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Hi all,
My husband is an american citizen working for now in USA .
He is a construction project manager with a Good education level (MS) in civil engineering and 9 years experience .
He got a job offer in dubai from a good company(we only knew that it is a good company by searching online) but we are confused as we have no experience about working envirnoment in dubai !!!!

I HAVE FEW QUESTIONS IF ANYONE CAN HELP PLEASE :
1-if he will work in dubai does he still has to pay Taxes to the usa goverment every year !!

2-what is the salary range for a project engineering construction manager? (we thought it should be at least over 100 k a year)
3-what benefits should we ask for ?
4-do you think it worth to move out there ? can we save some money?

THANK YOU

Umass wrote:Hi all,
My husband is an american citizen working for now in USA .
He is a construction project manager with a Good education level (MS) in civil engineering and 9 years experience .
He got a job offer in dubai by a good company(we only knew that it is a good company by searching on line) but we are confused as we have no experience about working envirnoment in dubai !!!!

I HAVE FEW QUESTIONS IF ANYONE CAN HELP PLEASE :
1-if he will work in dubai does he still has to pay Taxes to the usa goverment every year !!

2-what is the salary range for a project engineering construction manager? (we thought it should be at least over 100 k a year)
3-what benefits should we ask for ?
4-do you think it worth to move out there ? can we save some money?

THANK YOU

He should get a contracting job from a US company, then you dont have to pay taxes and you get overseas differental, and all sorts of better options than working for a UAE company.

Thank you for your replay .. do you mean he should be sent to work in dubai through an american company so that he can avoid paying taxes!!

I dont pay taxes, but i have special circumstances. I dont believe you would pay Federal taxes if you are here for 330 days or more.You husband being American, he would prolly have a big advantage over someone who is Indian or Asian, it's a race thing over here. I dont know about the pay though. Dont let them take your passport!!!!!!

It is nice to know that you are american too ... We really wish to improve our financial situation by accepting that offer as it is impossible to save money in Usa .
I will try to ask about tax issue in law forums hope they will help

As an american citizen working there ..do you think that financially it worth to move to work in dubai ?

In Canada we are taxed to a point where even after you croak the government keeps taxing you...

Is it worth it moving to a tax haven? YES!!!!!!

Hell even if I take a pay drop, its still better than my after tax pay and Dubai is not that expensive compared to Canada (on par in general)....

I can't wait to get my a$$ ova there!!!

Thanx guys for replaying .
I am still just wondering if The american citizen by usa Tax law has to pay anual Taxes even if he will work overseas !!!
Huh ..Just I can not imagine that the Tax ghost will follow us to Dubai too

Thank God for Canadians, we just declaire that we are no longer residents of Canada and kaboom, the tax burden for us fizzels away into the oblivion from which it should have never left...

I just got an answer guys through a law forum .
American citizen has to pay tax overseas .but he can exclude up tp 80.000 of his salary without Taxes

Why even declare... You just work for a company that is not headquatered in the USA, and then file your taxes by saying you are unemployed... They have no way of knowing

Why you did not say so from the beginning .

My husband is not an adventurer at all ..I am keep pushing him to go to dubai and he always make up excuses about it may not be the right step for us .
so now we cleared the Tax part ..let us waitand see what new excuse he will come up with

I guarantee you it will be the weather his next excuse... When it hits 40-50 (50-60 with humidity combined) degrees celcius with the humidity in summer and only drops down to 30-35 (45 with the humidity) celcius at night, its not what one would call pleasant....

They have nice ,good Air conditioners ..do they!!
so That excuse is solved too. men men men

Another excuse... Lack of strip clubs....

That sucks, I file taxes, but i dont pay them.

What a great news : lacking of strip bars!! poor husband
pumpkin : You do not need to file a tax just tell them that you are not working (Now i am an expert ) .

Just bear in mind though that working in construction, even though he is a manager, will mean working outside much of the time, in the blazing heat, no AC's for hours on end - mmmm nice.

Choco, the point of this is to convince the man to come to Dubai and not turn him off

I know, but if you're seriously looking at moving half way round the globe, you have to look at all the aspects, the cons included. This is not easy work, and long hours outside will inevitably be part of it, you have to look at what you're getting into from every angle otherwise you're doing yourself a diservice.

Dubai is a great place to live and work, but a move like that should not be taken lightly. Research everything - that's my advice, that's all.

Umass wrote:1-if he will work in dubai does he still has to pay Taxes to the usa goverment every year !!

