More disappointment in overseas employment traces back to salary misunderstanding than to any other single cause. Most of it is preventable at the reading stage.
The three numbers that matter
- Gross salary — the contract figure, before the destination country's taxes and social contributions.
- Net salary — what actually arrives after deductions. Tax and social insurance rates vary by country and are set by law, not by your employer or agency.
- Effective position — net salary considered against local living costs, and against what your contract says about accommodation and food. "Accommodation provided" and "accommodation deducted from salary" are very different sentences.
Questions to settle before signing
Is overtime paid, and at what rate? Are accommodation and meals included, subsidised, or deducted? What does the contract say about the working week? Every one of these belongs in writing — a verbal assurance that contradicts the contract is worth exactly nothing once you are deployed.
We walk candidates through their specific contract's figures during counselling, but the principle is universal: the contract is the offer. Read the document, not the conversation.