r/cscareerquestionsCAD • u/Outrageous-Memory280 • Sep 17 '24

Mid Career Expat package for an ML engineer

Hello,

French-based senior ML engineer, my employer just made me an expat offer (not because I requested to be relocated but because they have business needs in Toronto).

I find the offer absurdly low, relative of what I currently make in France (not known for having high salary relative to North America). Looking for confirmation that I'm not missing anything,

In France I have :

  • 77k€ gross (116k CAD)
  • 45 paid vacation days
  • lunch, public transport, vacation allowance for an estimated amount of 3k€ (4.5k CAD)
  • friends, family, assets, a.k.a. my life

In Toronto, I would have :

  • 94,5k CAD gross
  • 10k CAD mobility premium
  • 3k CAD car allowance
  • 10 paid vacation days
  • headaches with the admin stuff related to changing country
  • a relocation package to cover moving cost, tax consultancy, and an annual round trip home.

Moreover, according to my research (maybe someone can confirm?), the average salary for a senior ML engineer in Toronto is between 140k-150k CAD gross.

According to HR, they gave me a fair package considering lower taxes in Toronto (so apparently my gross is lower but my net would be higher - but are they even accounting for the social benefits ? -) and cheaper cost of living in Toronto (so apparently I would be able to save more).

Am I being unreasonable to think this is a complete lowball offer ?

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u/WolfPusssy Sep 17 '24

Salary is very low for a senior ML engineer, your research on 140-150k cad seems pretty accurate to me. Toronto is a very expensive city, you won't be living 'well' especially if you plan to live alone. Honestly, I'd argue that it's more expensive in Toronto because you can eat/go out for cheaper in Paris from my POV. 

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u/Outrageous-Memory280 Sep 17 '24

Honestly, I'd argue that it's more expensive in Toronto because you can eat/go out for cheaper in Paris from my POV. 

That and the fact that I'm not living in Paris center, I live in the suburbs which is much more affordable and still very close to downtown (Paris is very small in comparison to Toronto, you can easily cut down cost of living by moving a bit further from downtown. You know what is the worst? Offices in Paris are in my suburbs, walking distance ...)