Up to $70k is take free if you live outside of the US for more then 6 months of the year. So the smart thing to do is get a package that the company pays direct for "benefits" such as company car (specify which one you want but have it remain the "company" car", company housing again agree on a price range around AED150,000 as housing is REALLY expensive here, company family insurance complete with single room coverage (this guarantees that if a family member stays in the hospital that they have their own room... trust me you would want that!), schooling needs to be taken take of by the company but I don't have a clue to the cost... I single, have any daughters over 24? Moving forward now, you see as long as it is a company provided benefit it can not be considered taxable, however if the company provides you a package deal and pays you the items mentioned about in a check (whether monthly, yearly, etc.) it would be considered taxable as you received money for those benefits, but if it is the company providing the US can not tax the company for providing it to you nor can they tax you as it was given to you and has no direct cost associated to it. BUT please do advise and INTERNATIONAL tax lawyer for further ways of benefitting while living outside the states, such as buying CUBAN cigars is NOT illegal as long as you don't buy them with US Dollars... if you as a residence of the states living/working and earning you living in a foreign currency then you can purchase as many as you like and take them back to the US with you as gift BUT not to sale or trade.... that is when it becomes illegal!

Umass wrote:2-what is the salary range for a project engineering construction manager? (we thought it should be at least over 100 k a year)

I don't have a clue but I will ask around to see if I can find out... there are probable some sites Bytes.com that are employment sites that might be a guide.

Now one note, if you husband thought he works with idiots before, he will now be working in a near third world environment. Not because Dubai is a third world environment, it is not, it is very westernized. It is just that the construction industry employs third labor from the labor itself to mid-managment, so it will require some patience on his half so if you do move here you will really need to do your part and try and not to add to it.

Umass wrote:3-what benefits should we ask for ?

As noted above;
Car, House, Insurance, School, 30 day paid vacation is standard but ask for it in business class, transportation of items from US to Here is standard but let me give you another tip... ask for the reverse and get Dubai to US upon being released, quite, end of contract because you will want to purchase your furniture, carpets, etc here and move it all back to the states as you can get quality home items for a great price.

Oh and make sure that in the contract that if for any reason your husband and company part ways for any reason that the company benefit will continue for 3 months to allow for relocation, change, etc. This will allow you time to prepare for the change upon this departure.

Umass wrote:4-do you think it worth to move out there ? can we save some money?

Well that it going to be up to you too and how well you can control your spending... ie. Do you budget your finances now? Dubai is like any metro city... you can make great money but there is A LOT of ways to spend your money. Many people come here to save money but only leave with very little because they went out or tried to keep up the "Jones" but never to realize that many people here in a situation that money is near limitless. You can easy go out and spend $200 a night on dinner and drinks at the same time you can spend $15 for dinner for two. You can goto the furniture shops that ask X3 times more for a product because of a name but is not really higher quality. So it is all relative to your spending habits and how well you can control it.

Regards,
Stainless

Umass wrote:What a great news : lacking of strip bars!! poor husband

Yeah, no strip bars just hooker with the price of a prozzy about $100 for the night. So don't think that lack of strip bars is going to reduce your stress levels... I personally know of three, what I thought, great marriages end in bitter divorce related to the move to Dubai.

IE. If you are an attractive women then you will have many many hitting on you regardless that you are marriage... hell, some here will simply consider that more of a challenge! How good are you at controlling yourself? Are you happy enough not to wonder off?

Or

If in the construction industry, he will at some point end up at a hooker bar with the guys. The second the women find out he is an American that is not military, they will be all over him... How well is your husband at controlling himself? Do you make him happy enough to not wonder off?

NOW you can easily avoid these places, it is recommended, but even outside of avoiding these places. Living outside the US in a new environment is a wonderful thing... it opens your eyes to whole new world and new ways of thinking. Doing it as a couple can be even better as you have someone to share those experiences with, just make sure that you always have open lines of communication with each other and never assume that the other partner is ok.

Stainless

Chocoholic wrote:I know, but if you're seriously looking at moving half way round the globe, you have to look at all the aspects, the cons included. This is not easy work, and long hours outside will inevitably be part of it, you have to look at what you're getting into from every angle otherwise you're doing yourself a diservice.

Dubai is a great place to live and work, but a move like that should not be taken lightly. Research everything - that's my advice, that's all.

The entire Gulf area is not for everybody.... It can take a toll on some people... Weather and work stress....

stainless wrote:

Umass wrote:What a great news : lacking of strip bars!! poor husband

Yeah, no strip bars just hooker with the price of a prozzy about $100 for the night. So don't think that lack of strip bars is going to reduce your stress levels... I personally know of three, what I thought, great marriages end in bitter divorce related to the move to Dubai.

