al dente

You may need to work on your soft skills.

I know many people who work there. Some like it, some don't. Those that didn't like it, left. The depts are quite personality driven and there is a fair amount of 'keeping your head down'.

In terms of package though it's one of the better places to work for.

Norm_uk

I had a good weekend and am still feeling the effects

N.

Chris Medhurst

I have a very good friend who works for ADIA and has always seemed to enjoy working there very much on the whole.

Only word of caution on this story is that he is a pakistani national from a very affluent family who were personal aids to Sheikh Zayed so to say his ride is easier than most would probably be a gross understatement.

He's tried to get me in there enough times though (even though i have absolutely no relevant experience..hence his failure!!), and couldnt recommend it to me as a place to work highly enough.

mission

who the eff is AIDA when he/she/IT is at home

Chris Medhurst

ADIA, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Pretty much a government department responsible for investing the country's wealth.........i think.

mission

ah ok cheers Chris

Mischief Queen

I would agree with those who say it depends what department you are looking to join.

In general terms, they're a great company to work for. Decent bonus system, good accommodation allowance and help with finding a place to live (they also pay your utilities for you), good facilities in the office (gym, swimming pool, Costa Coffee, restaurant, 2 Banks, Etisalat, Doctors and Etihad all on site). The biggest bonus with their accomodation deal is they take the lease in their name so you don't get involved with landlords increasing the rent - once you've signed it's yours so no worries about not being able to afford any rent increases, it also means that when you want to leave you can just leave without messing about with breaking leases etc. I seem to remember a fairly generous joining and repatriation allowance as well. If you have children the school fees allowance is also good although be warned that I don't think they cover adopted children in case that's relevant.

Hope that helps. I'm guessing you will have got a feel for the department when you went for interview.

dono

Thx Mischief, do you know in what areas in AD they provide accommodation? We'll be looking for a 3+ br villa...And do they provide any transport allowance? And what is the average performance bonus?

bluemetal

Chris, do you mind sending me a personal message? I am based in New York and looking to relocate and any help on the ADIA side would be much appreciated. I too am originally from Pak so your friend may be very helpful.

Thanks

al dente

Housing will cover a 3 bed villa easily. They mainly provide accomm on the island. We live on a compound with 20 other ADIA families. You get a interest free loan for a car.

Your performance bonus depends how good you are . Also depends whether you're classed as Investment or Professional.

Eva

You are an idiot.
You claim on here to be a tax accountant.
Change your avi, you give monkeys a bad name.

Mischief Queen

Hi there... sorry I've been away for a while! They have accommodation both on and off island but if you don't like anything they already have you can also go and look for yourself and find something within your allowance. They will then do all the paperwork for you and take it on as company accommodation (provided it meets their standards).

They package things like flights, transport allowance etc together as Expat Benefits allowance so you get it all spread over 12 months as cash, which I prefer.

Bonuses as al dente said are dependent on several factors so it's impossible to say. I'm a PA and it far exceeds anything I've had as a bonus before (we don't usually get them at all in the UK as admin staff!) but I could not speak to its comparison for professionals.

dono

Thx a lot, we'll be moving very soon. Is there a compound they provide that you recommend (I heard about Al Dhabi?). And what do people do first day regarding transportation (rent a car for a month or a couple of months, rely on taxi rides...?). I'm planning to buy a car but only after my 3 month probation, what do you think?