tamsin
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Post by tamsin on Mar 10, 2023 8:36:42 GMT
There isn’t a daycare option on camp.
Children starting school at 4 only go for a half day, morning or afternoon. All children come home for lunch. There a lot of activities, aimed at younger children, organised by the self directed groups. In addition to that there all the usual things of swimming lessons, parks.
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Post by BlueStaff on Mar 10, 2023 16:49:21 GMT
You will be fine. Get the oldest into daycare and you will get to meet lots of mums.
Fast forward a few years and you will either have a house full of your kids friends or an empty house as your kids are at their friends place.
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Post by kyle1639 on Mar 11, 2023 5:41:02 GMT
Thanks so much Tamsin. It’s going to be very different from our life in Scotland if my hubby is successful. I currently work too and kids in childcare three days a week. But equally nice to know lots of activities for the kids and non working partners during the days. Do you know where your husbands position is? Or where you'd possible be staying camp wise? I moved here with my wife and two young kids (now 5 & 2) in December 2021 from a small town north west of Aberdeen. My oldest is in K4 and is only in school mornings, but after summer goes to full days in KG. My wife has been fortunate to make a good circle of friends, and that circle is constantly evolving and changing with people coming and going, part of the natural cycle of expat life I guess, but she often either attends spin class etc, goes for morning coffee/breakfast at the cafe on the beach, or has friends round for brunch. I work in a remote area so I'm away Sunday to Thursday, but she's never felt lonely here. Afternoons are generally filled with walks to the parks, beach or skate park. The weather is really nice right now, but after June it's very difficult to get out due to the heat/humidity. My wife said she doesn't regret coming here and is very happy to have come. The best advice she got was to venture out and make friends, which she's glad she's done. There's no daycare as such on camp, we are lucky to have good friends who can babysit if we ever need it, and we do the same for them, it's all part of camp life. Feel free to message me if you want to talk anymore if things move forward regarding your husbands application. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2023 8:12:26 GMT
- As others have said, no daycare unless you both work for Aramco. There are nurseries off camp, once you have the confidence to drive outside the camp, you'll be shuttling them there and back. I know some who pay for a driver just for this purpose. Nursery costs are significant, factor this into any offer. It's all do-able but might not be what you expected, plan ahead.
- Much depends on your current position, lifestyle and expectations. If you're coming from a bustling city, then here will be a shock. You need her to be able to get out and meet other people. If your wife has a career she needs to have her expectations met. Becoming a full-time, stay-at-home-mother works for some, for others it doesn't. How long do you plan to do this for?
- There's pools, parks and quite a few things to do in the vicinity, certainly for the winter months. There are some self directed groups also. You absolutely will want to leave the Kingdom from June-Aug to avoid the worst of the heat.
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fj
Senior Member
Posts: 110
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Post by fj on Mar 12, 2023 14:21:34 GMT
Aramco have sent benefits information however can anyone inform me what dependent fees we will pay per month in pounds please?
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tamsin
Senior VIP Expat
Posts: 655
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Post by tamsin on Mar 12, 2023 16:25:38 GMT
Aramco have sent benefits information however can anyone inform me what dependent fees we will pay per month in pounds please? First year is in full, £1,000 per dependent. |
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Post by kyle1639 on Mar 12, 2023 16:40:51 GMT
Aramco have sent benefits information however can anyone inform me what dependent fees we will pay per month in pounds please? 400sar (£80) per dependent per month. |
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fj
Senior Member
Posts: 110
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Post by fj on Mar 13, 2023 7:01:02 GMT
Thanks so much Tamsin and Kyle. Please do let me know if you think any other hidden fees / spend that we need to consider when doing our sums!! 😃
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tamsin
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Posts: 655
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Post by tamsin on Mar 13, 2023 10:18:15 GMT
Thanks so much Tamsin and Kyle. Please do let me know if you think any other hidden fees / spend that we need to consider when doing our sums!! 😃 Exit visas, it’s about £50 per person for a single, £120 for a 3 month multiple and then £25 a month to extend multiple. I think those numbers are correct. About £150-200 for a driving licence, once you’ve done the medical, bought the licence. Private school fees, if you are going that route. A whole bunch of initial payments out of pocket and a contribution to the fees. |
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Post by kyle1639 on Mar 13, 2023 12:02:27 GMT
Thanks so much Tamsin and Kyle. Please do let me know if you think any other hidden fees / spend that we need to consider when doing our sums!! 😃 K3 is also charged out of payroll deduction. I can't remember the exact sum, around a couple hundred pounds a month. From K4 onwards there's no charge until higher education/boarding school. As Tamsin mentioned above, entry/exit visa fees. These are really quick and easy to do. Can be issued in a matter of minutes now. |
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fj
Senior Member
Posts: 110
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Post by fj on Mar 15, 2023 22:15:27 GMT
How do you all cope with the summer heat? I’m thinking of the kids and their activities - are there indoor soft plays with AC etc? Many thanks
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Post by kyle1639 on Mar 16, 2023 4:09:20 GMT
How do you all cope with the summer heat? I’m thinking of the kids and their activities - are there indoor soft plays with AC etc? Many thanks In the malls yes, lots of soft play, theme parks/arcades with AC. In RT there is the bowling alley which has AC too. Evening times can be bearable to go out side, but midday is generally a no go for us. Alot of wives and children go home for the summer as the heat is just crazy. We try plan a vacation for the summer to escape the heat to some degree. But the humidity lasts until around October time. |
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tamsin
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Post by tamsin on Mar 16, 2023 5:43:28 GMT
There is a lot of indoor kid stuff and there are pools.
You will acclimatise, children acclimatise even faster. Not to say it’s not ever too hot or safe to be running around at noon but it’ll become far more bearable. And when you go home, you’ll be the one, in June, wearing her big coat.
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fj
Senior Member
Posts: 110
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Post by fj on Mar 16, 2023 8:30:43 GMT
Thank you again Tamsin and Kyle. I’ve read different things re office hours for corporate office based employees - some say 7am to 4pm whilst others say 7am to 3pm are the new hours? Can you please clarify?
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tamsin
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Posts: 655
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Post by tamsin on Mar 16, 2023 8:40:28 GMT
Thank you again Tamsin and Kyle. I’ve read different things re office hours for corporate office based employees - some say 7am to 4pm whilst others say 7am to 3pm are the new hours? Can you please clarify? Core hours are 7-4, Ramadan hours for those that are fasting is, I believe, 9-3. But only for that month. The commute is probably no more than 15 minutes, 30 if you are on the bus. |
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