Career Question - Middle East - Germany

MrsWilliams

Two questions:
1. Are any companies for sure paying over 200k in the Middle East? 

2. For those who have lived in Germany, are they paying over 100K?
I was looking at a Germany job that had 40hrs a week listed. In my head, that is stateside hours. So, I am thinking it is stateside pay. For those who have worked in Germany how is the pay, living, and transportation. If I am getting over 100K and have to find a place to stay and a vehicle, I am really not getting over 100K. I have always wanted to work in Germany. Just so I can travel and visit the numerous countries surrounding it. But money does play a part in my decision. I am willing to take a pay cut, but it is has to be a reasonable pay cut. 

mikey88

What are your qualifications? Sure, there are companies paying 200k with IATIII and TS/SCI but you'll be putting in 60+hrs a week.

EANx

Germany is a very modern country with access to the entire European labor market. You don't say what your skills are or where you are from but assuming it's outside Europe, you need to figure out what makes it worth a German firm's time and effort to sponsor you.

What do you mean by "Middle East"? Dubai is a very modern city while Dhahran is going to be a more challenging environment. Guess which one is more likely to pay 200k with housing?

And as was mentioned, if you have or can qualify for a US government security clearance, you can get good pay with housing.

cochi78

As we can only guess about the job you're looking at and your qualifications...

I think in IT in general, Germans are paid less than you might be used to in the US. Cost of food is said to be considerably lower over here though. And you have health insurance, social security contributions, unemployment insurance included. Hard to compare different social systems...

Things differ a lot between places, like always. In Berlin, you get less money but have lower costs for living. In Munich you should get 100k easy, but spend a lot of that on an apartment.

JDMurray

Don't forget to factor in the expense of paying both local and US taxes on that paycheck. You will get a tax break and "danger pay" if you go to places that are difficult to find qualified people to work. Also, because you are considering the Middle East, you should become familiar with what Sharia Law is and where its enforcement is applied to everyone.

MrsWilliams

ManTech has/had a Cyber Security position in Germany. The recruiter personally told me that it was around 120K. I have the email to prove it. 

I must be honest, people don't tell the truth. I can't remember the last time I told someone my real salary. I always decrease it, if I tell someone at all. I only increase it when I am talking to a recruiter/hiring manager who thinks I am going to take a job for the same pay. So, it's people in Germany making over 100K. The catch is, if I have to pay or an apartment for a year, I am not making 100K, I am now making 65K. If I have to pay for a vehicle for a year, the pay decreases some more. 


This is what I received from a ManTech recruiter:

 Salary depends a lot on years’ experience and qualifications. I will forward your resume to the hiring manager.

 Generally though, the total comp – salary and HOLA/COLA is in the 120k range.

But, I just called a recruiter who didn't answer her phone after telling me to call her about a position in Germany. 

Either way, some good stuff has been mentioned here. More to follow, maybe in the future ... If I can get paid 100k+ and still have to pay for a place to stay and a vehicle I might as well reside in any state in America.

kaiju

$120k comp package for Germany is not so great. You need to find out the exact salary amount because most contracts in Germany are moving to use or lose HOLA. It would suck to find a suitable place for $2k when your HOLA limit is $3k+. That remaining $1k+ would be lost instead going back to your pocket.

I was recruited for a Citrix Server Admin in Germany a while back. The comp package was decent but I turned it down because of OVER-priced housing costs in the work area. The slight increase in comp packages was not enough to warrant a change of location or employer.    

wiredtitan

I can confirm with Mikey88's answer. 200k is possible but the hours are usually long. A secret clearance at the minimum is usually required which is harder to get without prior military experience. But it's not impossible.

MrsWilliams

People yes it is possible. Yet, nobody is dropping names of any companies. I am sure somebody somewhere is paying over 200K in the Middle East. I am not doubting that. I should have asked a more specific question so that I could have received more specific answers.. 

I looked at my companies internal posting in Germany and I looked at the grade and salary scale. My company lists minimal and max salaries for each position, which equals a grade. So, each individual has the potential to negotiate a salary based on the internal availability of salary ranges. The position that I looked at in Germany had a max salary of way over 100K and the medium salary was around 100K. So, I definitely think it's possible to make over 100K base pay in Germany. That is not including COLA/HOLA or whatever other housing packages they have. 

D113

I have looked at DoD contracting jobs in Germany twice over the years.  The first was in 2013 for a help desk position.  The compensation was $70K+$40K housing.  I looked again in 2016, this time for system admin jobs.  The salary was around $80K+$40K housing.  

The housing is usually a fixed rate based on the area and if you have dependents ($40K for single, $45K for those w/dependents).  Those numbers don't sound great compared to someplace like the DC area, but you have to factor in the $25K you will save from the foreign income tax exclusion.