I am interviewing for a job in Belgium soon and could use some advice on how negociate and evaluate a job contract. Poking around these forums, I have stumbled upon a few things that seem standard for Belgian work contracts that I was not previously familiar with. I gather that contracts typically specify a monthly, rather than annual, salary, and that there are 13.92 pay periods per year. As far as I can tell, month 13 is paid in December and month 0.92 the following May. It also seems that the company need not provide any paid vacation time in the first year.

Is this all correct? Is there anything else I need to know that is controlled by Belgian law and/or custom and may not appear in an employment contract? I am coming from the USA, so I am primarily looking for the differences between "how things are done" in the USA and Belgium.

If I am offered the job I intend to have the contract reviewed by a Belgian lawyer before signing it. However, I would also be interested in having the contract reviewed by a financial advisor who can tell me how much money I can expect to have remaining after taxes. Can anybody recommend a financial advisor who could do this for me?

Thanks,

rh