How can I get an idea of what a fair salary should be in Kuwait? Anyone with experience working there?

Question

I have an offer to take a job in Kuwait but the offer is not much more than I make for a similar job here in the states but the job there has a greater responsibility and scope than my current job here. They are basically offering less than I make here and claiming you will save on your income tax. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

What you will save on your income tax you will probably spend on living expenses. If they are offering less, unless this will be a major positive career move, I advise you stay where you are. You just have to calculate it right do your accounting and find out what you really are going to save up by being here. If the company will pay for housing and transportation you should be fine.

The cost of living is generally acceptable. Many people come to Kuwait especially to save for their future and if the company is a good company they would offer you housing and transportation, which leaves you with the cost of food. Generally electricty and water are less expensive than the US for example and housing is unlimited because there is much happening in terms of real estate that housing is utterly available.

Living in Kuwait is not that bad. It might be a bit of a culture shock for some people. There are habits in Kuwait that are generally very foreign to non-Kuwaitis. Kuwaitis are generally wealthy or at the very least have good standards of living. Even the poorest families in Kuwait have satellite TV and eat good food.

In terms of fun, you might want to consider that Kuwait is small, parties and what not are generally taboo, and most people opt for going to Bahrain or Dubai over the weekend for fun.

The major fun areas in Kuwait are dining and movies. Malls are generally overly crowded and the crowded areas in Kuwait are always crowded almost all the time. Kuwait City is not a city compared to NY or Pittsburg. Kuwait is small, extremely hot, and may not suit everybody.

My biggest and utmost suggestion to you, as a person who has done this mistake before, do not decide to work somewhere without visiting the place first and checking it out for yourself. It is a majorly personal decision and no matter what anyone tells you you are the only one who can decide whether you are comfortable in a living situation or not and if the culture shock is too much to handle or nothing at all.

I personally lived in the States for a while but I prefer Kuwait. Life is EASIER here. Everything is accessible, the food is good, shopping is good, and gas prices are low. The jobs here are usually easier as the general population normally works on a more laid-back schedule than the fast-paced more sophisticated business communities.

Health insurance and travel costs are usually granted by big companies but is not the norm in all companies so that might be something you want to take into consideration. I am guessing in the financial sector these benifits should come-with.

The food is excellent. I haven't seen anyone who have had food in Kuwait who did not at least wish to come back for some of the same tasty food. Since there aren't clubs or any other real forms of entertainment, dining out is usually the entertainment of choice for most people.

Generally embassies provide their constituents with alcoholic beverages as they are generally against the law in Kuwait unless obtained through people's repsective embassies.

Kuwait is a more liberal community than say Saudi Arabia. We have cinemas at least. There are some nice coffee shops and if you find the right niche there is sometimes live music.

As far as gyms and sports go, it's too hot to run or walk in Kuwait and most people opt for going to gyms. Gyms in Kuwait are segregated (gender) with the exception of hotel fitness centers which are co-ed.

The beaches are nice if you know where to go and there are two major beach areas in Kuwait which are Kempinski resort and the Hilton Julaiaa resort.

Malls are abundant. Fast food is abundant. People are a bit uptight but generally nice to foreigners. Diversity is very obvious in urban areas. There is a lot of red tape and bureaucracy but if you have the company backing you up you should get paperwork done relatively quickly.

Answer 2

You have also got to check out the living costs etc food,accomodation,socialising,transport,..all those costs have to be in the equation..unless the employer willl provide some of these.
If you will be earning less what will you gain? will it look good on your resume and open the doors for much higher paid positions in the future ?
Is it a short term contract ?
Are your family going over with you ?I don't think your wife/partner would be allowed to work anyway ( needs a work permit )

Good luck

Answer 3

The salary/remuneration for a particular job is the market value for a particular profession and designation at the city/town where the office is located. Job postings at websites like Monster, Yahoo HotJobs and Careerbuilder carry information about salaries. The Govt Dept of Labor, (www.bls.gov) Bureau of statistics has information about median salaries for different professions and details of additional compensation offered. Other online resources are salary.com and payscale. Your salary will also depend on your educational qualification and how you handle your career. More details and links to relevant websites available at http://tinyurl.com/rndxq