Job Discussion Forums

[Polyanna]

What does a married status contract mean, and what policies exist regarding passports? Read that this uni keeps passports until one wants to travel This could be a serious dealbreaker for me! My agent assures that this practice is against the law now, but I'm still mistrustful about this. I would also like more info regarding the actual teaching situation ( hours, curriculum etc). Finally, what's daily life in the kingdom like for a woman unaccompanied by spouse ?[size=9][/size]

[voyagerksa]

It doesn't matter if the university keeps your passport. The passport in of itself will not allow you to exit the country. Besides it's quite easy to get another from your embassy in Riyadh. To exit Saudi Arabia, your employer has to OK and obtain an exit visa from the authorities. If you arrive on an employment visa, leaving Saudi Arabia is still at the whim of your employers, even if you possess your passport. As I mentioned above it is quite easy to obtain a new passport in a few days from your embassy but that's not enough to exit the country.

[nomad soul]

[In the heat of the moment]

You may have emailed the recruiter with these questions, so here's a few guesses.

Curriculum; English Preparatory Year Program including speaking, reading, writing and listening. Levels from beginner to intermediate.
Hours; usually 20 contact hours per week, ranging from an 8:00am start to around 3:30pm finish.
Passport; if they want to keep it you can ask for it when you need it, or just refuse to hand it over and see what they say. The practice has been outlawed so you'll likely be able to keep it. Or just 'forget' to bring it to them.
Female Life; that's really up to the individual - some like it and others hate it.

[scot47]

Some employers will let you have a multiple exit visa and keep the passport. Most will not agree to this. A passport with no exit visa will not let you leave the Kingdom legally.

Why do you want to have a passport when you cannot use it to leave ?

[desert_traveller]

since a few years back for employers to hold passports has been illegal and they are actually mandated to return passports to employees ASAP after processing iqamas etc

any employer not falling in line is an employer best to avoid

i am aware withholding passports and not granting multi exit/re-entry visas was quite the norm a while ago but as much as i am aware now the vast majority of expat english teachers happily frolick around with passports in hand and multi visas

stay away from employers that will not let you keep your passport or give you a multi visa whenever you wish, or try to convince you this is the norm in 2018 - they are the worst ones and only desperate ones in a financial crisis should consider working for them

also ignore posters who say this is normal - they must have left the ksa a long time ago, things change way too fast for someone who has left the country to have any authority to say anything here

i remember an article in arabnews a few years back, a saudi government propaganda outlet by all means, that stated all the above very clearly - you can google it if you like

[MixtecaMike]

Just out of idle curiosity, anyone working for the RC Jubail could comment if they still hold passports? When it became law to hand back passports, my colleague T. was told by the HR man that laws like that didn't apply to the RC.

[nomad soul]