Job Discussion Forums

[It's Scary!]

In a word, No. You'll be digging into your base salary in no time. Base salary with 65% for all the added perks sounds good, but it a chump's agreement.

It's not smart to work for a recruiter!

[Middle East Beast]

I agree, it's not good. At least it wouldn't be for me.

$70000=SAR262500

A unit on a good western compound (I'd strongly recommend that for an expat in KSA) will cost about SAR70000-90000. It varies by location, of course.

If you lease a car it will cost you SAR24000-36000.

Assuming the minimum costs, you're left with SAR168500=$44933/12=$3744 per month.

Assuming the maximum costs, you're left with SAR136500=$36400/12=$3033 per month.

If I understood your post correctly, you still have to pay for health insurance and vacation tickets.

Only you can decide if the net amount is enough for you.

Good luck either way.

MEB

[RUBALKHALI]

Absolutely good deal and good luck to you IF...

But, it should ALSO include

several FREE flights per year, 5 star housing...like Nedjma in Ras Tanura PLUS FREE Benzine and a FREE company vehicle.

Your Aramco offer only proves that salaries and working conditions are decreasing at the low end and at the higher end.

[airapets]

They also pay for the tickets both to and from Saudi Arabia, and two sets of round trip tickets to London(which does me a world of good being a Yank)--though I was told I could get money instead for it, and they also for health insurance.

Not going to be driving, so that's not an issue. As for housing, I have been in contact with people working there and there is housing connected to the recruiter, I gather, for about six hundred USD a month including utilities, cleaning services, etc...

I live a spartan-life style and enjoyed my time in Ibri, Oman and when I taught at a seminary in China, and sometimes not seeing another person for days . . .

One thing, though, I am confused about, then, is that doing the foundation stuff, I had been fairly lucky in my career, I have topped out on that side, at least in East Asia. This salary blows anything over there away. The only way I would be earning this amount is if I were running a foundation program or something similar, and that would mean either an MA or Delta, and additionally double or triple the number of years of experience.

I'll be finishing my MA in Applied Linguistics through MacQuarie University, just before the end of the world(December 2012); would that put me in a significantly better position for either earning more income from Aramco or some place else in the Magic Kingdom?

Thanks for your input.

[RUBALKHALI]

Correction,

The new end of the world date has changed to OCTOBER 21, 2011!!!!

...IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS!!

[It's Scary!]

[It's Scary!]

OP: first you write this:

[RUBALKHALI]

Thanks Scary!

At first, 70,000 $$ sounded like alot.

[airapets]

My first posting had been unclear. What I had meant was that the 65% doesn't include health care or tickets, I still get them, but they are in addition to the 65%.

[It's Scary!]

[egyptfan]

Well, this post calls into question the belief a few weeks / months ago that Aramco was going down the direct hire route. Please jump in and correct me but it looks like a handful of peope may have been hired directly but it is not the majority. Think it might just have been bait to lure would-be applicants into thinking about all those $$$$. And then at the last minute, you're offered what seems like a very high salary, through a contractor!

MEB has given you figures for living on a compound. If you get offered a post in one of the main cities, you might be able to live in the community in an apartment - costs anywhere from about 2000 - 4000 SR per month. With regard to locations, Riyadh is probaby one of the worst, being over 35 Km (city driving) from the city center and in an area where suitable accommodation is not available.

Ticketing - as you said, to London and not much use to you. Money for ticketing - I've heard figures of 1500 - 3000SR per round trip, which won't get you far.
Health Insurance - probably BUPA - Plan B or C - the better hospitals or clinics are not on the approved list. So, it's probably better buy your own.
As many other posters have pointed out, working for a recruiter is not the best scenario. You will get an employment visa, iqama, etc. and free accmmodation for the first 10 days approx. Then, you'll probably be shown some furnished apartments or hotel and you are on your own after that. Your recruiter will be too busy counting out their share of the spoils to care and your welfare will be of no concern to them.

I think you have made up your mind and good luck to you.
For the sake of others considering Aramco, via a contractor, I think it would be reasonable to sum as follows:

+ salary, salary and salary

- little help or support from contractor once you receive iqama, etc.
- if you have any issues with your employer, Aramco will not want to know
- very long working days (7 am - 4 pm), add up to an hour each way for travel and making sure you get to work on time. So, you get up at 5 am and get home around 5 pm. Sounds easy to some but not really especially during hot months.
- discrimination between how you are treated and how direct hires are. You will be working on some holidays i.e. when your Aramco colleagues rest, you'll have to show up to empty classrooms
- relatively large classes - up to 23-25 students, with unwieldy materials which are generally unsuitabe and above the heads of 60% of the students. And you WILL BE be on exercise 3 page 147 on Oct 21 at 12 noon. It doesn't matter about students' abilities.
- Limited number of days you can take as holiday for each break, insufficient flight allowance to get home, unless you want to go to London and use the ticketing provided.
- when you decide to leave, few, if any, contractors will give you a letter of release, so you can't just move to a better employer. I know the topic of NOC (no objection certificate) has been discussed numerous times and one shouldn't be required. Yet, some of the better employers ask for it.

Basically, it depends on how badly one needs the salary. Careful consideration needs to be given to what one has to pay for from what seems like a large salary. Holidays are relatively short and you earn every dollar.

[veiledsentiments]

It appears from the ads and posts here that ARAMCO was direct hiring for particular teaching jobs... probably to management level people. The recruiters seem to be still filling the general classes for the workers.

VS

[scot47]

Fringe benefits like Education Allowance have definitely been eroded. There is also a much wider spread from those jobs at the low end to the well-paid jobs.

Choose your Master with care.

I miss all that sunshine. Scotland can be a dreich and drab place !