BCG comp discount in Dubai relative to North America

Question

Hi everyone. I'm trying to find an answer to this question but there seems to be no solid resources online. I'd appreciate any help here.

I have been working at BCG in the US for about 7 months. I'm running against some intractable visa issues, given that I'm not American, and I'm looking to relocate. Dubai's office seems to be accepting new associates as their hiring process involves contingency-based hiring. I haven't had the chance to network in order to move to either London or Asia, so Dubai is most likely my destination.

Question is - how much of the compensation will be discounted on the grounds of no income taxes? I don't have the numbers, but I conjecture that compensation (at least base salary) will decrease given the tax/housing advantages. I'd just like to know by how much.

Many thanks in advance!

Answer 1

BCG does not “discount” the salary due to the tax situation. The firm sets salaries by region based off the market, living costs, etc.

Gross salaries in North America and the Middle East are quite comparable, though North America recently had announced some increases. The big difference is in your net income after tax. As Dubai has no personal income tax, your take home pay will be higher in Dubai. BCG associate salaries are around AED300k/yr (~$82k US).

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Boston-Consulting-Group-Associate-Dubai-Salaries-EJI_IE3879.0,23_KO24,33_IL.34,39_IM954.htm

BCG Dubai also provides a housing allowance on top of your salary.

Answer 2

Hi there,

the salaries in each office region are different and depend on the cost of living/competition, etc. If you move to Dubai your salary, as well as conditions, would be adjusted to the Dubai level (which is not bad if comparison to Europe for example).

Good luck

Lucie

Was this answer helpful?

Answer 3

Hi there,

You should not get reductions due to the lack of income tax. Rather, the change may happen to adapt to the local office salary if you are hired there.

For the exact amount, I would discuss ideally with someone in your target office, or failing that, the methods suggested by Ian.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi there,

So I'm a bit concerned about your information-gathering ability given you've already been at BCG for 7 months!

1) You could ask your peers, HR, etc.

2) You could look through BCGs intranet site

3) You could google more effectively and find ManagementConsulted has great data on this

Pay for an Analyst in Dubai will be around $85-90k and for a Consultant it should be about $170k.

I.e. pay is comparable