Salary and Employment Benefits in Bahrain
Before taking up employment in Bahrain you may have to take into account certain aspects, remuneration being the most important of them all. Despite the strict rules and conservative culture, one of the biggest attractions that pull expatriates into Bahrain is the remuneration factor. Bahrain offers good salaries to expatriate workers, sometimes even higher than those offered in western countries. Added to this, is the lack of personal taxation, which leads to high net incomes and therefore, better savings.
Salaries in Bahrain are comparable to those in western nations. Earlier the salary structures were divided into basic pay, accommodation, medical cover, car provision, education for children, and air-tickets. But now, the trend is to offer just a single salary package to cover all this. Therefore, it is vital to consider all these aspects and take into consideration the living costs, before accepting the salary offered.
Apart from salaries expatriate workers are offered an 'indemnity' at the end of contract period. This is more like an end-of-contract bonus. If you have been working in Bahrain on long-term, you can accumulate large sum of money as indemnity amount. Although this is not an insurance amount, it is a way of expressing gratitude to expatriate workers for the services rendered. Indemnity is calculated on the basic salaries (excluding bonuses, if any).
Salary Range in Bahrain
At present, the average salary range for supervisory positions in certain industries could fall in the range BD17,000 to BD25,000. However, this could seem sufficient or insufficient, based on your personal lifestyle, family size, and housing allocation.
Working hours in Bahrain
Office hours in Bahrain begin at 8:30am or 9:00am and end by 5:30pm or 6:00pm. Most companies may require you to work between 40 and 48 hours per week. There may be a change in work timings during the Ramadan month, when working hours will be cut short to just six hours, although some companies make it applicable only to Muslim workers.
Fridays are the usual day off. Thursdays and Fridays are typical weekends in Bahrain, but, some international firms may choose to give Saturdays off instead of Thursdays.
On the whole, it is advisable to get as much information as possible about the lifestyle and work environment in Bahrain before accepting a job here. As for salary levels, it all finally depends on your ability to negotiate for a good wage, and some perks, if desirable, along with salary. Finally, when presented with remuneration package, it is always good to read through the details. By exactly understanding what is and what is not mentioned in the employment contract, you can enter Bahrain with confidence, knowing exactly the kind of lifestyle that you may lead.