Moo123

What do u guys think:

423,000 AED
18,000 allocation cost
28,000 towards living cost
Interest free loan of 180,000 AED for accommodation
Flight to Abu Dhabi
They pay for work visa etc
Three weeks accommodation
Free health care

Very little room for negotiation, no car, no paid visits home etc

Appreciate your honesty. I'm coming by myself and my dog

kittycat1

Hi moo - I believe one annual flight home per annum is part of UAE labour law- can anyone confirm that?

DelilahBlue

Paid flight home was mandatory when I was living there.

al dente

What's is the 18k allocation cost? Flights etc?

Millhouse

Obviously it depends on the job if this is a good deal or not. It's a good salary for a single guy and you won't be forced to eat the dog by the end of the second month.

Moo123

Hi, thank you for reply. it's for the move...packing/moving etc

GolfGardener

What's the role? With which organisation?

What's the 28k towards "living costs"? Is this one-off or recurring?

"No paid visits home" is unusual, but some organisations wrap this up into the overall salary package.

How much leave, and how is it calculated?

Most importantly, what is your family status? As Millhouse has said, if you're on your own you'll be fine on this, but if you have a family and have to cover schooling, flights home for everyone etc. out of this package, then you're likely to struggle.

Moo123

Hi

Please see below

Financing lawyer (junior)

What's the 28k towards "living costs"? Is this one-off or recurring? I think that is recurring, as it is covers expensive renting rates in AD compared to other areas....well that is what i was told

"No paid visits home" is unusual, but some organisations wrap this up into the overall salary package.

I will enquire about this...

How much leave, and how is it calculated? 23 days and 29 days after a year

Most importantly, what is your family status?

Single....plus a dog...female . Is it expensive to have a maid come in for a few hours a day to stay and walk the dog...? I can't drive...is it worth getting a driver...or just taxis

Millhouse

How often does the 28k reoccur? We normally talk on a monthly basis here.

I understand that a junior lawyer gets around 35-40k/month all in. so 450-480k a year, the rest will be all one offs. Hence why you are getting a housing loan. This mirrors your package quite closely.

You'll be able to find someone to deshit the dog twice a day - no problem

Taxis will be fine. No need for a driver!

GolfGardener

If the 28k recurs once a year then it's a nice bonus. If it's monthly you'll live like a king! I suspect it is a one-off or they would have bundled it into the salary, so best to check.

I would make sure that you are entitled to full end-of-service gratuity (Google it if you don't already know) as well, check what "base salary" it is calculated on and do what you can to maximise that.

Make sure that your 23/29 days leave is based on normal working days and not the crazy "calendar days" system that is prevalent here, where weekends are also subtracted from your leave. if you're working for an international law firm then you should be OK, but once again, there's no harm in checking.

You should also expect them to put you up in a decent hotel for around one month while you get on your feet and find a place to live.

Don't bother with a driver - taxis are cheap and plentiful here (Something like Dh3.50 flagfall and around Dh1.50 per km thereafter).

I'm not sure that the Gulf is a terribly hospitable environment for a dog (how much exercise is she going to get when it's 50 degrees and 99% humidity?) but plenty of other people clearly feel differently. If you get one of the official maid services for dog-walking or whatever, then you'll probably have to pay at least Dh60 per hour, but unofficial (and, you should be aware, illegal) ones will be around half of that.

Zorg

I just accepted an offer in Abu Dhabi and the package does not include an annual flight home. When I ask, I was told that it was never the law and now companies prefer to give more money instead of a flight home.

archie159

Companies are obliged to fly you home at the end of the contract. For annual leave flights, I certainly know several people who just get given an allowance for flights and are then left to decide how they use it.

Zorg

In my case they will fly me home at the end of the contract, which is the law . However the annual flight home is not mandatory.

Meow

Correct.

You must be provided with a flight to your home country if you leave your job, unless you are moving to a new employer in the UAE as they then take on that responsibility.

An annual flight is part of many people's employment contract, but is not mandatory.

busybee2

think standard contracts are that they must provide flight at end etc some companies now provide an all in so they dont have to offer annual flights or accommodation or anything.