My friend has got an offer in Dubai-Is it a good offer ?

speedzak · 24th October 2008, 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by iraghava

Zak, the 60k is per year. 12k is per month salary.

Yes! That's what I meant. 12k monthly + 60k annual housing allowance. Which makes 5k per month. For a starter, this is fine provided he will be promoted very soon to a 20k monthly salary + 10k housing allowance.
If no promotion in the windscreen, forget it.

snaronikar · 24th October 2008, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak

Yes! That's what I meant. 12k monthly + 60k annual housing allowance. Which makes 5k per month. For a starter, this is fine provided he will be promoted very soon to a 20k monthly salary + 10k housing allowance.
If no promotion in the windscreen, forget it.

He is been told in his offer letter that the next revision will be in Jan-2010. Not sure if it exceeds 20K (base salary).

The co. is calling him again on Sunday for discussing the salary part. Suppose he negotiates to include the Housing and Travel to be borne by the company, then will it be feasible ?...Needs your inputs.

sandeep3in · 24th October 2008, 20:59

Hi Snaronikar,

I know Lots of people working in Dubai and have a fair understanding of the salary out there.
12k Per month is not a good match at all. I say this because My friend was offered a job for 12 k around 3 years back .With the cost of living going up every day you could just imagine if it is really worth .
People in Dubai tend to recruit from India thinking they could fool people out here, because people in India just do the conversion to INR and feel it comes to a big amount .
However there are companies who provide accommodation such as Emirates/Etisalat where the salary in hand would be around 12k provided the accomdation/telephone/Electricty and water charges are taken care by the company .
In your case there is separate housing allowance for 5K AED where in Dubai or Sharjah would you get an accommodation for 5K AED .
I saw someone mentioned about sharing a villa on rent .This could have been possible some time back but not now. The rules keeps changing very fast.
Khaleej Times Online - Villa Deadline Ends Today=
You could probably get that may 3 to 4 years back .
So I don’t think the salary is very attractive .
My friend stay in Dubai , he works in Etisalat and his salary is around 30K AED .He works in Sales .
If you can specify the company name and the postion .May be I could check with my friends
Thanks

shajufx · 24th October 2008, 22:18

Housing and travel are already borne by the company right ? What is meant by the 60k annual housing allowance and the petrol allowance of 2k etc ? Basic package is the only figure which can be negotiated. By 2010 nobody can even dream what would be the rental and other costs surviving there. I am not even getting a match box size office space (100 sq ft) for 50k per month right now. Imagine the residential space ! As someone said, if he can sleep in the car, company car would be a great advantage.

benbsb29 · 24th October 2008, 22:50

Having spent my entire childhood in Dxb, i would have said its a good offer. BUT, considering how expensive it has become now, i second Steeroid's suggestion.

Although travelling between Dxb and Sharjah sounds easy, it isnt. With the current traffic scenario there, it takes ages to get anywhere. Car ownership is also getting expensive, and the process of procuring a licence there can take anywhere between a year and possibly more. Public transport is not really all that great. Cabbies may choose to ignore you as a passenger against a firangi waiting after you.

Srini, if your friend has a good life going his way now, stick with it, for the time being, else look for a better salary package. This may sound good, but actually after all living expenses, may not leave much behind.

Steer would be the best person to comment and offer details with sample figures, IMO.

MaserQ · 24th October 2008, 22:56

Tell him to hang on to his job in Bangalore. Would not make sense to uproot himself and family for that kind of money. Plus there are other considerations like rising expenses, kids schooling etc. The AED 60k/year housing allowance is barely sufficient to rent a half decent apartment in an acceptable locality.

Steeroid · 25th October 2008, 01:39

I've seen some of the replies and this is what I have to say:

1. Renting a 2-bed apartment in Dubai will cost him his 12k (base salary) per month. Forget the 5k per month "Housing Allowance" which means nothing - actualy it does mean something, because that would be his living budget including schooling, transportation, food and drink budget for the month.

