Job Discussion Forums

desert_traveller · Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 335

i read a few threads here, and the housing and transport allowances seem terribly low. the impression i got is that housing is in the range of 17-18k per year, while transport is well below 1k per month. thats very very little for both. i am surprised that a state (lol) run university pays so little, i thought according to the labour law (lol) housing has to be 3 months' basic salary per year and transport 10% of basic salary per month, and many employers apply these policies. but now it seems i was wrong Crying or Very sad

i was kinda interested in a job in jeddah, but the allowances will obviously not cover the expenses they are supposed to cover...

desert_traveller · Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 335

i think i have just figured out what they do. i also know that the basic salary they offer is very low, and then they boost it with all sorts of 'allowances' for experience and qualifications. so, for example, u get a basic salary of 6k per month, but with the experience and qualifications allowances, it goes up to say 14k, which is decent, but your basic salary is still only 6k. housing and transport is based on your basic salary, so then 18k for housing is exactly 3 months basic salary, and say 600 per month for transport (thats the figure i read quoted) is exactly 10% of your basic salary. damn, they are smart. and so am i

Grendal · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:59 am Post subject:

I should pin a medal on your bare chest for smartery in the KSA.

Grendal

007 · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:00 am Post subject:

desert_traveller · Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 335

well if those figures are for real, and they most definitely seem so, then its a no go. thats like ridiculously little. 18k for housing per year? what can you get for that nowadays, a 1-bed foxhole in a singles house at some obscure district of jeddah? no way u can get anything decent for that money. and housing is not only rent, even if thats the bulk of it. well, im surprised that they offer so little, i thought government universities will be a bit more generous with these things. if the monthly salary is decent, you can supply it with that, of course, but still... Shocked

lcanupp1964 · Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381

I work as a teacher at KAU. I get paid 16,044 SR per month. I am an American male. I like working here although I have experienced the normal frustrations that go with any ESL teaching job in most countries. I have been a teaching ESL for 9 years (five years in Asia and four years in the Middle East) I am not an expert, but I do believe I can tell the difference between a bad school/university and a good one. I�m not going to spend a lot of time praising KAU on this post because I don�t have the patience to argue with the �old guard� - those people that mostly post negative and/or off-topic comments. If you would like to ask specific questions about the ELI program at KAU, send me a private message. I promise I will do my very best to honestly answer all of your questions. If I felt that KAU sucked, I won�t waste my time posting this message. Having a flexible, patient and positive attitude is always the key to having a good experience at any school/university.

lcanupp1964 · Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381

Oh, by the way, teachers get 17,000 a year for housing and 8,500 SR as a furniture allowance, which comes to 25,500 SR. My base salary is 16,044 plus 25,500 for housing/furniture. I have a three bedroom apartment less than five minutes from campus for 21,000 a year.

sauditeacher · Joined: 05 Oct 2009 Posts: 44

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

In my time in Jeddah (1996-2002 was the most recent spell) most of the Western EFL teachers were those who "follow an alternative lifestyle". Perhaps they were happy with lousy pay becasue of the other attractions of an all-,ale environment.

UmmeZahrah · Joined: 26 Jul 2010 Posts: 8

I'm wondering...do you drive/purchase your own vehicles? Of course, being a woman, I couldn't/wouldn't do that there, but in general, what do most expats do there?