Good Salary or Bad?

[Ellen91]

Can anyone tell me if this is a good package for Abu Dhabi and what kind of lifestyle two adults could sustain on this sort of salary?

$400,000 base salary (USD) which translates to 1,469,200 UAE Dirham un-taxed
8 First Class tickets to and from home
Generous allowance (unstated as of yet) for high quality housing
Free University for me
A car
Free shipping of household items there and back
Purchase of furniture upon arrival
35 days vacation
Medical and Dental Benefits
End of service gratuity of 2 weeks salary for each year served (ex 1 year $15,342 USD, 2 years $30,684 USD and so on... we plan to stay for 5 years so $76,710 USD)


My husband and I recently got married and have a dog but no children and aren't planning on having them for a while. I'm still in school. He's been offered the job.

Thanks!

Ellen

[newguyintown]

Originally Posted by Ellen91

Can anyone tell me if this is a good package for Abu Dhabi and what kind of lifestyle two adults could sustain on this sort of salary?

$400,000 base salary (USD) which translates to 1,469,200 UAE Dirham un-taxed
8 First Class tickets to and from home
Generous allowance (unstated as of yet) for high quality housing
Free University for me
A car
Free shipping of household items there and back
Purchase of furniture upon arrival
35 days vacation
Medical and Dental Benefits
End of service gratuity of 2 weeks salary for each year served (ex 1 year $15,342 USD, 2 years $30,684 USD and so on... we plan to stay for 5 years so $76,710 USD)


My husband and I recently got married and have a dog but no children and aren't planning on having them for a while. I'm still in school. He's been offered the job.

Thanks!

Ellen

Hi Ellen,

That sounds like a very good package! You'd be able to live very comfortably with that kind of salary, more so because your housing will be paid for, which is an expensive affair here in AD (I am assuming that the allowance will be an addition to the $400,000 package). Of course how much you'd be saving depends on your lifestyle but even if you are like eating out/going out every week and all, you should be able to do save a substantial amount.

If you're planning to bring your dog along, I am not sure how good an idea that would be. I have been here for around 3 months now and I am yet to see a pet dog! Hopefully other members here would be able to help you better with that.

Hope this helped!

Cheers!

[Ellen91]

Originally Posted by newguyintown

Hi Ellen,

That sounds like a very good package! You'd be able to live very comfortably with that kind of salary, more so because your housing will be paid for, which is an expensive affair here in AD (I am assuming that the allowance will be an addition to the $400,000 package). Of course how much you'd be saving depends on your lifestyle but even if you are like eating out/going out every week and all, you should be able to do save a substantial amount.

If you're planning to bring your dog along, I am not sure how good an idea that would be. I have been here for around 3 months now and I am yet to see a pet dog! Hopefully other members here would be able to help you better with that.

Hope this helped!

Cheers!

Thank you! That does help a lot! Can you tell me if there are any properties with yards? It seems to me it makes more sense to buy a home if you are going to stay for about 5 years than to rent... and yes the housing stipend is in addition. We are planning to bring my dog along so a yard is a big concern. We won't be leaving until October so we have a lot of time to figure all of these things out but it's best to start now.

[newguyintown]

Originally Posted by Ellen91

Thank you! That does help a lot! Can you tell me if there are any properties with yards? It seems to me it makes more sense to buy a home if you are going to stay for about 5 years than to rent... and yes the housing stipend is in addition. We are planning to bring my dog along so a yard is a big concern. We won't be leaving until October so we have a lot of time to figure all of these things out but it's best to start now.

You would surely find properties with yards but I guess would be difficult to find such properties in the city. There should be a whole lot of them in the suburbs (like Khalifa City or Mussaffah) and obivously will be cheaper too. Look up for ads on Property Real Estate for Sale and Rent. Jobs in the Middle East and North Africa , Free Classifieds in with Dubizzle.com, you should be able to find something you'd like. You definitely have a lot of time on your hands!

[Ellen91]

Originally Posted by newguyintown

You would surely find properties with yards but I guess would be difficult to find such properties in the city. There should be a whole lot of them in the suburbs (like Khalifa City or Mussaffah) and obivously will be cheaper too. Look up for ads on Property Real Estate for Sale and Rent. Jobs in the Middle East and North Africa , Free Classifieds in with Dubizzle.com, you should be able to find something you'd like. You definitely have a lot of time on your hands!

Thanks Our rent allowance per anum is 350,000 AED... which seems to be pretty nice from the villas I've been looking at... I just want to find one with grass for my dog.

[newguyintown]

Originally Posted by Ellen91

Thanks Our rent allowance per anum is 350,000 AED... which seems to be pretty nice from the villas I've been looking at... I just want to find one with grass for my dog.

You're welcome

May take some time to find one, but you'll definitely get some options. Good luck!

[TallyHo]

Plenty of pet dogs in the UAE. Many owned by western expats but other nationalities do own dogs. You'll be fine. Just make sure the dog is chipped and registered through his local vet. There's a few ongoing threads on the Dubai forum about bringing pets to the UAE and taking care of them once in the country.

The one thing I will caution you on is if you get a maid, do not rely on the maid to walk the dog until she's proven herself. I've rescued a few dogs that got lost because the maid stupidly let the animal off his leash or wasn't mindful of closing the garden gate behind her.

[amerifren]

Sounds like you'll have a wonderful life there. I'd take that in offer in a hearbeat

[Warold]

It's an great offer. Do you mind me asking what position this is for?

[btvs2000]

Hi Ellen,
The package sounds excellent. I have been researching salaries in Abu Dhabi recently, currently negioating myself for an investment banking role. Junior positions around 360,000 AED annual and more senior at 960,000 AED annual. Like, Warold do you mind if I ask what the role is, or at least sector? thanks