Canada - DH been scouted for potential job and we're trying to get a feel for just how generous the salary is

[robino]

After a tricky year of 6 months out of work then us living 300 miles apart while I was heavily pregnant with DD3/ DD3 a newborn DH is getting calls left, right and centre about jobs. He had a random call from an agency scouting him for work in Calgary on Friday.

The (frankly quite ridiulously sounding) sum of £150000 per annum was mentioned. It looks like this would be roughly $240000. At this stage we have no idea what other benefits (if any) would be thrown in. We're just trying to get a feel for the offer to decide whether he should apply; we hadn't really planned on re-locating any time soon! Is this as generous (in Canadian terms) as it sounds to us?

Just as background, DH is a well qualified consulting engineer - if the right contract comes up (less often in current climate) he can earn very well, although nothing like as much as has been mentioned. He's taken a big paycut in the last year just to have work. We wouldn't re-locate just for the
money but if DH thought the job would be right for him, and we fancied the challenge as a family then it would be an incentive.

It all depends.....some things to ponder:

Would the company pay relocation costs? (Make sure they agree in writing to move you there and back to UK - should you want it/things not work out)
What would you do with our current property in the UK?
What would it cost to rent/buy a similar property in Calgary?
Would your dc go to public or private schools - and if private, what is general cost?
Presumably you'd need two cars.....figure that in, along with insurance costs
What is weekly/monthly salary after tax?
Private health plan included?
Pension contribution included?
You'll need to buy most everything electrical new - telly, etc. Would the company help with that? If not, figure that in as a one-off cost
What would you do with UK electrics - sell, store, give away? Figure that in if it will be an ongoing cost
Is salary offered comparable to what other similarly qualified professionals make?
Possibility of a bonus or profit-sharing?
When would he be eligible for a pay rise?
Would he be offered a contract, and for how long?

That is just to get you started......

Not contradicting anything earlybird has said you should consider, but if that salary is for real, unless you have >10 kids to support (slight exaggeration) I think you'll be laughing, even in Calgary where property isn't particularly cheap by Canadian standards. To give you a comparison, our family income (supporting a family of 4 and numerous hungry animals) is less than a third of that figure - - and that's in BC, where tax is higher!

Just a few more points to add...public schools in Calgary (i.e. state run schools - as opposed to private) are very good unless you're talking about ones in really rough areas (which you wouldn't be, on that wage!) so there would be no need to think about private education costs, in my opinion.

The vast majority of healthcare is free - not like in the US - although dental treatment and prescriptions aren't, so that's where a good benefits package really comes into play...

We get by on such a relatively low wage by virtue of having a small mortgage and in no small part by the fact that we live in the back of beyond where there are no shops to tempt me! Also we have woodstoves to supplement our central heating system and we only burn our own (free!) wood (we live on an acreage) so that drastically reduces heating costs, which would otherwise be a major expense, due to the climate... But even taking all that into account, I can't see you not living comfortably on the salary you stated :)

Thank you Earlybird and lazydog for your time! As it happens DH has just got a much better job (than his current one, not the one in Calgary!) and decided not to even look into the Calgary one.