What is the story with expats? Does Chevron still employ a lot of expats in various countries paying the all those egregious premiums and innumerable allowances? Doesn't make sense when it is making so little money hardly even enough to cover the dividends. Most of those people add very little value, but lead cushy lives totally at odds with the financial and business performance of Chevron.
37 replies (most recent on top)
Being an expat in any country comes with at least some inconveniences and upheavals to your life and is not a decision to be taken lightly.
Even in this "challenging" job climate there are places I would not consider for relocation without some extra skin from the company on the table. Others might make different choices in short term desperation, but at the end of the day most would prefer to live in their home country.
Spot on, arpv. This is quite the touchy topic. Folks love to squeal until it's their turn to take a position at the trough.
So why don't you focus on getting an expat assignment instead of complaining about it like a butthurt loser?
One expat does the same amount of work that 20 DWEP prima donnas do.
US equivalent of $70 to $100 k? Thats a gross understatement. Depending on your salary grade and location, it can easily average from $140k to $250k in tax protected income. That can more than double your takehome if not triple.
Agreed, 4yom barely scratched surface for Expat perks. US equivalent of $70-$100k in ExPat and repay relocation allowances, $10k annual spouse allowance, subsidized car and driver, and the list goes on. While 4oym was clearly poking fun at the ExPat policies, he in no way was exaggerating or lying.
4gyc, Just to clarify you mis-read 4oym post. He is not a US employee, he is a UK employee. But you are correct, depending on his assignment location and hence country premium his claim to be taking home more than double his UK basic salary is probably true. As for his other perks again he is being truthful.
A Chevron expat assignment is not suitable for all but to those tempted I would say go for it! Either residential or if you can get one a rotational assignment.
For all of you non-expat s---ers, the post below by 4oym is an apt description of a typical Chevron expat's life. Mind you, he is not joking. It is in every sense how an expat lives. Actually he may be understating when he says he is doubling his take home pay. He could easily be getting 2.5 times his nor mal US takehome pay. Now you know where a part a good part of Chevron's measly cash flow gets frittered away.
-4oym, You wonder where the next hardship location will be? It just might on your couch at home without a job. Be careful making fun or mocking the rest of us. Your little self-centered stab at humor may boomerang upon you. BTW, I don't really believe anything you said.
I'm also an ExPat. My wife and kids (all five of em- God bless) just loving it. Where else could the whole family fly business class back to UK on home leave, get two Weeks paid R&R, and premiums that effectively more than double my take home pay? Well, got to catch my flight to Chang Mai - bought our second vacation home there last year. Hoping to stay on for another two years, until my two oldest graduate from the company-paid international school. Wonder where the next hardship location will be? I realize of course how lucky we are, but so work hard and a regular 5-day/week schedule - do regret being screwed out of the 9/80 option.
You obviously didn't look at a comparison of my 2015 W2 compared to 2016. There was most definitely a big cut so stop talking about things you don't know about.
Premiums and allowances slashed? The last I looked, no. 2tnd better have some clear explanation. In the mean time Chevron is bleeding hard cash to parasites.
2pwo ... WHAT? GET OFF THE BOARD AND SHUT UP
Original poster either a troll or not too bright. Expats only make 5% - 8% of the CVX workforce : of which there are rotators, non resident (short term ) and long term . As an intelligent previous poster said - some countries don't have the national expertise. If I had any idea what it takes to keep 2.6MMboe flowing daily, u wouldn't make the simplistic comment u make. Not saying all expats add value inasmuch as not all local staff add value. However u can't only look at one side of the equation and make a naive argument
Fewer and fewer ExPat opportunities. Most non-US positions probably in Angola, Nigeria, Thailand, and Indonesia - though company's presence there getting smaller and smaller.
Another thread degenerating in to the typical Chevron temper tantrum employee snivel fest. Reminds me of the g-- slurs and spelling typo critics from not long ago. You know, the usual CVX member of staff. Its amazing how far this company has fallen when you see the behavior of people you supposedly work with on here. Perhaps the hard times are long over due and the entitled snowflakes and message board trolls hiding behind three letter acronyms can finally grow up and learn what being an adult is.
don't assume that just because someone has an accent in the US is an expat. In certain cases, their salaries are actually lower then the US dollar payroll employees. However, they do get the uplift.
Premiums and allowances have been slashed. You obviously don't know what you are talking about so probably should just shut up.
2ygm is very defensive. Feeling guilty? All those things mentioned dont help when the current expats are holding on for ever to the limited opportunities.
A lot of jealousy and envy folks. You want an ExPat assignment, then get it into your CDP, develop a strong professional network and reputation, and have the key skills (including mentoring ability) desired by the relevant host country locations.
Overall expat head count continues to decline. This is why you see so few expat postings. When expats depart, their positions are nationalized. This will continue as long as prices are low and depress activity levels. What amazes me is the number of expats in Houston. What possible reason could there be for this??
ieyu, very well said. Reduce those premiums and allowances. They also need to limit the tenure and rotate them back to home country so that other equally smart people get these assignments. As of now, a few expats hog these assignments for ever.
Salaries as well as headcount need to be factored into our new low cost structure. Paying 40-50% tax free uplifts in a depressed market ain't good business. We cut the contractors pay 20% and they didnt desert. Most of the expats have a cushy life and they probabaly couldnt get a job somewhere else.
inlp, Chevron has a lot of capable employees who can add this value. Nobody is saying expat assignments are vacations. Chevron needs to give the opportunity to other capable employees by limiting the tenure of assignments, especially in the current times, when opportunities are few and far between. Same employees should not bemonopolizing these positions. Chevron should be able to develop more of the high potential employees through these assignments.
Depends on the skill set required. D&C being a prime example. Not all BU countries have sufficient KCE levels of staff.
Last I heard expat assignments were not vacations to be shared but rather participants were chosen who could add value. So what would be the business case for forced rotations?
With some expats staying on indefinitely in many of these countries like Thailand, it has become exceedingly difficult for any new US employees to get these opportunities. Chevron needs to limit the expat tenure and rotate them back to home country after the limit is reached.
@qrl, I don't think it's "entirely" up to the BU's discretion to keep expats on their payroll. Marching orders come from San Ramon and every BU has been under orders for over 2 years already to keep costs under strict control. In other words, unless you can walk on water, you are likely to be cut as soon as your contracted term ends.
What he said!
Chevron leaves the decision to keep expats to individual BUs. As long as the particular BU is making money, they can have expats or whoever they want. As a hypothetical case, if a BU in Myanmar is making money, and wants to keep American expats paying them a 70% premium etc., it is really up to them.
And end it in 91 days
asp ... you are till delusional about Trump ... good the top 1% now have the opportunity to fill their pockets with the executive actions he is taking and removing the regulations that are intended to protect the consumer .... he will start a war in the next 90 days ...
Not true, CVX still has lots of expat assignments.
No, we fired all the expats or sent them back to the US or wherever they came from. Letting the locals run the business. Working out well. We increased the dividend in 2016 it worked so well.
Very sensible. But Chevron does not do sensible things. We need Trump to send out a Tweet on Chevron expats
The story with expats is that when we start sending expat workers out of US and back to their home countries they will retaliate and send our expats home. That sounds like a great idea. Thats what we have done here in Canada for as long as I can remember- we fill jobs with Canadian citizens first. And then, if we absolutely do not have the people to fill the positions, we invite expats. This makes a lot of sense in many respects.