Household A: a family of three weighing a Dubai offer

Role

Supply Chain Manager, 11 years

Specialism

Supply Chain / Procurement

UK salary

£72,000 a year, Leeds

Qualification

Bachelor's degree, not yet attested

Notice period

8 weeks

Household

Family with children, partner not working

Child 1

Year 1 this September, mid-range school

Aiming for

Dubai, 6 to 12 months

Way of working

Employer-sponsored role only

Worked in the Gulf before

No

UK take-home a year

£52,317 (tax £16,232, National Insurance £3,451)

Planning UAE salary a month

AED 34,000

UK gross that takes home the same

£135,000 a year

UAE living costs a month

AED 29,700

Left each month in the UAE

AED 4,300

Left each month in the UK today

AED 4,900

Monthly advantage

AED 600 less

Upfront cost of the move

AED 93,000

Payback

Not within 60 months

Planning salary: No benchmark for this role yet; this range assumes a 15% uplift on your UK salary. It is a wide range around that uplift, an assumption, not a benchmark. Pounds and dirhams convert at £1 = AED 4.90, checked 20 October 2026. The UAE living costs a month are rent AED 15,500, school fees AED 4,300, groceries AED 3,300, utilities AED 1,300, transport AED 2,800, health cover AED 600 and spending money AED 1,900.

• UK Income Tax and National Insurance, 2026/27. Source: GOV.UK Income Tax and National Insurance rates, checked 20 October 2026. All sources
• Planning salary when no benchmark matches your role: your UK gross plus 15%. Not yet sourced. All sources
• UAE monthly living costs (rent, groceries, utilities, transport). Not yet sourced. All sources
• UK monthly living costs and rents by city. Not yet sourced. All sources
• Pound to dirham exchange rate. Source: European Central Bank reference rate via Frankfurter, times the Central Bank of the UAE's 3.6725 dirham peg, checked 20 October 2026. All sources

• Child 1, Year 1 (Year 1 to 6), mid-range: AED 52,000 a year (range AED 40,000 to 59,000)

Sample text: in a real report the AI writes this Ask two or three schools about Year 1 places and their fee schedules before you choose an area to rent in.

• School fee planning figures by year group and tier. Source: School fee pages and Khaleej Times fee reports, listed on how it works, checked 21 October 2026 (7 of 18 source pages opened and checked; the rest read from search results). All sources

The planning salary of AED 34,000 a month reaches the Golden Visa salary test of AED 30,000 a month. Cash housing and transport allowances count towards it. The degree is not yet attested. This household wants an employer-sponsored job, so the employer applies for the employment visa.

• Golden Visa salary test (AED 30,000 a month). Source: ICP, UAE Golden Residency, checked 20 October 2026. All sources

Supply chain management maps directly onto UAE logistics, retail and trading employers. No Gulf experience yet is the main gap.

1. Ask for a housing allowance sized for a family home
2. Start your degree attestation before you apply
3. Target employers with regional supply chain teams in Dubai

• Arabian Ranches, Dubai. A villa community with schools inside it, suited to a family with a young child.
• Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai. A large community of mid-rise apartments and townhouses.

1. Days 1 to 14Start degree attestation. Attestation runs through a solicitor, the FCDO and the UAE Embassy, so begin now.
2. Days 1 to 30Price the family home. Compare villa and townhouse rents in two areas against any housing allowance offered.
3. Days 15 to 60Negotiate the package. Ask for housing, school fees and annual flights to be stated separately in writing.
4. Days 30 to 90Register for schools. Apply to schools with Year 1 places once you know the area you will rent in.