The offer and the move

Comparing offers on what you keep, the contract clauses that matter and timing notice, visa and travel.

Offer comparison worksheet

What: One table, in one currency, that puts every offer (and staying where you are) side by side on pay, costs and conditions.
Why: It turns a headline salary into what you keep and shows the non-money rows that can decide.

Code

Row                      Offer A   Offer B   Stay
Base salary (yearly)
Allowances
Tax + contributions
Health insurance
Rent (real listing)
Other living costs
Monthly saving
Family can join? Work?
Probation / notice
Relocation support

Watch out

Leaving "stay where you are" out of the comparison.

Relocation package

Also called relocation support, relocation allowance

What: What an employer pays to move you: flights, visa fees, temporary housing, shipping or a lump sum, sometimes help with flats and schools.
Why: It can be worth weeks of salary, and it is often easier to negotiate than base pay.

Watch out

Accepting "we will help with relocation" without numbers in writing.

Repayment clause

Also called clawback clause, relocation repayment

What: A contract clause requiring you to repay relocation or signing costs if you leave within a set period.
Why: It changes how free you are to leave a bad job in the first year or two.

Watch out

Signing without noticing the period and the amount.

Probation period

What: The first months of a job, often with a shorter notice period, during which either side can end the contract more easily.
Why: On an employer-tied visa, losing a job in probation can mean leaving the country quickly.

Watch out

Sending most of your salary home during probation with no emergency fund.

Notice period

What: How long you must keep working after resigning, or how much warning the employer must give you, as set in the contract and local law.
Why: Your notice at home, the visa process and the start date abroad must fit together.

Watch out

Resigning before the permit is approved.

Relocation timeline

What: One calendar with your notice period, visa processing time, start date, flights and the tasks to finish at home.
Why: Three clocks run at once, and a late visa can leave you unpaid if they are not lined up.
Example: Offer signed 1 March, permit approved 5 April, resign 6 April with one month's notice, fly 8 May, start 12 May.

Watch out

Booking flights before the visa is approved.

Salary benchmark

What: The local pay range for your role and level in your target city, from salary sites, official surveys, ads that list pay and people who work there.
Why: It is your evidence in a negotiation and a check on whether an offer is fair.

Watch out

Using global averages or one friend's salary as the benchmark.

End-of-service gratuity

Also called gratuity, end of service benefit

What: A lump sum Gulf labour laws require employers to pay when a contract ends, based on years of service; in the UAE it is calculated on the basic salary.
Why: Most foreign workers in the Gulf have no state pension there, so the gratuity is part of your long-term savings.

Watch out

Accepting a low basic salary with large allowances, which shrinks the gratuity.

Basic salary and allowances

What: The split of a Gulf package into basic pay plus allowances for housing, transport and sometimes schooling or flights.
Why: The split affects your gratuity and some benefits, and the total is what you live on.

Watch out

Comparing a Gulf total package with a European base salary as if they were the same thing.

Registered employment contract

What: The contract recorded with the labour authority, such as MOHRE in the UAE or on Qiwa in Saudi Arabia.
Why: It is the version that counts; it should match the offer you accepted.

Watch out

Signing a different registered contract on arrival because refusing feels impossible.

Go deeper