Job Discussion Forums

[ohwell]

hi everyone,

I am new here and first of all wanted to say that this is a great resource for anyone who hasn't been to KSA for work yet

we might be moving for the new academic year to one of the big Saudi universities and have heard lots of different things of course

so I wanted to see if anyone could clarify:
on a direct hire basis, should I expect delayed salary payments in the first couple of months? this would mean that we should bring quite a substantial amount of money with us, so we would need to manage this in advance.


also, I have read a lot about dodgy employers, so can we generally assume that a major university would be considered a decent employer and would honour the offer we signed with them? from what I understand, the contract would not be issued until we ge there, right? is the offer as such binding, for both parties?

sorry for all the questions: it is hard to figure out from a distance

thanks a lot in advance

[cmp45]

[Sheikennotstirred]

If you can tell me which university I may be able to help. I have worked at a couple and know people at others.

Generally speaking, though: for westerners and for all but the shadiest employers, the salary is usually the last thing to go, as it were.

The deal is usually: "we own you, you do what we say, and we will (reluctantly) pay you more or less what we said we would and more or less on time."

"Promises" about accommodation, working conditions, hours, holidays, bonuses etc. can all be "flexible". But even the bottom-feeders out here understand that their workers are essentially in it for the money, and that if they don't produce the goods on this front they will rapidly find themselves without a workforce. And this means the hassle of having to recruit more warm bodies, with all the attendant paperwork.

Hope that is helpful, if not necessarily encouraging.

p.s. My current employer (university, via a recruiter) has always delivered on every promise made and has always paid salaries on time; in money is usually in our accounts a day or two early. Overtime can take a few weeks to filter down through the system (they have to come and find us and make us sign for the cash) but this is something we all know about and choose to accept when we sign up for the (voluntary) overtime shifts.

However, I know of other universities, both direct hire and via a recruiter, where this isn't the case.

[isabel]

If it is PMU, don't hold your breath. A few years ago I got my August pay in October. And that is just an example. Check out with people there and you will find many cases of uncompensated over-time. They tried many ways to grift our separation pay, and succeeded in some cases.

[ohwell]

thanks for everyone's responses:

it is KAU, should have mentioned that from the beginning, sorry

[ohwell]

can anyone input on KAU and salary delays in the first month (until everything is settled basically). would be greatly appreciated

[lcanupp1964]

99% of the time, new instructors will get a 10,000SR advance on their second day (the day after you fly in). The res. visa will be processed and given to you within the next few days. I got mine on my fifth day. This depends on the day you fly in, but in most cases, one should expect to get a full paycheck (given in paper form the first time) at the "next" pay cycle. Most of the time, this means that they will get a full month plus the days left in your arriving month added together, so it might take 45-50 days to get your first full paycheck (minus the 10k advance, of course) but it will be a nice sized on. That's one of the main reasons KAU will advance instructors on the second day � to help out with getting set-up. In addition, it might take about another month to get your housing money. I have been at KAU for three years and I have never heard of any instructor not getting paid. Yea, over here people drop the ball and one might hear of a case where an instructor didn�t get their pay on time, but it is rare. Most of the time it only happens when you get you second, full paycheck and somehow it didn�t end up at the bank. After your first paycheck, you will set up a bank account and get you paycheck automatically deposited into your account. Once you�re in the system, you will get your paycheck around the same time each month without fail.

[Allizwell]

At my uni, I started in the middle of Sept and got a prorated amount of that month's salary, in cash, at the end of the month. By the October payment, I already had my bank account set up to receive the direct deposit of my first full month's salary payment. And what a great feeling it was -- and still is, each and every month! This is how it works at many institutions. Good luck in Jeddah. I work in Riyadh. Regards. ALZ

[ohwell]

thanks so much for everyone's response

lcanupp1964 - thanks so much for your detailed response - this was very helpful, and put my mind at ease

alizwell - yep, I can't wait for the moment I get my first paycheck/ bank transfer there

[Al-Larry MilkShake Habibi]

What "Icanup1964" wrote is about what happened to me - even though I had to wait about seven days for me Res Visa (the main guy who works on this stuff was out of town for a few days). I got a 10k advance two days after I landed. I've been here about ten days, but so far, so good (fingers crossed).

[ohwell]

thanks a lot for your response - Al-Larry MilkShake Habibi

hope you are having a good time there.

[scot47]

Competent employers shpuld give you an advance to keep you going. I had no problems with KFUPM.

[Grendal]