Job Discussion Forums

kugaas · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 17 Location: London

Hello all,

I know a few people who've considered this route and I have researched this option. It is true a lot of people who do have long term plans here consider this approach. However, ironically, it's not worth it.

A lot of employers notoriously exploit 'freelancers'. You are much more likely not to get paid as a free lancer than as a fully fledged in house teacher. There are no strings attached, you are just a body who has walked into the premiss. They wont offer you flights 'home' since KSA is where you came to them from! lol, You wont be offered housing since they're not obliged legally, and you won't be on a bonafied western pay scale. Cynically, and a Saudi told me this, employers will assume you weren't able to get work in the west or will have other suspicions about you (long distance MAs spring ot mind).

For the initial price of an iqama, typically and accurately reported at around the 25/30k mark, it is of very little value for money. Especially since now, it only equates to sponsorship for a year, and on rare occasions or depending on the type of iqama obtained, two years. Then one must factor in the costs of sponsoring their families and children on their sponsorship, which even costs more! I know a friend who recently fled to the emirates after blowing over 60k sar! on this nonsense. And that's exactly what it is, a scheme.

The reality with 'buying' iqamas is that it's not officially a legal thing to do and therefore why the government pays a blind eye to the hoards of unscrupulous middle men who extort, bully and basically rip off 'muslims who want to immigrate to this land.' Islamically it isn't allowed either since it always almost involves lying, decide or fraud. I think Scot has hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, the people who are subjugated to this misery or subjugate themselves to it against the heaps of advice are almost always those who want to take a short cut when most others take the responsible normal route. Just get a job like everyone else!

The fact of the matter is that you're more likely to stay in this country indefinitely with a stable private employer or government employer if you are young to start with and want to remain competitive.