Job Discussion Forums

[biffinbridge]

Hi folks.Off to Riyadh soon on a 2 year number.Any advice?I've heard it's like Qatar without the booze.Sounds awful but need the cash due to recent divorce.Contract looks great.

[Cleopatra]

What's Riyadh like?

Well, for a start, it's by far the most conservative of the Kingdom's major cities - and that's really saying something! Even other Saudis shudder at the mention of the name! This is mainly because of its location bang in the middle of the desert Najd region which was cut off from the rest of the world (to a large extent,even the rest of ARabia) for centuries. Therefore, the mentality there is understandably very rigid and wary of outsiders. Though the city has superficially modernized greatly in recent decades, the mentality hasn't changed all that much and it would be unreasonable to expect otherwise. Most of the inhabitants of Riyadh came recently from the smaller towns around the Najd area,and that explains their deep conservatism.

Be prepared for the fact that there is basically NOTHING by way of public entertainment in Riyadh. Shopping centres are the only forum for public interaction, and they're not exactly rockin'! That said, you can have a decent life in Riyadh if you're prepared to take the place on its own terms and make your own fun. The number of "Western" expats has dwindled considerably in recent years and the parties and so on which used to be frequent are now few and far between. Same goes for sports clubs, trips to the desert, and so on. If you need constant social interaction, you can still find it, but you'll have to work for it - nothingwill fall into your lap.

[ohman]

Bring lots of Jack London to read so that you can commiserate with rugged characters going it alone, surviving against all odds in the cold wilderness. Think of the mutawa a personification of those harsh Yukon winters.

[guty]

Biff,
Ive heard pretty much the same, how it was is NOT how it is anymore, gone down a lot in most peoples opinion. Still its only 3 hours from Bahrain, if you can get an exit visa. (3 hours driving Saudi style).
Good luck

[Stephen Jones]

I lived in Riyadh for four years. We then considered it the most boring place on earth, so imagine our surprise when we found a friend had a neighbour who had rented a flat in Riyadh for the weekends because, compared to Buraidah it was really exciting!

I didn't mind it at all. I prefer Jeddah, and would say Riyadh probably ties for second place with Al-Khobar. I was stuck in Qatar on the way back from Sri Lanka a month ago, and frankly Riyadh is a hell of a lot better.

Bear in mind that some years ago they did a survey of diplomats as to what were the best and worst postings. Surpisingly enough New Zealand actually took the top spot ahead of Paris and London, but the bottom spot was for Doha, considered the most boring place in the world. Riyadh actually came about half way in the list.

Now how much the security crackdown has effected things I don't know. One of the things you most fear your Saudi employer doing is taking an interest in your safety. At one place I knew they lost loads of staff becasue they decided to protect them real well and they moved them out of their apartments into a guarded hotel all expenses paid. Couldn't understand why everybody was so ungrateful!

[Mark100]

I don't want to put you off but i wouldn't go to Riyadh.
The militants are very active there and the Muttawas are rampant.
The driving is horrible even by Saudi standards.
It is more like 4 hours drive to Bahrain and that is if you can get across the causeway without any delay.
If you can, bunker down and get involved in some personal project that will make the days go by. Restrict the amount of time you spend idlely as this is when problems arise with too much thinking time.
Hope you get plenty of hols as you will need them.
Good luck

[abudhabi]

I lived in Riyadh for 2 years and it wasn't terribly exciting - went to 2 restaurants in 2 years. But I went there to save money and succeeded. Need to join a sports club to keep mind and body in equilirium. Lots of time to study.

A mate who is there says the bombings don't worry him too much, and when I was there I didn't really feel worried by the May blast. I take the attitude that when your time is up, it's up, no matter where you are. I spoke to a lady that was in the compound that got the first blast in May 12th, and she and her husband were cowering in their vehicle while the terrorists were shooting at the civilians after the blast - and they are still working there.

I suspect there will be great change (negatively) there at some stage in the future as the foundations of regime are rotting away, but it may be several years before that happens.

[Midnightstar]

Just like biffinbridge, I am PROBABLY off to Riyadh soon and I would appreciate ANYONE'S input into living in Riyadh. I will post more later. In the meantime, please feel free to give me advice. Thanks for the input in advance.

Best Regards,
MS