I have been offered a graduate role with an international company in belgium and was wondering if you think my salary is decent- in comparison to salaries in ireland it is similar gross but then you have the huge tax in belgium which is really putting me off.
the pay is 2700 € a month which the company told me was an excellent salary for a graduate with one year business experience however when i compare it to my irish offers it is nowhere near as high net- the problem is that i really want to break into europe for a international career and the opportunities in ireland are not as great to use your languages as in europe

hey,

i'd say 2700 is a pretty good salary by belgian standards. you have to consider that the cost of living is way cheaper here than in the UK or ireland...even if you're based in a city like brussels or antwerp.

if you're only looking at gross vs. net monthly salary, you need to be aware that even if you increase your gross income by say €500 per month, the net doesn't increase by anywhere near as much because of the sliding scale of taxation.

don't forget also that there are other benefits (luncheon vouchers, 13th month salary, holiday bonus after 1 year, travel costs, healthcare etc) that you need to take in to account when considering your 'net' figure.

if you're in demand and in a sector like petrochem or banking then yes, you might be able to get more, but as a recent grad - and because you want the international experience my advice would be to consider your offer seriously.

i've been here for nearly five months now and am loving it!

good luck and post back if you have any more questions.
k.

It is excellent for a graduate in fine arts ;-)

What's the function and what's your background?