# Salary negotiation tips for a Director level chap in Consulting?



## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

I am about to enter the murkey water of Dubai Salaries and Packages.

While the range of benefits and scale of salaries seem to vary enormously do any Brits out here that have gone through this have "tips" and "watch outs"

I'm in the IT sector, Consulting and have come from a Director/MD level role in the UK. Benchmarks are difficult so I'm just looking for some ideas on how to negotiate and maximise my package.

I plan on bringing my Wife and Son (15) out next year so it'll be me alone for 12 months.

All help - stories and traps welcomed as I always feel uncomfortable around the sticky subject of money.

If anyone is at this level and would prefer to pm me I'd welcome a phone conversation as I understand people may not want to share specifics openly.

Thanks in advance.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
The key is to ensure that you are going to be working for a reputable company that pays salaries regularly and on time.
I know many people (myself included) that have worked for companies that don't pay on time.
When I left my last company, they owed me three months salary and a whole year of commission.
They gave me three post dated cheques (that fortunately cleared).
Make sure you find out the reputation of the company before you actually join them.
Feel free to PM me if you want a chat on the phone.
Cheers
Steve


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Make sure *everything* offered to you - including bonuses, schools, housing etc - is in writing prior to starting. If some things are only on completion a probation period, make sure that is in writing now or you'll never see it down the line. 

Also, loose the British reserve regarding money. You're going to have to, to avoid being ripped off if you move out anyway, so best get in the practice now.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Hi Steve, good point, the company concerned is well established and part of large international group.

They have also employed and relocated people from the uk and us, so while there are no guarantees it looks good.

Pm would be good. Are you in a similar industry or at a similar level?
Thanks again.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Yep planning to bounce of a mate for negotiation.

Tips I've found so far...

Never name a price first
Never accept the first offer


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## Balla Boy (Jan 3, 2015)

Having relocated recently, my "if I'd known" column has been about unforeseen costs that I'd not bottomed out properly and therefore not really negotiated. 

So healthcare for my wife and son is going to cost me $6,500 a year. I'd foolishly based my estimations on top line figures given on expat sites that regularly quote a fraction of that, and on my experience of the UK system where, again, I'd be looking at a fraction of that. 

Processing visas for my wife and son cost c.7,000 aed (done via an agency as I was just too busy to cart paperwork from pillar to post). I'd not seen that sort of estimate given anywhere. 

You'll need to add 10% to any housing budget - 5% agency fee, 5% deposit up front on top of your annual rent.

If you've been offered annual flights home as part of your package, verify the actual cash value of the reimbursement provided. Having done so at this end, we'd have to be very selective about our dates for it to cover the whole cost. 

If you're being offered free accommodation for a month on arrival, which seems to be common, push for two months. You won't be able to do anything at all to get yourself sorted and into a property while your visa, emirates ID, bank account etc are all in process. That eats your first month and you either end up in a desperate rush to sort a rental once legal or forking out of your own pocket for an extended stay in an apart-hotel. When they tell you that it will all be sorted in time for you to move out by the end of your month, they're not lying - it's just that the bureaucracy here is pretty unpredictable. 

My headlines would be to push for as many of your bens as possible to be extended to the family, and push for as long a landing period in company funded accommodation as they'll bear. 

On the actual job package front my only note of caution would be to keep any eye on anything in your performance related element that is dependent on clients paying invoices. Getting paid for work done seems to be the main challenge that a lot of businesses out here face, even with government entities. They seem to get paid eventually, but don't be thinking that an invoiced amount put out in month one is going to be paid in that quarter (or even half year) by the client. Debtor days run at rates that would see a UK finance function sacked en mass. 

As I said, I'm pretty new and have probably embarrassed myself by admitting to some of these now obvious errors, but hope it helps.


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## Balla Boy (Jan 3, 2015)

bluebossa said:


> Yep planning to bounce of a mate for negotiation.
> 
> Tips I've found so far...
> 
> ...



On general salary negotiation tips (speaking as someone who headhunts at board level for a living) I'd say be careful with this sort of technique. 