IE. If you are an attractive women then you will have many many hitting on you regardless that you are marriage... hell, some here will simply consider that more of a challenge! How good are you at controlling yourself? Are you happy enough not to wonder off?

Or

If in the construction industry, he will at some point end up at a hooker bar with the guys. The second the women find out he is an American that is not military, they will be all over him... How well is your husband at controlling himself? Do you make him happy enough to not wonder off?

NOW you can easily avoid these places, it is recommended, but even outside of avoiding these places. Living outside the US in a new environment is a wonderful thing... it opens your eyes to whole new world and new ways of thinking. Doing it as a couple can be even better as you have someone to share those experiences with, just make sure that you always have open lines of communication with each other and never assume that the other partner is ok.

Stainless

this is very true! in life, there are more important things than money...

Umass wrote:What a great news : lacking of strip bars!! poor husband
pumpkin : You do not need to file a tax just tell them that you are not working (Now i am an expert ) .

No need, they know what I am doing

stainless wrote: (this guarantees that if a family member stays in the hospital that they have their own room... trust me you would want that!), schooling needs to be taken take of by the company but I don't have a clue to the cost... I single, have any daughters over 24? Smile

not all company takes care of your child's education .... only the lucky 30% has that privillage ....

and if you have a kid in grade / year 2 a friend of mine has one .. nad he's paying 12-13 grand a year in cambridge ...


well if you have a kid in year 8 - O or A levels ... well in my case way back 1993 .. my parents was paying around 13,000 (year (and increases 1000dh every year ) Dh per year including transport and books and uniforms (2 pairs) (i guess) (cant really remember much .... )


College : well i didnt do mine here so i have no clue ... if you want you can check at american university ... at 04 3999 - 000

well dubai is a good place and its actually evolving to be one of the most beautifull place in the world ... ruled by a very economically agressive ruler ... business is booming .. specially in construction .... night spots clubs restaurant ... everthing is here .. the only drwback now is traffic , ITS VERY EXPENSIVE TO LIVE, and the labour laws needed major overhauls ... other than that then s its fine


goodluck ... and have a nice stay

stainless wrote: (this guarantees that if a family member stays in the hospital that they have their own room... trust me you would want that!), schooling needs to be taken take of by the company but I don't have a clue to the cost... I single, have any daughters over 24? Smile

not all company takes care of your child's education .... only the lucky 30% has that privillage ....

and if you have a kid in grade / year 2 a friend of mine has one .. nad he's paying 12-13 grand a year in cambridge ...


well if you have a kid in year 8 - O or A levels ... well in my case way back 1993 .. my parents was paying around 13,000 (year (and increases 1000dh every year ) Dh per year including transport and books and uniforms (2 pairs) (i guess) (cant really remember much .... )


College : well i didnt do mine here so i have no clue ... if you want you can check at american university ... at 04 3999 - 000

well dubai is a good place and its actually evolving to be one of the most beautifull place in the world ... ruled by a very economically agressive ruler ... business is booming .. specially in construction .... night spots clubs restaurant ... everthing is here .. the only drwback now is traffic , ITS VERY EXPENSIVE TO LIVE, and the labour laws needed major overhauls ... other than that then s its fine


goodluck ... and have a nice stay




and oh stainless ..... picking up ladies at spineys... asking a newbie if he/she have a 24yr old daughter ??? wtf??? your a true romantic ... nice !!!

Thank you all ,The information that you gave are very helpful.
We are both still in early 30ss and we do not have children yet ,that is why we thought it will be a good opportunitiy to go to dubai and make some money (we can control spending money as we already saved a good amount of it and bought a nice house )

We do not drink that much and we do not like night life so I guess we do not have problems regardign that issue . we like more shopping and traveling around .
We are familiar to the culture as I am originally from Asia so I guess my husband will not be that much surprised over there

We only concern about working environment and being able to save money :
1--He does not want to leave his construction job in usa and then did not like the job enviroment in Dubai (regarding dealing with employer and the employee) . If people around him will be nice and they will respect him then we have no problems at all .

I know that it is hard to deal with labors (But it is hard to deal with them in USA too .

2--Regarding saving money: I just checked some employment web sites
and it looks like they offer around (30.000-35000 D a month) !!!!!! do you think that number is the normal salary range for the construction manager ??

Umass wrote:We are both still in early 30ss and we do not have children yet ,that is why we thought it will be a good opportunitiy to go to dubai and make some money (we can control spending money as we already saved a good amount of it and bought a nice house )

Well glad to see that you can take a jest... Major Pain seems to have an outstanding issue with me, must be a very frustrated individual so please excuse him.