2. He could rent in Sharjah for about 7k per month, but then he will have to compromise on quality of life, leaving at insane hours in the morning to beat the rush and returning home after a 2 hour drive through crawling traffic. His entire life would revolve around getting to office and getting back - he would have no time for family or anything else and until he gets his license he would be at the mercy of some private transporter who has to follow a rigid timetable which means zero flexibility around timing and very large taxi bills (if he ever finds a taxi in the first place) if he misses the bus.

3. The 'Car Allowance' would only come to him if he owns or drives a car, normally. That means the Car Allowance is dependent on owning or driving a car, which means it is dependent on him getting a license. Which could take up to eternity in the current scheme of things.

4. Schooling for kids would easily be in the region of Dhs.1 - 1.5k pm per kid depending on which school the kids are going to. In his case he has 2 kids, budget 3k.

IMHO it simply isnt worth it - if you are his friend you would tell him as much.

Converting the package to INR makes it sound great back home, but at the end of the day this is NOT a cheap place and you should negotiate well if you intend to live a decent, normal life which is at least on par with the kind of life you lead in India. Else it simply isnt worth it - forget the lure of cars and the shopping extravaganza, because you wont enjoy the driving and the shopping is cheaper back home.

Be very very very clear in your negotiations - a Dhs.25k PM (yes I know thats Rs.3 lakhs or USD 7k per month TAX FREE which sounds really great on paper, but you will hardly save much out of that) package for a bachelor and a 30+ k package for a person with family is a NECESSITY now. At 20k with a family of two kids, this gentleman is not going to be saving ANYTHING and will most likely be living off credit cards and personal loans soon.

snaronikar · 25th October 2008, 18:34

Thanks for the valuable inputs guys. Will adivce my friend about the same to negotiate better else forget it and be happy what he has in Bangalore.

@Tiger: Are you listening to this buddy?

snaronikar · 26th October 2008, 13:12

Here is the final offer given by the company to my friend today. Is this worth it?

The below are the details:

Basic Pay: AED 13,500/month (increase from 12K to 13.5k)
Housing: 65,000/anum.
Car allowance: 2500/month (increase from 2K to 2.5k). The catch here is the company is providing the allowance of 2.5K AED till he gets his licence as a taxi charges. Once he gets his licence, the co. will provide car+petrol+manitenance charges+toll charges as he will be using toll road.

He has his office in Sheik Zayd Road (near bhurj Dobai). The co HR are informing that if he stays in Quasies, border to Dubai, it will take him to travel around 45 mins for office from is residence using toll road. Nrear Quasies the co HR said that he gets a decent 1 bhk flat for AED 70,000/annum and another 500-1000 AED as maintenance charges for the house.

Apart from above, the co is also paying 1 month base salary as relocation charges one time.

The visa he is getting is not a free zone visa.

Need your feedback on the above please....

wheeler · 27th October 2008, 12:18

Snaronikar, I used to stay in Qusais until 2 months back and I can tell you the 1BHK for AED 70k which the HR is quoting is very hard to find but nevertheless, still available.

I know people who are staying in Dubai with their familes on salaries less than what is mentioned here. If your friend is looking at a stint of 2 - 3 years in Dubai, then I would say, it is something to be considered.

speedzak · 27th October 2008, 12:31

I have my office near Qusais. Finding a 1BHK apartment for 70k is very difficult except (maybe) in some very old buildings.
But as Wheeler mentioned, there're families who work for lesser than the mentioned salaries. So, it depends what he is looking out for in his career in Dubai. If he wants a tension free, surrounded by everything expensive kinda life, then this can be looked forward to. If he wants to build his life to a respectable, financially safe and secure kind, then it's going to be a bit hard (but not above the reach) with the above mentioned offer.

Jr Godzilla · 27th October 2008, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar

Here is the final offer given by the company to my friend today. Is this worth it?

The below are the details:

Basic Pay: AED 13,500/month (increase from 12K to 13.5k)
Housing: 65,000/anum.
Car allowance: 2500/month (increase from 2K to 2.5k). The catch here is the company is providing the allowance of 2.5K AED till he gets his licence as a taxi charges. Once he gets his licence, the co. will provide car+petrol+manitenance charges+toll charges as he will be using toll road.

