Offer advise for a job in UK

[b0oDy]

Hi everyone,

I seek your advise regarding a job offer I've received 2 days ago from a big Telecom Carrier in UK.

The job will be located in Staines, Middlesex. My offer details are as follow:

1. The gross salary will be 33,000 GBP per year.
2. 12.5% of the basic as a shift allowance.
3. Bonus of max 10% of the basic depending on my performance annually.
4. Pension:Defined contribution plan.
5. Life insurance.
6. Share Incentive Plan (SIP): Allows employees to make monthly contributions from pre-tax salary, which is then used to buy the company shares on a monthly basis. Max contribution is the lower of £125 per month or 5% of salary. For each share you buy, the Company gives you a free matching share which must be held in the Trust for 3 years from the Purchase Date (unless you leave the must be held in the Trust for 3 years from the Purchase Date (unless you leave the company). Doesn't understand a single word of it.
7. Sharesave: Offered to employees on an annual basis, usually in July, which enables you to save up to a maximum of £250 per month over a three or five year period - normally granted at a discount to the prevailing market price. Explanation please.
8. My Choices: Offers flexibility to chose additional benefits at a reduced rate, and to either pay for them through deductions from your salary (which will equate to savings in NI and Income Tax) or by trading holiday entitlement – you can enrol in this scheme at any time in the plan year. The scheme runs from 1 December to 31 November. The list of benefits under this scheme is as follows:-
   
   • Private medical cover. Is this important? What about the public medical cover is it sufficient.
   • Buy more holiday (can only be selected at the beginning of the plan year)
   • Critical Illness
   • Cover Dental Insurance I think this is crucial, isn't it?
   • Childcare Vouchers
   • Retail Vouchers
   • Wine Plan.
   • Bicycle Hire (can only be selected at the beginning of the plan year)
   • Income protection cover. What' that?
   • Personal Accident Insurance.
   • Travel Insurance What's this?

I'm a father of a 5 months old baby girl and I will accompany her and my wife as well.

What's I need to know is:

1. Help describing the highlights above.
2. Is this a good offer compared to the market? I come with 6 years of technical experience in IT, 4 of which are in multinational companies.
3. I understand that the taxes are high. My calculations said that my net earning will be around 27K.Correct me please if I'm wrong. Would that be good for living? I'm looking to save around 12K annually to support my family in Egypt and as a future saving for me.
4. What are the rates of the rental for a small studio and the average spending for 2 members family and young child?
5. Any health precautions I should take care of if I accept the offer.
6. Do you know any website that can help me with the accommodations?

I understand that most of these must be explained by the HR rep. but I trust your knowledge and fair judgments.

Thanks a lot this is a very constructive forum.

[b0oDy]

No one to reply

[kenfrapin]

Hi bo0dy,

Let me try and help you out if possible.
For an annual package of £33000, net cash in hand is £24,694.20 so roughly about £2k a month. You can add your 12.5% shift allowance to this as it is variable (I assume?)
Coming to the actual amount - No, with around £2k in hand it is not possible to save 50% that is £1k per month. For 6yrs exp £33k is on the lower side but given the market condition and the competition with so many ready to work for less, £33k is about average for a perm job.

Next - your monthly expenses depends on where you will live. I am not sure of expenses in Staines but let me use a sample (as in one of my earlier posts) and give you an idea
1. Monthly Rent - 2BR house - £400 to £650 range
2. Council Tax - £115
3. Water, Elec, Gas - approx £125 a month given you have a family
4. Phone, Mobile, Cable etc based on personal choice - £50 to £100 a month
5. Expenses - For a couple, one needs about £75 to £100 a week for everything. Since you have a child, this is considerably higher and, unfortunately, I cannot say how much. Overall maybe £600 a month??

So in total from your £2k, you will end up spending between £1250 to £1750 a month leaving you with anywhere between £750 and £250 of savings. There are ways to reduce your expenses a lot by taking a smaller flat, older house in less reputable section of the town, not subscribing to the usual requirements, watching your purse constantly but looking at all that, if you want to save close to £1k, you will really need to tighten your purse and wont have a good family life out here.

