Living there

Relocating with your family: schools, sponsorship and daily life

10 min readUpdated July 2026By Optima Prime Consultancies

"What about my family?" Good news: the Gulf is one of the most family-friendly expatriation destinations — provided you prepare three topics.

Family sponsorship

In most cases, your contract lets you sponsor your spouse and children: residence visa, health insurance, access to services. Conditions depend on the country and sometimes the salary level — a point we verify in every offer before presenting it. Spouses can often work after obtaining their own permit.

Schools: the topic to anticipate

  • French schools (AEFE): present in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, Kuwait and Muscat — seamless continuity with the French curriculum
  • International schools (British, American, IB): plentiful and often excellent
  • Budget: €4,000–12,000/year depending on school and city — some employers cover part of tuition; negotiate it
  • Enrol early: the best schools have waiting lists; start as soon as you have a job promise

Daily life, concretely

Remarkable safety (the Gulf has among the lowest crime rates in the world), brand-new infrastructure, family activities all year round. Life is organised around air-conditioning in summer and the outdoors in winter. French-speaking communities are large in every major city — associations, sports clubs, mutual help between families.

Our advice: go alone for the first 4–8 weeks if possible, the time to receive your final housing and scout schools and neighbourhoods. The family then arrives in a settled environment — a much smoother transition for children.

A family project is prepared together.

Tell us about your situation: we factor schools, family visa and housing into the search for your position.

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