Calgarians Moving to Abu Dhabi

[smaksoud]

Hi there,

We, a family of 4 (8 & 4yrs old boys) will be moving to Abu Dhabi by June/July 08. The main concern at this stage are schooling & housing.

We need advice on how to start the process of finding the right school. i.e. contacting different schools, admission, required papers, lining up interviews.etc. From the little research that we did it seems that there is a good chance to have our kids on waiting lists, is this right?

Also, understand that there's a housing crunch in AD. Any advises on good communities close to the Canadian, American International & American Community schools. Any real estate resources/links will be appreciated. Roughly, what should we be looking at for renting a 3 BR appartment or villa in these neighbourhoods?

We might be visiting AD sometime towards the end of March to personally check things out.

Thanks,
smaksoud

[mikem]

Hi,
My name is Mike and unfortunately I have no answers, just the same questions. I am looking moving my family to Dubai.
Would you be interested in swapping learning's as this all seems pretty overwhelming?
Mike

[nanah2000]

Have a look at the Brit Expat website; they've got a bit more info up there from experienced expats. This site doesn't allow me to post URL's, but google britishexpat + u.a.e.

As long as you've got a car, there aren't really any communities that are too far from the schools you mentioned. AD is a lot smaller than you imagine. I used to live in Montreal, and the suburbs of Laval and St. Laurent were about the same size.

[nanah2000]

Also have a look at "expatwomanabudhabi" (again, I can't post links for now, so google it as one word).

[Newfoundlander in Dubai]

Hi Mikem,

Just wondering if you are in Dubai yet? Will be visiting in June and thinking about relocating with family. What are the ages of your children My husband is already living there since Jan and I am debating about relocating with my 10 yr old son. Would like to get in contact.