Job Discussion Forums

[DanielAli]

I interviewed for and was selected as Head of Department for one of the Aldar Academies. I wanted your input on this. If someone working for Aldar or the know how of their hiring can pitch in I would appreciate it.

Aldar has offered:
Salary of 17K
Housing/flights/insurance provided by Aldar

I've got 10+ years of experience and am sufficiently qualified.

So, I wanted your inputs on this:
1) If anyone has work experience with Aldar and can comment on the work environment.
2) Any insights into the salary scale
3) Personal experience with Aldar or other employer? I've never negotiated salary with an employer before. Is it s negotiation ploy?

So if anyone has counteroffered Aldar/Adveti or anyone else in the region can they guide me how to approach this negotiation with the HR people?

All help will be appreciated.

[nomad soul]

So much for your anonymity. Anyway...

Usually the best way to introduce a wage/benefit negotiation is by asking the prospective employer what they need from you to increase the salary offer. You're also going about this from just one angle. Keep in mind you've been with ADEC for several years and was recently promoted versus starting out as a new employee at Aldar, which generally means familiarizing yourself with different systems and procedures, a new business/educational cultural environment, unfamiliar curriculum, etc.

It's unclear if the Aldar position is a step up from ADEC career-wise. Regardless, I suggest you take an honest, unbiased approach and compare and contrast both the ADEC and Aldar head positions in terms of 1) the required years of experience, specific academic degrees, licensure, and KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities); and 2) the job responsibilities/duties, including the number of personnel supervised. If you never received a full job description from Aldar, request it. (You should have done so during your interview in order to be better informed about the role.) You also have the right to ask Aldar what criteria and/or scale they use to determine salary.

After you complete your analysis of both positions, you'll have a better, realistic picture of what base wage you should shoot for. Frankly, I see the Aldar monthly salary as 17,000 AED (12,000 base + 5000 allowance) rather than just 12,000 AED.