Job Discussion Forums

stellarsky627 · Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 11

the work "here" is actualy fun? Where is here? And where do you all think people can make MORE money than in Saudi. I would love to hear that answer. I have been living in South korea for two years now and I am looking for a change. I think people do research the positions before they go. I also am probably going to work through edex and they have answered all my questions and quite promptly as well. Im sure there are a million horror stories and i know that saudi isnt this wonderful metropolis with infinate amounts of entertainment but there ARE expats who are working there and there ARE people who are saving a lot of money. What I wonder is why would edex move a teacher to another school at the drop of a hat in the middle of the school year? Sounds odd. For those that are with edex... Is anyone else glad they went with edex? If so... Why? I am hoping to come there in October and I was told that schools end earlh June. The recruiter said that people then take their block month holiday in June but those that do not renew their contract do not return to saudi after they leave in june but they still get paid for the remainder of their contract. Thats what edex told me. Does anyone know if that is true?

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

Well stellarsky627, the horror stories are so much and cover a vast majority of people. They include never getting a work visa (which means you are illegal and cannot do simple things like rent a place or a bank account), not being paid on time, not being paid for work done, no compensation for return ticket, confiscation of your passport, moving teachers in the dead of night without warning to schools hours away and expected to start class without much sleep, etc.

If you are foolish enough then so be it, but the warnings are all over this board and more than likely you will experience the same or worse because they seem never to have changed.

stellarsky627 · Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 11

I understand what you are saying. I do wonder then where you and others that post work. Your experience must be better. So what would you reccomend to someone with a BA in English, two years ESL teaching experience and an In class TESOL cert.?

AnneSansTete · Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 47

I've read all of the posts from people on the forums. However, what made us decide to go with EdEx over other recruiters in KSA & other countries is the fact that we know someone who has been working there for two years. He gave us the rundown, didn't try to cover up problems, etc. He was straightforward and honest about his experiences, and he's at the same uni we would be working at.

Re: visa, I just asked Chase about getting an iqama. They said they would look into it for us, but we haven't received a reply yet due to it being Eid.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

Where is here? Well, it's many places. Even in the US I made more money than in Saudi, but couldn't save much of it. In four other countries I have made comparable wages and was able to save the same or more than in Saudi when working for Edex. It all depends on the job you have in the country.

Saudi is what it is. If you don't mind the customs and like the type of students you have, then it is fine. It's easy enough to find good work there, and work that pays better than Edex pays, if you are well qualified.

Edex on the other hand is just plain bad news. Why do they move people in the middle of the night with no notice? They do it so that the university where the teacher currently works doesn't find out about the move until the teacher is gone. Otherwise, the school might try to stop the move that Edex wants for whatever reason. I was held in two different places that I was not contracted to be in because Edex wanted a teacher with my qualifications to show on paper to those universities. They had other people evaluating Edex for future contracts, so they were also trying to impress those people. It is a sleazy business.

Sometimes the current school doesn't like the teacher, and then the teacher might get some notice before moving to another school. However, even in this case I have seen teachers get told they will move just after they rented an apartment and settled. They didn't get reimbursed for what they lost in the rental.

Many who are unwilling to sit through the summer after Edex decides not to renew their contract are not given a ticket home and are not given their vacation pay in full.

There are better employers in Saudi, in fact, most all of them. Keep trying for a better job if you need a change from Korea. Oman pays less, but is an awesome country to live in. Don't know much about the employers there, but I doubt they can get away with what Edex does in Saudi.

AnneSansTete · Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 47

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

@naturegirl you friend will not be in a good position because the spouse will not have an Iqama with Edex and there is no such thing as a "tourist visa" in
Saudi Arabia. They are either lying or she is being sent under another category because Edex normally lies and sends teachers on 'business visas' which makes them illegal immigrants in KSA.

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

You are correct, rdobbs. The nearest KSA gets to a "tourist" visa is the pilgrimage or hajj visa.

You are incorrect, rdobbs. A business visit visa holder is not an illegal "immigrant". Try "temporary resident".

johnslat · Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:18 pm Post subject:

Dear rdobbs98,

I think what you may have meant was "illegal employees" since one cannot legally be employed by a Saudi entity while on a "business visa."

Regards,
John

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

OK, so this is how I saw Edex bring in a spouse two years ago. First, the husband is working on a "government visit visa." It is like coming in as a temporary consultant. And yes, he did have the lowest level insurance. They brought the wife in by drafting a fake contract for her (hiring her as a teacher), then they got her the same type of visa. She came for a month or so. Another spouse came on the Umra visa. This is how Edex operates. It took forever for them to get the fake contract going and the visa approved. The teacher was in the country for nearly nine months before his wife finally could come. Maybe Edex has streamlined the scam now, and the spouses can get in quicker.

Naturegirl, I'm not about to say where else I worked. Except in my home country, I was always teaching English. Whether you earn as much or more than in Saudi depends on your qualifications, your employer, and the amount of hours you are willing to put in. The money in Saudi isn't so great any more.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

Your friend, naturegirl, could easily have been misled or is mistaken. No questions are asked because of the urgency with which she wishes to re-establish familial relations.

The visas, after all, are in Arabic and are generally accepted as valid due to a sense of trust. Misplaced trust?

"Tourist" visas are awarded rarely to group travellers, I think. A hajj visa may be interpreted as a "tourist" visa, but it isn't.