Most organisations are going to want a sense of your expectations. They're running P&Ls and they're conscious of cost and overpaying. But, more importantly, they're wary of people who don't know their worth. The general assumption is that someone who won't put details of their current package on the table is hiding something - usually that they've over-egged their importance to their current business and are actually paid a lot less than they might have let on. 

Some people are bothered by this, but it's how it is to be honest. 

The hard thing with relocating to a different market is knowing where to benchmark yourself given the expected premiums. 

My general observation so far in Dubai is not to expect a huge uplift. Employers are aware that they're offering you a tax free package, so you're getting an uplift. Living costs are high, but not really any higher than London. Dubai is by no means a hardship posting, so you're not going to get clubbed over the head with a bag of cash and dragged there in the way that the Saudis or Qataris might seek to. 

The job market here is actually fairly competitive, and packages reflect that.

General rule of thumb (and massively open to correction from more experienced people here, and hugely dependent on your field) is that I'd say you're unlikely to beat the 20%ish uplift on your package that you might expect in the UK unless you're taking a considerable career step. 

Robert Half have a fairly useful and thorough salary guide here:

UAE Salary Guide | Robert Half

It may not have your role per se, but it's a good indicator of where the market bench marks.


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## Balla Boy (Jan 3, 2015)

Sorry to trundle on, but....

As food for thought, I'm in the process of appointing a partner level individual in the middle east operation of a major global consultancy. They flat out can't afford the salaries equivalent individuals in other global markets, including Australia and New Zealand. Their willingness to move here will be dependent on their willingness to compromise on gross for a bigger net.


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

Honestly, being a Director/MD means very little in this country, from my experience. Everyone likes bigger titles so they get given them. So, really, it's more about the company you're planning on working for and the sector. I think you mentioned the sector in another thread but I forget. Best advice might be to see if you have any linkedin connections to the company in the UAE and see if you can reach out and ask questions to someone.

Make sure you have a list of all the considerations:

Base salary (what they'll base severance pay on, so they typically offer a low base wage)
Bonuses (they're not as easy to get as back home in IT sectors)
Visas (for you and your family)
Medical care (Does it come with dental? Is it for the whole family?)
1 return flight home a year (should come as standard for the whole family. Is it an actualy flight or do you get cash?)
School allowance vs fees (I don't have children but from what I hear: YIKES)
Car allowance
Housing Allowance (Do you get it upfront yearly? Monthly? Do you get it or does the company pay direct to landlord?)
 freezone or non-freezone visa?

But I think you have the gist.
Let them make the first offer, don't accept the first offer, negotiate, get it ALL in writing.

P took a 10% pay cut on the base salary to come out here but without 40% income tax, and all the extras (like not spending the entire housing allowance), we managed to save a good amount in only two years.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Great insight, thanks


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## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

Balla Boy said:


> ...But, more importantly, they're wary of people who don't know their worth. The general assumption is that someone who won't put details of their current package on the table is hiding something - usually that they've over-egged their importance to their current business and are actually paid a lot less than they might have let on...


for someone in a senior leadership role, this is excellent advice...

i expect my programmers to play the coy "tell me your number first" game, but would never accept it from one of my direct reports... infact, if one of my direct reports did the "show me yours first" at an interview, i would very likely move on to the next guy...

the whole "lets get them interested first, and when they are hooked, reel them in" only works for positions that are lower on the food chain...


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

*Package now in - comments welcomed*

So offer in today, and for those who've helped and all those looking at roles in Dubai this should help, what do you think?

Consists of the following elements high level:


Base Salary - equates exactly to what I was on in the UK - Gross so Tax Free of course
End of Year Bonus of between one and three months Salary
50% of Package is Base Salary
25% Housing - paid Jan and July 6 months in advance - interest free loan
25% Transport Allowance
Annual Tickets Home - 50% of Wife and Sons Tickets
Medical Insurance including Dental - 50% of Wife and Sons Medical and Dental
Up to 3 months Temporary Accommodation Serviced Apartment - Comes out of Housing element of package
22 Days Holiday - these are working days rather than Calendar days, don't really get this, but means you don't get robbed of long weekends? - maybe someone can explain.
Visas - Costs of My Visa process covered - + 50% of Wife and Sons Visa Application when they come.

Look forward to hearing what all you Expats think and where to negotiate.

