Expat Salaries – Middle East Recruitment – What Salary can I expect in the Middle East

Salaries for the Middle East are confusing to those who have not worked there before. We thought we would write a separate blog post and provide more detailed information.

  • Salaries – As with all job vacancies, this depends on the position and the level. We work with global organisations that have a UK /European or US arm.  Our clients are aware that you pay tax on your salary in the UK. USA, Australia, South Africa etc. In your home country, you also pay for accommodation and sometimes transport.
  • It is likely you will want to earn a lot more money by working overseas. Warning, do not be greedy! Some candidates will tell us exactly how much they think they are worth in the Middle East because their friend/uncle/colleague told them what they were getting when they were there.
  • We recruit daily in the Middle East. We have been placing candidates in the Middle East and negotiating salaries across all countries for nearly 25 years. We can advise you what the going rate is for someone with your experience. You do not have to accept the figures we suggest. It is in our interest to get you the best salary possible.
  • YES, you can earn a good tax-free salary, but you need to be realistic. You might have to take a step back, to take a step forward.
  • Remember, highly qualified candidates from across the globe are applying for Middle East jobs and careers. You are competing with a larger group of qualified people. The cost of living crisis is worldwide.
  • You will have so much to learn, about different contracts and working practices.

N.B Stafford Lawrence Ltd recruits for all Nationalities and Genders for the Middle East

Middle East Salary Packages and Benefits explained.

  • Base Salary -We aim to get some or all of your current salary tax-free, plus accommodation and transport allowances. In some circumstances, we can push for more. Dependent upon experience. Salaries in the Middle East are paid monthly and quoted in monthly amounts, not Per annum. This amount covers basic salary, transport and accommodation allowance for the month. So you might see an advert saying 45,000 SAR per month plus medical, or 35,000 QR plus medical. We will explain this further below.
  • Medical Cover–  is always provided by the company, on top of your package. Family medical cover is provided if you are looking for Married or Family Status. This will cover you, your wife or husband and two children. N.B Clients sometimes only pay cover for 2 children.
  • Flights -Our clients provide mobilisation and demobilisation flights (any additional flights will come out of your transport allowance).
  • Visa –All the companies that we work for will also pay for all visa costs and assist you in obtaining a visa.
  • Bonus- as Per the Law in each country- Which is usually a percentage 1-month base salary for every year served. Sometimes clients will also offer a company bonus as well for senior candidates.
  • Schooling Fees- Some director-level job vacancies offer schooling fees, but this is now very very rare. Most expats have to pay their schooling fees from their salary package.
  • Holiday Allowances– Holiday allowances can be anything from 20 days to 30 days, depending on the level of the position. Many of the Consultancy organisations have set allowances for Holidays, it is VERY difficult to negotiate these as they are usually set in stone and across the board.

How are Middle East Salaries Advertised- Middle East Salaries

  • When recruiters advertise job vacancies for the Middle East, the figure advertised is usually a MONTHLY amount in local currency. This will be the ALL-IN amount or Total Package (salary, accommodation and transport). You will see something like 45-55,000 SAR or QAR or AED or OMR per month. This is a total package figure.

E.g. 45,000 SAR per month total package. The base salary would be 27,000 SAR ( 60% of 45,000 SAR) the remaining 40% 18,000 SAR is your Accommodation and Transport Allowance.

A base salary of 27,000 SAR converted into UK GBP would be £5,663.99(07/08/24) British Pounds per month tax-free. You can work out what your UK base salary is in SAR QAR OMR or AED using the currency converter XE.Com as our currency converter.

Remember to type in your monthly NET salary as salaries in the Middle East are tax-free. Sometimes candidates look at their gross salary rather than their net salary.

N.B Some job vacancies in Saudi Arabia are based in remote locations. In these cases, accommodation, transport and sometimes food and laundry are provided FREE on top of the basic salary.

Salaries In Saudi, Qatar, Dubai and Oman

Saudi is the place for construction at the moment and in the Middle East, that’s really where you are going to make the most money. Salaries tend to be higher in Saudi than in the rest of the Middle East at the moment. If you are offered a salary of 38,000-40,000 SAR for Saudi, you can expect to drop this in Qatar by around 5KQAR circa 32,000-35,000QAR. This might be even less in the UAE, circa 28,000-32,000 AED. Salaries are governed by supply and demand. Dubai is very popular, with so many candidates wanting to go to the UAE, clients can be a)picky about the candidate and b)negotiate on salary.

When we talk to British Expats interested in living and working in the Middle East, we ascertain if it is viable for you to go to the Middle East. Occasionally, we advise candidates that it won’t be financially viable. Candidates with large families, or those on high packages in city locations in other countries. The demand for Middle East job vacancies is high, and salaries in recent years have decreased, due to a surplus of candidates. So you will need to be flexible to secure the role you are looking for.

Any questions or queries on the information on this blog, please send your questions to info@staffordlawrence.com

Read more about qualifications for the Middle East, as well as visas and lots of other information on our blog page Working in Dubai and the Middle East.

Want to learn more about writing your CV for Construction and Engineering vacancies in the Middle East? Our blog post provides detailed information on all the information you need to provide.

Quantity Surveyor or Cost Consultancy Companies in Dubai, Saudi, Qatar and the Middle East

There are a large number of Quantity Surveyors and Cost Consultancy companies across the Middle East. Many of the names are very well known to most Quantity Surveyors and Cost Consultants.

They all provide very similar salary bandings to each other for positions in the Middle East. There are one or two who pay slightly less than others. Some offer a few more holiday days than others.