Job Discussion Forums

[Captain Willard]

Increasing Bureaucratic Requirements For Job Applicants

I have noticed a noticeable increase in the bureaucratic requirements to apply for many jobs in KSA. This list includes long applications, formatted from Arabic in right to left which are difficult to complete in word format or Excel forms which are tedious to complete, on-line web forms which are impossible to complete due to software glitches, requests for video recordings of lessons, multiple reference letters required to be dated within the last six months, etc. I suspect that the increased bureaucracy comes from Saudization and more Saudis involved in HR departments and awarding contacts for malfunctioning software to relatives. Typically, by shifting the burden to the applicant, they can reduce their own work load. It is hardly the path to finding the best applicants, only those with enough time on their hands to jump through all of these hoops, or those so desperate for a job they don't mind the increased hassle. Of course, it is often impossible to email HR directly if there is a problem because their mail boxes are full, was not disclosed, or in one recent ad here, the email address was non-existent.

It is then not surprising that as the time to start the next academic year approaches, that many educational institutions will be understaffed, and recruiters will be required to find employees that the Saudi HR departments could not.

[plumpy nut]

You usually can only get so many reference letters from professors and supervisors etc.. Of course if the supervisor is a Saudi, you're going to have trouble getting one. Applicants need to prioritize the jobs that they wish to spend quality written reference letters on. Individuals applying to jobs in Saudi Arabia need to look at the whole picture and really decide if it is worth it to waste very important things on quick money, which actually may end out being much less money in the long run.

[pooroldedgar]

I think there's really only two conditions that I would think of going to Saudi.

1) Making decent money at a good job there, of which there seem to be exactly two. Maybe three. Working at one of those places you might be able to maintain your sanity while banking money and taking nice holidays that seem to be never more than a couple of months away. And even that would have to be suited for someone comfortable with a more monastic living style.

2) Making really good money at a nerve-wracking military job. 60k would be worth one year of a terrible job. It doesn't sound like people can handle much more than one or two. I say 60 grand US, but that amount might start decreasing as desperation increases.

The idea of going there to work for one of the crappy places and using that as a stepping stone to one of the better places seems to work more in theory than practice. Though the crap jobs may give you the experience you need for UAE or Qatar, which are almost certainly nicer places to live, though even those countries seems to be far less enticing these days.

[scot47]

"UAE and Qatar are nicer places to live"

I am not sure about that. Personally I found Dubai to be ghastly. Abdulalbulbul meets Bladerunner. An Arab Disneyland Much loved by Daily Mail readers because David Beckham bought a house there.

Qatar is worse !

[veiledsentiments]

Definitely both of them are a better choice for females. Fortunately in the UAE, there are many cities and you don't need to even get near Dubai.

Saudi Arabia has always been the worst as far as the bureaucracy of getting into the country with a proper visa. Reading the posts above, I just see the need for one important comment:

Never give either employers or embassies any originals of anything. I had one original of each of my letters of reference and one original of each of my letters of employment. These are irreplaceable in most cases. And, of course, my original degree certificates. I made sure that they never left my presence.

VS

[Gamajorba]

[pooroldedgar]

VS,

So are you saying teachers shouldn't send their diploma to SACM? Isn't it a requirement? Or are they accustomed to getting notarized photocopies?

[nomad soul]

[pooroldedgar]

Of everything I never read about KIA, from the heat to the restrictions to the bureaucracy to the poor students and bad jobs, nothing scares me away more than the haughty obnoxiousness that's so ubiquitous on this forum.

I hope the country doesn't turn me into that also.

[scot47]

Haughty ? I do not see it that way. Helpful maybe. And that included numerous PMs reassuring you that all would be well !

No one held my hand when I went to Jeddah in 1970 !

[myohmy]

Everything isn't always about you, scot.

[scot47]

Really ?

[veiledsentiments]

[returnee2014]

You can get certified true copies at the consulate for $50 per document. But it 's worth it if you have an employer that insists on keeping your certificates in a file in the office.

[nomad soul]