Job Discussion Forums

[cassava]

[cmp45]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[Kipling]

NCTBA said

[cassava]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Not at all, cassava, me, myself, I'm an Ontarian. You go OPP, you go!!!

NCTBA

[trapezius]

I know it has been a while, but just wanted to update people on what I have learned about KAUST in the past few months.

From my student:
Salary and benefits confirmed, but I heard him wrong the first time. Salary is SR. 30,000/month, or $96,000/year, still phenomenal for someone with a fresh PhD from and 3rd-tier US university. Benefits include free FULLY-furnished housing (down to blenders and bedsheets), free education for children studying in universities in Canada, and the usual medical and travel/transportation benefits.

From the official website:
As with any US university, students have to apply to KAUST a year prior to the start of their studies. Students who are accepted not only get a fully free education at KAUST from truly world-class faculty, but they also get a free ride for their senior year of college wherever in the world they happen to be studying. Yes, if you are accepted to do your MS/PhD at KAUST, KAUST will pay for the final year of your BS at your college and FOR ALL LIVING EXPENSES in the city you happen to be in!!! No other university in the world does this.

From someone at their Jeddah office:
Faculty who accepted jobs at KAUST were/are offered double of whatever they are getting at their current institution. So, a Harvard professor getting $150,000 is offered $300,000 (plus all the extraordinary benefits). And a $300,000 salary plus all other expenses covered in SA is equivalent to perhaps a pre-tax salary of $500,000+ in the US/UK (taxes, housing, children's education, petrol, food, etc). And some are getting more! ($200K in the US, so $400K at KAUST)

But here is the other shocking fact: KAUST just started classes this term, but they insisted that faculty who were hired come under their contract a year ago, while they continued their jobs wherever they happened to be. So, that Harvard professor getting $150K-$200K at Harvard WAS ALSO getting $300K-$400K from KAUST at the same time!!!

I plan on driving there in the next few months to visit their amazing campus, as well as meet some faculty to see if there would be any suitable job for me.

[Cleopatra]

[veiledsentiments]

[lazycomputerkids]

Qualitatively Differentiated Metric of Forum Response to University Policy (Western Species)

KAUST sets precedent of co-education: Meh, likely meaningless. Token progress.
KAUST offers salaries rivaling prior boom: Woot! I'm selling the dabab and moving to the big town!

[mrbbkk]

I know professors in Japan who make 120K a year plus 40K in research money and teach one two hour class a week and additional moneys for royalties on books and medicines

I think in the US there are professors that make 200 to 300k with most coming from the private sector

My cousin, a retired prof sold 20 million worth of textbooks netting 2 million over her career.

100K is good, very good but there are some who make way way more

What to you think a top professor of plastic surgery makes?
500K a million i know a few hairdressers in Beverly hills who make 500K

I am not so impressed by a 100K salary. I've made 100K myself before and many, many others make way, way more.

Some teachers who make 50K have 100K in income from rental houses and capital gains

100k is just nothing to be so impressed about I have made 70k teaching in Japan with 35K in capital gains before but some people make this in a week or a month or even a day.

There is always going to be someone who makes way,way more than you, no matter how much you earn so why even worry about it?

I lived in Beverly Hills for 3 years 20 years ago and I have met several people that make 1 million a day. They are all famous but 100K a year is really, truly no big deal.

I think Oprah makes 3 to 5 million a day and Bill Gates makes it in an hour. it really is not that significant; 100K

[Citizenkane]

[trapezius]

[With Malice Toward None]

mrbbkk's claims could be true but has no relevance in the saudi context. No use discussing what a nice job your cousin has, how beautiful his wife looks, what great places they've been to, all the while stirring a porridge even the dog doesn't want. I think 50K is a good salary in Saudi considering that you spend much less, no taxes, free housing and so on. My sis-in-law in NY, a teacher of bio, says 100 thou is the best one can look for there. Deduct your expenses from that and see, Saudi is better. Of course, the pain is there.
WMTN.

[mrbbkk]

My point is that a lot of professors in Japan or the US make 100 to 200K and I agree that 500K is a fabulous salary for a professor.

You say not relevant but we were discussing what is a good salary and I don't think 50k is any big deal. I made 70K in Tokyo ten years ago and many high school teachers in the US make over 60K.

My point is that my cousin made more from selling books than being a tenured prof and you can do this from wherever you teach.

I knew pharmaceutical professors in Tokyo that got more than 50k in research money and royalties on medicines they developed.

At 50K I feel like I am stepping back not stepping up.

We live in a global economy and you may look at it in the context of a teachers salary in Saudi. I compare it to other options in the world.

I know guys who make 180K for armor plating tanks for six months in Iraq
or guys who make 200K for being a driver there. I know engineering consultants who make 200K in Russia or accountants who make over 120K in the Middle East so 50K for 8 years of college and 13 years of experience is not something to get so excited about.

You say rental income doesn't matter but this is your perspective. For me, after tax total income is all that matters. Part of the beauty of teaching is that you have sufficient time off to write books or make investments and derive other sources of income. I really cannot separate the two, earned and unearned income. Irrelevant to you but certainly not to me or those I support.

I am setting my sights higher than 50K after a few years. I will be disappointed if I am only making 50k in 2 or 3 years. I hope I can publish a book or two while I am there and generate some unearned income.
I'll decide what is relevant for me. All income, earned and unearned is certainly relevant to me.