Job Discussion Forums

[disregardedknowledge]

Can anyone please provide me with infor regarding Jubail University College? Pay, working conditions, etc, etc?

Is it a place to avoid?????

[Linda467]

I only know of an Engineering company, Initec, that is building a petrochemical plant over there and whose managers I taught about a year ago.

[Madman]

Just do a search and you'll find plenty of stuff about JUC.

I was there for 5 months in 2007 and hated it.

Dreadful work conditions, very poor accommodation and very worrying levels of air pollution. The campus is within choking distance of refinery towers and the nearest settlement Al Shahi is partially deserted as those locals with sense have relocated away.

Jubail is a dump, nothing to do and crazy locals.
Ignore the apologists and save yourself a lot of misery.

[Middle East Beast]

[johnslat]

Dear Middle East Beast,

"An apt nugget of advice for those seeking jobs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Quite a leap there - from the specific (JUC) to the general (KSA.) I believe that's a fallacy known as "Hasty Generalization."

Regards,
John

[Madman]

I have to sometimes remind myself that my experience of Saudi was limited to 5 months at JUC in Jubail and apart from Damman and Al khobar I didn't see much of the Magic Kingdom.

I hope the rest of the country isn't like Jubail but I'm not in a position to say. But as far as JUC/UCJ goes I can say that some of the local staff there are unpredictable, potentially violent (I saw my boss kicked a Bangladeshi cleaner), and very arrogant.

Some are (worryingly) predatorily homosexual - but I hear this isn't unusual there.

The accommodation on offer to single males at JUC (in 2007) was either at the aptly named Guantanamo Bay or grubby single apartments - poorly furnished and with inadequate facilities. The family accommodation was much better.

My accommodation in Al Huwaylat had absolutely no laundry facilities - I had to handwash everything in a bucket; there was no local commercial laundry either.

The cooker only had two working rings which would only work at full heat (the oven and grill did not work at all). It also caused the electricity to short out regularly.

The refidgerator leaked onto the interior (yuck)!

The air conditioner often broke down which meant that over weekends I would bake until it could be fixed.

And on more than one occasion I was without any electricity for a few days at a time - and once for 8 days straight . That was 8 days without any power - no lights, refridgerator, cooking facilities or air con. JUC did nothing about it despite daily requests. (And note that in August 2007 the temperature clipped 53C!)

Communal areas were filthy (fellow tenants were non-English speaking Arabs) until I started to clean up and the place was over-run with huge roaches, ants and lizards.

Factor in the antics of some crazy locals and their sometimes openly hostile attitude to foreigners and you can't call it a happy experience.

Since leaving KSA I have worked in Abu Dhabi and Qatar - neither of which are perfect places but infinitely superior in every respect to what I found at JUC.

Unless you really have to, why bother with Jubail or even KSA? There are jobs aplenty in the other Gulf states and you have a higher chance of enjoying your time there.

[Stephen Jones]

Accommodation for single people has always been a problem at UCJ and often at JIC. At one time single women were subject to a curfew.

They don't seem to realize how this affects retention of staff and the college's reputation.

As far as the locals go, I found them nearly universally pleasant. I'm surprised at the comments I hear from some here about them.

[Madman]

Maybe Stephen Jones had a different experience with the locals but I can speak from experience that Jubail has more than a few hostile crazies. Even a Saudi colleague from outside the area said the locals were considered pretty freaky by Saudi standards.

Whilst out walking or on my bike I had locals deliberately drive at me so I either had to dive out of the way or get off the road. There was no reason for them doing this - just plain meanness. This happened to other expat colleagues in Al Hulwaylat and along the corniche.

Being followed home from the Panda store in Al Huwaylat and having them sit outside the apartment block in their vehicles - for up to an hour! This happened to other colleagues also.

Being cruised by young Saudi males in their cars,even early in the morning whilst travelling to the campus. They made lewd and overt suggestions. Again, this happened to other colleagues. Largely harmless but a little disturbing nontheless.

Having stones thrown at me whilst cycling along the corniche (I was dressed ok and was not near any locals). This happened a few times - I think the culprits were women/girls. Again, another colleague suffered this.

It was generally accepted that going out after dark (which means after 5.30pm) was not recommended and going to the beach parks (where there was free wi-fi) was ill-advised.

My point is, this sort of thing adds up to a pretty grim experience. Maybe someone can tell us what Riyadh and Jeddah are like in comparison?

I was able to walk around the UAE and Qatar at all hours completely safely and without hassles. So as I said above, why bother with JUC if you can live and work elsewhere for the same money?

[MixtecaMike]

Madman's alleged experience with the locals is certainly NOT typical for Jubail.

(Edited to remove slanderous allegations about Madman).

In two years (and counting) here in Jubail the locals have proven very friendly, although admittedly the only Saudis I know apart from colleagues at work (who are all very normal) are my next-door neighbors. The drivers are less aggressive here than in Khobar, and the few times when I rode a bike I had no problems either, apart from the heat.

Jubail is a very nice place for families with kids, although it could be a bit boring for singles, I suppose.

[veiledsentiments]

I don't know Madman, but I have met many men who had similar problems around the Gulf with this. Especially the men who liked to jog... or walk on the beach... or cycle. All exercising where one is often on one's own.

It apparently triggers a message of availability for some of the local men. Heaven knows that as a woman, dealing with male assumptions of this sort is something that is frustratingly common.

VS

[Madman]

As I mentioned in my previous posting those were experiences I and a number of other colleagues faced in 2007-8. No 'alleged' about it. One colleague of mine said he was so sickened by the behaviour of the locals that this was the principal reason why he left for pastures newer and greener. He was tired of having to watch his back - and his backside - all the time.

And to make the point clearer there was nothing in my behaviour whilst in KSA to encourage, entice or aggravate the various behaviours of those locals I mentioned. Also, I did say this was sometimes the behaviour of some of the locals. Not all and not all of the time. But I had friendlier encounters with those Saudis who were from other parts of KSA, some of whom mentioned that the Jubailis could be hard to deal with.

Colleagues I met since leaving KSA who have also worked there mentioned similar approaches and aggressive acts whilst working in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Yanbu. Filipino men have said it is even worse for them.

Thanks for your input VS (we have PM-ed previously actually).

Being in KSA is often solitary and I suppose the 'risks' of being near the beaches/parks at night (with their invites to 'hand parties' ) should not have surprised but the aggressive hostile driving/abuse did - as did the very snidey approaches whilst out grocery shopping.

Newbies need to be aware of what might lay ahead for them. And I still say if you can work elsewhere in the Gulf for the same money and more freedoms then why bother with KSA and the privations at all?

[scot47]

I cannot say that I have experienced anything like these horror stories from "Madman". Mind you I have never been in Jubail - but I have been in many locations of KSA over nearly 40 years and in locations throughout the Kingdom.

Maybe Jubail is a place to avoid ? Certainly you SHOULD avoid suspect employers !

[Stephen Jones]

I would regularly walk around the beach area at one or two in the morning and never received the hassle and invites that Madman did.

Perhaps I ought to feel disappointed.

[MixtecaMike]

[Madman]

Well I have the body of a god........
sadly it's Buddha!



Maybe they were chubbychasers so pack in some pizza and KFC before you hit the beaches......