I moved to another country to clear debt!

citygal

Yeah- here I am in Dubai, working at the same job as in the UK, only it's tax free and I am able to pay off more of my debts. Has anyone else done or did, or even thinking of doing the same thing?

Of course there are pros and cons to this:

Pros :j

-Most people here get an allowance or accomodation which is paid for
-Salaries are tax free!
-Great weather
-No council tax here

Cons

-Too many temptations here in Dubai when it comes to shopping- you have to control yourself!
- Far away from family and friends
- Missing the UK

I think being away from family and friends was a huge sacrifice I made BUT, overall, I am glad that I came here as I have managed to pay off some of my debts- something which would have taken me longer to do if I had ben in the UK. Other mates of mine moved to Hong Kong and other places for the same reasons.

How about anyone of you moneysavers??

Gillby1

That actually sounds like a great idea, but i wouldn't know where to start with finding a job somewhere like that.

Sounds fantastic tho - it's snowing heavily here and i could do with a bit of sun!

Gills x

delaney22

What do you work as in Dubai if you don't mind me asking.

Well Done

skintchick

I have a friend who works as a journlalist in Dubai - she loves it too, but I couldn;t leave my home.

citygal

Gliby- It can be done, depends on your profession; the jobs which are in demand here are teachers, engineers, and those who work in construction. I also know Brits here who work in advertising, marketing and retail. Most jobs are advertised on the the usual sites, jobsite.co.uk, jobsunlimited.co.uk, sometimes reed.co.uk It took me a few months and countless interviews before I landed here........

Delaney- No, I don't mind. I'm a teacher

Skintchick- I know, it took a lot for me to move, but the UK is just too expensive plus I wanted to get rid of my debts more quickly.....

Bermuda_John

I moved to Bermuda but not to solely clear debts (3500) and to be honest the grass isnt greener on the other side. I think it may be the fact that i chose the "wrong" country to move to. It is very small and very limited in what it has to offer.

The year round sun soon wears off and it becomes a bit of a pain (75 on xmas day, i wanted snow!!), the turquoise seas and pink sands just blend in and i dont notice them anymore.

I cant wait to get back to England for a pie made with savoury pastry and not SWEET pastry and a nice bag of fish and chips.

The only good point to come out of my move is that i will be able to get a better job when i return and i will have a large chunk of cash in the bank. I am only young so if it doesnt work out in England i can move on again but to somewhere bigger.

Very very easy to get a job abroad, especially if you have a trade or a profession, you would believe how many scottish mechanics work in Bermuda!!!

Moving abroad depends on your personal priorities and preferences in life, i would swap the champagne drinking on the beach on xmas day for a nice family get together in the snowy weather any day.

lulabelle

I moved to the Channel Islands to get out of debt.

Only 20% tax.

Cost of living is about same as london but as there's nothing much to do here I did think I'd spend less.

That's until I got myself a man over here with way more spending power than me and I started gettin drawn into exotic holidays and meals out all the time.

Am trying to put myself back on straight and narrow now though!

Gillby1

Dubai sounds fantastic, but as my work is administrative i don't think i'd be in great demand!

Was it difficult finding accomodation and meeting new friends, Citygal and Bermuda John? I think those would put me off moving abroad alone...

Gills x

bbruce

I'm in the fortunate position of having chosen a profession that has overseas vacancies.
I worked in USA, Saudi, Japan, Kuwait, Brunei, Singapore and Abu Dhabi while I was single but gave it up when I got married until I discovered Kazakstan which has excellent leave rotations.
Naturally, the money and prospects were better and you achieve seniority earlier. Now I'm settled in the UK but could be tempted or not - I can afford to be choosy.
One word of warning: Don't think you can escape your debts abroad - a colleague who was reckless with his Access card and got a job in Bahrain, thinking he'd covered his tracks, received a letter 5 months later saying "we've debited your Jersey bank account with the money you owe us."

Bermuda_John

Finding accomdation was the hardest part for me, i have a fairly nice 1 bed aprtment overlooking the sea which costs me $2600 a month, yes $31,200 a year!!!!!!

The friends bit was fairly simple, lots of expats but you do get the feeling that the locals resent you.

To the person who said they couldnt get a job because they were admin, you will be pleasantly surprised. I have a friend who works as a secretary, she was originally temping and has now been offered a 1 year contract. Her job in England was working as a legal secretary, and she cant even type properly!!

citygal

Yes it's easy to make friends- especially in Dubai..... and as for accomodation, depends on who you work for- most places though offer accomodation, or help you find a place to stay. The thing about the Gulf ie UAE, Kuwait, Qatar etc is that it's better to accept accomodation as opposed to an allowance- because if rents suddenly increase your employer may not pay for the difference!

Gilby- you'd be surprised to know that admin vacancies DO exist! It's very competitive to find work, but there ARE positions around, be sure to have an up to date CV and just apply, apply, apply!

Have to agree with you Bruce there, that some people do just leave the UK with their debts behind- it does catch up with you. I made sure of notifying my bank, and CCs where I was, and just transfer money each month.......

One more thing- moving abroad isn't for everyone- it takes a lot to move- some people arrive and decide that it's just not for them!