Hi Sarah36, I personally agree with Andrew. However, if your kids are pre-school, I think Dubai is great when they are at that age. There are lots of expat mums here so you'll find new friends in no time. There are quite a few nurseries here but they do have long waitlists. When your kids start school, they'll be starting early and finishing around 2pm. Although Dubai is trying to establish better international level of education, I think the level is not on par with HK or the UK. Because of the weather (I can't see the problem as there is aircon!) schools finish early. Schools also close for early for Ramadan. If my children were going to be studying O/A levels, GCSE, then I would definitely send them elsewhere. I think their education would be compromised here.
Andrew is right, there isn't a whole lot to do. Pool, beach, bit of cycling, bit of offroading, wander round the malls. At least in HK you've got lots of greenery and can visit somewhere different each weekend. And the summers here are a bit grim. You spend your time running from one airconned place to another. In the cooler months, Oct to April, then it's great to be out esp. if you're a keen golfer or enjoy tennis. You can go camping in the desert, snorkeling in Oman, ride dunebuggies.
If you're planning long term Dubai, I don't think it's good for children (or your own sanity!) - it's La-La land. Children get spoiled, domestic help is cheap, they get driven everywhere and do not develop a sense of 'street'.
To be fair you need to come visit Dubai and see it for yourself. Like any place, you might love it or you might not. Compared to HK, it's a much slower pace. I'm looking fwd to returning to HK.
A good website for info on Dubai is:
Read More. It's a bit like asiaxpat. It's not just for mums either.
To mango2, there are loads of jobs in construction here. There is a magazine called Construction Weekly. All the major players are here.
Good luck!
Dragon