I've been round a small base negotiation loop already - the rest is all to be put in writing.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

bluebossa said:


> [*]22 Days Holiday - these are working days rather than Calendar days, don't really get this, but means you don't get robbed of long weekends? - maybe someone can explain.


If you take a Thursday off, some companies deduct the weekend from your holiday entitlement too. This is because many workers go on one block of 30 days leave per year. If it was 30 working days plus weekends, the company would loose staff for around six consecutive weeks of the year.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

bluebossa said:


> Base Salary - equates exactly to what I was on in the UK - Gross so Tax Free of course
> End of Year Bonus of between one and three months Salary
> 50% of Package is Base Salary
> 25% Housing - paid Jan and July 6 months in advance - interest free loan
> ...


Without actual numbers, it's hard to comment on specifics but for a high level/director position, I'm surprised they are only covering 50% of your wife and son's tickets/medical etc.

My company covers 100% of my wife and kid's ticket home, insurance (including dental) and visa fees.

Also, something to consider is the 3 months temporary accommodations - assuming that's for when you first move here - you said it comes out of your annual accommodations package? If you end up using the entire 3 months then you'll probably be left with much less for the first year's rent. Maybe try to get 1 month temporary accommodations instead but have the company pay for it outright rather than the cost coming out of the accommodation allowance? But then again, it all depends on the numbers - maybe the 25% allowance is enough for you to manage the first 3 months temp + a year's rent.

Good luck!


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## Mzki (May 4, 2015)

This is my first post however I'm in a similar position (director level posting) and there are a few things that I would certainly consider.

To put in perspective I'm single, 30, and the company who headhunted me offered the following..

Salary.
50% of salary (on top and up front) for travel and accommodation.
2 weeks hotel accommodation for me and (if I had any) family.
3 months pay bonus. (OTE of course)
Return business class flights for family once a year. 
Full medical.

Although I have very few ties I have had to consider this carefully and I would very much advise finding a position and having full details before committing/certainly leaving the country. 
I would imagine, as in all countries, director level roles are often recruited directly via headhunters rather than ad-hoc. Certainly in London that is the case.

Best of luck!

M


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## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

my take... but then again, without actual numbers this is just gut feeling...



> [*]Annual Tickets Home - 50% of Wife and Sons Tickets


should be 100%...



> [*]Medical Insurance including Dental - 50% of Wife and Sons Medical and Dental


same as above...



> [*]Up to 3 months Temporary Accommodation Serviced Apartment - Comes out of Housing element of package


should be outside the accommodation allowance and a component of relocation...



> [*]Visas - Costs of My Visa process covered - + 50% of Wife and Sons Visa Application when they come.


this actually makes no sense... visa costs taken as part of the whole picture are not that much... should be 100% in my opinion...

what about education, if you will need that?


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## Froglet (May 7, 2014)

Yeh, without numbers we can't really help you. There are a couple of interesting things there though:

I find the transport allowance quite high (as a percentage). You better have a higher base salary as that is what counts towards your end of service benefits...

Tickets home, health insurance and visas should be paid in full by the company. I'm surprised they didn't give you that, especially at a director level...

Do they work 6 days a week of 5 days a week?

And regarding the 3 months temporary accommodation. What do you mean with "Comes out of Housing element of package"? So, basically you pay for that? Normally how it goes, the company arranges one month of accommodation which gives you time to sort everything out before you sign a tenancy contract yourself. The temporary accommodation is paid for by the company, not you.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

So further - the package offered so far is 40k per month all in.
End of Year Bonus also - 10 to 30% on top of this depending on personal and group performance.

Breakdown is 50% Basic, 25% Accommodation, 25% Travel.

Working week is 5 days, Sunday to Thursday

Agree with all the comments so far, it's really helpful getting your insight.

One more bit of information - 
While I am Director level, the role is a fair bit lower / more junior as that's what is on offer - lots of opportunity for Growth and I'd welcome the reduced responsibility - no direct reports or no P&L responsibility at this point.

Accommodation seems a bit mean too I agree.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

imac said:


> what about education, if you will need that?


No Education Allowance specifically.


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## Froglet (May 7, 2014)

How many years of experience do you have?