There is opportunity to make money in Dubai, it is the controlling the saving it seems to be the issue. Congrate on the home, this means that you can rent it out and claim tax deduction for maintenance, improvements, etc. as a rental.

Umass wrote:We do not drink that much and we do not like night life so I guess we do not have problems regardign that issue . We like more shopping and traveling around.

Well now you are just going to have to learn to have a drink at lunch... your in British territory now, and nothing bets a good pint before lunch, after work, before dinner, before sleep, another for the road, hey this one is on me, come on you said one more but not which one!

Again, this goes back to controlling your monies as there will be one of the largest malls in this hemisphere opening soon. And it can be really easy spending $500 per shopping spree.

Umass wrote:We only concern about working environment and being able to save money :
1--He does not want to leave his construction job in usa and then did not like the job enviroment in Dubai (regarding dealing with employer and the employee). If people around him will be nice and they will respect him then we have no problems at all . I know that it is hard to deal with labors (But it is hard to deal with them in USA too.

You see the labor laws here are very weak, and employees in this industry are handled like cattle. They live in labor camps with 6-8 in a room and share a couple of toilets and showers. They work six days a week and are shown little to no respect from the company, only from their immediate supervisor. Many come from a culture where you have a cast/hiarcy (spelling?) system all are the have nots versus the haves. Now with dealing with them it will be a communication gap between your husband and employees but with time you get use to it and accommodate for it. Then you also have the issue of politics as many employees around him might find him a threat to moving forward because he is a western expat and might be favored over them... so he needs to be prepared for that, and as long as he does his job I would think that he will get the respect he is looking for.

Umass wrote:2--Regarding saving money: I just checked some employment web sites and it looks like they offer around (30.000-35000 D a month) !!!!!! do you think that number is the normal salary range for the construction manager ??

AED30-35 is an ok salary... but a rental can cost AED150 per year, both of you will need cars; etc. it quickly gets eaten up. AND that puts you back in the tax bracket again, so you have to play the shuffle game.

My recommendation, which most people don't do for some reason is plan a trip out here. Do the ground work, it’s NOT a vacation, and find out cost of living, housing, etc. Meet people in the same field and go to the sites to see what it is like. And the sooner the better as you will experience the heat of Dubai or put it off until Ramadan so you can experience that.

Hope it helps,
Stainless

Waiting for your critique mAjor Pain...

Umass wrote:Thank you all ,The information that you gave are very helpful.
We are both still in early 30ss and we do not have children yet ,that is why we thought it will be a good opportunitiy to go to dubai and make some money (we can control spending money as we already saved a good amount of it and bought a nice house )

We do not drink that much and we do not like night life so I guess we do not have problems regardign that issue . we like more shopping and traveling around .
We are familiar to the culture as I am originally from Asia so I guess my husband will not be that much surprised over there

We only concern about working environment and being able to save money :
1--He does not want to leave his construction job in usa and then did not like the job enviroment in Dubai (regarding dealing with employer and the employee) . If people around him will be nice and they will respect him then we have no problems at all .

I know that it is hard to deal with labors (But it is hard to deal with them in USA too .

2--Regarding saving money: I just checked some employment web sites
and it looks like they offer around (30.000-35000 D a month) !!!!!! do you think that number is the normal salary range for the construction manager ??

ok construction is the booming thing now and it will stay that way for 20 more years ... our family business is in to construction aswell and its not pretty thats why i dont work there ... i feel sorry for the labourers ... anyway .. working condition for an american .... yes it would be better ... but then again ... it depends on what kind of role does he play in the construction schene ... is he an engineer? a Project Manager?, in Procurement?. estimator ? does he Highrise? or roads? well if he's a site engineer .... welll DAMN !!! i dont think he can stand the heat ... usually the americans and europeans who are employed in the construction industry are usually on the management level ... such as Project Managements, Head of this and that ... Senior Quantity Surveyors etc ...

Ok salary Ranges .... it depends on what company they are employed ..
if hes coming over he should look at getting employed at nakheel cause they do give the highiest salary in the region

if hes on an upper management level in construction then you guys would prob'ly do well here ...

You can say I am a newbie .... I found your postings very interesting....

My dilemma is this: I am an American but also have a French passport (thanks to my husband). I don't have a job yet and I'm wondering if anyone knows if I can not file to the (American) IRS being that I am also French?

Come to think of it, I'm probably better off sticking to the EU passport only... but both countries allow for double citizenship....

Anyways... thanks for your help in advance...

Cheers!