Package advice
 

Hi everyone, I know packages have been discussed to death on this forum, but I was hoping to get an opinion from fellow expats on this and make this a contribution to help anyone else who is looking for reference points in the current job market in Dubai as I myself am grateful for the info I have seen on this forum.

I was offered a job in a multinational IT company in DIC. Its a consulting position for doing IT architecture etc. I have 6+ years of experience primarily in north america. Married, no kids yet and no plans for having them for another 3-4 years. Here is what I was offered:

basic: 23k AED/month
housing: 110k AED (A decent 1br in marina will do for us)
car: 37k AED per annum
relocation: shipping + tickets + 6 weeks in hotel.
tickets: economy tickets to home every year for self and spouse
medical: covered but no dental.
bonus: 7-12% depending on performance
gratuity: standard per dubai labor law

I know I can definitely live well and save a bit on this but I am wondering if this this is competitive from a Dubai IT perspective. If anyone else is in the same field on this forum I would really appreciate any advice. thanks.

Re: Package advice
 

he he, I am guessing there aren't too many people in IT on this forum or people are out for christmas? Oh well, i have to make a decision by next week so if anyone has any advice, it will be much appreciated. thanks.

alex

Re: Package advice
 

Or its 2am in the UAE

Re: Package advice
 

it's been a holiday this week and now Xmas...so maybe not too many people about...I take it you have done a search...there have been many many threads on packages recently...

Re: Package advice
 

the thing with IT in the UAE is the supply of cheaper labour from India etc. Sorry, I can't help with the competitive aspect of the package, but I'd be happy on a package like that.

Re: Package advice
 

cant comment on the rest of the package but you should ask for 2 return flights a year.

Re: Package advice
 

Guess everyone's (including me!) on holiday. Was checking my office mail, couldn't resist peeking in to BE;)

Not in IT, so can't tell whether it is the norm for your industry. On a stand alone basis, a package of 35k a month appears to be ok and if your spouse also plans on taking up a job, you'd be laughing..... Why don't
you also speak to a couple of headhunters and check your package out?

Good Luck!

Re: Package advice
 

Not anymore - considering that they are paid the same in India......:)

Re: Package advice
 

Thank you everyone for responding. I accepted the offer and am looking forward to experiencing life in Dubai.

As for the comment on salary comparisons to India etc, while I don't agree that Indian IT salaries are at the same level as western salaries, I do know from friends that packages being offered in India to experienced IT people in senior level roles are good by international standards. For junior level IT positions, they don't come close to international salaries. The exchange rate and lower cost of living/operating in India will be a competitive advantage for quite some time to come. Its not easy to find a decent well paid MNC IT job in Dubai though if coming from Europe/North America, having a niche and professional contacts helps immensely.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped me out here.

Re: Package advice
 

Agreed (which is why IT outsourcing to India is booming;)), but their buying and saving power is much higher in India than in Dubai... hence the difficulty in attracting them to work in the UAE.

Also didn't assume you were at a junior level - so I meant that you have no competition from Indian software professionals on the salary front.

Re: Package advice
 

Glad people here were able to help, but please come back. Seems so many people pop in for some advice & never come back sadly.

Don't know why you'd want to live in the Marina though. JBR = Gotham IMO :(

Re: Package advice
 

congratulations on the job!

Re: Package advice
 

Hi Alexs,
I would really like to know how you went about getting this job in DIC. I am also looking to venture out to Dubai. Please can you point me in right direction i.e agencies, contacts, e-mail addresses I may be able to get in touch with to help me.

thanks in advance and I wish you all the best with your new position:)

Sham

Re: Package advice
 

What sort of consulting is this for? Data storage?

Re: Package advice
 

shamrock786, please PM me and I can share some info with you on how I went about it.

NorthernLad, its enterprise s/w consulting, not ERP, but designing backends/systems integration using middleware software.