How about this offer? Thank you for your input.

Post new topic

New/to/Riyadh Member

Member since 10 July 2011

New/to/RiyadhMember10 July 2011 18:29:47

Dear Sir/Madam:
I received a tentative offer from a big company to work as a senior scientist in Riyadh.
Base Salary: SR 30000/month.
Accomodation: Furnished living or 20% of base salary.
Research Allowance: 20% to 40% of base salary (1st year, 20%).聽
Transportation: SR2500/month.
Medical insurance for whole family as long as my family live in the Kingdom of SA.
Free education for my kids in an American school if my kids live in the Kingdom of SA.

My 1st question is if the 20% base sallary enough for housing in Down town Riyadh?

If my wife and my kids live in USA for next 3 years or so.
Is it possible for the company to pay my family's medical (health) insurance in USA?

Thank you for you information.

New-to-Riyadh

josullivan Active member

Member since 26 August 2010

josullivanActive member10 July 2011 19:52:17

Welcome to Riyadh,

20% of 30k a month should be enough for accommodation, it will depend on what you are looking for. If you want to live on a western compound (which will not be downtown)you will struggle but in the open market you will get somewhere decent.
If your family are here you will need to be on a compound, if not you will be fine in a normal place (I am assuming that you are a bloke as most folk heading this way are)
The car allowance should get you a normal car, nothing fancy, my Toyota Camry is about that much.
There is no reason why your company cannot lay health insurance for your family in the US, it is not cheap so they will most probably not want to.
Try and get them to do as much of the organising of the car, house etc as the red tape here is like nothing seen before. Also the rent for the accomodation usually has to be paid 6 or 12 months up front so see if they will pay that for you and deduct it monthly

MaserMan Serial expat

Member since 12 July 2010

MaserManSerial expat10 July 2011 21:15:50

377

20% of your salary equates to 76k and if you want to live on a compound you will be severely restricted by that amount of money, but if you are here alone a compound would be your best option.

If you decide to live off compound it can be a very lonely existence.

New/to/Riyadh Member

Member since 10 July 2011

New/to/RiyadhMember10 July 2011 22:55:15

Josullivan and Maserman

Thank you both for your information.
I really appreciate it.

sandy_storm Contributor

Member since 04 May 2010

sandy_stormContributor11 July 2011 04:26:10

118

76K I agree will get you comfortable accomodation, but on an American compound such as Jadawel for exmple, the rent for a unit is 400K.

Your wife will go stir crazy if you live outside a compound.

I wish you good luck in your negotiations.

New/to/Riyadh Member

Member since 10 July 2011

New/to/RiyadhMember12 July 2011 02:32:14

Sandy_storm,
Thank you very much.

New-in-Riyadh

Zakaria khan Member

Member since 07 July 2011

Zakaria khanMember15 July 2011 10:08:40

Dear Friend,
There are many expats living in upscle areas(exit 9 and 10) within Villas which are usaully costing in the range as specified by you. For schooling if covered by your company, they should pay your children's schooling expense (our company does it). for the health insurance only transit insurance is covered by the employer only if you are on a biz trip. for permenent overseas cover you have to check. hope this helps
Cheers

New/to/Riyadh Member

Member since 10 July 2011

New/to/RiyadhMember20 July 2011 02:42:52

Dear Zakaria khan,
Thank you for your information.

New-in-Riyadh

Articles to help you in your expat project in Riyadh

Study in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia may not be one of the most well-known educational destinations. In fact, a lot of Saudi nationals do ...
Working in Riyadh
As the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is one of the biggest urban communities in the country and is home to ...
Compounds in Riyadh
Here is a listing of many (not all) of the compounds in Riyadh along with contact information.
Buying property in Riyadh
Even though Saudi Arabia has experienced significant changes in the past years, the local real estate market ...
Things to do in Riyadh alone or with your crowd
Riyadh is one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in Saudi Arabia, with quite a bit to offer to expats in ...
Getting a driver's license in Riyadh
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of writing the article is to inform聽expats聽who arrive in Saudi Arabia, ...
Living on a Western Compound in Riyadh
Discover Riyadh
Riyadh is considered the most beautiful city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for many reasons, including the ...