|
Jordan: Cost of Living in Amman & Schools:
Hi Katia,
Here is some general information that might help:
For Schools:
There are so many private schools with different rates. The best is probably Amman Baccalaureate School. This page links you directly to the fees: http://www.abs.edu.jo/index.php?q=node/41
Other schools can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Jordan
For the schools on that list that don't have a link, just Google the school name - most do have websites.
Prices range wildly on accommodations, even within the same neighborhoods. Usually, contracts are made on the basis of 6 months or a year, with full payment for the term expected in advance. There are many excellent areas in Greater Amman, but without knowing exactly where your husband is working, I recommend starting your search in Abdoun (the most upscale area in Amman): http://www.abdoun.com.jo/ (the site specializes in rentals). If you want to search further, another area that is extremely popular with expats is Jabal Amman - a truly beautiful place to live.
On utilities: for electricity (AC inclusive) you can probably expect that it will range, seasonally, between 75 -
120 JD per month.
For gas: The whole country is basically run on diesel fuel. Heating the home is done with water-based radiators. The water is heated with the diesel fuel. I would guess that, depending on your use, you could expect to spend 500-700 for an entire year of diesel use. (This is including using the diesel system to heat your bathing water - in some cases that is gas based, other cases electrical based - it depends on what will be in your apartment).
For water: 20-30 JD per month
For telephone: really negligible compared to many other places. Even making international calls to the States (1 hour per week), my bill has never been more than 50 JD in a month.
Groceries: I personally spend about 300-500 per month on groceries (family of 3) from "Westernized" grocery stores like Safeway, Carrefour and Cozmo. The alternative is to shop in little local shops, but I don't think many expats do that... plus I've found that there are a lot of import items that I want anyway that can only be found in certain places.
Restaurants never look expensive on the surface, but then they add 26% to the bill - 16% GST and 10% gratuity (automatic gratuity, whether you were satisifed with the service or not). If you eat at upscale restaurants with international cuisine (as opposed to local shawarma or falafel, for example), expect the bill for each meal to be at least 50 JD for 2, more if you include the kids.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. If you want to email me: yasos.mom@gmail.com
Jordan: Working in Jordan:
Hi Binos,
It's a pretty tough job market these days, but nowhere near as bad as in the U.S.
Here are couple of the most popular recruiting websites used in Jordan:
www.akhtaboot.com
www.bayt.com
Good luck to you!
Jordan: small apartment in amman:
Hi Akram,
It's hard to find a good apartment in that area - I know, I've had to do the search before.
I have a contact who rents apartments. I rented one for a client at 5th circle, and it was lovely. I will send you the contact details in a private message.
Jordan: social groups:
Hi Lee,
There is a group for women - American Women in Amman. From your username I am assuming that you are male, in which case this won't interest you, but if I am wrong, let me know and I'll get some contact details of the group for you. :)
Jordan: Can I save on this salary?:
I'm sorry to say that for an expat, it's an extremely low salary. The housing and some meals included will definitely help. If you live frugally, buy locally produced goods instead of imports, you might be able to save a bit.
Jordan: Questions asbout Ramadan:
Lemac,
Just tell them honestly that you have to take your medication. There shouldn't be any problem at all. Do any eating and drinking discreetly. They will understand.
Jordan: Job & Career advice?:
Hello there,
Unfortunately, the best advice I can offer you is to check the local recruiting websites - www.bayt.com and www.akhtaboot.com. However, perhaps your best bet is to work with your family here to get in touch with the professional communities you are interested in.
Best of luck!
Jordan: Negotiating Salary for possible position in Amman:
You will definitely want to ask for more vacation time, for one thing - you will certainly want to travel home, etc.
As for salary, did he give you any kind of range? What is considered a "good" salary for a Jordanian is really hard (if not impossible) for an expat to survive on.
Jordan: Traveling to Amman with a cat:
Hi there,
I traveled to Amman with two cats and went through all of the questions you are asking now. :)
And in the end, my vet had all of the answers!
The long and short of it is that Jordan has very lax standards about allowing pets into the country.
Officially, Jordan only requires that pets have a recent rabies vaccination (within 1 month of departure), but when I got here they insisted that they had to be up-to-date on all vaccinations and certified as such. Fortunately, my vet had recommended this and I didn't have any problems.
So, several weeks before you leave, you will want to be in touch with your vet to let him/her know what is happening and to be ready, because starting at 30 days before departure you will be in countdown mode.
(Please note that I am writing the following assuming that you are in the U.S., but I assume the process is very similar in every country.)
You will take your cat to the vet and have all of the shots taken care of. Your vet will then certify that this was done and will rush the authorized form to your State's Department of Veterinary Medicine.
The State DVM will do their part and sign, stamp and authorize all of the papers and send them back to your vet. This part takes about a week and most likely you will want to pay in advance for the papers to be couriered back to you ASAP.
Upon receiving the papers back, you are almost ready to go.
Contact your airline in advance to tell them of your plans. I recommend for obvious reasons the most direct flight you can get - probably Royal Jordanian. They will put you in contact with their cargo department to make arrangements.
If you ARE in the U.S., your cat will have to travel in cargo, as airlines don't allow pets to be in the cabin for flights longer than 6 hours. And I know that this is really worrisome, but the cat will travel in a temperature and pressure-controlled section of the cargo hold and a person will accompany your pet.
Bringing a cat with you from the U.S. will cost about $500.
You also have to be sure that you use an airline-certified pet carrier. This is the one that I used: http://futurepet.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=DO00100
Best of luck to you! I know that this is really stressful, but it will turn out fine. :)
Jordan: expat from uae:
Hello,
The cost of living in Jordan is very high, especially compared to the local salaries. The only way to try to work around that is to "live native" (for example, stay away from malls, and high scale stores and restaurants), and this is a serious challenge for expats.
From what I understand, the economy in Jordan hasn't been affected nearly as badly as has the UAE economy. Still, I've been hearing from friends that jobs aren't as plentiful as they were just 6 months or a year ago.
I am personally unfamiliar with the construction industry here. However, perhaps you can check out some recruiting websites; there is always http://www.bayt.com/ and a popular local site - http://www.akhtaboot.com/
Good luck to you and your fiancee!
| |
Login to Contact henny2010
About henny2010