He has his office in Sheik Zayd Road (near bhurj Dobai). The co HR are informing that if he stays in Quasies, border to Dubai, it will take him to travel around 45 mins for office from is residence using toll road. Nrear Quasies the co HR said that he gets a decent 1 bhk flat for AED 70,000/annum and another 500-1000 AED as maintenance charges for the house.

Apart from above, the co is also paying 1 month base salary as relocation charges one time.

The visa he is getting is not a free zone visa.

Need your feedback on the above please....

the above is ok for a start.

If his wife is prepared to take up a job then it will help a great deal, the money part.
and above all
a woman with a job is better as she wont be confined to the 4 rooms of the house as is gulfy life, she will get quite a bit exhausted and no time to crib.
I dont have to write about what if she didnt have a job.

for the house chores you could get a maid to do the baby sitting, cooking, washing dishes etc Steer can shed some light on this.

DKG · 27th October 2008, 13:08

I lived in Dubai for a decade and given the furious pace of change I'm sure my perspective is now outdated, but all the same here's what I have to say about living and working in Dubai.

For anyone wanting to weigh the pros and cons of working in Dubai suggest you look at the following:

Does your house rent allowance afford you a 2 bedroom flat in the prime areas of Dubai? If not the package begins to compromise.

Does your car allowance allow you to pay the EMI for atleast a new Corolla/Civic type car? If not then its a compromise

Does the company pay for children's education and if so for how many kids and how much? If not then its a compromise

Does the company provide private hospital medical health care for the family? If not then its a compromise

Does the company offer you a lumpsum amount to buy furnishings and fixtures once every 3 years? If not then its a compromise

Does the company offer airfare for family holidays once a year? If not then its a compromise

Does your salary allow you, after utilities and living expenses to entertain your family out once a week, entertain friends once every two weeks, and set aside a minimum of 1-1.5 lacs a month in cash savings? If not its a compromise

If for most items above the answer is NO, then please remember that when you move out of India you lose one of the most valuable things in life, the support structure of family and friends. The move better be worth the compromise of going out of India.

When comparing what you have here with what you'll get in Dubai don't just compare the money, compare the lifestyle too, where you live, the comforts of house help etc. Can you afford the same there and better?

That said, Dubai as a city is a lovely place and I deeply enjoyed my stay there and have many fond memories. However, now after 8 years in India after returning home if someone offered me a million dollars to go out of India to work abroad again, the answer is a big NOOOOOO!!! I wouldn't trade this life for anything. But then we all have different perspectives and priorities don't we

Jr Godzilla · 27th October 2008, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKG

if someone offered me a million dollars to go out of India to work abroad again, the answer is a big NOOOOOO!!! I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

wish i took the return ticket back in 1995.
better late than never - handover in progress mid Dec 2008 will be my big day.

DKG · 27th October 2008, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKG

if someone offered me a million dollars to go out of India to work abroad again, the answer is a big NOOOOOO!!! I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jr Godzilla

wish i took the return ticket back in 1995.

I guess it takes a certain outlook in life to feel so though. I know many who think life in India sucks and would trade their life in a jiffy.

Many people return home with a lot of expectations and get totally dejected. The trick is to come back home with zero expectations. If people is the focus then India surely grows on you and becomes a real treasure. If anything else is a priority then perhaps life here is not everyone's cuppa

I've been fortunate to outgrow the pleasures of most things material (atleast in being clear that it doesn't warrant a trade off to living abroad to enjoy that). Now its the "immaterial" things I really enjoy and more often than not I find it comes free

24th October 2008, 20:59	#18
sandeep3in BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 215 Thanked: 135 Times	Hi Snaronikar, I know Lots of people working in Dubai and have a fair understanding of the salary out there. 12k Per month is not a good match at all. I say this because My friend was offered a job for 12 k around 3 years back .With the cost of living going up every day you could just imagine if it is really worth . People in Dubai tend to recruit from India thinking they could fool people out here, because people in India just do the conversion to INR and feel it comes to a big amount . However there are companies who provide accommodation such as Emirates/Etisalat where the salary in hand would be around 12k provided the accomdation/telephone/Electricty and water charges are taken care by the company . In your case there is separate housing allowance for 5K AED where in Dubai or Sharjah would you get an accommodation for 5K AED . I saw someone mentioned about sharing a villa on rent .This could have been possible some time back but not now. The rules keeps changing very fast. Khaleej Times Online - Villa Deadline Ends Today= You could probably get that may 3 to 4 years back . So I don’t think the salary is very attractive . My friend stay in Dubai , he works in Etisalat and his salary is around 30K AED .He works in Sales . If you can specify the company name and the postion .May be I could check with my friends Thanks
	() Thanks

