Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

Dear Handsome Boy ( quite a handle ),
Good advice from both Nomad Dan and zakiah25. The ONLY place alcohol is " legal " in the Kingdom is at the embassies ( which are " legally " not part of the Kingdom ). That being said, you'll find it on every compound - home brew, mostly, although if you're willing to go on the black market, risk imprisonment, lashing and/or deportation, you can, I'm told, get the " real stuff " for a mere $ 125 a bottle or so. What Dan said about your wife is also true. Even " Western women " here are regarded by many/most locals as ( at best ) third-class residents and ( at worst ) practioners of the so-called " world's oldest profession ". In the case of Asian ladies, this is even much more the case. It would almost certainly be a very tough life here for your wife. And finally, zakiah25's comment about the MA is also right on. If you don't have one, your chances of getting a DECENT job here are just about nil. Sorry to be so discouraging, but better you should know what the situation really is before you commit yourself to this land.
Regards,
John

[Cleopatra]

RE: MAs

it's true that you need one to teach in a univeristy, but there are other insitutiions in KSA that don't require the MA.

For example, I work in a hospital and most of the EFL teachers who are or who have worked here do not have MAs. The salary we get is at least as good as that offered by the unis - the only down side is the lack of holidays compared to them.

Remember also that KSA is getting a bad rap right now and - rightly or wrongly - that is scaring a lot of teachers away. So there's no harm in you applying and seeing how desperate they are. When we recently advertised for a teacher here, the response was very poor indeed. As I say, no harm in trying!

[bohinj]

Nomad Dan said it might be hard to get hired with your family status. Would it be hard for a married couple (no kids, no MAs) to find jobs, or at least one job to start and the other partner get one later upon arrival?

[abudhabi]

After I arrived in Riyadh my wife got very bored doing nothing. We had no children and coffee mornings were not her cup of tea for long. Luckily we found out of a suitable job for her, as a secretary, purely out of a chance meeting. In reality, wives have no legal right to work, but that has never been enforced as far as I know.

It is extremely hard for wives when there is nothing to do. Many husbands leave their wives in their home countries for significant periods of time, especially if they are from the "third world".

I can only repeat what others have said often on this site - networking, taking every opportunity to meet others and so find opportunities for work, is essential to any modicum of happiness for wives.