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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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 Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:04 am Post subject: |
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as with all gigs with long holidays, don't forget to factor in the cost to you of being out of kingdom for, say, three or four months a year.
It would be impossible, for example, for me to save on that salary if I was to spend that time in the UK without rent-free accommodation for that time, not to mention the impact it would have on my tax status. In kingdom my expenses would be far lower, but I wouldn't want to spend my summer months sitting around my flat saving money.
Long holidays can be a curse as well as a blessing depending on how you plan. |
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Raul739
Joined: 10 Feb 2016
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Is it impossible to request more money and receive it? I have an MBA and a CELTA but I don't think they were factored in. |
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I-forgot
Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Posts: 153
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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You can always try, especially if you think your qualifications were not considered. However, I think it is unlikely.
I agree with everything Hash has said and Sicklyman has also made some good points.
With regards to housing, in my experience hotel-apartments cost between 2000-3000SAR per month. A normal two bed apartment in Central Riyadh can be found from about 25,000 per annum and up.
Remember that a package of 16000 riyals per month is roughly equivalent to an annual salary of £55,000 at the current exchange rate.
Universities are adopting a unified HR policy which means fewer and fewer differences between the salary, terms and conditions of direct hires and contract teachers. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| A Master's of Business Administration is unlikely to net you higher pay. In addition it's very unlikely that they will offer you more money. |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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Quite difficult to find a hotel apartment for under 3000 SAR in Riyadh.. There are some for 2500 SAR but quite far from most things so factor in the longer taxi rides..
An unrelated MA is still an MA and should pay more.. However, once an offer comes in it is unlikely to change much if at all. I know teachers who have successfully negotiated second contracts but your opening contract offer will more than likely be fixed. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Raul739 wrote: |
| Is it impossible to request more money and receive it? I have an MBA and a CELTA but I don't think they were factored in. |
No, an MA unrelated to TESOL isn't likely to boost that number unless you've been hired to teach business English. What's your BA in? Perhaps that's what the employer is using to qualify you and determine your level of pay.
Were you required to provide verification of previous employment/experience? Again, that's typically used to calculate salary in direct-hire positions, which is why those job ads don't state salary. That said, if you have minimal experience, expect your pay to be so-so. |
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bountyhunter
Joined: 10 Dec 2012
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 8:12 pm Post subject: Re: Accept or Reject offer |
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| hash wrote: |
| Raul739 wrote: |
| Direct hire offer with a Saudi University in Riyadh........Total Salary: SAR (16,000)/ Month.........The days of glory are over. |
Grab it. Just on the Basic Salary alone, that's close to $40 thou/year tax free which really means it's closer to a "normal" taxable salary of $50,000/year.
Even in the so-called glory days, universities paid low during the first contract because they looked at their offers as - ideally- LONG TERM commitments by both parties......they want and expect you to stay for around 10 years or so earning the highest salary during your final years. This is not an unreasonable career-type model expectation for a university job -- ANYWHERE (in the world)
Military gigs and so forth ALWAYS paid more because they expected most teachers would not continue beyond the 1st or at most, the 2nd (2-year) contract. And this is exactly what happened.
Also, remember this: a lot (like 90%) of the "glory-day" stories you hear, especially when it comes to "benefits" and especially when it comes to SALARY are pure fiction - crazed cris de coeur with no basis in reality.
Yes, there were salaries at the $70 thou/year level but they were few and far between and never lasted long. There might have been 1 or 2 that reached the $100 thou level but these were truly exceptional and you had to have very desirous, specific and rare skills to be considered for these jobs. (These jobs still exist by the way, here and there).
There are always a lot of stories beginning with "I knew someone who...." or "In my case, I was offered the fantastic.....". Delete them. They're delusions at best or spectacular and wild exaggerations never really realized.
For a uni job, especially a direct hire, I would take your job offer. But realize that you're going to have to put in the years to reach significantly higher salary levels. That means STAYING in KSA for 10 years or so. If such a scenario is just out of the question for you, of course, then you'll have to look for something else
Just one caveat I should add -- I myself would not take this job because requirement number one for my accepting a job in KSA is that it must include employer provided accommodation - furnished, AC, maintenance, the whole bit. They'd have to pay me a Johns Hopkins MD's wages for me to arrive in KSA and start roaming the streets "looking for an apt". Completely out of the question for me, but I know it doesn't bother many people. (But that's because, in my opinion, they don't know what they're getting into as far as "housing") |
You'd what we refer to as "Freshie" in the UK. KSA isn't no different to any other country in terms of finding suitable accommodation. The only perceived difficulty is the inability to speak the Arabic language, and if you can't muster enough words to talk your way into single furnished apt then you have no business setting foot in the country. Alternatively, most young Saudis are eager
and willing to help, and reception staff (Egyptians) have enough English to help. Furnished apts are EVERYWHERE, some pretty nice, clean and modern joints with the required usual. |
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Shakey
Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 1:06 am Post subject: |
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| RustyShackleford wrote: |
| glory days are gone but it's sadly one of the better deals I've seen, especially with a non-military gig. |
MOD edit for names |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 4:55 am Post subject: |
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| currentaffairs wrote: |
| That is a low offer. People are on the same with the contractors. If you have an MA then look elsewhere. |
Agreed, but any port in a storm. If you have nothing else and need money, then consider it a temporary compromise.
By the way, why not just teach business instead. You could probably get better terms and conditions too. Maybe sign on for the TEFL bit initially, then see where you can take it from there.
Some current exchange rate references: 192k SAR (per year) = 51.2k USD = 39.1k GBP |
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Al-Ikwan
Joined: 07 Jun 2016
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 10:19 am Post subject: |
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[quote="danshengou"]
| currentaffairs wrote: |
Some current exchange rate references: 192k SAR (per year) = 51.2k USD = 39.1k GBP |
If you factor in UK tax then you would have to earn 61,500.00 GBP before tax to then come out with 39.1k GBP |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:03 am Post subject: |
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[quote="Al-Ikwan"]
| danshengou wrote: |
| currentaffairs wrote: |
Some current exchange rate references: 192k SAR (per year) = 51.2k USD = 39.1k GBP |
If you factor in UK tax then you would have to earn 61,500.00 GBP before tax to then come out with 39.1k GBP |
Unfortunately, there's more to factor in than just no income tax. |
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Scare Crow
Joined: 25 Oct 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Planet Earth
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| Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| Whatever happened with the OP? Did he accept or reject the offer about which he started this thread? |
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