I just wish I could get an offer. I would jump at the chance. Any ideas of number of vacancies available?

Mr Jaws, yes the salary is lower in Muscat than rest of GCC, and it probably always will be. However some of us choose to live in Oman because we like it here - regardless of $.

Put it into context - Oman expats still earn more than anywhere outside the ME on the go at the moment. BTW how much is the salary in Ireland again???

700 OMR is average rents in muscat?!?!
where did you get that from?

700 per month is very accurate, in fact if you want to gaurantee living somewhere nice, like Shatti, expect to pay 1000 per month for a 2 bedroom apartment. Take a look online, although there isn't much available. If you are a local rent is obviously less, but expats do pay a premium. :ok:

Well that is your mistake as an expat for taking rubbish from the landlords,in muscat its clear there is no diffrence between expat or a local.and like i said above you can go and complain according to law.
for example if you found a twin villa somewhere and one is occupied by a local and he is paying say 500,will the landlord charge you 700 or more because you are an expat.is that what you are saying.
if so you have been taken for a ride big time,and law doesnt allow that.
unless off course you are looking for a place like in shatti like you say that comes with a jacuzzi and expect to pay 200 R.O?1

And lets be completely honest here,i lived in eroupe and i know how it is.
no what some of you are trying to say that for what you get here in Muscat for say the rent price is the same as in eroupe in size,luxury...etc?
dont forget that you are paid here 4000(tax free) not like in the west.
And are you saying that even that the pay is less than some of the other countries,most of the expats here arent making any savings,even when some have spent here over 20 years?!!
maybe that its life style and spending that is the problem

thank you A.N.S.A
finaly someone with a bit of common sense,you are right:D
and thats why places where they pay 58000 AED or more are still short of staff?!?!:rolleyes: or are they not?!?!
MURAL
be in a the nicest place in the gulf (if you left your own country behind )and be paid less,but sleep with a smile on your face
better than
be paid a more and eat sand all day long 24/7/4/12:Dhours/days/weeks/months

And yeah i forgot before i go enjoy luch
Gulfnews: Inspectors shut down meat stalls

BHD, just saying from my experience re rents, I think it wise for any new arrivals to have a local colleague assist in the rent process to ensure they do not get taken for a ride. You are completely right in that Muscat is the jewel of the crown and living costs, aside from rent, are indeed super cheap. You are blessed with a beautiful country :ok:

Rose,now you are being positive,thats a great idea.expats can use the help of locals in finding logical rents of homes:ok:

Muscat vacancies officially advertised
 

Following link from Flight Global for details;

Air Traffic Controllers - 200518958 - Flight Jobs

Location states Abu Dhabi which is a typo. Vacancies are in Muscat ACC, Muscat, Oman.

:sad: some people cant ever get it right:ugh:

What is the status of general aviation in Oman? Are there aeroclubs or FBO's where planes can be rented?

Pffft Aeroclubs...they come in the form of the airlines!

There used to be one many many moons ago, and I knew a gentleman who battled for years to get one up and running again. The red tape and bu**##t the local authorities presented him knocked the whole thing on the head. The police were the main brick wall who are still living in a 1960's and 70's time warp! I would looooove to think that in 2009 things have changed....please prove me wrong.

BHD, I was paying 400 OMR 7 years ago for a basic apartment which was the going rate then, so Full Levers figures will not be inaccurate.

ANSA I think your sarcasm has been lost.....:E

if your a big spender than a salary of 10000 OMR wont be enough,id depends on life style.
some who worked here before will recall (post office) cafe days
and some will remember how the blew away all their savings
f3ss,u will always have the choice here in muscat,to find whatever rent u want,no adays u can even live in barka which is only 15min drive from the airport for peanuts.
not like on your side space is very limited.

