sparkyt

Hi all,

I'm looking at a package that includes a salary of AED287k with various add ons. Is this reasonable for AD? With a family to follow, what's the latest on life there? Would Dubai be better?

TIA for any info.

Millhouse

I assume that's per year and not per month. We talk monthly here as who knows if you'll make the full year

Doesn't sound like much to be honest, then again it all depends on many bits of info that you've not given ... wife working, number of kids, saving expectations etc.

flood2

if that's a year forget it

DOHDUBMAN

What do you mean by various add ons? Are they substantial as that is a fairly low salary.

sparkyt

Thanks for your replies. So to elaborate some more, £60k pa (AED287k) plus healthcare, accommodation allowance, education allowance, and flights.
With me would be wife and two kids, 8 and 3.
Still on the low side??

Millhouse

DOHDUBMAN

If, I'm assuming your allowances match your salary (which is quite common) then that would put you at 120K a year. This may sound good compared to UK standards but if your allowances are needed fully then you will be living on 60K a year. Which is 5K a month. That seems a little on the low side for a family of four. If you add on holidays, additional flights, cars etc and not planning on saving at all then i think you will be penny pinching very very hard to get through the month. Obviously it depends on how you spend and how your family likes to spend. But with an 8 and a 3 year old who are bored in the summer and need activities to keep them from climbing the wall...

archie159

You need to state the value of the allowances, especially the accommodation. For some local companies the base salary might only be 40% of what you get monthly - they will load the allowances, minimise the salary, to reduce the end of service benefit paid (which is based on salary only).

Gavtek

Looks ok to me assuming your allowances fully cover your rent and school fees. Leaves you with AED 24k/month to live off. If your wife works, then her salary is pure "profit" to add on top.

My net salary after paying rent and school fees is about the same (I have a stay-at-home wife and 2 kids). We don't penny pinch by any means, live in a nice area with private beach and we can save up to AED 10k most months (typically don't save much at Christmas and when we go on holiday).

scrubbedexpat141

Amen. Families of four don't need 70k a month to just scrape by as many make out.
I wonder if it's just plain fear mongering or showing off to the internet?

Millhouse

scrubbedexpat141

Wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, it's just the latest thread for people to suggest unrealistic things when it comes to packages etc.

Millhouse

scrubbedexpat141

We rarely hire newbies now. We can get people who've been here ages to accept the lowball offers.

(PS: I'm kidding, we're not too bad).
(PPS: unless we're talking about my pay, then we're shit).

sparkyt

Thank you for the insight so far. Just a little bit more info, it's a UK based company.

So what is a border line poor salary there? Am I looking at it or close to it?

What's the cost of living approximately? The research varies depending on which source you use. As a comparison, I take it Dubai is more costly?

Again, TIA.