Urgent!! help needed to decide on an offer

Hi,

I am an Indian s/ w enggnr with 9 yrs exp my salary here in India is 21lakhs/ annum. And employed with a top MNC

I have been offered a below package.

Option 1. salary 20, 000 Sar/ month + medical + return flights + bonus+ relocation allowance(if I am on direct payroll of the company, it's government funded IT company .)

Option 2. salary 24, 000 Sar/ month + medical + return flight (no bonus or relocation allowance as u will be on third party contract)

Which is the better option....and is 24 or 20 k good salary , considering my salary in India is pretty good based on my exp.

Also my wife work as a test engrr in IT , how easy it's for her to secure a job if not in IT may be as a teacher and what salary can she expect.

All pointers and help appreciated

hey and welcome to the blog
i would say take the 20K one
but what about Housing?
housing is the Big point here , are they providing you the housing? or its included in the 20K\24K package ?

Hey,

Thanks for the quick and prompt reply, no! housing and transportation is not extra and that would be something that I had to manage of my own. The inclusion is medical + flight + paid holiday of a month

if this is the case , I would take the 24K , get myself a GOOD-apartment and save the rest of the money for something else


GOODLUCK :)

Thanks a ton.. but how about jobs for female in the IT industry(my wife) , and if not much scope there for females, how easy it's for her to secure a job if not in IT may be as a teacher and what salary can she expect.

Ash_adorable wrote:

Thanks a ton.. but how about jobs for female in the IT industry(my wife) , and if not much scope there for females, how easy it's for her to secure a job if not in IT may be as a teacher and what salary can she expect.


Being on Company sponsorship is something I would recommend (especially with all the saudization drive at present), and I agree housing is going to be a significant cost. (I would check with employer about housing...you will need to pay at least 6 months rent in advance).

Opportunities for your wife are going to be very limited.

Thanks again for the quick and prompt reply, you guys relieved lot of my tension

Also would like to know

1. Can you switch jobs easily in Saudi?
2. Can you bring your parents in saudi as your depended?

Thanks again

Ash_adorable wrote:

Thanks again for the quick and prompt reply, you guys relieved lot of my tension

Also would like to know

1. Can you switch jobs easily in Saudi?
2. Can you bring your parents in saudi as your depended?

Thanks again


Switching jobs can be slightly tricky if your current employer does not take kindly to you leaving him (due to variety of reasons). However after 1 year you are legally allowed transfer yourself to another company if you get a better offer, but as mentioned before if your current employer is disgruntled about it he might not give you a release and opt to send you back rather than see you work for someone else.

Parent can be brought easily on a visit visa, not permanent like your wife & kids.

Thanks this been great,

So with salary 24k , and with below mentioned liabilities what would i be able to save

1. 2 BR flat (I am ok living in an apartment in a safe area and would opt for a compound)
2. 4 Year Old Son , Need to have him in an Indian School
3.  Utility Bills (Internet and other Bills)
4.  Transport (Initial two months when will not have a car)
5. Groceries for 3 of us

Thanks

May I ask which city you are going to be based in? If there is no mention of housing in your contract, then you should think about it a little more harder.

As for your wife, you can get jobs easily as a teacher, especially here in Jeddah, as there are tons of private Indian schools. The only trouble is that recently the govt has been cracking down on employees who are not on their sponsor's visa. So technically, your wife is not allowed to work as she is under your visa and she will have to transfer to the potential employer's sponsorship. But in reality, most of the teachers in private schools are here on husband's visa.

1-Most of the compounds require you to be on a waiting list to get an apartment/house and the duration of the wait can wary between a few weeks to a few years, depending on the popularity of the compound. And because you won't be getting an extra allowance for housing and your company won't provide you with housing, compounds can be a bit on the expensive side.

Groceries are really cheap especially for a small family like yours. You won't be spending more than a couple of hundred riyals per week on your weekly shopping, but then again, your mileage may vary.

Ash_adorable wrote:

Thanks this been great,

So with salary 24k , and with below mentioned liabilities what would i be able to save

1. 2 BR flat (I am ok living in an apartment in a safe area and would opt for a compound)
2. 4 Year Old Son , Need to have him in an Indian School
3.  Utility Bills (Internet and other Bills)
4.  Transport (Initial two months when will not have a car)
5. Groceries for 3 of us

Thanks


1. 2 BR flat which is spacious and pretty can be had for SAR 35k - 40k a year in a decent neighborhood. Per month breakup would be SAR  3k - 3.3k

2. I'm not 100% sure but a very liberal estimate would be SAR 1500 per month in tuition. Admission fee might vary. Both depend on the schools standing and caliber though.

