Job Discussion Forums

[bedouinteacher]

New teachers should note:
The Royal Commission of Jubail has just advertised for 5 new teachers. Beware--the words used are attractive, but disturbing. This is because:

1. The starting salary is very low. (unless you have many years experience and have a PhD-in which case anyone in such a good position could easily command 18000sar+ per month elsewhere in KSA, particularly if a westerner).

2. The accommodation is far from excellent (by western standards. For example; westerners are used to a 1 bedroom apartment at least, but RC will only allocate you with a studio). APPARENTLY THE HOUSING LIST FOR FAMILY STATUS APPLICANTS IS VERY LONG. Another important point about accommodation is: - if you accept the housing allowance (family status only), you WILL "fall off" the RC housing waiting list!!!!!!!!??????

3. The transport allowance is 900sar per month. However, the local (unlicensed) "taxis" will charge you 500sar per month+.I pay my taxi driver 400sar, which is good value, so you can shop around or you can end up paying over the top-especially, as there are NO licensed taxis operating in Jubail. The only taxis I�ve seen with the sign on come from Dammam.If you are a foreigner without a car you WILL end up paying a lot in fares.

4. I have heard that the overtime rate is extremely low (between 50-70sar) for KSA (don't know for sure, but my source is very reliable, therefore, I believe this to be the case).

[casio]

The interesting thing here is that the RC are actually doing direct hires.

Wasn't the McGill gang supposed to snap up all the recruitment? Is that still going or has it died a death? Anyone like to comment?

[bedouinteacher]

As far as I am aware (I have been an English instructor at UCJ for several years), Mc Gill always advertises for RC because they are recruiters and quite possibly, someone (at RC) is receiving some kind of incentive from Mc Gill? However, RC-as they like to economise as much as possible (often at a cost to their students), have perhaps realised that it's far more cost effective for them (RC) to hire staff themselves and save 5000SAR per month, per teacher in salaries particularly, as we have recently discovered, they have done away with the "inflation allowance"(worth 15% of a teacher�s basic salary)-which has recently come to our notice. However, staff who started some years ago, like myself, will continue to receive it! This alone does NOT create a good working environment and clearly shows RC�s audacity.

The starting salary at JUC is about 10,000SAR. The starting salary for a McGill teacher is 15,000SAR per month. Thus, it's not difficult to see what they (RC) are doing?

THE BIG PROBLEM IS-Although RC could hire directly themselves and save a lot of money, in reality they are incapable of it. This is because those responsible for recruitment are generally incompetent. Anyone who has been to KSA before, will know exactly what I mean!


In order to be shortlisted, a prospective teacher's application needs to be viewed/vetted by at least 4 full-time Saudi employees of RC (who have little idea of what they are doing), the heads of department, and several administrative assistants- all of this takes a lot of time. However, it need not.

I hope this helps you make an informed decision. You would be well advised to look to Taif and Jizan for good employment opportunities!!! [/b]

[wantok]

Nope. You'd be better advised to explore opportunities well beyond Saudi Arabian horizons.

KSA's Prep Year sector has bad rep internationally. Justifiably.

Why sink in deeper?