Hello everyone.
Currently an American about to accept an offer from Aramco in SA. Entry level is SG 14.
Is that a good entry level ?
Can you negotiate the SG level?
Any idea about salary differences?
Any help will be appreciated
16 replies (most recent on top)
As you may have discovered already, the salary bands across the grade codes are very wide with long overlaps between adjacent GC's. You will often find a lower GC making more salary than his buddy in the next higher GC, within the same payroll of course.
That's funny. 12K base for GC14 was what the company paid me when I joined in 2014!
I can a few months ago for 12 base at JG14. The first offer by then was purposely low balled at around 8.5K. Almost walked but thought I’d see what I could negotiate. 3 rounds later they said 12 take it or leave it and gave me 2 days to answer. Knowing what I know now about colleagues’ wages and especially life here I wish I’d declined flat out. Now I’m between a rock and hard place. Want to leave but gave up a good job to come to the pit.
15 k USD are not enought to compensate this circus, in few months you will start looking to come back civilization, maybe after one school year max. Increased cost of live in a surrogate culture with very limited quality of life and risky environment, even with the tax savings is nor longer worthy.
TTT, when I left a couple of years ago as grade 14 it was 11800. One friend (also 14) was around 13k
what is the base salary for SG 14 or 15, please?
“10x more happy than unhappy”…you must work for Aramco PR. Absolute lies.
This place is one of the few places where you can get unvarnished views free of Aramco marketing and BS.
Stick to writing duplicitous press releases and fabricated nonsensical linkedin posts.
Another Saudi Troll trying to make Aramco look like a normal company. Aramco is "very good" he says, come on be honest. It's not that way anymore.
Goodness. What a lot of negative comments. My two cents worth, GC 14 is fine. If you are really well established in your job as in a top and senior position, yea push for 15. It starting at 14 is good and a 15 will follow. Most important is you are happy with salary. If the package is good, them go for it. Treat the negative comments with a linch of salt. Is Aramco perfect, no. But it’s still very very good. There are 10x more happy than unhappy. This layoff site can be expected to be negative. So don’t be swayed by here. Ask around. Ask your recruiter to be put in touch with other Americans working in your area. Wishing you all the best.
You’re effectively ending your career coming to Aramco so make sure the offer is worth it. Think 2-3 years ahead, would you still be happy with today’s aramco offer? If you have a career and a good position back home don’t even consider moving in my view.
If you're leaving a good position to work for aramco, you should really think this thru. Don't take your family. Yje camp has been taken over by Saudi families. Recruiters have no idea of what Dharan is like so take what they say with a grain of salt. You have read the posts. This place is a mad house. No training, no promotions, no job satisfaction, stress trying to figure out what your boss will do next and cr-p housing. Be prepared to be treated as a second class citizen by your Saudi supervisor. If you decide to go Indeed go for gc 15 if you feel you deserve it. Promotions are few and far between.
What is your basic salary? You mentioned the topic in the post title.
Get it coming in the door. once you get there and you find less competent at higher gc's you will be a bit unhappy. Plus, it will take you 5 years to get a gc bump. They prefer bonuses as compensation because in the long run it costs them less when you factor in all the uplift associated with a gc and salary bump. They can keep you at a low gc and just throw saip and yearly bonuses at you and be better off. The high gc's and quick frequency of obtaining them are reserved for the 'locals'.
Try to get GC 15 as you will fly business when you relocate to here and have some other perks. Also promotions will be easier as going from GC14 to GC15 requires significant approval.
Also, everything is negotiable with them. They may give you some bs about 'out of policy'
but policy is what someone w/ wasta says it is. They are shrewd traders, been doing it to stay alive since a camel first walked the desert. I am afraid that you will be at a disadvantage since it is the Arabs making the decisions not the ASC personnel. Talk yourself up and don't spare your own bs.
Yeah, that's a good GC entry level for a person with service company experience.
If you have any major oil company experience combined with 5-10 years, I suggest you hold out for a GC 15. Best of luck.