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If the family includes young kids then having a mom or dad around is worth a lot more than the additional money. Plus I don't think 150k is really that much. If you work as a security guard in your hometown but can make 150k training Afghan soldiers how to shoot then obviously that's a different calculation.
I remember my second job out of college, I'll convert it to current dollars best I can. I was there seven years, engineering consulting basically. Was making about $50K, today's dollars, when an opportunity came up that seemed nice enough on the surface.
That company could be friendly, deceptive, or deadly. Learned a lot there. Never laid off, lots of friends, not a lot of money all things considered. Safe work, which was typical in that field I learned later. That appeals to some for sure.
Three years in, they had a project in Nome or nearby. They wanted volunteers. I looked into it, very topically, first question being, "what are you paying," expecting 100% or so premium plus flights back to CONUS and clothing allowances plus free housing and much more. Which in today's dollars would have been $100K plus an expectation of free mostly everything else. In my early 20s, would have seemed nice and I'd have probably banked the bulk of my bonus salary.
Nothing doing: they were screwing everyone who went. Much like Singapore, everything in that part of Alaska is outrageously priced. I never learned all the details but kept far from that project after hearing a few. No one on that got much more than six months or a year in a frozen hell with very little extra to show for it beyond their base salary. And a "Gun Free Zone" with bear attacks possible, too. Don't even get me going on that, I had one or two peers up there in fear of their lives from the damn polar bears wandering the town, apparently, or more importantly the project site way out in in the tundra. I did not see one person come back from that who wasn't pissed off, thin, and ready to quit the company. Some later did.
Point being, $150K to live in a place like Singapore, in a bunkhouse with "suite-mates" is one thing, if you're some young guy just there to make money for a year or two. Depends on quality of life. I have no family and could never put a price on Skyping with kids vs. being there, nor what that would do a spouse, nor to the relationship overall. That's decent money for most people, so yeah I'd really think about the long-term gain. If there is any, in terms of experience, I'd consider it.
If it's a miserable sweat shop carving up fish all day, that's another story. You can do that seasonally in Alaska and at least they're upfront that the work is dirty, hazardous, but pays well. Living about ten miles from Ballard, "Deadliest Catch" boat docks and all, that's something we know about here in Seattle.
Since OP fled the thread four pages ago, I assume this was a dumb idea to start with and just got dumber as the pages of responses rolled in. No meaningful details were ever forthcoming. Chalk up another victory for C-D common sense, perhaps.
$150K/yr & separated from my children? No, unless I was totally desperate. I might lose my wife & kids by doing it, seen it happen. $350-400K would be very tempting to gamble though....
I would do it! It's a chance to get ahead. The US doesn't have enough good jobs to go round and with a couple years experience at that salary level, you can command more money in the US or other places where you could relocate your family. Plus the tax advantages are pretty wonderful too.
It's at least worth investigating. For decades, oil patch workers have done stints in Saudi and other oil rich areas. Usually their housing and living expenses are also paid by the company they work for. So the salary, being mostly tax exempt, is actually higher than just the dollar amount. We have had some tax changes so make sure!
You will have skype, facetime, and all sorts of ways to stay in touch. You won't have to feel out of the loop at home.
Depending on if housing is provided. Otherwise rent will eat up a huge chunk of $150,000.
If decent company-paid housing is provided, i.e. 1,500 sq ft apartment furnished with all amenities, then why don't your entire family move there with you? But of course international school tuition is expensive too. Depending on your position, you may be able to bargain with your boss.
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