If your allowance adds up to a good amount then that's great but all of the above should give you a fair idea of how things will be out here. This is from my personal experience and from those of many of my friends. Others may be able to give a better idea when it comes to specific expenses

Lastly - The benefits they provide depends on how long you plan to live here. Is it just for 1 or 2 years? Also, you will have to pay for these out of your own pocket so only take what you really cannot do without.

# Private medical cover - Not necessary as you will be covered under the NHS as you are a taxpayer. Same goes for your family.
# Buy more holiday (can only be selected at the beginning of the plan year) - Not sure if it is of any use. This is a personal choice
# Critical Illness - Similar to anywhere in the world. Depends on your current health and personal choice. Not a mandatory requirement in most cases
# Cover Dental Insurance I think this is crucial, isn't it? - If you are here for 1 or 2 years not required. Remember you get all of these outside but through your employer you get a reduced price. Find out the difference between the market rate and the one offered to you.
# Childcare Vouchers - This will help as you are getting your child here. Again find out exact details and cost it out against pricess in the shops and supermarkets
# Retail Vouchers - Not a major requirement but a nice to have
# Wine Plan - If you drink a lot, then this helps but you get deals outside always so dont bother
# Bicycle Hire (can only be selected at the beginning of the plan year) - Nah
# Income protection cover. What' that? - This is in case you become redundant or lose your job for any reason.
# Personal Accident Insurance - Personal choice
# Travel Insurance What's this - Required if you travel anywhere in the world. Schengen countries require this to travel. It costs about £35 annually for a person and covers any travel related costs.

All the best to you and your family
KP

[b0oDy]

Kenfrapin,

Thanks for the advice. I think I will have to talk to them based on your positive comments.

Thanks again.

[fawzyyy3]

hi kenfrapin,
i like ur analyst so i decided to take ur advice. I got tier1 visa last week and planning to move to UK, I have Cisco Networking CCNA/CCNP & Junipar 7+ experience in telecommunication operator (mobile, fixed, internet), y questions are:-
1) do u think there is any available job for me in UK?
2) how much the offer with current situation ?
3) how long to u think takes me to get a respond or job offer?
4) any other advices from you?

thanks

[kenfrapin]

Fawzyyy,
If your spoken English is anywhere close to your written English, then please do not come to the UK. The way you have framed your questions and put on your thoughts down clearly shows you need a little more work on yourself.

Anyways, back to your questions

1) do u think there is any available job for me in UK? - How would I know? Only you can come here and see if there is a job for YOU. Plus I cannot comment generally as I have no info on your area of expertise.
2) how much the offer with current situation ? - Very bad and malformed question and shows immaturity from your side. How can anyone tell the exact offer? If you are bad, you will get approx £25k and if you are mind blowing then £60k
3) how long to u think takes me to get a respond or job offer? - Seriously? Read previous posts where you will get so much useful info
4) any other advices from you - Don't come to the UK. Given you have 7 yrs exp and the type of questions you have asked, things will be difficult for you. You dont seem to know much so I suggest doing some real research first

[republique]

Fawzyyy,
If your spoken English is anywhere close to your written English, then please do not come to the UK. The way you have framed your questions and put on your thoughts down clearly shows you need a little more work on yourself.

Anyways, back to your questions

1) do u think there is any available job for me in UK? - How would I know? Only you can come here and see if there is a job for YOU. Plus I cannot comment generally as I have no info on your area of expertise.
2) how much the offer with current situation ? - Very bad and malformed question and shows immaturity from your side. How can anyone tell the exact offer? If you are bad, you will get approx £25k and if you are mind blowing then £60k
3) how long to u think takes me to get a respond or job offer? - Seriously? Read previous posts where you will get so much useful info
4) any other advices from you - Don't come to the UK. Given you have 7 yrs exp and the type of questions you have asked, things will be difficult for you. You dont seem to know much so I suggest doing some real research first

Ouch, pretty harsh but also I think isn't a correct assessment of his English, However I am not feeling sorry for people with job offers in this economy so i am not participating beyond this comment

[kenfrapin]

From all my previous posts, one would know I am only here to give practical advice in the UK market to those asking genuine questions.
My answers may be harsh but with so many people packing their bags and planning a jolly trip to the UK, it's also my duty to put things into perspective for them so they get a dose of reality.

