Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

Boeing do not translate their manuals into any language. Not Spanish, not Japanese. I think Airbus are the same.

For technical work at higher levels Saudis are TOTALLY dependent on foreigners. There may be Saudis who have technical training but they usually do managerial work. The people actually DOING the technical work are almost always non-Saudi.

[Cleopatra]

Point taken about the big aerodynamics industries. Must say I do find it odd that these companies do not translate their manuals into the languages of the countreis who give them billions of dollars. But that's another issue.

I have two points to make:

Firstly, why should 'ordinary' workers like nurses, technicisans, engineers etc be trained through English? Notice I don't say that they should not learn English - I'm just questioning its use as a medium of instruction in cases where fluency in English is not essential.

Secondly, surely part of the problem with training Saudis and advancing Saudiization is precisely the fact that they are forced to study in a second language. My first degree is in a foreign language, and, believe me, I would not like to have to use it as a medium of instruction. I know from personal experience here that students who have just completed secondary school - and we all know how crappy the English training is there - and they are unceremoniously thrown in to a training course through English, without any preparation. And then people complain that they're not good enough for the job.

[Stephen Jones]

There are a load of Saudi technicians in big factories. Some of them are good.

A Saudi friend of mine summed it up a couple of years back. "Before, nobody would let you marrry your daughter if you were a technician; now, they all want you to, because they know you've got a job."

[scot47]

I am sure that things are changing and I suspect there are differences between Jeddah and Dhahran. Riyadh I know nothing of.

I heard something similar to the thing about the technician but what i heard was that Security Guards used to be considered the lowest of the low, but now there are so many unemployed young saudis that a job as a Security Guard is considered pretyy good.

Perhaps it is a cycle. When I first came to KSA in 1970 driving a taxi was a job for Sauudis only. Then they got Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis doing it. Now there is a move afoot to Saudi-ise these jobs.

[Cleopatra]

Someone told me that taxi driving is actually considered a reasonably 'high status' profession and is therefore fairly acceptable to Saudis. That said, the plan to Saudiize the taxi business has predictably come to naught - can you belive that they had originally planned to have the industry fully Saudiized by April (last April that is)! Just adds to the air of unreality in this strange Kingdom.

[Cleopatra]

Someone told me that taxi driving is actually considered a reasonably 'high status' profession and is therefore fairly acceptable to Saudis. That said, the plan to Saudiize the taxi business has predictably come to naught - can you belive that they had originally planned to have the industry fully Saudiized by April (last April that is)! Just adds to the air of unreality in this strange Kingdom.

[guty]

I heard Saudis are incredibly bad drivers, I qoute the lonely planet loosely
"In Saudi driving is nominally on the right(or left) side of the road"
maybe some jobs are better not Saudized?

[johnslat]

Dear quty,
" Incredibly bad " is an incredible understatement. But another factor that will hinder the " Saudiization " of taxis is that many/most women and a lot of men as well would and/or do refuse to ride in Saudi-driven cabs. The Arab News had something on it a while back. The paper had a staffer dress up in Western clothes and pretend to be a non-Saudi taxi driver. He heard, first-hand from his customers, why so many chose him over thobed, obviously Saudi, drivers.
Regards,
John