Hi Friends,
My Husband has got an offer from Belgium , with a take home salary of 2.000€ net per month (in pocket). We are only two and have moderate style of living.
We are currently residing in Saudi Arabia and earning 7000 USD tax free salary/month.
He is an Industrial Engineer with 8 years of experience.
Since Europe is a lucrative market and I can find a decent job too there which I can not do in Saudi .
What will you guys advise based on salary package and conditions i mentioned is it a better option?
All pros and cons, positive and negative comments are welcome. Thanks a lot friends
Need help, guidance and advise (Immediate)
zoyakhan
28 October 2017 00:39:54
4
angelathegreat
28 October 2017 11:13:27
33
What else is included in with the salary? A car? Rent? etc. Where is the position located?
zoyakhan
28 October 2017 11:56:12
4
Based in Brussels, no car and other benefits.
aalizme
28 October 2017 12:55:57
2
I have been through the same situation. I was getting paid around 6500$ in saudi and was offered 2500 euros in Antwerp. I was excited to go, went there, did not like it and now I am back.
The thing is you cannot save much there. Rent of a decent apartment would be around 650 to 700 euros. around 300 would go for food. Grocery is expensive too, 21% VAT. Transportation!! .There aint no return ticket for annual vacations like we get here in Saudi.
Minimum salary in Belgium is 1500 euros so if u can get a job that would get u guys some savings but getting job aint that easy. you need to know the language especially when job involves dealing with locals.
zoyakhan
28 October 2017 13:29:28
4
Thanks for the response, what you think based on your experience what should be the decent salary for a family of two. Were you residing with family
When did you left Saudi (year) and how long did you stay in Belgium.
angelathegreat
30 October 2017 08:10:58
33
We were in a similar situation coming from the US. We had saved up a fair amount of money to help with the transition and to help buy a home. We left for a better work life balance (and less focus on money and things). The salary you need depends on the lifestyle you are looking for.
Salaries in Belgium often include a company car. Without that, I would not consider that salary personally.
MOHCTEP
30 October 2017 19:58:53
100
I would advise you against accepting employment in Belgium. It is extremely xenophobic (racist) country to anyone who is not Dutch or French depending on the location. Don't think that because there are lot of foreigners, immigrants or because Brussels is the capital of EU then Belgium must be very international and open minded. No sir. No matter what your skin color Belgians will make you feel like unwelcomed guest all the same. So that is my overall advice.
As far as salary is concerned look at Glassdoor.com for salaries. Remember that in Belgium if you make over 60K per year your effective tax rate will be close to 50%. With one dependent it could drop to 45-46% range . If you make over 70K and receive bonuses those 13 and 14 salaries that Belgians like to mention so much they are not considered salaries by tax authorities, but bonuses. These bonuses will be taxed at over 60% rate.
My effective tax rate in Belgium is 61%. Choose any other country in Europe and you will be better off. I calculated that between myself and my wife we overpaid 35,000 EUR to Belgium compared to neighboring countries. Is it worth it ? No way in hell, it is complete waste of your time and money. You are better off saving $$ in SA and investing these savings in RE or stocks than taking low salary in Belgium.
You think you can get job in Belgium? Think again. Belgians convinced that they are the best at everything and would always hire Belgian before any foreigner.
Do you speak Dutch? No? Forget about coming to Belgium as 70-80% of population does not speak English and when addressed in English react like mad cows.
You will get stares from Belgians when speaking English in public. Our neighbors yelled "Speak Dutch!" to our backs when we spoke Swedish to each other.
I find Belgium to be the best at several things: moderate-climate, proximity to other countries, nice castles and cheap wine prices. Apartment rent is one of the lowest in Western EU if you find landlord who wants to rent to suspicious foreigner. As all foreigners are suspicious to Belgians you will have heck of a time to find a place. Even RE agents would not want to deal with you , because they know how racist landlords and neighbors are and would not want to waste their time showing you apartments.
Good luck.
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