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[aryamehta]

Hi there,
I have received an offer for Assistant Professor from a Health Sciences College in Riyadh with the following details:

Total Salary: SR 11,500/month (~$3066/month)
Housing: SR 20,000/year (+ onetime furniture allowance: SR 10,000)
Free air ticket and medical insurance in private hospital.


I find this offer is way less than standard offers in North America. I will have my wife and a kid (toddler) with me.  Could you please advise me if this offer is bad/reasonable/good for a Ph.D. from Canada with 2 yrs of postdoc and one year of instructor experience (with Asian citizenship)?


Thanks,
Arya

[doccan]

Here are the standard monthly salary scales in Saudi Arabian public universities:

Assistant Professor: SR. 12,540-14,500 ($3,343-3,866)

Associate Professor: SR. 16,000-18,000 ($4,266-4,799)

Professor: SR. 20,000-22,000 ($5,333-5,866)

Benefits: Annual housing allowance-SR. 25,000; Furniture allowance-SR. 12,500; Annual tuition allowance for children-SR. 25,000.

[aryamehta]

Doccan, Thanks for the reply.

Is there any room for negotiation above the salary range you mentioned with my North American experience? The college I am dealing with is a private institution. I am expecting at least $4500-5000/month (which will be at par North American faculty salary including tax benefits and house allowance). Do you think it's reasonable?

I had the impression that for expats the salary is higher than local staff. Also, do they provide child educational allowance even if the kid is not going to the school yet?

[inthesun]

Doccan is right. Negotiate with them. Your education and experience is what matters, not a passport. Make that clear to them.

If they refuse, be ready to close the door and apply to other universities.