24th October 2008, 22:18	#19
shajufx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,808 Thanked: 832 Times View My Garage	Housing and travel are already borne by the company right ? What is meant by the 60k annual housing allowance and the petrol allowance of 2k etc ? Basic package is the only figure which can be negotiated. By 2010 nobody can even dream what would be the rental and other costs surviving there. I am not even getting a match box size office space (100 sq ft) for 50k per month right now. Imagine the residential space ! As someone said, if he can sleep in the car, company car would be a great advantage.
	() Thanks

24th October 2008, 22:50	#20
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 10,078 Thanked: 14,054 Times View My Garage	Having spent my entire childhood in Dxb, i would have said its a good offer. BUT, considering how expensive it has become now, i second Steeroid's suggestion. Although travelling between Dxb and Sharjah sounds easy, it isnt. With the current traffic scenario there, it takes ages to get anywhere. Car ownership is also getting expensive, and the process of procuring a licence there can take anywhere between a year and possibly more. Public transport is not really all that great. Cabbies may choose to ignore you as a passenger against a firangi waiting after you. Srini, if your friend has a good life going his way now, stick with it, for the time being, else look for a better salary package. This may sound good, but actually after all living expenses, may not leave much behind. Steer would be the best person to comment and offer details with sample figures, IMO.
	() Thanks

24th October 2008, 22:56	#21
MaserQ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,196 Thanked: 166 Times	Tell him to hang on to his job in Bangalore. Would not make sense to uproot himself and family for that kind of money. Plus there are other considerations like rising expenses, kids schooling etc. The AED 60k/year housing allowance is barely sufficient to rent a half decent apartment in an acceptable locality.
	() Thanks

25th October 2008, 01:39	#22
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,756 Times	I've seen some of the replies and this is what I have to say: 1. Renting a 2-bed apartment in Dubai will cost him his 12k (base salary) per month. Forget the 5k per month "Housing Allowance" which means nothing - actualy it does mean something, because that would be his living budget including schooling, transportation, food and drink budget for the month. 2. He could rent in Sharjah for about 7k per month, but then he will have to compromise on quality of life, leaving at insane hours in the morning to beat the rush and returning home after a 2 hour drive through crawling traffic. His entire life would revolve around getting to office and getting back - he would have no time for family or anything else and until he gets his license he would be at the mercy of some private transporter who has to follow a rigid timetable which means zero flexibility around timing and very large taxi bills (if he ever finds a taxi in the first place) if he misses the bus. 3. The 'Car Allowance' would only come to him if he owns or drives a car, normally. That means the Car Allowance is dependent on owning or driving a car, which means it is dependent on him getting a license. Which could take up to eternity in the current scheme of things. 4. Schooling for kids would easily be in the region of Dhs.1 - 1.5k pm per kid depending on which school the kids are going to. In his case he has 2 kids, budget 3k. IMHO it simply isnt worth it - if you are his friend you would tell him as much. Converting the package to INR makes it sound great back home, but at the end of the day this is NOT a cheap place and you should negotiate well if you intend to live a decent, normal life which is at least on par with the kind of life you lead in India. Else it simply isnt worth it - forget the lure of cars and the shopping extravaganza, because you wont enjoy the driving and the shopping is cheaper back home. Be very very very clear in your negotiations - a Dhs.25k PM (yes I know thats Rs.3 lakhs or USD 7k per month TAX FREE which sounds really great on paper, but you will hardly save much out of that) package for a bachelor and a 30+ k package for a person with family is a NECESSITY now. At 20k with a family of two kids, this gentleman is not going to be saving ANYTHING and will most likely be living off credit cards and personal loans soon. Last edited by Steeroid : 25th October 2008 at 01:53.
	() Thanks

