Job Discussion Forums

cidadaodomundo · Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 8

Greetings!

Looks like I might be taking a job in the Land of Sand shortly. It'll be in Riyadh, which I've heard makes Jeddah seem like Sodom and Gomorrah. Are my prejudices justified in any way? What is there to do in the way of recreation so far from the sea?
As far as accommodation goes, is there a great difference between the cost of renting an apartment downtown and living in a compound? Any advice on doing either, and how much it'll cost, would be gratefully received.

Chin-chin!

trapezius · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:32 pm Post subject:

If you care at all about "recreation", which you seem to do, stay in a compound.

cidadaodomundo · Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 8

I spent a few years in Jeddah a while back - don't know how different the scene is in Riyadh but I found the compounds (and we were in very small ones) a touch claustrophobic!

trapezius · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:18 pm Post subject:

You mean the apartments were small? Yes, they can be small. For SR. 30,000 you can get a fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment in a big compound, or you can get a bare 2-3 bedroom apartment for 15-20,000 outside.

In the compound, you have access to pools, tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, pool/billiards, gym, small shop, and possibly a restaurant and hairdresser. Heck, some large ones even have bowling alleys!

All these things can be bought if staying outside, but the one thing you can't buy outside is clean orderly streets, foliage/shade, and civility. Not to mention, when you come out of your apartment in a compound, you are not really "out", so you could be wearing shorts, a nightgown, or speedos if you prefer ( Very Happy

), and could just lounge about the pool to tan, enjoy fresh cool air at night, work on laptop, read, etc. You can't do that if living outside.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

I lived in Riyadh for four years from 1991 to 1995. I paid SR15,000 for an unfurnished two bedroom 80sqm apartment in a nice middle class residential district just off Olaya. Riyadh has expanded considerably since then.

There were plenty of trees, flowering bushes, the streets were clean and people were perfectly civil. Trapezius either keeps less salubrious company or is showing his anti-Saudi prejudice yet again.

If you live in a compound you can kid yourself you're really in small-town America, though as plenty of people would never want to live in the real version, and as it will cost you round about double for the 'privilege', it is up to you to decide where your priorities are.

In your position I'd be applying for jobs in Dubai.

cidadaodomundo · Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 8

Thanks for the replies - both situations will have their good and bad points I guess

Cleopatra · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 12:56 pm Post subject:

There are compounds and there are compounds. Some consist of a few 1980s vintage villas with a small swimming pool and maybe tennis court in the centre. Others are virtual towns in their own right, with every imaginable facility - however, these are well above the budget of most ESL teachers. Many of these compounds will aspire to an ersatz "Western" lifestyle - often thanks to blatantly discriminatory policies which would likely be illegal in the very "Western" countries they claim to be emulating. Other compounds, however, will have a more varied mix among their residents, including many middle-class Asians and Arabs along with the "Westerners".

One thing that can be said about compounds in general is that accommodation in one will be a lot more expensive than comparable accommodation elsewhere. Obviously, as in any other major city, rental prices in Riyadh vary considerably from location to location. Also, while most compounds will offer a more relaxed environment than street-side housing will, some find the security restrictions for both guests and residents to be tiresome.

cidadaodomundo · Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 8

Thanks for all your observations - one final question - Riyadh or Jubail? Which would you go for and why?

Cheers

Cleopatra · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject:

Riyadh, of course.

Who would not choose to live in the capital city - however dull - rather than a far duller small provincial town?

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Depends on the job.

Jubail is OK if you have a wife and young kids. You've got the beach, all the trees, parks and football fields, and the sports facilities. It is deadly dull. I lived in Riyadh and thought it the dullest place in the world. Then I lived in Jubail and thought of Riyadh as a fun destination for the weekend.