A potential opportunity has come up at work to do a short project in Saudi, 3-4 months.
Sounds like an interesting thing to do to me, and there are significant financial benefits.
Just wondered if anyone had been/worked out there before, or anywhere similar?
Quote from: BigSoyA potential opportunity has come up at work to do a short project in Saudi, 3-4 months.
Sounds like an interesting thing to do to me, and there are significant financial benefits.
Just wondered if anyone had been/worked out there before, or anywhere similar?
do it.
i know a good few folk who have been out there and done similar things and have loved it.
I remember one guy I worked with years ago who had worked for a long time in Saudi and hed come to dislike the Arabs for habits like having a dump at the side of the road in any old location :?
my dad worked there in the 80s for a short stint & got quite well paid for it
Saudi is a bit of a strict country too (they follow a f**ked up version of Islam)- there are western compaounds etc.. where all the western workers live but in the actual citys theyve got religious police etc...
I reckon as far as the middle east is concerned the best place to work if you have the choice would have to be Dubai - still any opportunity to go to the region for a short stint & get paid well for it shouldnt be frowned upon - If I were you Id go for it.
Quote from: CeathreamhnanI remember one guy I worked with years ago who had worked for a long time in Saudi and hed come to dislike the Arabs for habits like having a dump at the side of the road in any old location :?
Sounds like Hull.
Quote from: Davemy dad worked there in the 80s for a short stint & got quite well paid for it
Saudi is a bit of a strict country too (they follow a f**ked up version of Islam)- there are western compaounds etc.. where all the western workers live but in the actual citys theyve got religious police etc...
I reckon as far as the middle east is concerned the best place to work if you have the choice would have to be Dubai - still any opportunity to go to the region for a short stint & get paid well for it shouldnt be frowned upon - If I were you Id go for it.
Yeah, itd be living in a compound I believe, which probably has its good and bad sides. No opporunities in Dubai unfortunately lol, or Bahrain would be cool too, believe they have a pretty relaxed lifestyle comparatively there (i.e. you can drink).
Reality is if I get offered a place to go, Ill probably do it, widen the horizons a bit etc, and get well-paid for it 8)
you can drink in saudi too - except it will be home brew & the arabs will bum you if you get caught :D
Quote from: Daveyou can drink in saudi too - except it will be home brew & the arabs will bum you if you get caught :D
Yeah Ill be aiming to give the beardy-bum-loving a miss if it all possible.
Quote from: Davemy dad worked there in the 80s for a short stint & got quite well paid for it
Saudi is a bit of a strict country too (they follow a f**ked up version of Islam)- there are western compaounds etc.. where all the western workers live but in the actual citys theyve got religious police etc...
I reckon as far as the middle east is concerned the best place to work if you have the choice would have to be Dubai - still any opportunity to go to the region for a short stint & get paid well for it shouldnt be frowned upon - If I were you Id go for it.
This is true, I know a British nurse out there, for women its nasty, although well paid.
Quote from: Daveyou can drink in saudi too - except it will be home brew & the arabs will bum you if you get caught :D
There are ways around this, and commercial alcohol is available. If you get caught though its a public flogging.
Quote from: BigSoyA potential opportunity has come up at work to do a short project in Saudi, 3-4 months.
Sounds like an interesting thing to do to me, and there are significant financial benefits.
Just wondered if anyone had been/worked out there before, or anywhere similar?
Yes.. Financially you will save load of money as you cant buy booze.
IIRC its tax free too.
dont think it is tax free unless he is there for more than 6 months
HM customs & revenue require you to pay tax on all your worldwide earning IIRC - so youd need to be officially residing abroad to avoid UK income tax.
Even if you do pay tax, HM RC will require you to pay the difference between their tax rate and our tax rate (if theirs is less) anyway.
The explanation Ive had so far is that I would continue to pay standard UK taxes etc on my current salary, but the extra earnt for working in Saudi would be tax-protected. Not entirely sure what tax-protected means however.
As far as I know, they dont pay taxes in Saudi.
It just means that your company will pay your tax bill.
If you are domiciled in the UK, your overseas income will always be taxed here if it is less than the prevailing rate here.
If youre a US citizen you pay taxes on your income even if you dont live there anymore! How stupid is that.
Quote from: SamIt just means that your company will pay your tax bill.
If you are domiciled in the UK, your overseas income will always be taxed here if it is less than the prevailing rate here.
If youre a US citizen you pay taxes on your income even if you dont live there anymore! How stupid is that.
Cool, thanks for that Sam.
Wonder if the yanks will be pretty thin on the ground in Saudi then :/
Well its the same for them no matter where they go.
surely not if they have a double taxation treaty with the country in question
Im pretty sure that an American working in London would simply pay tax to the UK
They would, but only because UK tax > US tax.
They only pay the difference. As we would. If you worked in the USA for a year say, and paid 0% income tax as they do in Florida, then youd have to pay your 40% to the UK exchequer here.
http://www.apcac.org/77?PHPSESSID=7fed6c921682011970c4b46517d162c8
The difference is if you become domiciled elsewhere the UK will not tax you anymore whereas the US taxes its citizens regardless.
Obviously if you were a USC and married say a UK woman and then moved here and never wanted to go back you could just say sod it. The FBI have better things to do.
yeah - just been reading about it - seems the US is the only western country that does it - tis a bit harsh of them
Quote from: Davedont think it is tax free unless he is there for more than 6 months
HM customs & revenue require you to pay tax on all your worldwide earning IIRC - so youd need to be officially residing abroad to avoid UK income tax.
Quoteif youre in the UK for 183 days or more in a tax year, youre a resident for that year for tax purposes
Government So providing hes out of the country for more than six months in any year he can claim back UK tax That would mean two four month stints abroad.
I know medical peole who have done this. My brother did when he started working for P&O.
erm - why have you just quoted my post in order to basically repeat what Ive already stated?
Because your post suggests continuity, which isnt needed. providing you are in the UK for less than 183 days then you qualify for a refund.
Secondly if you take the six shortest months abroad then you are still liable for tax.
Feb = 28, april june september november = 30 each
Leaves 7 months with 31 days, 6*31 = 186 days so you would pay tax
OK Im being a bit pedantic but the UK tax office is worse, people have actually been caught out on that.
well it was a brief reply to your post that said
Quote from: SeriousIIRC its tax free too.
which it clearly isnt as he said in the first post he was only going for 3-4 months
still you got to do a google and then post a bit about a subject that on the first page of the thread you didnt really know a lot about. :mrgreen:
Wrong, he has to be outside the country for at least 183 days during a tax year, 184 in a leap year. Months do not come into it as they can give the wrong answer!
they sort of do here Serious, since hes only going for 3-4 of them. Doesnt matter which 4 months you pick, thats always less than 183 days unless you start using some bizarre calendar.
but if he does two lots in a financial year he can claim all the money back. Its far more money, equal to at least 33% of the money he would otherwise get after tax. If he gets Ã,£15,000 for 4 months then Ã,£3.75K goes to UK gov in tax, work double and he gets Ã,£30K and saves Ã,£7.5K in tax.
Screwing the taxman is always worth it if you work abroad! ;)
clutching at straws there a bit serious
(tis a bit funny - on page one you didnt know what you were talking about & gave a one line repy that was incorrect - page two youve done a google & are now the resident expert :mrgreen: )
If youre outside for more than 183 days then you are not considered domiciled anymore and lose associated benefits.