10 Tips for Living in the UAE

In late November, we began a series of threads on our country forums entitled, "10 Tips for Living in...". We thank all of you who posted your tips and encourage readers to continue to post more tips by visiting your country's forum and looking for the thread "10 Tips for Living in...".

So, here's our next article in the series... 10 Tips for Living in the UAE:

1. Respect the Local Culture - The UAE is a relatively tolerant country, but this does vary from emirate to emirate. Remember that this is not your home country. Just because you see another expat wearing hot pants and a spaghetti top doesn't mean that this is acceptable attire for shopping malls and other public places. - mishmumkin
2. Research Specific Emirates - Don't just research the country, research the emirate that you will be living in as they are all different. For some emirates do not even think of bringing your family here until you have secured permanent accomodation and researched schools. School places for a european/american style education can be hard to find in some places. - sukie AND Depending on which emirate you move to, find forum friends from there to get a lot of the information that you need. - SassyPilotsWife
3. Download Skype Before You Move - Download Skype prior to arriving. if you don't, the UAE will block it and you won't be able to make calls out. Download Hotspot prior also, it makes skype work. - SassyPilotsWife
4. Learn Arabic - Make every attempt to learn Arabic. It's difficult to use Arabic in your day-to-day activities since many people in the service industry are not Arabic speakers. That said, you will find that many Emiratis (and other Arabic speakers) truly appreciate your attemps to learn the language (and the customs). - mishmumkin
5. Job Hunting - Prior to taking the job offer, research your expat package offer to make sure it is financially affordable for housing cost, education cost if you have school age children, have a CV done by someone from this area who knows how they look and view CV's. It can be quite different than your own country. They are big on seeing education, continuing education etc. - SassyPilotsWife
6. Bring Your Patience and Flexibility - Immense patience is a necessity as nothing will go to plan. Flexibility is likewise a virtue as plans will change by the second. - sukie AND Bring a LOAD of patience when dealing with returns with exchanges. Customer service is generally a disaster. - mishmumkin
7. Buy Second Hand Car - 2nd hand cars here are very reasonable because they are usually 2 to 3 y/o cars that previous expats are selling after their contract expires. Also, some cars from other countries such as the US don't have good enough A/C to keep up with the heat. - SassyPilotsWife
8. Befriend Emiratis - Seize any and every opportunity to get to know Emiratis. It's a challenge, but it's worth the effort. - mishmumkin
9. Medical Insurance - You can only purchase medical insurance from an authorized UAE provider. The UAE has very strict insurance regulations. Know before you go. Visit the US consulate website prior to moving. - InsuranceQuotes
10. Cuisines - Try and embrace all the different cuisines available in the UAE. You will not find all your favourite foods, but you will find fantastic new dishes and spices. - mishmumkin

Add your own tips for living in the UAE by clicking here and posting a reply to the thread. To post tips for another country find the country forum here and look for the thread "10 Tips...".