I'm a mechanical engineering bachelor degree holder i work as a certified Body Shop Advisor currently working for a premium automotive brand in the GCC, and I'd appreciate some honest feedback from fellow Service Advisors and Body Shop Advisors worldwide.
I have around five years of experience in the automotive industry, including several years with a major luxury manufacturer.
My compensation:
- Base salary: approximately $1,950 USD per month
- Monthly incentives: typically around $900-$975 USD in a strong month
- Annual income: approximately $34,000-$35,000 USD
My schedule:
- Six days a week
- Saturday to Wednesday: 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM
- Thursday: 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM
- I rarely leave on time on any working day; staying late is a regular part of the job
- Commute: roughly one hour each way, often longer with traffic
I receive 30 days of paid annual leave each year.
My responsibilities include:
- Customer handling
- Insurance claims
- Customer satisfaction
- Parts coordination
- Vehicle delivery
- Upselling
- Invoicing and payment processing
- Explaining repairs, technical work, and parts replacement to customers
To give you an idea of workload, I handled approximately 85-90 accident repair vehicles this month alone, not including walk-in inquiries, phone calls, and call center referrals.
I do not receive overtime under normal circumstances. Overtime is only paid when required to work on official public holidays.
Lately, I've been questioning whether this is sustainable. My life feels like an endless cycle of commuting, working, eating, and sleeping. Fitness has taken a back seat, my diet has suffered, and my work-life balance feels almost nonexistent.
So I'd like to ask those of you in similar roles, especially in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada:
- Am I underpaid for my experience, certification, and workload?
- Is this kind of schedule normal in the industry?
- How does my compensation compare to yours?
- Have any of you successfully transitioned abroad from a similar role?
- If you were in my position, would you stay, negotiate, or start planning your exit?
I genuinely appreciate any honest advice.