four. That's for 3 starters, 4 rubys, breads, rice and 10 kingfishers. That's £20 each. I've just come back from NY and paid that for a pizza and 2 cokes!

If you want wine everywhere you go sure it can add up but, food expensive? Nah, it ain't the food that is expensive.

Harry

I was simply pointing out to the American who would send his kids to the American school how much it would cost him. Now I noticed that you picked out the lowest priced American school. Why did you not pick ASD which is 65,000 with a price rise to come next year like most schools in Dubai will do. I will bet you however much you would care to lose that the price hike next year from all the schools will be way more than EK raises it allowances. So we will all be further behind again. More next year than this year. Also you failed to metion in your calculations that EK only pays 90% after the first 10,000 or 15,000 so I am closer than you in the three months estimate.
This is a good thread for you and if you take this into CC or TCAS and show them your hard work I am sure that they will make you a LTC or even a TRI. You are well on your way to a mangement stoge.
We will get the word out about EK and Dubai.

Q.E.D

Ashers...Awsome food!

Where is the balently inaccurate information and who made you Pope of this dump? You did not comment on the school figures because you were the perverer of inaacurate information. If I bothered to check I am sure you have other inaccurate information telling other would be unkowing applicanats how great it is at Dubai. Inaccurate indeed.

So what if LHR is ''one of the grumpy boys'' as you put it? Is this another case of shoot the messenger? Although your attempts at giving school price comparisons suggests you believe in your message and simply do not agree with him. I would be more inclined to take your side had you not stooped to name calling.
I am one of the happy boys but I completely understand LHR's viewpoint.
It just goes to show that this place is great for some and terrible for others. Many factors contribute to this but I have found from experience that these factors are not related to personality but more related to things such as family circumstances, luck wrt upgrades or accomodations and other important factors beyond our control, and very often previous job experiences.
I too have sunk to name calling when I believed that someone had an alterior motive behind their posts. And yes, I have been wrong at times and still feel ashamed at jumping to conclusions. I am the first person to rip into someone who gives a false impression of the 'wonderfulness' of Dubai because I think that might lead people to make decisions that they might regret. On the contrary, when someone portrays Dubai or EK in a bad light, although I may disagree, I don't find that as reprehensible.
I think that at times many of us take out our frustrations on this forum and sometimes it is not exactly accurate. But there are also the vocal few who deliberately mislead readers with the intent....... at least I believe........ of securing their own future here without regard for the well being of those they are misleading. Capt A was a classic example of this but there are many other more subtle examples.
This place and this job can be great for many people. It is a helluva lot better than anything I have been used to in the past...... but beware. Everyone single person who reads these forums to glean information should come to Dubai with their eyes wide open. It can also be a hell for some people who come here.

Up to the limit of 32K primary and 50k secondary, so the shortfall I calculated is accurate.

Mensa, you might note it wasn't me calling anyone a name, but copped "Management stoge (sic)" and "Pope" for my trouble.

You've got it in one you say it suits some and not others, and I said as much up front. As such it is important that points for and against be properly and accuratly portrayed to try and help people make an informed decision. When someone flys into a rant reeling off stupid and inaccurate figures, however, I think it only fitting the record be set straight.

Since I don't have kids the cost of schooling them is a non-starter for me. I could not care less about that issue for myself. I am sorry it doesn't seem to work for everyone, but that could be because not everyone did all the possible research.

That's what I am trying to do - get as many facts and opinions as I can.

In any case, I am glad to see all sides of it, warts and all. Just try to keep it somewhat civil.... :cool:

Point taken Wizo.

So I will ask again wizo where is the bad info? Schools are free in the states and even private schools are considerably cheaper there up to 5X. Not bullocks.
It is cheaper to eat out in the states than Dubai. You notice the expample at Ashers had a 35% discount and still was expensive. Not bullocks.
So where is the inaccurate information?
Yes I called you a management stooge because it seems very clearly to me and others that is the career path you would like. I guess I could be wrong on THAT account.

Oh dear oh dear Lhr,

You really do like to be able to fly off the handle, have a big rant, and not have anyone question you.

Ok....

IF people have a certain number of kids of a certain age and choose to take them from the crumbling free US system and put them in some of the most expensive in Dubai, it COULD concievably be 5 times what they paid in the states, and could even be up to three months wages for a couple of years. This totally justifies your blanket statement that it WILL cost EVERYONE this much.

Eating at an expensive restaurant in Dubai is more expensive that eating in a cheap reataurant in New York. This justifies your statment implying it is hidiously expensive to eat in Dubai and that there are no resnobley priced eateries here.

Anyone who expresses any point of view other than complete missery wants to be the next chief pilot.

Happy?

And I take it you are one of the many who insist that it's better everywhere else, but aren't going anywhere?

Feel free to have the last word, you seem to need it.

wizofoz,
What does "resnobley" mean?. Is it rude? Sounds rude.:ok:

Watchdog

Thanks for the info.
Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
MP:ok:

Goodness me Oz, you have been busy whilst I've been out and congratulations are certainly due on the big 1500 (although of course that doesn't include your alter-ego Queegs postings). But once again you seem to be getting a bit out of hand, as well as wasting away your annual leave.

So, in the interests of transparent reporting it should be said that the opinions of a Direct Entry Captain who has been at Emirates little more than 12 months are unlikely to represent the general mood at EK, particularly when that DEC is a homesick Ozmate employed until recently by a UK LoCost and now happily finding himself in the left seat of a widebody and 8 hours closer to home. Although in fairness some of the negative stuff found here is also unrepresentative.

And Oz, I'm sure that many of your new colleagues, particularly those enduring an extended stay in the right seat due to Emirates DEC program, find your regular commentaries on this forum lacking in sensitivity and consideration, much as I do.

You play the role of sage, but I would describe you as a stooge or a spiv.

I don't blame you for grabbing the DEC opportunity, I do blame you for crowing about your supposed good fortune on PPRuNe.


Merry Xmas to you Oz.


Oh, and "resnobley" presumably comes from the same place as "concievably", "DEFINATLEY", "statment", "hidiously", "missery" etc ad nauseam. The product of a careless mind and/or a backyard education.

Hi Bushy! It means I can't get the spell checker working on my new computer!!

WTF Where have you been? I've been daring to express an opinion (actually just state a few facts)for DAYS now, without you jumping on to (again!!) point out that I'm not entitled to one! Sharpen up man!!

Just what is the qualifying period before I know whether I know anything or not?

Seasons greetings to you and yours!

Good comeback Oz, quite refreshing considering the profanities that you've PMd me in the past.

Opinion? Three to five years as an F/O with Emirates should see you qualified for one rather than your one year as a DEC.