Job Discussion Forums

[akoo1]

I sometimes read people saying I wish I knew they paid more in other countries AFTER they arrive to KSA.

I'd really like to know which countries and positions they're on about.

I mean, I understand the top-end jobs in ANY country would pay more than a common job in KSA but really not everyone is able to find the highest paying jobs as most of the best jobs aren't even advertised.

People come to KSA because, based on qualifications it's the highest paying country and most importantly, it's the highest saving country. Am I wrong?

If so, I'd like to know which country pays more than Saudi (and isn't an expensive country like Japan or Korea). The only other nation I can think of that has loads of jobs is UAE but the salaries are comparable.

[currentaffairs]

It depends on quals the old chestnut.. With a PGCE/high school teacher cert you can earn decent money in Brunei, Kuwait and various other places at international schools. I see those two countries advertised a lot..

For someone with minimal quals and a couple of years of experience then it would be difficult to earn as much elsewhere as a TEFL teacher.

[akoo1]

Yes that's what I thought as well. Not everyone has PGCE. For people with a BA and/or MA (and experience) there doesn't seem to be a better place to make money BUT Saudi Arabia.

[currentaffairs]

To be fair, you can make good money in other countries in the Middle East. It might not quite be the same amount of money as in Saudi but the lifestyle will be more sustainable for most people.

[mnruman]

akoo1 I was thinking the same, I hear so many people complaiing about working in KSA and claim they can earn more elsewhere yet I faile to see any countries mentioned or any salaries that are highter stated (including benefits)

[nomad soul]

[Hatcher]

I never said the salaries in the KSA are low... I said you can make the same in other countries and thus, why be in Saudi.

Again, for the record, ON AN HOURLY BASIS the wages are the highest.

I worked at a big uni in the KSA... 3 hrs a day on ave... for 24 weeks...
Hourly that was about 75$ an hour. Didnt find much for privates.

Savings per month - 4000USD

In Korea, I would 14hrs a day - much more savings

Other countries offering similar wages - Brunei, UAE and Qatar... savings lower

Countries where I can make more from extra work - Korea, China... much better lifestyle in my opinion

[Gulezar]

In my experience, as a woman, Masters and Teaching Experience would get me about the same pay in Saudi, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar. Oman would be less.

However, men might find better jobs in Saudi. I know several guys who have left top jobs in the UAE and gone to Saudi for the money.

With a BA, a woman might get into Saudi. Most woman are not that eager to live there, so HR will go lower down the qualification ladder for women, but this probably would not happen in other Gulf countries. Also, a woman can get extra gigs in the rest of the Gulf, whereas Saudi is more restrictive, for women at least.

The market is slim pickings right now. Saudi jobs have dominated at TESOL Arabia's job fair for the last few years.

There is also the age factor, too, which varies country to country.

The best way to know where the money is would be to apply, and compare contracts. That said, it would take a lot more than a few riyals for me to be interested in a a job in Saudi.

Saving money is up to the individual. I don't know if anyone who required an enforced saving regime in order to save money, would be happy in Saudi. The first flight to Dubai might well end up as a blow out.

[akoo1]

Thank you for all the useful posts.

Why is finding privates in Saudi not as feasible as Korea or China?

Isn't it possible to save 4000US in Saudi (from your main job) and use all the extra time finding privates or teaching IELTS and then possibly save 5000US/month or more?

I also read a few weeks ago on here of someone expecting to be paid 72K to accept ANY job even in Jeddah.

And then I also hear that's a pipe dream.

72K is higher than 20,000SAR.

What's going on here? Can both of these figures be right?

I always hear people say they're bored in KSA! How come they don't find more work? Or do overtime? That way they can save even more.

By the way, of all the countries mentioned KSA and China are the only two, where general costs and prices are still relatively low.

The ideal situation is to teach where salaries are highest (KSA) and living is cheapest (KSA, China).

Isn't then KSA the winner?

[Pikgitina]

Teachers at places like Aramco, BAe and possibly Raytheon (open to correction) can earn between SAR30,000 and SAR40,000 monthly, especially when doing overtime or working in remote locations, which is often compulsory.

[cmp45]

[nomad soul]

[scot47]

People also tell porkie pies about their income !

[BajaLaJaula]

Salaries in KSA are not what they used to be.....

Consider what your quality of life will be living in KSA. Other factors that might be important to you in deciding where to live and work....

Stress of work(despotic managers, lack of work ethic, unreasonable expectations due to lack of understanding of standard work practices)

Traffic(absolutely horrible in some cities, Jeddah, Riyadh, Al-Khobar to Bahrain)

Living accommodations(compounds versus single apartments, sewer, water, electricity)

Lack of social life(no bars, no nightclubs, no movies, no entertainment other than dune bashing, scuba diving or eating out...if you love to eat, not many places can beat Jeddah for available of top notch intentional cuisine)

Instability of contract(subject to change...always)

Saudi Culture(this could be a positive or negative)

Ease or difficulty of repatriation(difficult to find a job when searching from KSA...A lot of employers still want to see you in person before offering you a job)

These factors will vary of course depending on job and city. Many of us will say...go to Saudi for the money, but keep in mind that money isn't everything. As I have said many times, you might (in the old days) make twice as much money living in Saudi, but you will also age twice as fast due to the stress.

An alternative would be to live and work in another M.E. country that offers a little more quality of life even though the salary is not as high.

[akoo1]

And those Other Middle Eastern countries are more expensive or at least, more tempting for spenders (UAE).

Of course I tried to apply for Aramco, BAE and Raytheon but I think many of these jobs are for US or UK citizens. As other English speaking countries have relatively weak military links with KSA. So, naturally the best jobs go to British or American teachers. That leaves Canadians and Australians working non-military contracts. Would you say this is correct?

In the case of the Raytheon website, under Training (there is no Education sub-heading) the job search results are often months old. Many of the jobs are not even for teachers, rather program managers. The closest job to teaching I found was for Subject Matter Expert (and that was from last year). It doesn't look as if Raytheon updates its job bank with fresh positions, like Dave's job list. Raytheon and other military jobs aren't advertised on TEFL sites.

As for BAE, I heard they prefer to hire white people. Is this true?

And Aramco, i applied as well. But, no word.

Ideally, a remote military contract is perfect for me. IN fact, it's exactly what I wanted. But, the job websites for these companies is lacking. I even checked out Exxon Mobile, GD dynamics, Aviation English, you name it. VERY FEW ADVERTISED JOBS. I went on Linkedin, same deal. I think many of the jobs aren't even advertised. So exactly how are we supposed to find them?