Job offer Riyadh

I think it depends on your job role? What field do you work in?

I have also been offered a job and I'll be moving to Jeddah from Birmingham UK. Also uprooting my family but hoping it'll be worth it!

I work in the railway sector. Is the salary good enough as per your research?

Hi Nathan
The package sounds good but money is not every thing in life. There are lot more problems here to face. It is not so easily to get settled in KSA, specially with family.

69000 SAR  PER MONTH  (1.2 MILLION INDIAN RUPEES PER MONTH) ???? ARE U SURE BROTHER ...

Which company and what job profile??

He's English by birth...They are paid better than us Asians.

The earlier you accept the better for you 

Nathan124 wrote:

I work in the railway sector. Is the salary good enough as per your research?

As per say SR 69k per month is pretty good taking into account you pay around 150k for a compound annually and have your kids at the British school.

For the sector, it would be tough to find out what's the average as it also depends upon nationalities working in the same sector.

Westerners are usually paid better than the cheap labor from Africa and Asia.

what kind of degrees is carried by railway sector? looking for which degree one has to carry this type of $?

GOOD QUERY.... PLEASE SHARE IF ANY ONE HAVE KNOWLEDGE ???

Hi Nathan
I am an Egyptian engineer had been working in KSA for a good time.( I had been working in UK also but that was from a long time)
I would say this is a good/very good package for US/UK candidate but not excellent - assuming that you may spend 10000 - 15000 SAR monthly for rent in a western style  compound. ( that also might go up for 20000)
People in KSA are very clever in evaluating expats salaries and one time I was working closely with big guys who estimate salaries for different candidates
Generally - they will offer you the minimum which encourages you to relocate based on your case
Of course - everything is proportional - if you were in a business role for making money or bringing in money - your salary might go up for 80k to 100k SAR/ month - but this might be as a bonus
What was your previous role in UK, work place, your home residence and estimated income/ expenses are all factors.
The good thing is that there is no taxes in KSA - no hidden fees and you can save a considerable USD per month
Also KSA is changing and I this will be for your benefit
My advice - Go and save some money for your kids - finally this is an adventure

I just saw this thread now.

Personally, I have been in Saudi a few times and on a salary level much higher than the one that has been offered to you. 

Despite that, I have never moved the family here and instead kept them in Dubai or Bahrain.  As one poster said, money is not everything and the adjustment to Saudi is jarring for many people; especially westerners.  Funnily enough, despite maintaining two residences as I do, the arrangement still works out cheaper for me vs. if I were to move the family to Saudi.

Why?  because if you want to make sure that your family suffers no compromise on lifestyle and eases into the transition, your cost will escalate tremendously.  As an example, the best western style compound in Riyadh is Bustan; a villa there will cost you anywhere from 250K to 400K (I can get much better quality cheaper in Bahrain).  Ditto for good schools and so on.  Don't forget the dependent fees that you have to pay on a monthly basis and so on.

These points need to be taken in the right context.  I had a person from Europe whom I hired in my team and brought him to Saudi on a package similar to yours.  He relocated his family here and immediately after the initial excitement of the move faded, they started becoming uncomfortable.  So he upgraded the compound accommodation, schools and brought them into events which helped but not completely.  He found himself busting his initial budget for savings and the family was still not fully happy.  Today, his family lives in Europe and visit only during the vacations.   And this is not the only story of this type that I have come across.

On the comments of Saudi is changing; I think you need to step back and evaluate in a neutral perspective. 

Is it changing?  yes, tremendously. But changing from the initial starting point.   However if we look at where things stand today even after the change, there is still a tremendous gap in lifestyle, customer service, ease of living, entertainment options, community and other items vs. say Dubai or Bahrain.   People living here see it as a positive change from what they were used to but when you come from the outside, it is still a massive shock to your system.  The frustration and hassle of daily life are an add on to the points above - poor customer service in literally every industry, language skills, driving, bureaucracy, visa processes etc etc.   To be fair, these hassles are present in every GCC country when you come here from the developed world but Saudi stands heads and shoulders above the rest .

At the end of the day, it is really a call about the priorities that you have and what is the higher relative saving vs. the UK that you will enjoy.  These do not always go together

As an example, when I moved into the Middle East almost a decade ago; i was almost exactly at your salary range with different benefits. At the time, I had the option to move into another location which was even more challenging than Saudi but the salary was almost 40% more and savings 50-60%.   I chose Dubai even though the salary and saving level was lower but it provided me with the most balanced fit between lifestyle and savings.