Although it appears to be a reasonable strategy to take a job below your level and grow through the company, but you can only grow if people above you move as well. The higher you get in an organization, the fewer movement there is, meaning that you could actually be stuck there for a while...

Maybe I missed it, but who will take care of schooling for your child? Will that be the company? Or do you have to pay that from your 40k?


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

Balla Boy said:


> My general observation so far in Dubai is not to expect a huge uplift. Employers are aware that they're offering you a tax free package, so you're getting an uplift. Living costs are high, but not really any higher than London. Dubai is by no means a hardship posting, so you're not going to get clubbed over the head with a bag of cash and dragged there in the way that the Saudis or Qataris might seek to.


Unless you're in consulting like me, and therefore paid well below market value by virtue of it. The difference is greater than it would be in industry in the western world.


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## JhonnyLever (Apr 24, 2015)

These numbers are way too low. Unless you are coming in at a Manager/Sr Manager level.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

That's not a good package. They're effectively robbing you by giving you 25% of your salary as a transport allowance (you get an end of service payment linked to your basic salary exclusive of allowances) - I doubt there's any CEO's in Dubai who get a genuine transport allowance of AED 10k per month.

Personally I wouldn't be leaving a director level job in the UK for a more junior position in Dubai that pays the same salary but will probably eat at your pocket more. Especially for an employer who doesn't seem to be willing to "look after" your family.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Hmm - that's an OK package (certainly on a lower end) but only you can decide if it's worth the move.

The breakdown of package does sound poor. As others mentioned, 10k for transportation is very high, and as it reduces your base salary, your 'end of service' will be reduced. That's a nasty trick some companies play here in my opinion - not a good move.

Plus the education is a major factor. You should do a quick search on this forum and you'll get a good idea of what schooling will cost. It's incredibly high and will eat up quite a bit of your income. Again, surprised absolutely NO education fund is offered to a director level position - even if it was junior director or management level. Most 'good' companies I have heard of will offer an education allowance for management positions at the least.

Good luck with the decision.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Froglet said:


> How many years of experience do you have?
> 
> Although it appears to be a reasonable strategy to take a job below your level and grow through the company, but you can only grow if people above you move as well. The higher you get in an organization, the fewer movement there is, meaning that you could actually be stuck there for a while...
> 
> Maybe I missed it, but who will take care of schooling for your child? Will that be the company? Or do you have to pay that from your 40k?



Schooling will be down to me, no allowance as such - Schooling will only be starting one year from now, as my Son has to finish GCSEs in the UK so from Sept 2016.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

w_man said:


> Hmm - that's an OK package (certainly on a lower end) but only you can decide if it's worth the move.
> 
> The breakdown of package does sound poor. As others mentioned, 10k for transportation is very high, and as it reduces your base salary, your 'end of service' will be reduced. That's a nasty trick some companies play here in my opinion - not a good move.
> 
> ...


Thanks - what would you think the breakdown/split should be?

I think the Education fund seems to be phasing out from a lot of local employers - only the big boys are still offering that lure it seems.

I think they are going to come back with one more improved offer, then I can negotiate on the breakdown and the elements I think.

Some work still to do from the comments.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Is 'expat package' dead in UAE? 

"A recent poll run by Emirates 24|7 revealed that a majority (92 per cent) of the respondents in the city are just used to getting a salary at the end of the month, which only includes house rent allowance and transport allowance to work."

Is 'expat package' dead in UAE? Here are most outrageous ones - Emirates 24|7

Seems like Education allowances have or are disappearing and are the exception rather than the rule now?


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Froglet said:


> How many years of experience do you have?
> 
> Although it appears to be a reasonable strategy to take a job below your level and grow through the company, but you can only grow if people above you move as well. The higher you get in an organization, the fewer movement there is, meaning that you could actually be stuck there for a while...
> 
> Maybe I missed it, but who will take care of schooling for your child? Will that be the company? Or do you have to pay that from your 40k?


10 YEARS Experience in the Sector...


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

the previous company I worked with did not offer an education allowance. So you needed to negotiate the package after taking into account your own expenses.


