Jeddah

yankee
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:07 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by yankee »

I don't want to harp on this but:

I have been working in U.S. public schools for the last 5 years. When I made 70K, I saved 27-28K a year. Now I am at a private school making 5oK and will save 20K. This while paying 28% taxes, rent, and car maintenance.

In Asia, making 40-50k AND paying 18-24% taxes, I saved 30-35K. But no rent or car to maintain.

So why, if, for example I worked at the British International school of Jeddah and with my experience would make 60K (from the Search school profile), pay no rent and no taxes, would I not save more than the 20k average most of you are stating

Is Jeddah so expensive?

Any comments are appreciated.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@yankee

The forum contributors received your inquiry, weighed and measured the merits against their experience, and delivered their findings and opinion. You are free to accept and discard them as you deem appropriate. You have a superior understanding of your own personal fiscal abilities than anyone on this forum.

While Ive given you my rational previously, in summary:

1) I dont see your earned coin to be aligned with the third . salary publication, you will hit the cap on incoming salary well below $60K

2) You intend extensive travel, relocating for the summers back to the US wont be free, nor will taking two holidays a year be cheap.

3) Your coals of not leaving a cursed existence are opposed to those of savings. Most everything worth doing in Jeddah costs coin.

You are of course welcome to prove us wrong and the readership would greatly welcome your experience.
yankee
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:07 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by yankee »

Psyguy,

I'm new to this site. What I was looking for was for someone to state, "I worked in Jeddah, I managed to save... "

I have been very disappointed so far with the often sparse and cryptic replies/posts. Nobody says what school they are at or even the country.

I joined the site to get firsthand information from people who supposedly know.
joe30
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:10 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by joe30 »

@Yankee

If you made 50k in Asia, paid 24% taxes, and saved 35k, that means you spent $3,000 a year (after the 24% tax you're on $38,000 net). That means you'd only have been buying food (little/nothing spent on anything else).

You can really do the same thing no matter which country you live in. Take the net salary, deduct about $3,000 for your food, and the rest is your savings 'potential' if you did nothing else (and had your rent/utilities paid for).

Most people aren't willing to live on $3,000 a year though.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@yankee

You may have tried than asking for that, something along the lines of:

Title: Saving Potential in Jeddah
I am considering a vacancy at either the American or British IS for the upcoming year. Are there any ITs with recent experience in Jeddah, and preferably one of these two ISs, within the last two years that can comment on their salary and how much they were able to save, and possibly what percentage of your salary post tax and expenses was discretionary?

Because your opening inquiry was nothing like that.

Even then you should respect and understand that the major and minor contributors of the forum are not compensated or employed to provide responses or feedback. Anything and everything published is entirely voluntary, and by published understand this is one the most publicly indexed sites in IE. Anonymity and identifying releases of information is well guarded by the membership. There is a significant number of recruiters, leadership and ISs that will not hire an IT who is affiliated with this site. I would not expect a contributor to go on the record with identifying information such as their IS.

No offense but you didnt "join" this forum, you registered for it. You may have joined the member forum and the member review side of this site, but even in the member forum, leadership can join that forum as well. Though the member forum isnt indexed or published as the public forum is. You may have had 'wants' involved in registering for access to the forum, in having specific queries, but no contributor owes or is obligated to provide a specific response or any response. The forum does not have a complaint department, nor an access point for customer service, this is a forum very much int he sense of the Roman interpretation of it. Members and contributors post queries and fight out the claims and positions of the members.

Youve received another discouraging response from @joe30, if you were to review the previous contributor responses you may reasonable conclude that the membership has not supported your desired outcome. You can choose to accept or reject their ana1ysis, and if accepted, the value and utility of their positions as you deem appropriate. I do not see the substance of them changing or differing in any significant degree regardless of your wants or criteria.
yankee
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:07 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by yankee »

@Psyguy

The reply from Joe was not discouraging. It struck home because it told me that most of the international teachers on this site, like most teachers in general, don't have the discipline/knowledge/willpower to save money. Who couldn't save 75-85% of their pay in China!? I mean, what do most of you spend your money on overseas besides travel?

Joe's reply was proof to me that I would easily be able to save 40K plus in Jeddah if the salary they state on their Search profile for a person with a Master's and 8 years is the 60K as written. In other words, his words, while maybe meant to discourage or disparage me, actually told me what I believed to be true.

Don't any of you read MMM or Get Rich slowly or one of the other frugal blogs? How about sites like Numbeo or other more accurate Youtube videos of expats?

Maybe you should.
marieh
Posts: 212
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:33 pm

Re: Jeddah

Post by marieh »

Wow. You seem like a fun person to work with.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Jeddah

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

If someone wishes to sacrifice their here and now to save for the future then that is certainly their right. But, why waste energy judging someone who has different goals and priorities then you do?

Many people believe in enjoying their here and now (because there is no guarantee of anything else) AND saving some money for the future. To save 75-85% of your salary is not possible in many places (even in China). Food, utilities, mobile, internet, transportation to and from work alone can put a healthy dent in your budget in most places around the world.

Add in a few luxuries (which can vary wildly from person to person) and possibly some travel and it is easy (for most people) to see why saving the vast majority of your salary is not a feasible or even a desirable goal for many people.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Discussion

Post by PsyGuy »

I concur with @WT123. What is the point of living abroad if all your going to do is live like a monk, and just work and be a hermit. I see no joy in saving so that what you can spend coin later in life. Id rather spend the coin now ina new and/or exciting region location. I wouldnt want to save 7% in China, not anywhere like Shanghai, or Guangzhou, or Hong Kong.

Many ITs/DTs do not have very strong financial planing preparation. Many of them dont need too, as the majority will work in municipal DSs and receive a pension that they dont have to do anything for, there isnt any planing involved.

Ive read, reviewed and understand them, I just dont want to live like that. Im happy you received a response you can use.
yankee
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:07 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by yankee »

WOW! First you all tell me it is impossible to save, then when I tell you I have done it successfully and without sacrificing travel - I do tutor on the side, by the way - is that ok with you guys? - you insult and disparage my life choices simply because they would not be suitable for you.

Your students are just so lucky to have such open-minded, non-judgmental teachers like you - your classrooms must be oases of free speech and debate.

You also must be Americans - instant gratification junkies.

Good luck living on dog food because you played the grasshopper to my aunt.

Reply as much as you want. I'm done wasting my time with insulting people on this free forum. I'll stick to the paid forum - better class of people.
joe30
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:10 am

Re: Jeddah

Post by joe30 »

I don't see anyone disparaging your choices.

The answer regarding your savings goals is a 'Yes, it's possible', but with a huge caveat that it won't be an enjoyable time. You won't be travelling at all with that sort of savings target, for example.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Jeddah

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

LOL. You can't possibly be that thick so I am going with troll. Congrats on stringing us along.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@yankee

You didnt ask if it was possible, nor did the contributors cite that it was impossible. We reached a conclusion supported by significant agreement that the conditions and criterion you cited we did not feel your scenario would be probable, we still dont.

Its very okay if you tutor on the side, its very okay for you to do a lot of things, I dont judge.

No one insulted or disparaged you, we disagreed with your outcomes.

You relaize the same claims of open mindedness and judgment could be levied at you as well?

I have a number of citizenship, I wouldnt identify as an American, though many of my formative years were spent in the US.

I doubt any ITs are living on dog food because they wont save 70% of their income. The vast majority will have a comfortable enough pension to draw upon.

Most of us are on the paid side forum as well.
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