Got an offer. Please help to evaluate it.

Dear expats,

My husband just got an offer to join a multi-national company in Riyadh as Technical Pre Sales manager.

The offer is 25k package:
basic salary: 18,500SR
Housing/month: 4625 SR
Transportation: 1875SR

He is an Electrical Engineer with 6 year's experience in France, and USA (Silicon Valley), hold a PhD degree and double MSc (University of Calfironia and Well Engineering school in France).
We are originally from north africa and very soon, will receive the French citiznship inchALLAH.

What do you think about the offer?

Is it really worthy to move there? Currently we are living in Paris.

Is with 4625 SR, is it possible to find a 2 Bedrooms appart/villa in a decent (correct not crap) area in Riyadh?

Can we make some savings?

I'm a medical doctor. Is it possible for me to work once there? How can I find a job?

Will appreciate a lot your help.
Thanks in advance.

No, I would not say that is good. Especially the housing.

You would be able to find a job. If I were you I would apply to recruiters now, you may get a better package for you, making your husband's offer acceptable to you.

Xenolol wrote:

No, I would not say that is good. Especially the housing.

You would be able to find a job. If I were you I would apply to recruiters now, you may get a better package for you, making your husband's offer acceptable to you.


Thank you Xenolol for your answer. Could you please explain.
You re thinking with 4625 SR/month we are not able to find a decent apartment in a western coumpound (1- 2 BDR)?


You re thinking I can find a job. Is it that easy? Should I need to speack a fluent english? All my medical classes were in French :(.

Do you know examples of recruiters to whom I can apply?

Do you mean I may get a package better than the one that my husband is getting right now?

Welcome mshwc1

in my opinion, let your husband negotiate with them to get more.
As his qualifications are very high.

this package is good for some people who are already here. but moving from nice Paris to here... not that good

for you to apply for a medical job in the hospitals, english is a must.

with 55.5k, it will not be easy to find villa in compound
instead you can find good apartment outside in good district.

do you know the area of your husband work? I would suggest to live near to the work as Riyadh is very crowded and big area.

Best luck

Lion R.E wrote:

Welcome mshwc1

in my opinion, let your husband negotiate with them to get more.
As his qualifications are very high.

this package is good for some people who are already here. but moving from nice Paris to here... not that good


Thank you Lion R.E,
Your answer is very clear and conscise.

My Husband is not that enthusiastic about the offer.

He think that He deserves more since, Thanks GOD, He has qualifcations from accredited universities in France and USA.

What make him dissapointed, He believes, He would get more if he was not been considered just North African. His French citizenship is under process. This way of classifying people makes us very surprised!

Lion R.E wrote:

for you to apply for a medical job in the hospitals, english is a must.


You mean, be FLUENT
I used to speack english very well, but since all my studies are in French, I ended up by forgetting it.

I ll try to practice and improve it inchALLAH.

Lion R.E wrote:

with 55.5k, it will not be easy to find villa in compound
instead you can find good apartment outside in good district.


With such budget (55.5k), is it possible to get a small apartment (1-2 BDR) in a compound?

Lion R.E wrote:

do you know the area of your husband work? I would suggest to live near to the work as Riyadh is very crowded and big area.

Best luck


I think it s a Sulaimania Area.

Again, thank you Lion R.E for your adivces.

mshwc1 wrote:

Thank you Xenolol for your answer. Could you please explain.
You re thinking with 4625 SR/month we are not able to find a decent apartment in a western coumpound (1- 2 BDR)?


You re thinking I can find a job. Is it that easy? Should I need to speack a fluent english? All my medical classes were in French :(.

Do you know examples of recruiters to whom I can apply?

Do you mean I may get a package better than the one that my husband is getting right now?


My opinion comes from your coming from Paris, and my making assumptions based on that.

In the end only you can determine if the salary is worth your time and experience. That said....

Compound housing goes for over 100,000 SAR a year. And there are long waiting lists. 4625 just won't afford it. You need a job offer that includes more for housing or includes the housing itself.

You will need to speak English, yes. How well depends on who you work for. If you can communicate effectively and interview well you should be ok. Having had all your classes in French would be no trouble, many doctors are from other countries with English as a second language. Depending on the company you may need to have a document proving your English ability.

Yes, you should be able to find a better package than the one you shared. And if your package comes with housing (which it should) you could easily, depending on your spending habits, save all the money from the salary proposed for your husband. Riyadh can be very cheap or very expensive (excluding the housing cost), it depends on how you live/spend.