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## imac (Oct 14, 2012)

bluebossa said:


> Seems like Education allowances have or are disappearing and are the exception rather than the rule now?


thats a bit of a false statement... yes, lumpsum contracts are becoming more common, but by no way is the "expat" package at the point of needing life support...

what companies *are* doing is increasingly offering lumpsum (everything all in one big number) on the time limited contracts (that is, when your contract specifically sets out a limit, after which point, you either move on or you both mutually renew the contract for a further period) and offer the "expat" packages to their unlimited contracts (which means you dont have a set finish date and are employed until you either get fired or leave)... 

companies are increasingly recruiting people on time limited contracts for a number of reasons... but they still continue to recruit people on unlimited contracts, specially in key operational and senior leadership positions...


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

bluebossa said:


> Thanks - what would you think the breakdown/split should be?
> 
> I think the Education fund seems to be phasing out from a lot of local employers - only the big boys are still offering that lure it seems.
> 
> ...



Well, I am just commenting on the practice of splitting the salary in such a way to reduce your base salary (specially since this is done to avoid paying a higher end of service). This practice doesn't seem 'ethical' for a lack of better word. Otherwise, personally, I would say you don't really 'need' more than 3-4k per month for a car so your base salary could easily be set to 25-26k instead of 20k.

As others have said, education fund might not be very common but your overall salary certainly needs to include enough to cover the cost of kids education. I know a few people who have this either split up in their package or it's simply part of their salary. A good school here will cost you anywhere between 60 - 90k per year. So keep in mind that you could be paying 6-7k per year for schooling. I would certainly negotiate your salary so that you're comfortable paying that each month out of pocket. I personally wouldn't stay here if my employer didn't cover all or majority of the cost of my kid's school - it wouldn't be worth it for me personally.

I think overall your package seems decent and you *should* be able to live off that comfortably (school fees is still a stickler for me) but I think most are suggesting that it's on a lower end simply because you're being offered a junior director or management level position. I would personally expect more but that's just me.


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## Balla Boy (Jan 3, 2015)

bluebossa said:


> So further - the package offered so far is 40k per month all in.
> End of Year Bonus also - 10 to 30% on top of this depending on personal and group performance.
> 
> Breakdown is 50% Basic, 25% Accommodation, 25% Travel.
> ...



Depending on where you want to live, a villa for a family is going to cost you c.180k-200k. Plus the 10% you'll fork out in deposit and agency fees. 

Schooling for your son will cost another 60k (possibly more - it seems to go up a fair bit for older kids). 

Healthcare for your wife and son will cost you another (ish) 25,000 a year. 

So you're going to be out 260,000 or so of that 480,000 a year from the off. 

Before taking bonuses into account, you'll be living on about 3k sterling a month, which will have to cover bills, entertainment and a car. 

Depending on role/industry, I think it sounds a bit low. It's very easy to look at 85k sterling after tax and assume you'll be doing well, but the cost of housing here puts a very significant dent in your monthly income. 

I would definitely push back on the three months accomodation coming out of your overall housing allowance. 

I'd also push back on the "payable twice a year" element in your housing allowance. That's going to be tricky, I'd say. 120k a year isn't going to cover your rent, so 60k up front with deposits etc still to meet doesn't look very convincing at all. Unless you've got a reasonable slice of cash in the bank coming over, you're going to be left needing to find an additional lump sum at move in and at 6 months. Rent is payable in one, two or possibly four cheques but you'd want the freedom to shop around and not be restricted to places that will only take two. Even if they give you the 120 up front, you're going to need a top up from your own funds or a rental loan (which are easily secured). Either way, it's not a particularly useful structure for the support they're offering. But at least if you got it up front you'd have a bit more freedom. If not, you're as well having a rental loan and for the housing allowance to be spread out to match the 12 month payments (even though that might cost a bit more). At least you're not going to have to find a lump sum to top up your housing allowance in month 6 when you've only just finished laying out for everything else. 

Only you know if the salary works for you, but push back on the structure of the housing allowance, push back on the healthcare and flights, and make sure you're factoring in the cost of schooling. 

