Hi everyone,

I'm moving to Riyadh with my family in July.

I have secured a Job that pays fairly decent, but I'm struggling to find good international schools for my daughter (10) and son (6).
All the schools recommended are way out of my budget, so i would like to know if anyone has any advice on more affordable schools ?
I have a budget of around 30k per child.

Thanks
Robert

If the pay is ‘fairly decent’ then I’m surprised it won’t cover good schools for your kids. It might be worth sharing the package on offer so that those in the know can tell you if it is actually ok or not - it would be awful to move and then struggle!

Best of luck to you.

Thank you so much.

Package will be 20k per month plus 40k per year for school, a car, 80k per year for house and a yearly ticket for all family.

I start to see compounds or apartments at around 130k, and we are not really spending lots of money in restaurants etc...
what do you think?

thanks

What do you do? That seems pretty low to me but I’ve never lived in the ME so I’m only going on what I’ve read on here.

But those in the know will be along to advise soon I’m sure. And a search will bring up relevant threads on cost of living v salary, here are some to get you started -

Young Family moving to Saudi, Riyadh

KSA - cost of living

Family of 4 - Riyadh

Job offer - salary and package

Good luck.

Thank you very much.

I am a general manager in hospitality business.

I have done my calculations and will basically will have left around 1000£ a month for savings which in UK at the moment it seems lretty difficult to acheiev for me.
There are huge potential to grow in Saudi, and I believe this would be the best option for at least a couple of years for my family...
any other comments would be appreciated
Thanks

Make sure you take in to account paying taxes in the UK for any years you’re still tax resident in the UK (if you’re only looking at a couple of years), and do check the links I gave above and others which give good info on cost of living in Riyadh so you can double check your calculations.

Hopefully those in Riyadh with first hand knowledge will be along soon to tell you if saving £1000 a month is realistic on that package for a family of 4.

Best of luck.

You say you’ve done your calculations but in reality you haven’t because you are struggling to find schools in budget, so clearly your calculations for school is out. If you are moving a family to the ME then your number one priority should be your kids and getting them into the school that’s best for them and not squeezing them into a school because your budget is tight.

Whatever you have on your spreadsheet you will spend more if you are funding a family, there will always be something unforeseen to pay out and your planned monthly saving will soon shrink.

Im not being negative, just realistic. So many people get blinkered by what appears a big salary on paper and lose sight of reality.

As has been mentioned above you are not necessarily tax free as soon as you step off the plane.

Also scrutinise your medical plan especially with a family, any copay or limits ? Does it cover dental, what are the exclusions etc etc.

Thank you.

I have seen schools but I don't necessarily understand if they are any good or not.
I saw schools at 80/100k a year and schools at 30/40k a year.

I can't afford the 80k one but can the 40k, so i just want to understand if the "cheaper " schools are still good enough.

I will definitely check the health insurance properly.
Thank you.

Maybe worth sharing what schools you have found from your research that are in the 40k bracket and then others might be able to give some insight and feedback. It's not easy for anyone to comment without knowing which schools you are talking about. I cant help but Im just suggesting ways that you might get more input.

Have you researched here ? https://www.edarabia.com/saudi-arabia/

You can get a 3 bedroom flat for about 120k, not in a compound. 80k, you might get lucky and find a 2 bed flat.

Schools from what I've heard are in the 60-100k+. You get what you pay for, and several of my colleagues refuse to bring their families across due to the quality o them..or lack there off.

20k for a family is fairly low, especially if you're going to have to top up your housing, school, rent a car or two..not forgetting rent is paid upfront as well..do you have 6 months rent money available? Will your employer help cover these costs with a salary sacrifice?

Are dependant fees covered, or will you have to pay them?

Riyadh is quite pricey, and not all areas are particularly desirable to live..even if you find somewhere you can afford to live, it could be a lengthy commute from work and school. Sitting in traffic everyday gets old really quick, and many chose to live where the school/work commute is bearable.

Thank you all for the advice.

Little update.

My total overall salary will be 35k per month.

I have found the school, called Dome international school, which cost around 60k for both kids (company will pay 40k), does anyone has any feedback?

I have found an amazing compound 150k (company will pay 70k)

After the 2 biggest expenses I will have monthly around 11k which is around £2000 plus around £600 coming in from my rental property here in the UK.

I reckon a family of 4 can live with £1500 per month between shopping, entertainment (even if it is all included in the compound i have rented) extrac curriculum activities for the kids.

That would allow me to save around 1k a month which is still better than what UK is offering at the moment.

Any thoughts is appreciated.

thanks

If your spreadsheet says you will save £1000 then you will be saving less. There will always be something unforeseen.

Have you factored your UK tax for at least the first tax year as a split year. ? Did you establish the level of co-pay on your medical insurance? What is the payment arrangement for the housing ?

Yes I have factored in the UK tax for the first year and the medical is all paid by the company although I need to check in details what's included.

I have also factored in the levy expat taxes for my 2 kids...
I should be able to save 1.3k pcm hence why I said 1k...
I hope I'm not mistaken 😅

Also I have considered the opportunities there vs UK at the moment in my sector.

In Saudi i believe the hospitality can only go up, so I believe within the first year I would be able to make something out of that and have promotion/payrise.

Ultimately if schools are good, the compound is organised and full of events on a weekly basis, the overall salary is better than the one in UK, why not try it?

I'm 37 yrs old and my eldest is 10....I believe it's now or never!!

I can always come back if things dont work out...

Any thoughts as always is appreciated

I suppose I’m always just super cautious and personally I would want more of a buffer than £1K because it can easily get eaten up but that’s just me. I’ve also seen quite a few people drag families to the region and end up hating it. However as you say you are young enough to give it a go. Just make sure you have a plan B fund if it doesn’t work out. I wish you good luck 😃

How did the move go?? Are you still in Riyadh?