Job Discussion Forums

[bertonneau]

To anyone thinking or planning on coming over to Saudi Arabia. Every recruiter that I have ever heard about from anyone I have ever met here has been lied to in some way shape or form. I am so confident about the lack of integrity of all the recruiters who work within KSA that I will state they all lie. Some don't even know they are lying because they simply spew out whatever the various institutes, schools and universities tell them which are lies. Recruiters have only one thing in mind, their commission. That's it. If you want to kid yourselves that they care about you once you hop on that plane for KSA just know your kidding yourselves. I wrote recently about something similar a month ago, but as the naive newbies sign contracts and plan their next year over here, know this. If your contract doesn't say it specifically, expect it won't happen. Even the most obvious of assumptions isn't obvious, over here. Logic usually goes out the window once you hit KSA. I highly recommend asking for three current employees who have been recruited by your recruiter and work at the place you will be working and talking to them before you get here. If a recruiter can't give you three employees who can say positive things about the employer than it isn't a job worth taking most likely. Someone recently posted about taking a job with an employer who didn't even do an interview. That is a recipe for disaster. You need to check out your future employer more than they checkout you if you want to avoid a bad year and often a return plane ticket at your expense back to your country after a month or two. There is a good reason why there are so many jobs here in KSA. It's a pain in the ass and the dishonesty runs deep here. It is the normal not the exception to the rule, but the rule. The vast majority of recruiters probably 90% knowingly say things that are false, so it is very much a Buyer bewaree environment. Hopefully a few new folks will heed this advice before landing here only to write angry and frustrated messages several months down the road as they sit back in their home countries or stuck in KSA because their companies have held their passports, demoralized.

[Sheik Yerbuti]

These are all good points, and worth heeding if you are part of the present
newbie horde. I would add that much of the shady dealing comes from
entrenched managers at the work sites as well, some Saudi but largely
nationals from countries whose standards are high, but not adhered to here.
I do not have much sympathy for new hires that get caught in the
tar. In my five years, I have seen a noticeable decline in the quality of
staff who come here. It's all about the scheckel now, and every other
concern is secondary. For five indian rupee more most of the uninformed
will bite, without regard to location (critical, this isn't Korea where
every street is the same), curriculum, co-workers, personal security,
or a dozen other factors. Then, when it goes south, they come to
this space to beatch and moan.

[plumpy nut]

[Sheik Yerbuti]

hey Plump, ever read Soldier of Fortune magazine?

[McBrainiac]

What he means is do your own research in an objective manner, and do not engage in wishful thinking. You will be disappointed more in the KSA than in other venues, if you fail to do this, that is for sure. Not all contractors are bad, but I would say that the non-elite ones are likely to be. Even if you decide to go with a contractor, better to get a gig with one of the bigger, somewhat elite, and established ones (BAH, BAE, Raytheon). You really also need to try to talk to people who either work or used to work there. That's why PM's are useful. One tip is to be absolutely sure that the medical insurance is real, and that being medically insured doesn't mean that you only have access to low-quality, understaffed public hospitals. I've seen well-educated, kick-ass people suffer in situations where the so called "health insurance" was more mythical than real.

[Beaker]

[sicklyman]

It might help to point out that pretty much wherever you go in the TEFL world, you are told half-truths during the application process for many jobs if not outright lies. Certain schools in the UK come to mind, for example and maaaaaaany in Korea.

So, the issue is not necessarily that recruiters in Saudi lie more or less than elsewhere. THe issue in fact is that when you find yourself the victim of lies here, that can be a lot more hassle here than in many other TEFL locations.

For example, when SRACO tell you prior to arrival that they will help you find accommodation and then give you 24 hours to leave the place they put you in less than a week after you arrived, you suddenly realise that Saudi can be a hard place to get around and find accommodation quickly in.

I thoroughly applaud this thread and the warnings in it. Whoever you are and however well-travelled you are, Saudi is one place you want to do your homework for. To that end, I'm with Al Hoty, and if you are considering coming over to Saudi with them, I'd encourage you to PM me with any concerns you have.

[scot47]

We are not talking avout recruiters - who act as agents in hiring. We are talking about CONTRACTORS who hire you and then sell your services. Kind of like pimps.