The HR manager I am dealing with is being very helpful. But Accommodation are not talking to me directly, funnily enough.
We'll be ok, my wife is already looking for work in the property market, so as soon as we can get everyone across, we are going to look at opting out & taking the allowance.
Thanks for your thoughts though Mr Cat, every little helps!

@P7xkk,
Fantastic how you've (are) kept an open mind through all this. So receptive! I promise you, it's going to be the best decision you've ever made, besides of course the one of your wife & family. Your work life will be overwhelming and dictate the balance of other probabilities (you will know this already by now). Do not be disheartened by this accommodation coordinate as it might turn out to be a total surprise.
You seem to have a great sense of humour, being from South Wales and your appreciation of Mr Cat ( he is Mr GOOD Cat by-the-way, don't upset him now) and your "bless" phrase, so let this take you through this. It's such a powerful too in this part of the world.
Welcome on-board.

EK - Meydan Heights preview, get ready
 

Open mind? I am spitting bullets my friend, and god (not that I "believe")
help Accommodation when my beloved gets hold of them.
Edicts may dribble down to the masses from exalted heights, but this is no way to encourage new starters, or old hands for that matter.
Maybe a spell in the Arbeits Lager will mellow me, in due course. Who can say.
Welcome back to the Corporate world!

Recently families of a few recent joining pilots, let's say less fortunate in the accommodation lottery, have jumped ship and left Dubai.

Tell more lospilotos.

Jumeirah used to be a sandpit once too... It wont be too long before Meydan is built up as well.

Now we just need a Fibber McGee's, or Rock Bottoms Meydan.

Better chance of that in DSO!

Seven towers now the plan ...originally five.

Qube sports bar Meydan...a good start.

f.

Well, I know personally two guys whose families have packed up and gone home after not so long in Dubai. They don´t know each other so they were not winding one another up. They got housing in the more "exotic" places people have been getting the last couple of years. One guy had independently verified health issues with his accommodation and went high up the food chain to try to have it resolved. Company simply didn´t care.

Faced with taking the allowance, both of them having 2 kids, they could not afford anything suitable so the families left Dubai. Now both guys are struggling to maintain whatever kind of relationship they can with their wives and kids. They´ll be leaving soon too, as soon as their bond is up... Sad it is...

It's not a bond. I may have said this before.

The difference is important if you are making a purely financial stay/leave decision. Why would you possibly delay your desired departure even one day in order to save a thousand bucks a month?

Bond or not, that´s just splitting hairs. You´re obviously on a higher payscale than my friends, and myself for that matter. $1000/month is a lot, especially if you have many months left of the non-bond...

My main reason for the post is to tell P7xkk that if he is hoping for a change once he´s here that will probably not happen, not to the better at least.

happy wife happy life....Not happy???pack your stuff and go or wait for a better opportunity and then go all together as a family(a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household)...When wife takes the kids and leave the country there are bigger family problems to be solved than accommodation...My 2 cents...:sad::sad:

Every situation is different, again my point is no help from the only department that could have at least tried to improve the situation.

To answer another posted question: Yes, new joiners are still being allocated villas in DSO, while long time serving are moved to Meydan.

But long-timers are being told that DSO will also be vacated within a few years. So better to choose the best of the Meydan villas now instead of having to move again in a few years, no?

Fair point for a lot of DSO dwellers I suppose but I know a few of us will be clinging on to DSO for as long as possible. Another few years should see me to retirement so we are quite happy to sit tight.

It is sad if they have to stay because they cannot afford to pay out the bond. Management must be very happy with how their bond is working.

The company heads say the new bond reflects the more accurate cost of training but in fact it reflects the need to stretch the bond over a longer period to keep people like your friends bonded here a little longer after the thin layer of polish wears off and exposes the dog turd underneath.

The lesson being that unless convinced of the move, new joiners should budget well in advance a wad of cash to pay out the bond if necessary after they come here.

EK - Meydan Heights preview, get ready
 

Well guys, thanks to the very welcome assistance of 2 of "our" number, we now have photos AND a site map for Meydan - we will be up towards the north, 1 plot in from the end of a row.
The postage stamp sized garden is still an issue, but the rest of the property looks passable.
Still nothing from official circles, which is rather a sad indication of the state of play, probably.
But never mind, I may even receive a flight ticket before too long. Again, silo mentality is in evidence, so I can see my intended role is going to be an enormous challenge in the months/years ahead.

hmmm
 

P7XKK

Check your PM inbox

P7xkk, would you mind sharing the photos and site map at all? I'd love to be able to pass along to friends of ours who have been allocated Meydan.

Many thanks
Chillin.

My understanding is that only the first few got to choose. Everyone else is being allocated a number. Very happy to be corrected if wrong.

Bit of a shame they didn't offer a rent-to-buy at Meydan. It might change how people feel about the whole development .