# Job offer



## Las Vegas (Aug 16, 2008)

Hello everbody, this is great site and thanks for the valuable information you are a bunch of great guys and gals.

I need advice and opinions on the following:

I was contacted by an American company in Dubai for possible relocation and employment, apparently my name was given to them by somebody that I think I know. I responded positively sent my resume and they called me and mentioned that they will provide accomodation (up to $6000/month), Car allowance of $800 and I believe Utilities of $500 also they will provide for my son eductation in an American School (he is in 7th grade) and will also provide plane tickets to home country.

They asked me how much salary I am looking for, which I was not prepared to answer at the time by I mentioned that I currently make $150,000/year and did not give other answers. My wife makes another $50,000/year in her current job in addition to bonuses totaling $10,000 from my current company. 

It seems their offer will be between $150,000 and $160,000.
would that be considered fair offer given my current wages. If not and in your opinion, what would be a fair offer given the international relocation and leaving my current job, 10 years with same firm and 29 years civil engineering experience.

My wife who is encouraging the move will loose her job and wants to work in Dubai. My question, is it easy to find work as a professional for a woman, she has a degree in computer science. 

I have worked in Abu Dhabi from 1979 to 1984 so I know what to expect as far as life style and I know it is much more developed at this time.

I appreciate any opinions or advice as I am having hard time deciding the acceptable wages that is worth making the move.

Best Regards,


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Welcome to the forum!

If they offer what you have stated, I believe that that it is quite a good offer. However, you need to clarify whether the $150-160k would include all the allowances such as accommodation, etc that you have mentioned above. Employers and recruitment agents have a habit of quoting 'all-in' salary, which would include all your allowances as wll as your basic salary. Other thing to make sure of is that they will be covering all of the school fees as this can be quite expensive. I think that you should be looking for them to provide school fees over and above the $150k salary otherwise it will seriously eat into your earnings!

There are loads of women working in Dubai. I am a woman as well and moving to Dubai at the end of the month. There are loads of jobs available in Dubai. However, it would be a lot more difficult now to find a job than it would have been in the late 70s or early 80s. Saying that, as long as she is patient and is willing to do a lot of running around and phoning employers and recruitment agents, she should be able to find a job. As long as her CV stands out amongst the thousands that employers receive all the time and she is experienced, then she should be fine!

Hopefully, there will be a few senior civil engineers on here who will be able to comment further on your package. Best of luck with the decision.


----------



## Las Vegas (Aug 16, 2008)

Thank you very much for your reply, the $150,000 is base salary not including other allowances. I am trying to compare to my current situation to justify making the move.


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

In that case, I think that you have been offered a very good package. Accommodation will be your biggest outgoing and has to be paid annually and in advance. On top of that, add 5% agency fees and 5% deposit. I would advise for you to negotiate with your employer to give you your accommodation allowance upfront as an interest-free loan (they can deduct it from your salary on a month basis)

The following website will give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for accommodation: Dubai Property Real Estate – Rent, buy or Sale Properties in Dubai, UAE Apartments and Villas with Better Homes. Manage or Invest in Dubai Property with us.

$1 = 3.67 AED so you should have a good idea of what you will have to play with for accommodation, transport, etc but you will certainly be able to afford a really nice apartment!


----------



## Las Vegas (Aug 16, 2008)

I checked the web site that you recommended, I think the accomodation allowance is certainly adequate. I am looking for more feedback on the salary and if any available USA Expat can clarify how much tax I will pay (approximate figure) that will be really great.

Thanks again.


----------



## flossie (Jun 9, 2008)

I THINK (not American, so you'll have to check) you have to pay tax on anything over about 85,000USD a year. I'm not sure about state taxes.


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

I agree with Flossie. I am not American either but I remember seeing some information about tax liability for the US. If you search the threads, you should be able to find the information you need about taxes but if my memory serves me right, $85,000 is the cut-off point and as Flossie has said, everything above that is taxable. In regards to the package, hopefully someone else will be able to help you out. Just bear in mind that your basic salary would not be that much higher than it is in the US. It might even be lower. It is all the allowances that they add on top of your salary that drive up the value of the package. If anything, you are likely to get offered a low basic salary and extremely high allowances as when it comes to paying out gratuity, it is calculated on your basic salary only and would mean that your employer does not have to pay you a small fortune! Just be sure when you negotiate your salary package to include all the allowances that you want in that figure cause if you say you want $150k, this figure will be broken down to include your basic + allowances. Just make it clear when you get to the negotiation stage as everything is quoted as 'all-in' in the UAE.


----------

