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Post by ToesInTheSand on Jul 1, 2015 13:16:08 GMT
I received a call last week informing me that SA would like to extend an offer for employment. I was requested to submit paystubs, degrees, & certifications. My family and I are excited about the opportunity. From reading the forum I know that patience is going to be important, so we are expecting a slow pace with information. With this in mind, I still have a few questions maybe the community can assist me with.
I would be U.S. Payroll, I believe the position is classified as Engineer 1.
1. From my reading, it looks like that is a grade 14. Is that right? I have 22 years professional experience, a master's degree related to the field and hold additional certifications in the field.
2. I was given the impression that once an offer is accepted and we are in-country, that we will need to remain out of the U.S. for a full consecutive year for tax purposes. Is this the case or have I misunderstood something? I am only asking so we can determine whether or not we will see the extended family for the holidays.
3. My proposed position is not a "true engineering" position, but more on the Loss Prevention side of things. Neither my undergrad nor my Master's degree (Emergency Management) are "engineering" degrees. Will this pose a problem with the Saudi Engineering Council or with degree attestation?
4. My passport (which I use often) expires Jan 2017. should I seek out possibility of early renewal before the need to submit for a SA work visa?
I am hoping to mitigate as many hurdles in advance where possible.
Thanks for any insight.
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Post by sbenni1 on Jul 3, 2015 11:23:53 GMT
1) 13/14 sounds about right. Stay focused on the money not the job code. Some 13s make more money than 15s and that's 2 GCs higher.
2) Not true. I was on short leave within a month after I joined.
3) Don't know
4) Doesn't matter. It takes a few days to get a new one in the US using their expedited service or you can renew it here, the consulate is 2 minutes from Aramco-Dhahran and they are very fast. Just do it in the US and get it over with.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Jul 3, 2015 13:57:34 GMT
Engineer 1 is GC14
Your first year taxes are really complicated and, depending on when you arrive, you might need a long extension before actually filing. PWC will handle all that for you. Your first year or partial year, you will have to meet the "physical presence" test. You can go back to the USA during that year but be very careful that you limit your days there. You can stay up to about 30 days but check with an accountant or lawyer if you want to spend as much time there as possible. Once you have met the physical presence test, subsequent years are much less stringent. What is at risk is the foreign earned income exclusion. Lose that and it will cost you a ton of money. While you may get a long extension, estimated taxes are still due in April to avoid penalties. Again PWC will deal with all of that.
There can be a long time between receiving an offer and arriving. If you don't have at least six months validity, you won't get a visa. It is true it takes about 7 days to get a passport here. It used to be faster but they stopped issuing them locally and required everything to come from the USA. My suggestion is that you look at the offer and if you decide to take it, go ahead and renew your passport because you might be pushing the 6 month problem by the time you are ready to travel. You will also need to have a few empty pages or you will not get a visa. Pages can be added here same day as application.
Don't worry too much about the SCE. If there is any issue with the degree, HR has ways of getting around it. I work with a guy who had an issue with the SCE and HR just changed his job le. Now SCE is out of the equation.
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Post by ToesInTheSand on Jul 3, 2015 14:55:01 GMT
Thank you both for the great responses. This is pretty much what I suspected.
I understand the spread in wages in varying GCs, its very similar to my current employer. The primary issue is with the process of housing / selection / bidding... I am under the impression that GC has impact on that aspect (still reading all of the info on this board).
I am not really concerned about getting the taxes squared away, I am sure the PWC office will handle it, I was just wondering whether my family and I need to cancel our plans for the end of the year holiday season or not. It sounds like we shouldn't have a problem with the family gathering in December, assuming we are actually mobilized by then.
During the interview process, I was told we would be placed in Al Rakah then have an opportunity to "bid" into a home in Dhahran. I understand that there is some kind housing crunch in the compounds though. I will continue to read the rest of the forum, but if there is anything new to know, my wife and I would like to know. We are a family of 4 (Girl 9, Boy 10).
Thanks again for all the feedback. Fantastic community here.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Jul 3, 2015 19:03:12 GMT
a few months after I arrived, I got a letter in my po box from the IRS. I had moved from the UAE when I joined Aramco. The IRS decided I was not an expat but rather a rotational employee. As such I owed them $55K in taxes and penalties and that I had 30 days to appeal or else my only recourse was to go to court in Philadelphia. The mail to Saudi from the USA takes 40 days so I was hosed before I ever got the letter. Funny part was I had probably not set foot in the USA in over 4 years. The ICE database knows when I am in and out but the IRS database doesn't talk to it. the burden of proof was on me. Painful experience and a bit of money spent. I did not have to go to Philadelphia. They finally agreed I was an expat. Quite a few people got that same letter. I think the IRS was just trolling to see what they could catch. You might get hassled or not. Just always keep scanned records on a USB. Also a good idea to keep last few years tax returns scanned on USB in your pocket when going back to the USA if your wife is not American. if you get called into the "room" for a talk, once they know you pay taxes, they are very friendly.
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Post by bogiefrommuskogee on Jul 5, 2015 3:40:44 GMT
Based on your experience, GC 15 may be more in line with your qualifications. This might be something you could negotiate. Usually the offer has a guideline or limit that is used for negotiations. Sometimes even GC is flexible. Negotiations can also go badly at times. If you can negotiate GC 15, it would offer significant advantages including housing.
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Post by Hotrod1977 on Jul 8, 2015 17:03:50 GMT
Welcome aboard, Toes....my apologies for not answering some of your questions but I have been having a doo of a time even trying to post on this forum (I am a brand new user as well)
Are you going to be with the Crisis and Continity Team at HQ?
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stmayo11
Senior Member
ExPats Community Moderator
Posts: 159
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Post by stmayo11 on Jul 11, 2015 7:44:18 GMT
o Hotrod and welcome to the Forum.
Because you are a new user, your first several posts must be approved by Moderators before they appear on the Forum. This is noted in the FAQ's. Moderators are volunteers and it may take us a few days to approve the posts in the queue. This is done to prevent spammers from taking over the forum, and to prevent inappropriate images and comments from appearing in posts, which have caused havoc on this forum in the past. (Long-term members know exactly what I'm referring to.) Your patience and understanding are appreciated.
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