Package offered - need help in deciding

@Lyle: IT Analyst in a financial institute.

Would you mind sharing what type of position this offer was? Did you mention finance?

Thanks

Congratulations and good luck! I hope we were part of your success in getting the company to raise the salary!

Mandi

HR came back with an increase to 45K and 4-5 months salary as bonus was consistently paid for the past 5 years and HR is working to get the company to pay for school either this year or next year for all employees. Combined with this and some personal reasons to consider, I am taking a chance and moving the process forward. Let me see where it takes me, the worst case is scenario is two years in a new country and new experience without much financial benefit.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Oh, dear, did I just read that you will be paying for accommodation? Sorry! For Western-style family housing you will pay 12,000-15,000. That comes close to half your salary. The other half will be schooling!

Mandi

I will agree with others. without Accommodation and children school fee 38 K is not a great offer for you being US Citizen and 15 years of experience. if you have two school going children it will cost you 10 k for school fee. Decent place I believe you can get for 10k. you will be left with 18 k.

Let us know!

Mandi

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I will be talking to the HR on Sunday and I am not that hopeful of the outcome but will keep you posted. Sorry to miss the opportunity to meet some of you, looks like you are a fun bunch.

We Americans even owe taxes on the fair market value of rent, transportation, airfares, etc.

was an American. Thanks Mandi

Not quite tax-free. There is a federal income tax exemption for a certain amount of income but you must meet some fairly strict conditions. You still owe full state and local taxes in the US.

Mandi

what you can earn in your own country has never been the case in the Q companies for Direct Hire Western staff.

In fact for many years the only benefit was the lack of payable income tax.

Similar to mozaisismyhero I am surprised that there is no education allowance which is standard in true Q companies which have fairly compatible policy manuals.

@mozaismyhero - It is a real Q company and probably one of the richest companies in Qatar to do with investments. I think you can guess what it is. I think they are pulling a fast one on me here.

@tech2010 - Yes, I looked at the school site and it costs me more than 11k per month in fees which leaves me ~26k out of which 10k for (middle of the road) accommodation, 2.5k for car, 1k for utilities and internet/phone are gone leaving me with ~12.5k. I have to live with a family of 4 and save in that.

As @MSRT said above, I may have to bring in my savings to live in Doha at the same standards as I live in US currently.

Also, look at this page of tution fees at one of the american school in Qatar http://www.asd.edu.qa/page.cfm?p=858

This will give you an idea how much you will be spending on school fees for both kids e.g Grade 1-5 cost/year is QAR 51,660 and Grade 6-8 cost/year QR 67,180 per child.

I would still think your pakage is good enough even without school fees as if your kids comes under Grade 6-8 means you will be paying QR 11,196 and will still have 38000-11196=26804 QR left which is good money I think.

I'm surprised if its a Q company not offering education. Or do you just mean a company that begins with Q likes Queens Medical Center. (it's a dentist)

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

After reading all the comments and considering the facts, it looks like unless the school fees are covered, I am going to take a financial hit if I take this offer.

Especially the comment by 'mozaismyhero' hit it home the fact that whether I am really that desperate to move to Qatar and started me thinking in that direction. Until now I was caught up by the excitement of this new opportunity but without really thinking at what cost.

I will talk to the HR and see what they come back with and then I will take it from there and keep you posted.

Thanks again.

The US school fees here will kill you. You must be really desperate to move to Qatar

38+ sounds good but it is not

-12000 for villa

- 2500 car

- 1000 Utilities

- 8000 schooling for 2 kids per month (this could be different depending on school)

I think you will need to bring money

if you get the company to cover the school and the car or get an allowance it is OK

You are right, it's low because of the school fees. Otherwise it's just OK, nothing to write home about. Do NOT count on any bonuses or anything else that's not in the contract. Do count on having emergency trips home, kids in schools that want you to pay for really expensive activities such as trekking in Nepal or safaris in Africa, and losing your wife's current salary. Local-hire expat wives make squat here. Also, do know that you would not get your kids into an American school here this fall. PLease know that the negotiating phase is the where you will be treated the best, if it ain't good enough, don't come.

Mandi

The realistic part is that gone are the days whereby you get 2 to 3 times what you earn from your home country (I'm talking about developed countries).

What you should do is to calculate how much you can save if you relocate here as compared to your home country assuming your standard of living reminas the same.

That's where you decide whether it is worth it to come here or not.

What is "included" should NOT be included! It should be extra "allowances".