Google for "Riyadh recruiters doctors" or look up hospitals directly (example: NGHA .med.sa recruitment) and start accounts on places like Bayt to find job opportunities (remember government jobs do not pay as well as private sector, but it can be a jumping off point).

Good luck!

mshwc1 wrote:

Dear expats,



Is with 4625 SR, is it possible to find a 2 Bedrooms appart/villa in a decent (correct not crap) area in Riyadh?
.


You can find a one bedroom or studio in the western compound fully furnished 50000 SR up 100000 SR .. i can help you if you like .

You are welcome mshwc1

Yes, you should be able to speak and write english very well also can understand and explain the medical terminologies.

Sure the healthcare council (MOH regulatory) will make you a test in order to work with government hospitals and I disagree with the guy above.  Government hospitals pay good 

I thought so, that it would be Sulimaniah or olaya
In general speaking north riyadh areas are nice.
You can find good apartment in those areas outside compounds.

For compounds there are waiting lists and it cost more.

I feel you are Muslim? true?

At the end, wish you the best luck.

Xenolol wrote:

My opinion comes from your coming from Paris, and my making assumptions based on that.

In the end only you can determine if the salary is worth your time and experience. That said....


Thank you Xenolol for your answer and the time spent considering our request.
We appreciate your advice. You re right, moving from Paris to Riyadh, seems like changing the world :). Hope It s not :)

Xenolol wrote:

Compound housing goes for over 100,000 SAR a year. And there are long waiting lists. 4625 just won't afford it. You need a job offer that includes more for housing or includes the housing itself.


We have been said that the Housing allowance respect the formula of: 3 times of the Basic salary.

Having more H A, requires having more Basic Salary :(

Xenolol wrote:

You will need to speak English, yes. How well depends on who you work for. If you can communicate effectively and interview well you should be ok. Having had all your classes in French would be no trouble, many doctors are from other countries with English as a second language. Depending on the company you may need to have a document proving your English ability.


Thank you for those precisions. I am working on it, as you can see, I m trying to practice :)

Xenolol wrote:

Yes, you should be able to find a better package than the one you shared. And if your package comes with housing (which it should) you could easily, depending on your spending habits, save all the money from the salary proposed for your husband. Riyadh can be very cheap or very expensive (excluding the housing cost), it depends on how you live/spend.


I m glad that there is a chance to find a job once there. But is there any restriction related to my husband IQAMA status?

Concerning my Husband, does he can change the job if He find a better offer? Is there any restrictions?


Xenolol wrote:

Google for "Riyadh recruiters doctors" or look up hospitals directly (example: NGHA .med.sa recruitment) and start accounts on places like Bayt to find job opportunities (remember government jobs do not pay as well as private sector, but it can be a jumping off point).


Thank you again for all thoses very useful informations. I ll chack that and let you know how things go :)
Good luck to all of us and again thank you VERY MUCH!

Mohammed 123 wrote:

You can find a one bedroom or studio in the western compound fully furnished 50000 SR up 100000 SR .. i can help you if you like .


Thank you Mohamed for proposing your help.

You re saying there will be chance to find a 1 BDR fully furnished apartement in western compound  for 50000SR.
That s great!

Can you please help us, getting more informations concerning such flat?

Is there any contact, web sites, etc?

We appreciate your help.

Lion R.E wrote:

You are welcome mshwc1

Yes, you should be able to speak and write english very well also can understand and explain the medical terminologies.

Sure the healthcare council (MOH regulatory) will make you a test in order to work with government hospitals and I disagree with the guy above.  Government hospitals pay good


Hi Lion R.E,
Again, thank you for your answer and your advices,
I m trying to practice my english and hope, I ll be fine for the test :)

Lion R.E wrote:

I thought so, that it would be Sulimaniah or olaya
In general speaking north riyadh areas are nice.
You can find good apartment in those areas outside compounds.


I m glad, we can found a decent apartment in the neighberhood of my husband's place of work.
So Sulimaniah is a nice place?

Lion R.E wrote:

For compounds there are waiting lists and it cost more.


We are considering compounds because we heard that life there is more animated and less boring. Is outside, like the area you re mentioning, is fine. I mean, we can enjoy our time there?

Lion R.E wrote:

I feel you are Muslim? true?


Yes I am muslim, from Tunisia, living with my husband in France.

Lion R.E wrote:

At the end, wish you the best luck.


Wish you too all the Best. We really appreciate your help and thank you a LOT for spending your time answering our unlimited questions :)