XTang - Thanks for your feedback - Al Bustan villa accommodation is now from 250k - 400k !! - what a price escalation happening.
Nathan
However, I strongly agree with his suggestion for keeping the family at home country if it is possible. I elected this option and I was happy for that and if your kids are still in their below teen age, then this is a very suitable option and no need for your wife to leave her job - she might loose it.
Of course I have a  smaller package but being Egyptian, speaking Arabic makes me find much more economic accommodation and it is easy to find fairly cheap tickets for Cairo from Riyadh and even cheaper from Jeddah - so I usually visited kids 4 times a year.
Again - your salary depends on your business role and the value you bring in and seeking a much higher salary for your specific business role might not render true.
Just a note : If this is not the case and your business role and case (at the organization) is underestimated then of course No. Never accept a job in KSA if you are under estimated

Finally, wish you good luck

Hi Nathan,

This is a very good return and would equate to at least GBP 200K in the UK after taking into account tax. However accommodation is a factor, as is schooling -- you mention you have kids but it seems only one is covered by the package?

As a Brit expat myself, I would say that you'll make much  more money but that, if your wife is used to working in the UK, you need to worry how she would settle in. Mine couldn't -- she couldn't go from a fulfilling job in the UK to staying at home and mixing with snobbish expat wives comparing their husband's jobs.

accept my dear . no turning on that , you won regards .

get the chance now the life in saudi gettin expensive by the time but now cheap , so get the offer . and good luck

In my opinion, try to raise it to 80-100K. I say that because your salary in the UK is 100K, divided by 12 equals 8.3K GBP, which equals roughly 40K SAR. The rule here is to multiply your salary in your home country by 2.5 or 2 to find your equivalent salary here Hence, your minimum salary should be 80K and maximum 100K SAR monthly . Discuss that with them to let them realize that you understand the system and how it works to calculate the expats salaries. However, if you find the job and the current offer convenient, then don't be to much strict with them. But notice that once you are here, your salary won't increase for at least couple of years unless they need you badly. Jobs here are not stable since they have regression in their economy and at any moment they may choose to cut the costs by terminating contracts of high salary individuals.

To find the best salary, try to anticipate your living costs here in a very relaxed way not a strict one. For example, If you want to live in the best compound where you and your wife could wear whatever you want without being questioned or interrupted by religious enthusiastic people, and find many british and american expats, then you would need between 150-200K per year and you will enjoy your stay. For a British school, you will need between 40-90K per year depending on your children ages (review the school fees here http://www.bisr.com.sa/admissions/school-fees.html). Food, gas, electricity, internet, going out in the weekends won't cost you more than 10-13K per month. If yo want to by clothes from Boss, Tommy, Lacoste, Polo, or any famous brand, then you will pay lot of money  between 5-10K per month.

My suggestion: I guess you better buy your clothes from cheaper places with also very good quality with far lower costs. For example, a T-shirt from Tommy equals 400 SAR, a T-shirt from Polo equals 150-200 SAR, a T-shirt from splash costs only 20-40 SAR and the quality is good IMO..got the point?. Same for food, a meal for 1 person with dessert in Steak house costs around 150-200 SAR, in Piatto around 100-150 SAR, but any fast food restaurant in a food court inside a mall, a meal won't cost you more than 30-70 SAR per person. Same for groceries, organic food is double and some times triple the cost of regular food with no noticeable difference. You can get out of a super market with a 2000 SAR or 5000 SAR depending on your preferences.

It all depends on your life style. If you want to live the extreme, then you will need around 40-50K per month and you can still save some money with the current job offer. But no harm to try to get a better offer if and only if possible.

Notice that you can find a cheaper compound,and find good schools with half the costs. It all depends on how you want to live and how much you want to save to decide how to negotiate about the salary. Just remember, if they need you so much, they will pay. If they don't need you so much or there are many engineers in your field with similar experience, then don't go to the extremes and try to negotiate to increase the current offer a little.

Wish you best of luck

Was it 69k per month? For me that's quiet comfortable already.

People from this place try their best to leave for UK.
Here just for little more money you have to sacrifice every other thing.
It is not that easy to settle in a place where you don't have language even.
However Riyadh being capital city scores over other regions.

Hello is 50k a good salary in riyadh working for PIF with 10 years of buisness analyst experience?