Job Discussion Forums

[desert_traveller]

I have decided to write this message to teachers who are considering a job at IH Saudi Arabia mainly because it is very difficult to get reliable information about Saudi Arabia and International House Saudi Arabia unless you are in the country, and I found that during recruitment the information I was provided was not always accurate, and it did cause some difficulties for me during my stay in Saudi,

This is my personal opinion and it by no means reflects objective reality, however I will try to be as specific and factual as possible.

Good points about the job and life in Saudi:

� The salary is decent and life is cheap. You can easily live on 1000-2000 riyals a month, which means you can save up to 80% of your salary. The money they offer is not great, ie you would probably make more in the West, but remember, the country is tax free, housing and bills are paid for by the school, and you will end up saving much more than you would in other countries. If money is a strong factor in your decision, this is definitely a big plus.

� Life is relaxed in Saudi and the job is not very demanding professionally. For some, it might be off putting, and for others it might be attractive. Your life will be very laid back (or boring, depending on you), and if you are open minded and flexible, the stress factor will be relatively low (once you are past the initial culture shock, which might be pretty severe or even never-ending for some).

� Socially Saudi is great, if you enjoy hanging out with your male mates, hanging around and generally doing nothing, you will be happy here.

� The weather is warm, there is no winter in the European sense, and even though some summer months can be tough because of the excessive heat, generally it is the land of eternal sunshine.

� Saudi is a beautiful country and you will have at least some opportunities for travelling in the country. Saudi is one of the last gems for travellers, mass tourism is practically nonexistent, and despite popular belief, it has a lot to offer for the (intrepid) traveller.

� Saudi is a truly cosmopolitan country (although in a different way than for example the UK), and if you enjoy mixing with people (don�t forget: almost exclusively males) from different countries, you can do that here easily.

� Food is simply G-R-E-A-T and unbelievably cheap. Fresh fruit and vegetables are widely available, and so is seafood, so if you want to take care of your stomach, Saudi will be a good place for you.

� In one sense, teaching work is very challenging: it is a totally different kind of teaching to what you are probably used to if you arrive from the West. In its different nature, it can be challenging for some to adapt to, but it is also a fantastic professional mind broadening experience (you will need infinite amounts of patience and flexibility though, don�t forget!).

A few things that I found not that great:

� IH Saudi Arabia is not an IH school, practically speaking. It is a small miracle how they acquired and maintain the logo, but one thing is for sure: nothing could be further from what the International House World Organization stands for than IH Saudi Arabia. IH Saudi Arabia is a rogue (cowboy) language school, and it pays no respect for any educational considerations. It is a money making machine, with absolutely no interest in providing quality teaching, and this approach unfortunately does come across at each and every level of the company�s activities. As a teacher, you will probably feel seriously neglected and ignored, and apart from your fellow teachers, you won�t find one single soul who would care about your opinion or concerns to the slightest extent. Forget teacher development workshops, lesson observations, professional development and other such contraptions. They just simply do not happen. The school doesn�t even have the minimum 5 or 6 methodology books that are required for any IH. The management look at these things as unnecessary, as they do not produce immediate profit. Do not think that you will be working for a serious language school. Do not let the IH logo mislead you. IH Saudi Arabia is a money making machine, nothing else, with absolutely no respect for educational issues. You will be one small cogwheel, any your only task will be to keep spinning. Quality is not an issue whatsoever. If it is fine with you, no problem, but if you have any respect for yourself as a teaching professional, forget IH Saudi immediately.

� At IH Saudi Arabia, and generally, in the whole country, the concept of �human rights� is an unknown one. It is open school policy to make sure teachers don�t do a runner by simply asking for their passport upon arrival, locking it up in the school safe and never giving it back to them until their departure date. If you are lucky, you will be issued a Saudi residency card (iqama), which will give you some freedom in the country, but if you are not, you will travel to Saudi on a business visa (having been promised by the school that they will get you a working visa once you are in the country), and will remain on a business visa throughout your stay. They will never get you an iqama, which can be a serious problem, as an iqama is necessary for basically anything here, ie opening a bank account, getting a phone line, buying or renting a car, travelling within the country etc etc. Do not even consider going to Saudi unless you have a valid working visa BEFORE you enter the country.

� Not surprisingly, 99.99999% of all Western expats live in so-called residential compounds in Saudi. These are set up to make life easier for the Western soul. Within these compounds, rules are relaxed, and life is �free� or at least freer than outside. However, IH Saudi Arabia does not offer compound housing even for Western teachers (obviously to save some dosh on your accommodation). While living �rough� in the country may seem attractive for some, and will indeed help you see (much) more of the country, it also means that the draconian Saudi Islamic rules will fully apply to you (no socialisation with the other sex, no alcohol etc etc do some research if you think it might be an issue for you). Believe me: there is a reason why practically all Western expats live in compounds, and when the novelty of being in Saudi Arabia wears off and the little annoying things of everyday life take over, you will be forced to realize this. The �official� rationale for not putting you up in a compound is something like �it�s not necessary, we want you to see the country, etc etc�, but the real reason is purely financial from the school�s point of view, and what they save on, you will dearly pay for day after day.

� Your salary will not be bad, and you will be able to save a decent amount, however, once you are here, you will realize that basically according to Saudi standards you are extremely badly paid, which will almost certainly be a source of great frustration after some time. While just like anywhere else, English teachers are not among the best paid people, the standard package for Western teachers will be compound accommodation, working visa with multiple exit/re-entry visa (which is necessary to leave the country and travel around, see next paragraph), and around 50% more or double of what you will be offered by IH. Do yourself a favour: spend another few hours, days or weeks on the internet, jobs are plenty, and you are bound to end up with a (substantially) better offer. Try not only language schools but also oil companies and universities, they pay well, respect your Western identity and provide reasonable living and working conditions.

