Job Discussion Forums

2buckets · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 515 Location: Middle East

"Besides, I've already gotten an offer from the brother of one of my students."

is a recipe for DISASTER!!!!!! The family may accuse you of stealing the family jewels, or raping a daughter or housemaid. ANYTHING is possible.

Everyone I know, ( and I know quite a few) who entered into some kind of an arrangement with a local ended up under house arrest, passport confiscated by police, and unable to leave the kingdom, AT BEST, or in jail.

One American man was driven by desperation (after being under house arrest for over a year in a dispute with his Saudi "partner"), to get a small, open fishing boat and make a getaway across the Red Sea to Sudan with his wife and two daughters. By chance, when they hit the beach in Sudan, they ran into a Canadian mining company survey team who brought them to safety.

I worked for the same company as this man and was in charge of all the nautical equipment for the company. As a result I was relentlessly questioned by the police who accused me of being involved. Not a fun experience. Was finally saved by some carefully cultivated "wasta".

This incident came to light because the man appeared on a national morning talk show to tell his saga.

Long story short, avoid these situations, and spend a little of that lucre to have a comfortable life. I've found that a good home environment allows you to stay a bit longer and save that much more money.

Don't become one those sad 500 rials a month people.

Advice from 30 years in the Muddle East.

Badar Bin Bada Boom · Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:04 pm Post subject:

A lot of starry-eyed newbies think they're coming to a normal country. News flash--this is not a country. It's Planet Zondorg. If they want to be paupers, better to try Oman, where people are supposed to be nice. Or be a bum in Miami South Beach (I saw one there--he was beaming at finding a half-full orange juice box in the trash. He looked happier than I do here with my vaunted salary).

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

BretHarte · Joined: 17 Aug 2011 Posts: 94

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

Glad to see I have provided so much comic relief for everyone. While I certainly appreciate hard information that I can put to use, I don't give a flying f*** whether you think I'm crazy or not. I did enjoy the webcam suggestion.

Perhaps I should rephrase my original question and see if I can more useful info. I have 17,000 SAR coming to me from KAU and let's say that I kick in another 3,000 of my own money bringing me up to a total of 20,000 available to rent somewhere for 12 months. I seek a place that meets the following criteria:

2-3 mile radius of KAU.
Decent neighborhood.
Unfurnished is fine.
Studio/efficiency apartment or perhaps a l bedroom. I do not like large apartments.
Utilities included in the cost if possible.
A reasonably priced hotel would also work.

Is this a realistic expectation?

As far as an allowance to furnish an apartment, I get 50% of the housing allowance. Several of my students, from different cities, have told me it is not difficult to buy used furniture and other household items. As a long-time patron of Goodwill and Salvation Army, I think I'll be OK in this department.

One thing I found curious is that the students who told me this all did it after class and out of earshot of other Saudis. Perhaps there is a stigma attached to buying used furniture but that's hardly something I care about. Just thought it was interesting.

DirtGuy

2buckets · Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 515 Location: Middle East

"Is this a realistic expectation?"

No.

Anything decent would be in the order of at least 3-5000 a month. You're in one of the richest countries in the world and all the landlords are obscenely greedy, avaricious Saudis who are used to their tenant"s employers paying their rents, so the sky is the limit.

Super cheap places have problems, like NO WATER, NO ELECTRICITY so, NO A/C, NO RUBBISH COLLECTION, LOTS OF RATS, LICE, COCKROACHES, BACKED UP PLUMBING, FIRE EXITS BOLTEd SHUT.

You get the picture.

Plenty of used furniture for sure, just be sure you de-louse it, and perhaps have it irradiated before bringing it home.

You are entering a universe beyond the twilight zone. It's something you must experience to understand. It's like trying to describe colors to a blind person. You'll see when you get here. Bwaaaa haaa haaa haaaaa.

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

O.K., 2buckets has officially lost it. Next batter up!

It's not like he's not painting a true picture for you, DirtGuy!

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

OK. Since this is what they offer teachers and there are lots of teachers at the school, how do others make ends meet?

Anybody currently working at KAU care to jump in?

DirtGuy

BretHarte · Joined: 17 Aug 2011 Posts: 94

I think 2buckets meant "most" places not "super cheap" places. Other than that, it's a solid description.

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

Never mind as I found the information I need. I searched for and found links to various sites listing rooms for rent and people wanting to rent rooms in Jeddah. Lots and lots of postings. Now, I'm sure some of the situations are pretty dicey, but they can't all be bad. Hmmm. Sounds no different than finding a good roommate situation in the States. 17,000 is more than enough to cover housing costs for a year.

I'd still like to hear how other teachers at KAU make out with housing.

Thanks for everyone's help.

DirtGuy

It's Scary! · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 823

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:49 am Post subject:

Inappropriate postings have been deleted. Future ones will result in sanctions. Members are encouraged to report inappropriate comments to the Mod Team as soon as they appear.

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

You need to soberly prepare to be seriously challenged in the Kingdom. If things work out peachy, then you have a great pleasant surprise, if they turn out as they often do, then you won't be shocked.

As they say in the Scouts, be prepared.

How do others manage with housing and such? Midnight runs, constant struggles, quitting, getting drunk. What is the turnover rate of most schools?

Working in the Kingdom is no grand adventure, but some actually enjoy it. Most of them keep themselves anesthetized.

Guttrah in a GMC Suburban · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:53 am Post subject:

I think the only bad part of working at KAU is that they do only pay 17,000SR a year for housing, but I only pay about 300SR per month to make up the difference. I like the tax free pay I get each month, so I way head of the game. I have been here since Sept (five months), but everything eles is OK. I will post a new thread with more details.

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

Guttrah,

Thanks for jumping in and I'm looking forward to finding out how you deal with housing. I'm sure there are others who'd like to know the same.

I e-mailed several of the adverts for rooms for rent and got some replies back. A couple of them sounded good in that the owner of the flat was a single professional, didn't smoke, just wanted to cut their own costs, etc. I'm sure I'm going to have to do some legwork to find a good place but I'm also sure they're out there.

Information is so much more useful than invective.

DirtGuy