3. Utility bills wont be too much trouble. Max SAR 600 per month for net, electricity and landline phone.

4. Transport depends on how you choose to move about? Rent a car or taxi? Normal sedan such as a Hyundai elantra can be had for SAR 95 a day. Need a valid drivers license and iqama for it though! Public transport such as buses and train are non-existent.
Once you get settled in, you can get a lease of 4 years(if company isnt gonna provide you with a car) for SAR 2000 or so you can get options for a lot of sedans and maybe some 4x4's too.

5. Groceries for 2 adults and 1 child should not be more than SAR 3000 if you spend liberally and go out to eat a few times during the week.

Oops, I only just saw that you posted it under the "Riyadh" forum. Apologies for asking which city you are going to :)

Thanks again.. I am overwhelmed with joy to get such quick responses ...:)

hishmaj,

May I ask what would be the salary of a teacher and do the teachers get a accommodation too.

As for my wife she is Master's In Comp Science with 7+ years of IT experience.

Thanks Again

man go for offer one.

Also Guys just want to know if this salary good enough for my experience. I am trying to evaluate if I am getting rightly paid

Thanks again :)
Ashish

Ash_adorable wrote:

Also Guys just want to know if this salary good enough for my experience. I am trying to evaluate if I am getting rightly paid

Thanks again :)
Ashish


From a general point of view it seems ok. But in order to get a 100% no BS opinion you need to find someone in a similar capacity employed in KSA or Middle East and then compare packages. No one here can help you out without having detailed knowledge of your current employment and experiences either.

The fact that you are getting twice what you are currently earning is a good sign to begin with.

A)take offer 1 .. but see below
B)your savings pm SR 20k - car 2k - hold 3k - rent- 4k - school (American/British)4k - misc 1k = SR 6K realistically. If you take house in a compound the annual rent may be annual 75k and more. Flats means no use of balcony. Most families in this level stay in family compound where rent is more.
C) your wife canget a job in school- salary - 1k to 2k
D) Qaulity of school is nothing compared to India. I left because of school qulity only. If you take Indian school , you can save 3k per month but quality is ???
E) multpiler to your Indian salary is not even 2x .. so tool low in my calulcation. ( Assuming SR=INR14 ; 20kx12x14=INR33.6 not even 2x of 21). How much can be the bonus? say 3 months add. Plus the costs here are high. All I know come at 2x or more muliplier minimum.
F)switiching jobs is not easy

[email protected]

Thanks Vivek,

This was extremely helpfull can we talk on Skype if thats convinient

Many thanks
Ashish

vivek22 wrote:

E) multpiler to your Indian salary is not even 2x .. so tool low in my calulcation. ( Assuming SR=INR14 ; 20kx12x14=INR33.6 not even 2x of 21). How much can be the bonus? say 3 months add. Plus the costs here are high. All I know come at 2x or more muliplier minimum.


But I Guess 21 In India is Equivalent to 15 or less in Hand !! So I guess this is a good Amount considering his mid level experience and moreover the Cost of living is not that high here in Saudi and this increases the saving potential by leaps and bounds :)

@saimans : something good for you may not be good for others. 2x rule is minimum I have seen in 100% of my knowns in 10yr exp level.

Cost of living : House rent in India INR 20k per month , In KSA in an  Asian compound I was paying SR 4k pm = INR 56k pm.

For cleaning house & utensils only -Domestic help in India = INR 300pm ;  In KSA =SR 250(INR 3500)pm

I can give you a complete list, want to compare?

@ Vivek - This 33.2 (What you have calculated) is NON-TAXABLE, I hope you understand that !!

Ash_adorable wrote:

May I ask what would be the salary of a teacher and do the teachers get a accommodation too.


Legally She will not be allowed to work, Since she would be coming to Saudi under your Sponsorship and having no work permit. These days the system is getting strict day by day and already such teachers working in the schools have left for good !!

@saimans : thanks for  enlightening that salary in KSA(and GCC) is non-taxable. I was not aware of it really after having lived here for 3 years. Also I did forget  that I paid income tax in India.

But my views are my views.