Dubai continues to be one of the leading international locations for expatriates of employment age to relocate to, and if you’re planning on moving to Dubai with children there are a lot of considerations that you need to bear in mind before you go and also factors that you need to be aware of when you arrive.
In this guide to moving to Dubai for families with children we cover the essential topics such as bureaucracy, healthcare, education and entertainment.
Let’s get one thing straight from the outset, if you have children in tow you’re actually going to get far more out of your stay in Dubai than your childless peers because not only are children made so welcome everywhere (especially blonde ones!) but there is just such an active social scene among expat families and there are so many fantastic entertainment opportunities targeted at children which adults can actually enjoy too – they just need an excuse in the shape of a small child to do so!
The best thing to do almost as soon as you arrive in Dubai is to join a club – these are usually part of the larger hotels in Dubai and they offer members the chance to sunbathe on pristine beaches, play in the sea and the swimming pools and the best ones have a whole host of kids club activities and adventures as well and incorporate babysitting services and/or full time adult supervision of children. This means that you can chill out and have a fantastic time safe in the knowledge that your children are not only being well looked after, they too are having the times of their lives. And how will you know your child is having such a good time? Because you won’t hear a peep out of them until it’s time to go home when they’ll howl the place down!
It’s not all fun and games all the time in Dubai – there is a lot of bureaucracy to take care of unless you’re lucky enough to be relocated by your company or to have booked your own relocation service because then a lot of the paperwork and form filling is taken care of for you! If you’re going it alone take multiple photocopies of passports and at least twenty to thirty passport sized photos of every member of the family with you to Dubai to save you trying to find somewhere to get it done when you arrive. You need pictures for everything from enrolling your kids in school to sorting your residency, from getting your alcohol license to your work pass!
Get international or expatriate health insurance before you go if it is not included in your employment package – it really is essential particularly for those with children because you never know when they’re going to get sent home from school sick or fall over and break something! The standard and availability of health care in the emirate is exceptionally high and worth noting is that Al Wasl hospital is the very best place for obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics and pediatrics surgery.
In terms of education in Dubai there is a fair amount of choice in terms of international schools – although secondary school choice and availability of spaces is restricted at the moment. If your child is above the age of five then it is compulsory that they attend school, so ensure you have a place lined up for your children before you move to Dubai. Bear in mind that school fees can be quite scary and so if you’re lucky enough to be negotiating a package for yourself with your employer and they really, really want you to work for them, suggest they pay towards your child’s education!
The most popular primary schools for British children are Jess, Dess and JPS – or to give them their full titles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai English Speaking School or Jumeirah Primary School, and all three are regularly inspected by OFSTED and have very high teaching standards. Currently Dubai College and Jumeirah College are the most highly thought of secondary schools among British expat families with children studying for their IGCSEs or A levels but really the choice of school will be up to you, your children and also limited a little by where you move to live in Dubai.
Finally, bear in mind that although each of these schools are international schools, it is still a requirement that pupils are taught the fundamentals of Islam if their parents are Islamic…
