PARC is neither good nor bad. As I said earlier in this thread no agency is going to watch your back. They are only there to get a cut of YOUR pay. They will not do anything to upset the apple cart with the airline involved. That is why I prefer working directly for an airline versus going through a contractor. With some jobs it is not possible to go direct so you just have to deal with the best agency possible. PARC rates above average. Yet they will still do whatever is required for them to keep a contract. If that means they have to negotiate a lower rate for renewal then they will do that ( as will all the others ) and you get to take a pay cut. That is what makes working direct a better long term proposition.

My permanent direct contract with Emirates has a built-in 3% yearly increase in base pay ( not guaranteed, but never withheld ). They also have given raises above and beyond the yearly increment based on cost of living adjustments and to just stay competitive with the global industry average. It has a ways to go to catch-up to Cathay. In comparison to a U.S. leagacy take-home pay it is reasonable.

Your wife really needs to come see Dubai and talk to the schools to make an informed decision. It is worth spending the cash to buy her a ticket now than to end up with an unhappy wife a few years down the road. Dubai is very kid friendly and there are a multitude of activities for children. The only one missing in American football, but baseball and softball are played as well as ice hockey, cricket, soccer, rugby, Aussie rules, etc, etc.

The American schools are expensive and if you have two young children that is when it is worst. For Grades 1 to 5 ( or 6) you will be paying over $6000 per child out of pocket for the American schools. Once they are in 6 ( or 7 ) and above it is around $1000 per child out of pocket. The Emirates school re-imbursement is set up around the English system and for some reason their schools are much cheaper. You could opt for English or International schools, and there are some good ones. Again, that is a big component of a family move to Dubai and it needs to be researched thoroughly. My child is only 9 months old so I haven't gotten to the point where it becomes an issue. We're leaning towards International schools right now, but that could change. It's not so much an issue of money as I'd like my child to get some good exposure to non-American culture while he has the chance.

General quality of life kind of goes hand in hand with school location and children's activities if you have a young family. You will want to be in a villa close to your chosen school and close to where the kids have their activities because the road congestion is getting out of hand. It doubles in severity about every six months.

Security is good.


Typhoonpilot