Hi Guys! Looking for some guidance. My husband is in talks with a school in Muscat regarding a teaching position. They're offering $30,000usd a year (works out about OMR962 a month I believe.) Furnished accommodation is provided, health insirance for my husband (they've yet to specify if me and baby are included in that) and 75% of child tuition fees (my baby is 14 months so not school age, but I don't know if this offer includes nursery/daycare for him.)
We're also planning to have another baby in the next year or two so really want to ensure we're financially ok.
Is this salary decent/good for our situation? Our goal is to be able to save some of it each month and live comfortably. We're in no way extravagant spenders or drinkers :)
Also, what's standard in a contract? Should we expect end of contract bonus/flights etc as standard? Is it worth negotiating dependents health insurance? Or anything else we should reasonably expect/ask about?
Thanks so much for any help!
Is this salary good for a couple with a toddler in Muscat??
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justlooking
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:02 am
Re: Is this salary good for a couple with a toddler in Musca
Well, you can live on it, but it's well below the average in the decent international schools in Muscat. I'm assuming this is not an offer from ABA, ISM, BSM or even TSS. Medical care is pricey, so make sure you're all covered under the insurance. If you're going to be at the same school when your babies are of school age, I would try to re-negotiate for full fees.
The end of service benefit is law in Oman. You should also expect yearly flights, and a small transportation allowance.
Food, restaurants, and cars are about as expensive as Dubai or Europe. Household help is relatively cheap, but even petrol is pricey these days.
Muscat is a really nice place to live, so if your husband is a starting teacher and you want to put a couple of years in and you're willing to live frugally, I would say go for it, but that salary is not good for a teacher with experience.
The end of service benefit is law in Oman. You should also expect yearly flights, and a small transportation allowance.
Food, restaurants, and cars are about as expensive as Dubai or Europe. Household help is relatively cheap, but even petrol is pricey these days.
Muscat is a really nice place to live, so if your husband is a starting teacher and you want to put a couple of years in and you're willing to live frugally, I would say go for it, but that salary is not good for a teacher with experience.
Response
Its okay, its about 60% above the LH average, but its not desert coin for an IT. Adding the OSH package with the housing and you will be okay. You claim you arent extravagant but you want to live comfortably and save, what does that mean to you? On that coin you will be able to do one of those (save or live comfortably) but not really both especially with a family of three (expecting to be four) on one salary. You wont be able to save a lot and you wont be able to live an exceptionally high lifestyle either regardless of which one you choose. Do you ahve any financial obligations (aside from the upcoming second child), which coming up will make your spouse a very logistically difficult hire with 4 travelers for one IT.
The IS you describe is likely third tier, and lower third tier. I wouldnt except less than at least one full 100% waiver/place for your child and should absolutely include health care insurance for the entire family.
For IE, an ISs waiver place should include whatever programs including EC they offer, if that includes childcare than it includes that but generally doesnt obligate or include outside third . providers programs. I would also dig deeper into the housing is it a 1LDK or 2LDK and will they upgrade your housing when you add the second child? Does the housing also include utilities, and commuting transportation? If the OSH package is a 2LDK for now with option for larger as your family grows and includes all the utilities and a commuting allowance or some other arrangement (shuttle, etc) than thats a reasonable housing benefit.
Does this healthcare only cover and provide local care or is it an international plan with a local western provider and does it cover global coverage during holidays and breaks? If its just a local plan at 75% for just your spouse and thats it, walk away.
You should at the very least get a RT flight allowance at beginning and end of the contract for the employee and uppr tier ISs will provide RT transport for family. At this tier RT air travel for the employee and one dependent would be common. Though holding out for the whole family wouldnt be unreasonable, and at upper tier ISs annual not just start and end of contract flights would be reasonable.
You also want to look for a relocation allowance this can be a pool of coin that includes flights but also a combination of shipping/shopping allowance and settling in allowance. There should be something even at lower third tier, not a lot but something.
You will also want an inclusion to handle document and visa processing costs.
Bonus, isnt really something your going to see unless the IS is shorting the salary, in which case (and in this scenario) Id ask about a bonus/gratuity/merit supplement, but i wouldnt push it, ISs like this will ultimatly find some rational to withhold it anyway, your better off negotiating for a higher salary point to begin with. Thi is one of those ISs you absolutly should be negotiating with and you should aim pretty high so that what you settle on is reasonable. Full healthcare for the entire family, a full waiver/place for what the ISs program offer is, at least a 2LDK/furnished/western comparable housing, flights for at least 2 of you at start and end of contract, some kind of relocation allowance, and reimbursement of document/processing costs. Less than that and id walk away. As for salary its adequate but a target of USD$33K is reasonable if you want to be shrewd. You dont say anything about your spouses resume and thus its difficult to assess their marketability.
The IS you describe is likely third tier, and lower third tier. I wouldnt except less than at least one full 100% waiver/place for your child and should absolutely include health care insurance for the entire family.
For IE, an ISs waiver place should include whatever programs including EC they offer, if that includes childcare than it includes that but generally doesnt obligate or include outside third . providers programs. I would also dig deeper into the housing is it a 1LDK or 2LDK and will they upgrade your housing when you add the second child? Does the housing also include utilities, and commuting transportation? If the OSH package is a 2LDK for now with option for larger as your family grows and includes all the utilities and a commuting allowance or some other arrangement (shuttle, etc) than thats a reasonable housing benefit.
Does this healthcare only cover and provide local care or is it an international plan with a local western provider and does it cover global coverage during holidays and breaks? If its just a local plan at 75% for just your spouse and thats it, walk away.
You should at the very least get a RT flight allowance at beginning and end of the contract for the employee and uppr tier ISs will provide RT transport for family. At this tier RT air travel for the employee and one dependent would be common. Though holding out for the whole family wouldnt be unreasonable, and at upper tier ISs annual not just start and end of contract flights would be reasonable.
You also want to look for a relocation allowance this can be a pool of coin that includes flights but also a combination of shipping/shopping allowance and settling in allowance. There should be something even at lower third tier, not a lot but something.
You will also want an inclusion to handle document and visa processing costs.
Bonus, isnt really something your going to see unless the IS is shorting the salary, in which case (and in this scenario) Id ask about a bonus/gratuity/merit supplement, but i wouldnt push it, ISs like this will ultimatly find some rational to withhold it anyway, your better off negotiating for a higher salary point to begin with. Thi is one of those ISs you absolutly should be negotiating with and you should aim pretty high so that what you settle on is reasonable. Full healthcare for the entire family, a full waiver/place for what the ISs program offer is, at least a 2LDK/furnished/western comparable housing, flights for at least 2 of you at start and end of contract, some kind of relocation allowance, and reimbursement of document/processing costs. Less than that and id walk away. As for salary its adequate but a target of USD$33K is reasonable if you want to be shrewd. You dont say anything about your spouses resume and thus its difficult to assess their marketability.
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chiliverde
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:45 am
- Location: Europe
Re: Is this salary good for a couple with a toddler in Musca
Totally agree with Psy that these are the minimum benefits you should negotiate/expect. Pretty standard at any school that considers itself decent. Moving to a new country with a young child (we're moving this year) is hard enough, you want to know that your school has teachers' backs for basic things like healthcare/tuition.