� IH management do not encourage you leaving the country during your contract (another fact that will tacitly be not mentioned to you during recruitment). While for some it is not an issue, it can be a source of great frustration if you want to travel to other Gulf countries, especially that you will only realize you can�t do it once you have arrived to Saudi. If you have a working visa, you have a very modest chance to get an exit visa (without which you are not allowed to leave the country) from you employer, but don�t bet on it. On a business visa, you have no chance. Don�t forget: �human rights� is not an issue in Saudi. It is a kingdom and freedom as such is seen as unwanted and possibly dangerous for the ruling parties. True, Saudi itself offers some great travel destinations all over the country, but keep it in mind: your freedom of movement might be seriously blocked.

� If you are a great supporter of the �communicative method� or some other Western teaching methodology, either (1) forget Saudi Arabia immediately, or (2) drop all your qualifications and teaching expertise in the toilet, flush it a few times and come with a tabula rasa. You will experience a totally different way of teaching here, which might be a great professional experience if you come with an open mind, or a source of endless frustration and disappointment if you want to pursue what you did before. And one last hint: find out as much as you can about the so-called �HRDF� courses at IH. Your best bet is to go to a centre that doesn�t run HRDF courses at all. Believe me: if you consider yourself an English teacher, you don�t want to do HRDF courses at IH Saudi. These courses are a travesty of the teaching profession, and I have not met anyone who would have been happy teaching HRDF. Avoid it. If you are told there is a �possibility you will have to do HRDF� erase all incoming mails from IH Saudi and look for another employer.

Well, I can�t remember anything else right now. Please consider the above things carefully before you make up your mind. I have seen people literally shutting down with depression and frustration, or going on tantrums regularly because they could not process what was happening to them. Oh, and your employer will not let you terminate your contract unless you pay them a hefty ransom for your own freedom (at least a month�s salary, possibly more). Yes, if you want to leave, you will have to buy your way out of the country, if they let you go at all. Don�t forget: your passport will be locked away, so to make sure that you are �happy to stay� in the country. And don�t count on your embassy; as I wrote above, things work here differently, and whatever the case is, your embassy will not be able to provide much support, even if they have the best intentions to do so.

It is not at all certain that if you come here, you will struggle. Please consider carefully WHY you want to come to Saudi, and think about what is important to you in your everyday life. It IS an experience in some ways, and if you have the right approach, you might actually enjoy it and have a GREAT time here. But don�t jump into a decision and know before you come here WHY you want to come. Don�t assume anything: do your homework, do a thorough research, contact people who actually live here (don�t forget: anything you hear from compound folks will NOT apply to you) and get everything confirmed by at least 2-3 independent sources. Do NOT rely solely on the information you receive from IH during recruitment. They are desperate for staff (no wonder, considering the conditions), and will promise ANYTHING to you just to get you here (when you will be in for a GREAT surprise). And please please please do not make a decision until you have received at least a few offers from other language schools in Saudi or contacted teachers who work for other schools.

Good luck and take care of yourself. If you have any other questions, don�t hesitate to contact me. And, obviously, don�t quote me as a former IH employee on anything you bring up. First of all, ask yourself: WHY do I want to go and work for IH Saudi? And: will that thing make me happy here, even if I have NOTHING ELSE in my life? Do not rely on your assumptions. Check everything. And, first and foremost: BE HONEST TO YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR INTENTIONS. Consider other Gulf countries. Consider other options. Give yourself time and don�t make a hasty decision. Be careful: the Gulf is terra incognita for the Western mind, and your innocent naivety will be brutally exploited and abused if you are not careful enough.

[veiledsentiments]

If you do a search here on this employer, you will find that this agrees with pretty much every ex-teacher's opinion of IH Saudi for years and years.

Truly only for those who are desperate for a job and can't get any other offers.

VS

[gelynch52ph]

I once took a job with that guy for the SAR 18,000/mo. pay. The thing that worried me was the 3 year contract. Because I demanded my contract and the contracting company demanded everyone be on iquamas I was sent out after 5 months. The pay was good, the owner was slime (still is) and the Filipino manager would have to swim up to eat whale droppings. Only the Bengali driver was a decent person.

[desert_traveller]

[Badar Bin Bada Boom]

[Beast]

Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away
They are absolutely the worst employer in Saudi Arabia. They are at the BOTTOM of the heap. Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away Stay Away ...

[It's Scary!]

[Beast]

These people who Come in Droves have been warned. They can't cry foul after it all goes south.

[It's Scary!]

[Badar Bin Bada Boom]

Saudi Arabia is "truly a cosmopolitan country" and "the food is G-R-E-A-T" ?!
What the... No, Dubai is cosmopolitan and the food is truly great. It is not "great" in Riyadh or Jeddah. It's passable (but just barely, for the discriminating.)

Come on. London, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong are cosmopolitan. Even Houston is. Saudi Arabia is not cosmopolitan just because a lot of worker bees come here.

[gelynch52ph]

This series of posts lately has nothing to do with International House KSA, a truly despicable company, but some of the food in KSA is very good although it is all introduced from other countries. My students in Khamis Mushait in December told me that rice had only been in KSA in any great quantity for 40 years so I wonder why they suddenly have a culture of each person eating enough rice at a sitting to feed a Filipino family of 6 for 2 days? They also eat like animals with no manners and apparently have little or no concept of utensils other than fingers. Even chimpanzees use tools for delivering food to their mouths.

[veiledsentiments]

[johnslat]

Dear VS,
Which gives the the opportunity to jump in with one of my favorite movie quotes:

Captain Renault: And what in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?

Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.

Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert.

Rick: I was misinformed.



Regards,
John

[vva]

[desert_traveller]