Job Discussion Forums

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Some people have a slim chance of long-term survival in Saudi. I am not thinking of the possibilty of assassination by bearded terrorists - more along the lines of the running away syndrome.

One such is he who came here, unaware that Saudi Arabia is an Islamic State. He had never heard of Ramadan, and thought that his female companion ("girlfriend" in his terminology) could join him in a few weeks.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Obviously not terribly computer literate either...

Don't tell me... let me guess...

American?

VS

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

No - English.

Arab Strap · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 246 Location: under your bed

I have just spent two years working at JIC and I managed to survive with most of my faculties intact.

I was not culled as part of a �purge�, I completed my two year contract and was given a better offer elsewhere.

I was paid on time, had nice long holidays, was given as much overtime as I wanted and was finished by 2pm most days.

Ok sometimes I had 40+ to a class and the material I was using didn�t enthuse me a great deal but I expected as much.

Jubail is boring and highly polluted, in fact one of my sons started to develop asthma and this was one of the reasons I left. BUT Dammam/Khobar and the delights of Jareer bookshop are only an hour�s drive away (depending on road-works and the Wacky Races).

The fleshpots of Bahrain are only a couple of hours away and JIC will �allow� you to have a multiple visa. Getting your passport for the weekend however is another story. You�ll need to get a guarantor to sign a form saying he�ll cover your bills should you do a runner.

What was thought to be a mere formality suddenly became a serious matter when a couple of teachers did do a runner and left their trusting �guarantors� with hefty bills to pay. I hope they get their comeuppance!

It takes a certain kind of character to survive at JIC. This is Saudi Arabia we�re talking about so your expectations should be low on all counts including social life, career development, job satisfaction, managerial support and so on.

JIC is what it is, no worse than many places and better than most.

Imdramayu · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 394 Location: South Korea

Look out Dharain, I'm comin' over. It looks like an outstanding area to work in.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

They give you a spelling test at the entry point. If you can't spell "Dhahran", entry is refused.

johnslat · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:25 pm Post subject:

Land o' goshen - scot47 is giving spelling lessons.

riptorn · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 2 Location: The Desert

Which is the best place to work for? Jubail University College, KFUPM or King Abdul Aziz?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

None of these. KFUPM if you really have to.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Even the best teachers amongst us have days when things go wrong. With me it started when I lost my credit card. Then a series of minor disasters.

And 70 percent of my students get less than average in the exam.

johnslat · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:44 am Post subject:

Dear scot47,
That sounds like the opposite of Lake Wobegone:

Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

Regards,
John

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

I did a runner from Jubail in December 2007:)...taxi to Bahrain, several large JDs at the airport and was back in London, thanks to Gulf Air, 7 hours later.
Jubail is very, very boring....forget who you are working for because no matter who it is, the money won't be enough.
I can't understand anyone who does more than 5 years in Saudi...there's just no excuse. Fine, go get that flat deposit together, but that's it. Hostile locals, arrogant Saudi colleagues, lost it expats, unbearable summers, chicken and rice, no female company that doesn't cost....the list could go on for days.
And before Stephen Jones starts typing one of his idiotic replies I'd just like to say 'don't bother'........the JIC gig was hardly the most professional place in Saudi.

johnslat · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:27 pm Post subject:

Dear biffinbridge,
Though I'm not Stephen Jones, may I make an idiotic reply?

"I can't understand anyone who does more than 5 years in Saudi...there's just no excuse."

I've got no problem with the first part of the sentence above, but regarding the second (" . . . there's just no excuse."), I'd say that your evaluation is made based on the premise that everyone who goes to Saudi Arabia is just like you and will have exactly the same reactions to the Magic Kingdom as you did.
It leaves out the possibility that's not the case. In nineteen years I encountered almost no "hostile locals", and only one "arrogant Saudi colleague." My ex-pat colleagues were almost all very congenial (I still correspond with a number of them), I missed most of the unbearable summers since I was usually on holiday then, and I had chicken and rice only occasionally since I did my own cooking and Safeway provided a lot more variety than that.
I'll grant you, however, that there wasn't an overabundance of female company (that doesn't cost) there, but I met a significant other who was a nurse in Riyadh, and that relationship endured for fourteen years.
So, as is also true about every other country, each person experiences a different Saudi Arabia.

"He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the wealth of the Indies with him."

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Saudi is not all as grim as Biffo paints it.