After carrying out a survey that covered 14,000 expats in 160 countries, expat social group InterNations has revealed seven things that you might not know about expat life. These included the fact that 26 per cent of expats are considering never returning home – interestingly, Brits topped that list – that expats earn the most in Nigeria, and that the happiest country on earth for expats is Ecuador.
But these things we didn’t know about expat life got me thinking what those considering a move to Dubai might not know:
You might not have as much disposable income as you imagine
On the plus side, expats don’t pay income tax, and petrol and cars are significantly cheaper than we’re used to in the UK. You can also, if you avoid the expensive expat supermarkets, the imported goods and the five-star hotel restaurants, eat quite cheaply, but this is not the end of the story.
Rent, which is usually paid in one to four cheques a year, and school fees, if you have children, will take a massive chunk out of your tax-free salary, and I’ve written before about the other hidden costs of life in Dubai. Even if you live quite a simple life here, avoiding the more excessive temptations of Dubai, the chances are you’ll still need an extra budget for things like unexpected flights home, health insurance for the family if your company doesn’t pay for it, and dental care (which is rarely covered on health insurance).
Ultimately, the reality is that 44 per cent of British expats won’t have achieved their financial goals by the time they leave the UAE.
“Expat” does not necessarily mean British
Many people ask me: “Do you just hang out with other expats?” By that, they usually mean Brits. And the simple answer is yes, I usually do hang out with expats but, by that, I don’t generally mean Brits.
The UAE’s population of 9.4 million is roughly 89 per cent expat. When people back home hear that, I think they imagine the UAE to be overrun by gin-swilling, perma-tanned Brits. The truth couldn’t be farther from it. Estimates gained from Embassy figures indicate that the UAE population consists of 2.6 million Indians (27 per cent), 1.2 million Pakistanis (12 per cent), 1.08 million Emiratis (11 per cent) – and so on until we reach Brits, of whom there are just 120,000, accounting for 1.25 per cent of the population. Your “expat” friends in the UAE will come from anywhere and everywhere.
Dubai is not all gleaming, futuristic metropolis
People read about the mind-boggling mega-projects, the floating villas and the underwater tennis courts; they see the glamorous super-malls and the skyline of futuristic skyscrapers and they wonder how real people can live in Dubai. “It’s so fake,” they say.
But for most people, life Dubai isn’t like that. Normal families lead normal lives in normal homes. Many choose to live outside the parts of the city that you see in the magazines and on the telly – away from the famous skyline.
You can live in the old, characterful parts of town where men still drink tea under the shade of the old ghaf trees; you can live out of town in developments like Arabian Ranches, Desert Palm and The Villa, where you wake up to birdsong and the scent of horses carried on the wind; where you can still watch the red Arabian sun go down over the sand dunes. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: time spent in Dubai doesn’t have to be a superficial experience in a film-set of a town. It is what you choose to make of it.
You will not be able to cope with the summer heat
When considering a cheap deal to Dubai in August, I’ve heard many a sun-starved Brit quip “the hotter, the better” but, until you’ve experienced such extreme heat, you can’t imagine how utterly hostile Dubai can be in summer. Sweat comes out of every pore of your body and it’s not unusual to have to change your clothes several times a day; within five minutes of walking in 46-degree heat and 90 per cent humidity you get the feeling your body could actually roast from the outside in. Pleasant? Not even for mad dogs and Englishmen.
Annabel Kantaria is a journalist and author who’s lived in the UAE for 16 years. Her debut novel, Coming Home, (Harlequin MIRA) is out now. Follow her on Twitter: @BellaKay; and on Instagram: dubaipix