Hardship factor India

Tasman

Hello, does anyone knows anything about hardship levels in allowances. Europe compaired with India (Pune).

Thanks,

Abel

Tasman

Any Expats here ...or do you all have local+??

Nick-H

Don't recognise the technical terms.

Are you talking about part of an employment package? Or what?

Tell us more!

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

wonderwomanusa

Call your nearest consulate and ask if they have a chart of such things.

Nick-H

Please, somebody?

What's this about?

wonderwomanusa

Nick, some overseas government workers (and perhaps corporate workers, too), get their regular salary PLUS "hardship pay" for places that are, um, less developed than say, Paris, France.

There might be a different level of hardship pay for Prague than for Delhi, since Prague is in Europe.

brownboy66

I suspect the question is just too generic to answer. Allowances as paid by either corporates or governments will vary greatly from region to region, and from one organisation to the next. There are probably plenty of expats with allowances who read this - but more specific information is probably needed from Tasman (exactly where you're from, private or public sector, which profession, etc). The other issue is that terms and conditions of packages tend to be confidential - so I don't know that anyone would want to spill the beans on what they are earning in a public forum.

To give you an idea of the possible variation - take one item such as maternity leave with the various foreign/ diplomatic services. In Norway - the entitlement is something like 18-24 months leave on 75% plus of their standard salary. Very generous by anyone's standards - but very nordic. In New Zealand - the entitlement is something like 6-12 weeks on full pay with the option of another 3 months leave without pay. The father can also get 4 weeks leave I think. In the US - well, if you're a female diplomat and you get pregnant you have to have to apply for sick leave....because apparently the process of creation is an illness! (this may have changed as it was a long time ago when the above conversation happened). So if Tasman is asking about hardship levels in allowances - the problem is where to begin?

In case you're wondering - I'm happily unemployed (not counting parenting and the odd DIY job around the house)

Nick-H

Thank you, WW

I suspected something like this, but it seems just a bit strange that anyone should be paid extra for working in an economy where their same money goes so much further.

Now, if was being sent to work in, errr, I don't know, Tokio, maybe...

Mind you, I'm all for people getting what they can out of their employer !

Aishah

In Australia, people who work in terrible weather conditions like Lightning Ridge, Coober Peddy, or west of a line considered to be hot and horrible sometimes get paid extra for 'hardship' living. I consider I'm living in this sort of area.. could add a few funny comments here but won't! Teachers get extra pay in these hardship places, also extra hols. I think this poster has to contact whoever is employing him and discuss it himself. It's hardly something you can have a general discussion on - maybe you
could... That is, if he is talking about work conditions and pay - it is not very clear.
Tasman - many expats living in India contributing to India Mike forums.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

julesa

nick's point is quite valid. you can save a lot of money by working where the cost of living is lower. this would arguably offset the hardship factor.

i'd be interested in working in india, or another country one day. has this been discussed in detail on this board before, how to do it etc?

brownboy66

IMHO - one thing to remember here is that allowances are normally applied to what is a temporary situation (posting, assignment abroad, etc) - as opposed to someone who has decided to permanently move overseas and live like a local. As such - the idea of allowances is to compensate for an equal standard of living that someone would have if, employed by the same organisation, they were still at home. So - it looks to balance out for things like access to schooling, a regular power supply, clean drinking water, personal security, medical care, that sort of thing.

So yeah its kind of absurd that while living costs here are cheaper someone should get paid more - but its based more on the idea that a box of cereal that would normally be a couple of dollars in their home country, is say 10$ here (its not so much looking at the cost of buying roti from a street seller).

Tasman

Hi..i think Brownboy explained a bit..

I am working in Germany at the moment. Hardship factor means that depending of the plave where you start to work you get an +% on your nett allowances. T.e. Life in Mumbai is not the same as in Munich or Shanghai. Therefor you get extra money...i am just curious if others get a simular % on top.

brownboy66

hmmm...its a very big question.

to being with its obviously location dependent and subject to what ever benchmarking is done by the home country/ organisation. Then in some cases - a percentage uplift might be applied - or in the case of say something like UN peacekeeping - you get a flat rate daily MSA (multi service allowance). In this case - I run out ideas because the answer would be tied to European terms and conditions - and I have no idea what they would be (let alone how specific the percentage would be).

sorry...good luck.

Nick-H

I think it has to be completely employer and situation dependent.

If your existing company sends you, then it will be according to your contract or their normal terms.

On the other hand, for instance: say you applied for a job with a company in India (even if was Indian branch of a multi-national), then why should you be paid extra because the job is in India? That's just what you're applying for!

Hemmie

If I remember correctly my husbands net salary was lowered, because, ofcourse, life in many ways is cheaper here (rent is paid by the employer, if not life wouldn't be cheaper!). Above that we get a certain amount as hardship allowance. So the end result really depends on many things...