FYI all,the Global flight AD is fixed (Location is Oman ) now

Living costs
 

I'm considering applying for a job in Muscat. If so, I would like to send half the pay (2000 rials, I guess) home, for savings and mortgages. Otherwise, it might not be a good idea for me at the moment.
-In your opinion, would the remaining 2000 rials be enough to live a fairly comfortable life, for a family of 4?
-In Oman forums I've seen some numbers about cost of living. Just want to get confirmation from a fellow ATCO. :}

Cost of living.
 

FlyF...
With 2000OMR left over and two children at school, I would have to say no.
The cost of schooling expat kids is very stiff. Just to join the British School will cost 1700 rials this year and 2500 next year...per child. THEN you have to pay for the fees, which I believe are about 2500 rials per term (3 terms per year) for high school age kids.
So with 2 high school kids it will set you back around 20,000 rials in the first year. You get 48000 per year to begin with,so after school fees you have 28,000, a decent villa will cost around 650-800 (possibly more) or 9600 rials per year leaving 18,400.
Then you have to buy a car, fill it with fuel (albeit cheap fuel), buy food, drink, entertainment etc. then there are holidays to be paid for.
As you can see the chances of sending home a half of your salary is pretty much nigh on impossible.
Before you go and find yourself broke, give the schools a ring and find out. I had both my kids go to the ABA, and my wife taught at the British School, and I can thoroughly recommend both. there are others there, do a google search, and then sit down and work it out.

If you decide to go, you will have a ball, it is by far the best place to live in the Gulf, the locals are amazingly friendly and very tolerant of ignorant westerners. Treat them and their country with respect and you will have friends for life.

i think in all cases whats really worth it is,that for the past and now the normal practice for expats in the whole of the gulf is,that they take a 1 year unpaid leave for example from the origin employer,and come for say a year or so and give it a shot in the gulf(in any country) and see what good and bad points they come up with here.this is the what we are used to here in the gulf.
Some left for a better life and some weighed matters and stayed.some have been here for over 20 years,some built a life finished their kids studies in schools and unis and some even got their big kids jobs in the gulf.

I have a job offer and I was wondering if anyone would be prepared to talk about life/work in Muscat? Please feel free to PM me.

I Am On The Same Boat Number2............would Like To Know About Life Cost In Muscat.....

Hi folks,
I suggest you pack some bags and fly down to Muscat to find out.
A couple of years ago - when Muscat was hiring expat controllers - there were so many complaints in this forum that the money was not enough etc.
Fly over and try to get your own idea of the country and the package. Go to supermarkets, check newspapers, car dealers etc.
And if you can´t afford the air ticket, I recommend: www.omanforum.com
I´m sure you´ll find some interesting threads there!
See you in Muscat! Hope to be there by March ´10.

Good Advice
 

TLRN's just given you all the best piece of advice that you will get on the 'net.

Go and have a look.

Planning to visit in January (despite the expense) to confirm that it's the right move. A huge public thank you to those people that took the time to answer my questions.

Job Offer signed
 

I got a job offer from Muscat. I have signed it allready. Didn't go for a visit. Just looked at info at Omanforum.com. Great site!

Also got lots of info from people that have worked there and people in Abu Dhabi that I know, not the same place but similar culture.

If you have an open mind for changes and experience something new it can't be anything but good thing to do, at least for few years :ok:

Good Luck
 

Good Luck guys and wellcome to Oman
TLRN i couldnt agree more,productive idea
thank you

Good Luck Bird
 

Congrats with the new job. Say Hi to the Ladybirds from me....

ATC Muscat
 

Greetings,
I am new to this forum and would like to gather some information. I am a 50 year old, 23 year veteran ATCS in the US and considering relocation to the ME. I have friends that work in Dubai that like it quite a bit, and I hear good things about living in Oman. I have reviewed the current vacancy posting for Muscat ACC, and am considering submitting my CV. My questions have to do with the compensation package. From this thread of messages I have read salary is 4000 OMR per month. Is this current and reasonably accurate? Are there any provisions for relocation expenses or housing allowances? The vacancy announcement does not offer any specifics on salary or benefits.

