Context: I’m a non-EU citizen that received a job offer from a company in Brussels. Currently in month 5 waiting for my single permit approval. Yay for Belgian bureaucracy, amirite?! [You can see others’ stories and timelines of how incredibly slow and inefficient the process is here](https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=968900).

I recently expressed to my employer that I would like to have them foot the bill of my flight ticket from my home country to Belgium (when my single permit is finally approved), seeing as I did not expect to wait 5 (going on 6) months to start a job. They also partly are to blame for the delay in lodging the SP application, as the entire month of June was lost because they were too slow to sign a key document needed for the legalization of my criminal record at the Belgian embassy in my home country.

The HR rep I’ve been in communication with was open to seeing the possibilities and told me they would discuss it, and let me know the outcome. For context, a one-way ticket from my home country to BRU will cost between 500-800+ euros at most, depending on the number of connections/layovers (direct flights to Europe from my country are few and far between, as well as being expensive AF). Also, since it’s the end of the year/holiday season, prices are usually high.

Received an email proposing a sign on bonus of 5,000 euros gross, but with the 65% Belgian taxes, it’ll come out to be 1,750 euros net. This will be added to my first month’s salary with a claw back clause stating that I’ll pay the net amount back if I leave the company within 12 months of joining.

What do you guys think? Is this a good deal?

Why are they not going for the “cheaper” option of paying less than a thousand euros for my flight ticket? Why propose a 5,000 euro sign-on bonus, that I’ll only take 35% of it home? What am I missing here? Are there other options/alternatives I can suggest to them?

**PS: I’m incredibly grateful and happy that they are even willing and open to assisting. By no means do I feel that I’m entitled to this. Just wanted to make sure that that bit is clear.**

Looking forward to your responses!

Thanks!

3 comments

  1. I can see 2 reasons why they go for the sign on bonus:
    1) It might have been pre-approved, while a flight ticket will require additional approval. Certainly in a large company this can be a reason to go with the more expensive option, it makes the HR employee’s life easier and he/she is not the one paying it.
    2) If they pay for the flight ticket and you change employer before/soon after, that money is gone. While with the sign on bonus they have you on the hook for at least 1 year.

    About wages:
    We can’t tell you if it’s a good deal, it’s dependant on the work that you will be doing. Do keep in mind that Brussels probably has higher living costs than your home country. https://www.immoweb.be/en/search/house-and-apartment/for-rent/brussels/province?countries=BE&page=1&orderBy=relevance Also take energy costs into account. A building with EPC G will cost a lot more to heat than an apartment with actual insulation. EPC a is cheapest to heat, g most expensive.

    Because of how high taxes are in Belgium, both employers and employees look for ways to increase the netto wage without increasing the bruto wage. The most popular method is meal checks, basically a small monthly amount that gets put on a card, which you can spend on food in shops. Another perk employers usually provide, is a public transportation pass (often because they have too, but even when you have a company car, they will often give you the opportunity to buy a discounted one through them). Info for Brussels: https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?l=en&_guid=800309e8-1983-3410-b599-e90c40f84dea

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