Qwerty87

I am looking for some opinions on a job offer I have received for a Chartered QS position in Dubai. The offer is 12000 AED a month basic plus 8000 AED a month living allowance, one flight home a year and medical insurance.

I have 6 years experience, 3 years post qualification experience as I chartered early 2013. Is this a low offer for someone of my experience? I have looked at a number of salary surveys and QS salaries appear to range from 15000 AED to 35000 AED, there is no mention if the figures in the surveys are inclusive of living allowance and do not state level of experience. In the UK at the moment I earn £40K per year and I am trying to answer the 'is it worth it' question.

In Dubai I would likely be flat sharing and would need to buy or lease a car. I'm moving myself and and hoping to save. Any thoughts on the job offer would be appreciated from other surveyors working in the region or anyone in recruitment.

Johnnyboy11

AED 20k/ month is a rubbish offer for your experience and qualifications, AED 35k all-in being more reasonable.

Remember to factor in all the other employment perks that you won't get in the ME, like employer pension contributions, sick pay, bonus, car allowance, redundancy pay, decent annual leave and statutory holidays etc. You'll be working long hours in the construction industry in Dubai, 6 days per week and 45 hours being the norm, with 25 days annual leave.

Debowing

Yes 35k would be rock bottom minimum...Johnny boy is correct.

Qwerty87

Wow! 35k is a massive increase. I am going to attempt to negotiate this salary but I doubt I will be able to get anywhere near 35k.

Johnnyboy11

Factor the exchange rate into your figures as well. The AED is pegged to the USD and both are very strong relative to the GBP at present. Do your sums on a GBP:AED of 6, and don't rely on the current rate of 5.3, which will surely rise.

jam25mack

Disagree on the 35K chat. I would put it lower than that, a bit south of 30 or just over maybe, especially as the economy isn't great at the moment.

Saying that, it depends on who you're working for - Contractor or Consultant. Contractor pay is likely to be better.

Also JB said you are unlikely to get pension contributions (you will by labour law get a gratuity / end of service payment which is similar), sick pay (we get up to 20 days a year fully paid and after that at 50%), bonus (depends on the company - many do when times are good), car allowance (a lot do as its a way of bumping your basic down - check), redundancy pay, decent annual leave (generally between 24 and 26 days) and statutory holidays etc (you get public holidays approx 9-10 a year depending on the moon). A lot of folk (myself included - 10yrs in DXB working for an American Consultancy get most of these.... (highlighted ones). You just need to check what you do and don't get first.

As for working hours, again it depends on if you're a contractor or consultant. Contractors generally work 5 1/2 - 6 days a week while consultants will generally do 5 unless a project dictates otherwise. Days are long however, my 'core' hours are 8 - 6:30 but I generally do more.

mission

you are kidding right - it's hasn't gotten near 6 in over a year.

Dumbo

^^^^This, but I would also add that the colour of your skin may also be a factor. It is completely wrong in my opinion, but if you are not white european you will most likely be offered less.

Fees generally work on three levels white european, then malaysian / asian and lastly Indian / Sri Lankan.

Meow

The End of Service Gratuity is not commensurate with a UK pension and should not be considered a substitute.

In the first five years it's just 21 days based in basic salary so only some 5.5% of basic and if you resign within the first five years it will be reduced. If you are in a fixed/limited contract and resign within five years you get nothing.

mission

are you sure?
according to our records its 3 weeks salary (15 working days) for every year worked up to 5 yrs, and then from 5 yrs and up it increases to 6 weeks salary (30 working days).
This what we been paying our employees and KPMG who have been auditing our accounts since the company was formed have never told us otherwise.

Meow

Of course I'm sure! I get paid to be sure. UAE Labour Law states 21 days for the first five years and 30 days thereafter to a maximum of two years salary.

It is reduced in the first five years if someone resigns from an unlimited contract, so just 7 days in the first three years and 14 days in years three to five. No reductions for resigning with more than five years of service.

You may be underpaying if people have been made redundant.

mission

Thanks MEOW.
Just to clarify the 21 days and 30 days are those working days or all days in the week? Coz we all work 5 days a week, and so we've taken the no of days as 'working' days.
Fortunately no one has to-date been made redundant - we've only had one employee who resigned over a year ago.

scrubbedexpat141

Great post.

So, it's like a 5.5% of final basic salary contribution from the employer?

Meow

Article 132 of Labour Law: The employee who has completed one year or more in the continuous service, is entitled to the end of service remuneration at the end of his service. Days of absence from work without pay are not included in computing the period of service, and the remuneration is to be calculated as follows :-

1. Twenty one day's pay for each year of the first five years of service.

2. Thirty days pay for each additional year.

Provided that the entire total remuneration shall not exceed two year's pay.


Article 133: The employee shall be entitled to end of service remuneration in respect of fractions of the year payable pro rata to the time actually worked provided that he has completed one year of continuous service.

Article 137: If an employee under a contract with unlimited period has left his work at his own option after a continuous service of not less than one year and not more than three years, he shall be entitled to one third of the end of service gratuity provided for in the previous Article.

If the period of his continued service is more than 3 years and less than 5 years he becomes entitled to 2/3 of the said gratuity, but if his continued service exceeds 5 years, he becomes entitled to the entire gratuity.

Article 138: If an employee under a contract with limited period leaves his work at his own option before the end of the contract period he shall not be entitled to end of service gratuity unless the period of his continuous service exceeds five years.

Also an extract from Article 134: ..., the end of service gratuity shall be computed on the basis of last wage which the employee was entitled to, in respect of those drawing their salary per month,...

There are also circumstances under which any employee can be fully deprived of EoS Gratuity but that doesn't happen often, apart from as set out in Article 138.

Meow

Bear in mind that a) it is calculated on basic salary only (in 99% of cases) and b) you may not get all of that if you leave before five years.

It is not an adequate substitute for a pension/retirement planning/long term savings as the amount is too small. Anyone relying on the EoS Gratuity for their future will have to really like eating baked beans in retirement. Nothing but baked beans.