# Evaluating Job Offer



## ASinghnl (Jul 15, 2021)

Dear Members,

I have been offered a job in Abu Dhabi as a scientist. I am trying to evaluate this offer, could anyone of you help me with this and share your experience.

My Profile: Doctorate holder from EU, 10 years of experience (academic & Industrial) and over a dozen scientific articles as first author.

Offer: The basic pay 24000, plus housing allowance 12000, plus transportation allowance 4000, schooling allowance 1600 (per child), flight ticket allowance (once a year) and Insurance. This all adds upto approximately 43K AED per month.

Question: Is this normal to pay for a professional for a work week of 48 hours ?

My gut feeling is that the basic salary is low, it should be around 35K plus allowances. 

Any help is much appreciated.

Thank you


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
The package certainly feels a bit light!
My son is 16 years old and goes to a British school in Abu Dhabi - the annual fees are 96,333 AED per year.
So depending on what type and level of school you are looking at - and the number and ages of your kids, you might find that school fees will be crippling here!
Depending on whether you want to live on or off Abu Dhabi island and whether you want to live in a villa or apartment - then the housing allowance is also quite low.
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
What type of housing are you looking to live in and where would this be relative to your work and kids school?
Cheers
Steve


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## ASinghnl (Jul 15, 2021)

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> The package certainly feels a bit light!
> My son is 16 years old and goes to a British school in Abu Dhabi - the annual fees are 96,333 AED per year.
> So depending on what type and level of school you are looking at - and the number and ages of your kids, you might find that school fees will be crippling here!
> ...


Hi Steve, Thanks for your reply. Right now I am evaluating if this is a fair offer in terms of my education and experience. Yes, I understand that the fees and other part will play a very critical role. But if this is the final offer and is the market standard then nothing will change while negotiation.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
Forgetting the school fees allowance - the package they are offering is 40,000 per month.
The only reason they split it into three different amounts - is to reduce the end of service benefits, when you finally complete your contract.
Depending on what you earn currently in your home country - you need to look at how much of an uplift this is - especially if you pay high income taxes.
I doubt this is the final offer - most things are highly negotiable here!
The two key things to remember - are whether there are other people available from anywhere in the world that could do exactly the same thing as you - and what is the added value that you will be bringing to this role.
If your position and experience are fairly unique and you will add a lot of value - then you will be in a stronger position to negotiate.
If you are happy to live in a small, low cost apartment, drive an old small car and send your kids to a cheap school - then the salary offered will be huge!
Cheers
Steve


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## ASinghnl (Jul 15, 2021)

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> Forgetting the school fees allowance - the package they are offering is 40,000 per month.
> The only reason they split it into three different amounts - is to reduce the end of service benefits, when you finally complete your contract.
> Depending on what you earn currently in your home country - you need to look at how much of an uplift this is - especially if you pay high income taxes.
> ...


Hi Steve, Thank you again. So very cleverly done, I will reject it. I bring a lot of expertise and experience. Ofcourse I could be edged out if they choose someone cheaper but that would cost them more money indirectly. Thank you again.


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