You can live comfortably for what they're offering out here. It's pricey, but if you're not going to brunches every weekend or renting a porsche you can keep your costs down. The tricky part, especially in year one, is navigating the big, lumpy payments - a year's rent up front (though that's avoidable), furnishing an unfurnished house/apartment, the fact that rentals don't come with white goods, the up front costs of healthcare policies, the lumpy term-based school fees etc. It's cash flow that breaks your balls rather than overall affordability, at least in my experience.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

Thanks, the more answers I read the more unattractive it looks.

Overall I knew the Schooling was high over here and the rents too. Seems like a poorly structured offer now after absorbing your and other comments, which is exactly what this forum is about I guess.

A lot to think about but I am airing on the side of turning this down now, holding out for a better package overall. As tempting as the Tax free status makes it seem on the surface.

I have a couple of other options ongoing in Dubai though not at offer stage.
I've also got a further recruiter meeting later today and some fall back roles in the UK should all else fail.

Thanks for your time and your insightful commentary - very helpful to me and others I am sure.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

As an update, and following the great advice on this forum.

I've got the Package up to 50k Per month

Also I believe I've got the medical included and Flight and Visa costs I believe. Just waiting to see it in writing.

Plus amended the split of Base to Housing and Travel
More like 65% / 35% / 5% now 

Feeling like it might be a goer now, after turning it down at the weekend.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

bluebossa said:


> As an update, and following the great advice on this forum.
> 
> I've got the Package up to 50k Per month
> 
> ...


Hi,
That certainly sounds like a better deal!!
Cheers 
Steve


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

bluebossa said:


> As an update, and following the great advice on this forum.
> 
> I've got the Package up to 50k Per month
> 
> ...


That does sound like a much better deal. Ensure you are getting the full value of that package including the housing being paid to you and not to the landlord so you have access to the full amount. That way you can save some money if you find cheaper accommodations.

The extra 10k should handle schooling expenses too. And good to see you are waiting to get everything in writing. That's extremely important!

Good luck with the final decision.


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## Froglet (May 7, 2014)

Yeh, sounds MUCH better. However, it's pity that they first tried to 'trick' you and now all of a sudden you get a good package... Just make sure you get everything in writing.


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

w_man said:


> Well, I am just commenting on the practice of splitting the salary in such a way to reduce your base salary (specially since this is done to avoid paying a higher end of service). This practice doesn't seem 'ethical' for a lack of better word. Otherwise, personally, I would say you don't really 'need' more than 3-4k per month for a car so your base salary could easily be set to 25-26k instead of 20k.


OK - so renegotiated split on this advice too the following - many thanks for the help again:

Salary Breakdown: 
Basic – AED 30,000/-
Housing – AED 17,500/-
Transport – AED 2,500/-


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## JhonnyLever (Apr 24, 2015)

Hm.. Something doesn't add up. The total compensation you are posting adds up to about $165K USD, you had mentioned in the Original Post that you were Director/MD level in IT. These numbers aren't even close to what a Manager/Sr Manager in IT Big Five would be paid. 

My read, the company is taking advantage of your situation.






bluebossa said:


> OK - so renegotiated split on this advice too the following - many thanks for the help again:
> 
> Salary Breakdown:
> Basic – AED 30,000/-
> ...


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## bluebossa (Apr 26, 2015)

JhonnyLever said:


> Hm.. Something doesn't add up. The total compensation you are posting adds up to about $165K USD, you had mentioned in the Original Post that you were Director/MD level in IT. These numbers aren't even close to what a Manager/Sr Manager in IT Big Five would be paid.
> 
> My read, the company is taking advantage of your situation.


Yeah not really, this is me moving to a less stressful role and getting sponsored into Dubai.
I'm going in as a Consulting level person with a view to move up or onwards once over there. I am Director/MD here in the UK, but that has ended and to be honest I don't really want to be at that level again, people recruitment, P&L, hiring and firing etc.

So this is lifestyle change rather than an upwards career move.

I'm OK with the lower level role, responsibilities.

I'm also not hung up on Title - with no direct reports or P&L responsibility. It's effectively more money - tax free, for less responsibility - though I am sure lots of work. 

I just wanted to make sure the package would work out there.
This is also not Big 5 though it is with a large international employer, it's got some other attractions in the way it markets and what it actually is that appeal to me too. It's a change of scene overall.


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