25th October 2008, 18:34	#23
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	Thanks for the valuable inputs guys. Will adivce my friend about the same to negotiate better else forget it and be happy what he has in Bangalore. @Tiger: Are you listening to this buddy?
	() Thanks

26th October 2008, 13:12	#24
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	Final offer negiotiated - Is this OK ??? Here is the final offer given by the company to my friend today. Is this worth it? The below are the details: Basic Pay: AED 13,500/month (increase from 12K to 13.5k) Housing: 65,000/anum. Car allowance: 2500/month (increase from 2K to 2.5k). The catch here is the company is providing the allowance of 2.5K AED till he gets his licence as a taxi charges. Once he gets his licence, the co. will provide car+petrol+manitenance charges+toll charges as he will be using toll road. He has his office in Sheik Zayd Road (near bhurj Dobai). The co HR are informing that if he stays in Quasies, border to Dubai, it will take him to travel around 45 mins for office from is residence using toll road. Nrear Quasies the co HR said that he gets a decent 1 bhk flat for AED 70,000/annum and another 500-1000 AED as maintenance charges for the house. Apart from above, the co is also paying 1 month base salary as relocation charges one time. The visa he is getting is not a free zone visa. Need your feedback on the above please....
	() Thanks

27th October 2008, 12:18	#25
wheeler BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: DXB Posts: 261 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Snaronikar, I used to stay in Qusais until 2 months back and I can tell you the 1BHK for AED 70k which the HR is quoting is very hard to find but nevertheless, still available. I know people who are staying in Dubai with their familes on salaries less than what is mentioned here. If your friend is looking at a stint of 2 - 3 years in Dubai, then I would say, it is something to be considered.
	() Thanks

27th October 2008, 12:31	#26
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,347 Thanked: 27 Times	I have my office near Qusais. Finding a 1BHK apartment for 70k is very difficult except (maybe) in some very old buildings. But as Wheeler mentioned, there're families who work for lesser than the mentioned salaries. So, it depends what he is looking out for in his career in Dubai. If he wants a tension free, surrounded by everything expensive kinda life, then this can be looked forward to. If he wants to build his life to a respectable, financially safe and secure kind, then it's going to be a bit hard (but not above the reach) with the above mentioned offer.
	() Thanks

27th October 2008, 13:08	#28
DKG Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 3,725 Thanked: 1,658 Times View My Garage	I lived in Dubai for a decade and given the furious pace of change I'm sure my perspective is now outdated, but all the same here's what I have to say about living and working in Dubai. For anyone wanting to weigh the pros and cons of working in Dubai suggest you look at the following: Does your house rent allowance afford you a 2 bedroom flat in the prime areas of Dubai? If not the package begins to compromise. Does your car allowance allow you to pay the EMI for atleast a new Corolla/Civic type car? If not then its a compromise Does the company pay for children's education and if so for how many kids and how much? If not then its a compromise Does the company provide private hospital medical health care for the family? If not then its a compromise Does the company offer you a lumpsum amount to buy furnishings and fixtures once every 3 years? If not then its a compromise Does the company offer airfare for family holidays once a year? If not then its a compromise Does your salary allow you, after utilities and living expenses to entertain your family out once a week, entertain friends once every two weeks, and set aside a minimum of 1-1.5 lacs a month in cash savings? If not its a compromise If for most items above the answer is NO, then please remember that when you move out of India you lose one of the most valuable things in life, the support structure of family and friends. The move better be worth the compromise of going out of India. When comparing what you have here with what you'll get in Dubai don't just compare the money, compare the lifestyle too, where you live, the comforts of house help etc. Can you afford the same there and better? That said, Dubai as a city is a lovely place and I deeply enjoyed my stay there and have many fond memories. However, now after 8 years in India after returning home if someone offered me a million dollars to go out of India to work abroad again, the answer is a big NOOOOOO!!! I wouldn't trade this life for anything. But then we all have different perspectives and priorities don't we Last edited by DKG : 27th October 2008 at 13:17.
	() Thanks