In case of Fawzyyy, recruitment agents will chew him/her alive if this is the way questions are asked. It is a well known fact that we Asians speak better than we write and I hope that's true for Fawzyyy's sake!. Still, the type of questions asked for a 7+ years seasoned professional is not becoming and hence the openly blunt, thin line and curt answers to the questions asked.

KP

[fawzyyy3]

well, thanks kenfrapin for your honest and kindful reply, however it seems you understood my questions and that why you answered each one which prove we all humanbeing can communicate in this world where ever you stay in this part of world.

any way kenfrapin, take extra care of yourself and wish you the best.

[kadik]

Would like to seek some advice regarding a job offer received from a company based out of LEEDS
Offer Details:
My sal would be 39,000 GBP (Gross)+900 (benefits - Typically used for private insurance, etc) per annum. Further, I have an option to buy or sell leave up to 5 days (750 GBP). They are also giving a fixed relocating allowance of 3K during the first year.
Current Situation
I'm a proud dad of six months old son; both my wife and son would also be accompany me – may not be immediate but in the next few months.
Questions
Can you help me in deciding whether I can accept this offer or not? I would like to know whether is it a good offer. I have close to 6 years of post qual exp (CA).
Here are my other questions:
- What will be my take home?
- How much I will incur for a decent standard of living?
- I have a fixed commitment of 47000 Indian Rupees/Month (Housing loan in India); will I be able meet this?

Thanks a ton in advance.. any help is appreciated!

[T4Tech]

Hello Everybody,

I am new to this forum.
Basically from Bangalore.
I am planning to apply for Tier-1 Visa(HSMP) on Feb 2011.

Skills : Java/J2ee
Exp. : 6 years

I hope it would be better if I come to UK in Feb/March 2011.

Any comment on the current market would be helpful for me.


Hello Kadik,

Try the below link... I guess it will help you.

http://www.netsalarycalculator.net

I was just going this post... so I thought that it might help you.

Regards,
T4Tech

[mulderpf]

This poster entered the UK in December 2008 and finally found a Java job in October 2010. Job hunt started in April 2010. Therefore 6 months.

This poster found a job within a month, but reports that for Java positions, each position advertised get about 100 people applying. The competition is huge. I suggest reading his advice.

Another post describing the situation.

This post answers the same question as you had.

Yet another post on the same topic.

And the list goes on and on and on. As pointed out in earlier threads, the UK IT market has got lots and lots of competition going on. Also, as someone said in previous threads, it's a tough market out there. You will need to be more self-sufficient than you've proved here and find the answers for yourself. The fact of the matter is (and excuse me for being a bit harsh), the info is out there - there are many, many posts on this board about the same matter. If you couldn't find it for yourself at the moment, then you should seriously think about whether you will make it in the "harsh" employment market of the UK.

You will need to be able to fend for yourself, find information for yourself and ultimately find the job. If you are going to sit back and expect others to provide the information for you when it's freely available, then you might end up struggling a bit out there.

I don't mean to come across as harsh, but it's a point that you need to understand and seriously consider before you go over.

In the end, nobody can tell you how easy or difficult it's going to be. It depends on your skill, your tenacity and how hard you are willing to work. It also depends on whether you are looking for a salary of £25 000 per annum or if you are looking for a salary of £95 000 per annum. People can tell you all kinds of things on here, but even if there are 1000 jobs out there, there will be 10 000 applicants. It then depends not on how many jobs there are, but how good you are as an applicant - things like ability, language, presentability and so on would be taken into account.

It may take one person 2 days to find a job and another person 2 years to find a job. With so many opportunities and so many more people wanting to take it up, it will end up being more up to the individual than the job market.

[T4Tech]

mulderpf,

No...you are not at all harsh on this issue.

Your suggestion is quite helpful.

In fact I am doing R&D on the same anyway.

Again thanks for your suggestion

[mulderpf]

Also amended my initial post. Take some time and read all the information on here if you do decide to go ahead. There's a ton of info on here if you are willing to spend a little time and do the research.