Expat Salaries – Middle East Recruitment – What can I get paid in the Middle East

We thought we would write a separate blog post on Salaries in the Middle East, as these can be confusing.

  • Salaries for British expat candidates- That depends on the position and the level. Stafford Lawrence tends to work with global organisations, that have a UK /European or US arm.  Our clients are aware, that you pay tax in the UK. You also pay for your own accommodation and sometimes transport when living and working in the United Kingdom. So the short answer is, you will get the going rate.
  • It is likely you will want to earn a lot more money for working overseas, But a WARNING, don’t be greedy! Some candidates will tell us exactly how much they think they are worth in the Middle East…because their friend or their uncle told them what they were getting back in the 1970s. We recruit on a daily basis for the Middle East, day in day out, almost 365 days of the year.
  • We have been placing candidates into the Middle East and negotiating salaries across all countries for nearly 25 years. We can advise what the going rate is for someone with your experience, from Assistant to Board Level. You do not have to accept the figures we suggest. It is in our interest to get you the best salary possible, at the same time, you don’t want to price yourself out of the market.
  • 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 there are highly qualified candidates from across the globe applying for Middle East jobs and careers. You are competing with a larger group of highly qualified people. There is much to learn. You might not be able to hit the ground running considering the differing contracts and working practices in the Middle East.
  • Unlike the UK where talent is scarce, we have qualified candidates from across the globe applying daily for positions. In the UK when applying for a job vacancy you might be one of a handful of candidates. In the Middle East you might be one of at least 20 candidates.

What will i get on top of my salary in the Middle East? 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 45KSAR per month plus medical, or 35,000QAR plus medical. We will explain this further below.
  • Medical Cover–  is always provided by the company, on top of your package. Family the 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.

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, salaries in recent years have come down, due to a surplus of candidates.

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 per month, this is a total package figure.

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

So your base salary of 27,000 SAR converted into UK GBP would be £5,663.99(07/08/24) British Pounds per month tax free. Do you want to know what your current UK base salary is in SAR QAR or AED? We use 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.

  • Some job vacancies in Saudi are billed as remote locations. In these cases accommodation, transport and sometimes food and laundry is provided FREE on top of the basic.

Salaries In Qatar, Dubai and Oman

Saudi really 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 the rest of the Middle East. If you are offered a salary of 38,000-40,000SAR for Saudi, you can expect to drop this in Qatar by around 5KQAR circa 32,000-35,000QAR. This will be even less in Dubai and Abu Dhabi circa 28,000-32,000AED. At the moment its simply a case of supply and demand. With so many candidates wanting to go to the UAE, clients can be  a)picky about the candidate and b)negotiate about the salary.

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

You can read more about qualifications needed 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.