Cash, Carry and Crossing Oceans

Folding tents and stealing away

ANY professional dive is beautiful. A swan dive is arguably the most graceful of the lot; however your dive from your secure job into the hitherto uncharted area of expatriate career opportunities could well morph from a swan dive to a swan song!

Usually, salaries paid outside one's country of origin are often beyond the dreams of avarice, but before plunging in, a little bit of calculation will help to bring things into perspective.

Please understand that the huge salary that you have been offered is so only in comparison to the country you are, unfortunately, you are not going to be paid that to spend at home, you need to spend a good bit of it off shore where you are going! Also the killer is the costs of moving lock, stock and barrel with family, friends and other animals!

Freakin' in `Frisco

Abdul Saad woke up to reality when he moved from San Antonio to San Francisco! This wasn't even a different country, but finding accommodation being what it is in `Frisco, Abdul's quality of life had to take a sharp revision to the worse despite all his salary hike that had to be spent on expensively uncomfortable housing!

Add to that the month's rent he had to shell out to his realtor, the deposit on the apartment, the actual physical movement of his accumulated belongings, and his own transport and the fact that he had to drive a lot more to work every morning, and he felt rather diddled, despite the double digit percentage of the increase!

That is only within one country, what happens when someone ups his tent pegs and decides to move internationally?

The salary may be three-figure percentage points over his last salary but the expenses are likely to equally astronomical! So what does one do? Take one's belt in and suffer with a smile? Or is it better to know more and negotiate one's package to include all eventualities?

Research Reality!

Consider all that goes out. What will you need to spend on? Housing; local transport; food; necessities; travel from home country to host country for self (usually taken care of by the company, and family, (your burden!) What about the type of wardrobe? Which is the country you are going to and what do they expect you to wear? What's the weather like?

What about schools or do you have to leave the kids behind in an expensive residential school back home? The costs will spiral upwards till they're out of unassisted sight!

In some cases people have actually gone to the places to get a `feel' for the work and the environs. But wait, we might get a good idea of what the work is like but unless there is murder, mayhem and pillage taking place on the streets when we drive hurriedly from the hotel to work and back, we tend to club it generically as `nice place!' We might even get to check out the school, but how many parents do we meet?

How difficult is it to get admission? Do you have to keep the children in residential schools back home or perhaps maintain a second establishment with your spouse in charge to look after them? Even in-depth on-the-spot research can be wrong if the climate varies in the course of the year, Delhi for instance has horrendous summers and freezing winters! Meet other experts and find out from them so that you can have a better picture of where you'll be living. Also make certain you know what the cost of shifting will be and if the company will pick up the tab.

Talkin' Turkey

Remember that much of your woe will be minimized if you find out about the destination and negotiate with your boss for a comprehensive deal that takes care of your worries. Find out about families, about club memberships, professional associations, entertainment. Be up front and the company, if they really want you will actually agree or negotiate a deal that might appeal to you better.

Trawl with the Info-net: There is a wealth of information on the web about how your offered salary will influence your life in the career destination of your choice. If something costs US$ 100 in New York, how much more will it cost in the destination of choice? More or less? All this information is freely available on the Internet.

Calling names and Taxonomy: Do you need to pay taxes? Depending on the local rules you might be eligible, in which case factor that into your calculations. What will be the taxes that you will need to pay, and I don't just mean income tax, there are things like road, property and professional taxes!

Due Diligence: Right at the start make up your mind. Will you, should it be required, be prepared to leave your family behind in your home country while you go out and gather the victuals? Do you know that this will put a bit of strain on familial relationships? Like your children calling you `uncle' when you return home unexpectedly? Will your quality of life be significantly better if you were to take the plunge? Do you really end up with a far better income? Can you retire sooner and be there for your family when they need you? The sobering truth is that if you think it is a dive into the unknown, be aware that all dives are downwards! On the other hand if you think you are on a springboard, more power to you - enjoy your sojourn with the panache of a performer!

S.RAMANUJACHARYA

professor1@sify.com