Quote: (03-11-2012 10:03 PM)jdreise Wrote:
Quote: (03-11-2012 06:59 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:
Don't forget that working the States is gonna crush you on taxes. $120K per year is be a lot less. A lot of us prefer to live abroad, where are are eligible for that big tax break. But since you are already familiar with ND, it would be an easy move for you.
Now for the Middle East. I understand teachers make pretty good here. Not all countries will have you living in a compound. You would have enough funds to bounce around the region on weekends and holidays to network. It's a plus to already live here. Employers see that you are used to culture and heat, and haven't bounced already.
I'll probably come back to the UAE when I can focus more and track something down. This was a quick test, and it looks really promising. After this I'll shoot down to Brazil.
Places like SE Asia are dead spots for networking. You won't find the level of expat there that will be willing to offer you a job. This is why I canceled my original big plan of going to the Phils for a year or so. There's money there working offshore, but I think it'd be hard to find a large concentration of expats you could link with. Their all spread out over the islands.
Logistics pays a little less, but your not busting your ass either. I know guys that took the office loggie job, so they'd have time to finish college.
Yeah, the taxes definitely need to be taken into account. I've met some European and North American guys who work offshore that spend their month-long off time here in Thailand as a way to escape taxation and take advantage of the lower cost of living.
Western ND is such an undesirable place to live but I think that even after tax $100,000 to $120,000 would put you ahead of most teachers in the ME even though their income is tax-free. I've met people who've taught in Kuwait and UAE and the numbers I've heard bounced around are roughly 35-55k. I'm sure there are jobs that pay higher though and like you said, it's a better place to network than East Asia.
What do you think about obtaining some kind of certification in Logistics? Do you know of any kind of education or certification program that you'd
recommend to someone who already has a degree but would like to improve there chances of moving into some kind of admin./support role? It doesn't necessarily have to be in logistics. Any option is worth exploring.
The thing about the ME is you can live cheap. OFW's here make $600 per month. Last year I learned to cut a lot corners. I could spend $5 at an Indian restaurant and get 2 meals out of it. Taxis are cheap because of the cost of gas and competition. Most expats use them, but the bus systems are SUPER cheap. It just takes a little longer.
Companies here like hiring Americans. It's a prestige thing, like in Japan back in the day. I think with a degree you should get your foot in the door. I'm not sure about the logistics cert. It couldn't hurt to have it on my resume. Check out nebosh too.