Hello everyone 
My name is Henry, I am a 25 year old South African and have just been offered an exciting position in Dubai. I will need to secure my own transport and accommodation and my salary will start relatively low so I have a tight budget to accomplish this all on initially, an exciting and challenging endeavour! 
This will be my first time working as an expat and so I have many questions I hope the veteran UAE expats would provide insight on. The two primary questions I would like to please get guidance on are these:
1. As I will be landing in 6-8 weeks from now, what would be the recommendation around getting accommodation for myself before I land?
2. I will be working in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. I was hoping I could utilise public transport for the time being until I could afford a vehicle however, from the vague information I have found online it seems as though the public transport system is still too limited and may not reach wherever I may find accommodation, what would the recommendation be on this?
I would greatly appreciate any guidance on the above questions as this is all quite overwhelming at the moment!
Thank you in advance for any help provided!
Young soon to be Expat seeking advice
1) Well, depends on your budget really. If you work within JLT, then the closest accommodation would be JLT itself or Marina. There are some cheap "hostel" kind options in both areas - not advertised as such so it has to be somewhat word of mouth. The commute otherwise would not be in your favour
2) That is true. While there are some options around like metro, buses, the tram and so on; the network is not very extensive. These might get you to JLT from wherever you live; but be prepared to walk after arrival (also in beginning as well)- or take a taxi. Hence if you are not planning to get a car; try to find a place close to the metro/tram/bus.
It depends how much is your salary and what lifestyle you want have in Dubai. unless its clear , its hard to suggest you about this question.
Hello HenryB-ZA,
Try checking out dubizzle.com for a shared accommodation. Since you are new and on a tight budget, maybe this is the best option for you until you get the hang on things. Other areas where you can stay which is close to the metro is Barsha Heights (Tecom) & The Greens. It's 2 to 3 metro stations away to JLT. Try checking the map as well so you'll get the picture of it.
Dee
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