What do most people do regarding health insurance and or medical care? What are the working conditions like at the ACC, specifically are you adequately staffed, is there required overtime, what are the work schedules like?

Is there a direct source I could contact for specific information?

Any information is welcomed. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply
 

Jaws,

Thanks for the timely response. Sounds like a nice place to live, but work would be challenging at best.

Anyone else care to offer an opinion?

Thanks,

GR

according to flight global Mag,your age is on the max side of the ad.So you better check on that also,before taking any step forward

Although some of what ZKJAWS says is true, he is very negative towards Muscat ACC as his contract was terminated there and he was made to leave the country at the beginning of 2009. Take what you want from his comments, but many people are tired of the 'Muscat bashing' from people who 'used' to work there.

If you want accurate and constructive information on work conditions and current living situations I suggest, like has been said previously, visit the place or speak to some of the people who work and live there that actually enjoy it.

lortnocatu:D:D:D
Moral is,anyone wanting to ask about making a living in Muscat is!!
Alaways ask a person still working there,coz most of the time people who left or made to leave will give you 99% not so positive info.
if your not happy =you leave
if your happy = you stay

I (plus wife and 2 kids) were extremely happy in Muscat. It IS the 'Pearl of Arabia' without a doubt.
The boys school, ABA, was absolutely the best in every respect.
Our landlord was a true gentleman.
DGCAM whilst having faults (show me any organisation that doesn't) worked hard at being competent, professional and (generally) supportive.
The ACC needed work sure, but there's a new ACC coming.
The ACC staff (generally) were competent and professional and a pleasure to work with.

I haven't a bad word to say about the place at all.

I left because financially I simply could not afford to stay there.

I guess I'm one of the 1%!:8

some have it there own way,but regarding finance
i guess its better now with 4k as a salary
and the rents slightly going down
and the GFC is improving
and the ACC improving too after flow control and new sectors
so if you were still here you might have gave it a second thought and that 1% would have gone and stayed:confused:
((like they say you cant win um all))

HI,,just want anyone who work at muscat acc tell me,,,how does RAMADAN affects the muscat acc,,,is there more movements (air traffic),paperworks are delayed,,the institution does not work those days (administrative),,thank you in advance for your comments

Worked great for the Duck and I when we arrived at the end of Ramadan, no airport pass processed for 2 weeks or so, drivers license 3 or more trips to the police station, fingerprinting, visiting the Ministries of 'not sure what we do here' and then the icing on the cake, Eid arrived. So we went from 'Bukurah Inshallah' to 'After Eid'...all in work time, we were happy with that!! :E

But it was fun and we did come home each day after shawarma's in Ruwi for a cold bevvy and a house full of frankincense and had a good laugh about it....possibly overdid the frankincense thing one night and still have the smell in my nostrils 12 years later!! ;)

Fond memories. As long as you come with the mindset that things aren't done like they are everywhere else in the world (would be boring place otherwise!!), take a chill pill and let things happen when they happen...you'll be fine! ;)

Many thanks for info boys;
-Does one regard only ACC?
What about TWR & APP
-Are package, roster, working conditions and etc.
the same if not any details would be appreciated

Regard Michael

f3ss is high again,and im not sure if bocas understood a word from his Aussie hallucinations:confused:
bocas yes things are a bit slow in the month of ramadan (blame it on the low blood suger)no water or food for almost 12 hours+sleepy feeling+short working hours during the day+no nicotine for some.....etc:ok:
if that answer you question?

BHD...

Thank you you backed up my point exactly... and of course it is safe for you to control in that condition as well??? :cool:

Foxxy
 

Aaaahhhh, frankincense OD's in Seeb:ok: Happy Days....But at least we had the first rain for about a year and played like dopey kids in the flood waters :eek:

bocas...it does, just as foxxy stated, no..yes and no in answer to your questions.