Job Discussion Forums

[sheikher]

It is unlikely that the devil was invoked even once a day in that Midwestern outpost where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average.

But to return to the topic, were not invocations conducted five times daily at PMU?

[Bebsi]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Wha...wha...oh, is it that time already? *YAAAWWWWWWWWWWN*

Gee, I think I dozed off there, and dreamed a zillion dfferent topics were being discussed, like Saudi royals getting sued, sheikhs in jail, other Saudi royals getting busted by traffic cops, all EFL teachers in KSA being losers and it being the normal practice there not to make teachers sit at their desk for eight hours a day as opposed to other Gulf countries...*YAWN*

Then, I had this weird dream about the outside world, that there was no recession, that things were wonderful and there was no such thing as corrupt students or univ admins, and that teaching salaries were massive, with teachers just having to turn up for classes with highly motivated students, after which they could go home, and...well, everything was perfect. No economic crisis, no traffic jams, no urban congestion, just huge long vacations, an affluent lifestyle etc etc. Hmmmm.... I need a double espresso.

[Later...]

OK, I've had some coffee, a bowl of Weetabix and my energy bar, and now I'm wide awake. So, where were we?

Yes, there are some (OK, maybe a few more than 'some') bad deals in Saudi, but some pretty good ones too. I don't know very much about many of the posters here, but I do know some of them, and know that they are (or were) in pretty decent jobs, and deservedly so. They are true professionals, and like John, I would also hire them if I were recruiting. They are far from being losers, and are in KSA for a variety of reasons: decent holidays, pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, decent savings opportunities, escape from a different kind of pressure in the west or Asia...the list goes on. They may not love it in Saudi, but are pretty happy there.

Like a friend of mine once said, Saudi is a place. No better, no worse than anywhere else, just another place.

Or, as another friend often says, everybody's gotta be somewhere.

Well, maybe not PSU!

[Neil Down]

[Bebsi]

Mea Culpa...better set the record straight.

I did indeed mean the university that the thread was (more or less) about: PMU.

From what I am led to believe, PSU still is one of the better univ gigs.

I had only drunk a single espresso. It should have been a double!

[Mia Xanthi]

Back to the original topic...

The OP needs to know that a rumor spread after he did not return that he had been detained by the police in his wife's home country. Nobody ever came out and said it, but there were insinuations that the OP had committed some kind of crime - again, not in KSA, but in his wife's home country. The story was that the OP was trying to enter from an adjacent country, but not through Bahrain. No one ever gave any details, so I dismissed it as rumor, but some may believe it is true. The OP's first act needs to be to clear his name regarding this rumor, as many people were lead to believe it as the truth regarding the OP's failure to return that summer.

The OP seemed to have had no problems with the PMU admin up until the fire in his villa. His status was that of full professor, and I heard him say himself that he earned the highest salary at the university. He appeared to be happy with his job before he left, and most people were very surprised that he did not return.

I saw the PMU "maintenance staff" cleaning out the OP's villa, months after the fire. They were throwing everything out, and making no effort whatsoever to determine what might or might not have been important to the OP. It made me shudder to think of someone's private possessions, especially important papers, being treated this way. If he is able to take legal action against PMU (and I seriously doubt that he will) he should also seek remuneration for the treatment of his belongings, even as smoky and dusty as they were.

[bpmull]

I have never commited any offenses in Saudi Arabia or any other country on this planet or off. Legally, I am a very boring person.

I did not start the fire in the villa (that was faulty wiring), was never told I was responsible for it, nor was I ever given permission to repair the place -- neither written nor verbally.

I am currently living in Jordan.

PMU brought the case current through their own actions. Therefore, I need the name and contact information of a good lawyer in Saudi Arabia while the matter has been made current again. That is the reason for starting this discussion in the first place.

[Mia Xanthi]

If what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt its veracity) then you have indeed been grossly slandered. Then again, at PMU, would that surprise anyone? Rumors of all types abound, and no doubt many of them are started by the management to cover up whatever messes they make.

[scot47]

Your case is OUT OF TIME. It is TIME-EXPIRED. There is nothing you can do. Time to move on !

[John Carpenter]

Hi Bruce
For what it is worth, they may have got rid of you because of your high pay. Not fair I know but they did that to one other guy who was on a high wage and also cost them a lot with his medical insurance, and he is not the only 'high-roller' to bite the dust. I also must unfortunately agree with Scot - it is too late for you, unless you get a job in the magic Kingdom and chased it from here, but you have little chance of success from outside, in my opinion. The cost of getting back what you have lost may not be worth it, too.

[bpmull]

The former Minister of Justice in Jordan once told me that a case of mine was too late to do anything about. He was wrong. Note: FORMER Minister.

You might be surprised what can be done. I have a lawyer now who has plenty of wasta. I'll let you know if it helps.

[Bebsi]

In most jurisdictions in the word, the Statutes of Limitations mean just that. Wasta may allow you to get a case into court on rare occasions, but the other side will have an excellent defence.

[bpmull]

I have a few surprises for them which are indefensible (Sp?) against.

[veiledsentiments]

Not to mention that wasta is a finite resource. How much of it is a Saudi lawyer willing to waste on such a small case as yours... for a mere teacher...

Besides the financial costs of this, there are the psychological costs to yourself. Sometimes it is just better to let things go... your case will not change the system... but it will keep an ulcer bleeding.

VS

[Mia Xanthi]

So, bpmull, why have you waited so long to come forward with this if your case is so good? I just don't get the time lag here.

[isabel]

"Like a friend of mine once said, Saudi is a place. No better, no worse than anywhere else, just another place."

What a load of crap. I can give you a thousand ways in which Saudi Arabia is different and worse than most other places. Firstly, I will guess that your friend is not a woman. Secondly, he just might work for Aramco or one of those other places with country club compounds and has a maid to do all of his shopping and errands for him. To actually live in and be even half aware of the conditions for most people in the dreadful kingdom would disabuse of such relativistic pablum pretty quickly.

Say you choose to ignore the constant indignities to westerners and absolute inhumanity to the browner races and all women in the interest of a good steady paycheck, a nice villa and good holidays and you might be being candid. Say you have very think skin and can tolerate a lot to get the above benefits, and that is believeable too. But to say it is no better or worse than anyplace else is utterly naive and disingenuous or remarkably naive.