Job Discussion Forums

[BretHarte]

It's both business and normal visas. I think the next person with a "family emergency" is going to have an attending physician come over to ask for an exit visa in person.

It's also mostly recruiter based.

[johnslat]

Dear BretHarte,

Thanks for the info - I hope you'll be able to disclose the name of the place after the "Christmas" break. Clearly, anyone thinking of going to Saudi should avoid applying there.

Regards,
John

[c_dange]

This may sound like a very odd and obvious question, but do you get a Christmas break in Saudi? Must you request this holiday...or are foreign workers at least offered the option of taking the day off? And would it be two days (Christmas Eve and Christmas) or just the one?

Am I totally dreaming here?

[johnslat]

Dear c_dange,

No, which is why I used quotation marks. It's almost certainly the holiday associated with the Hajj. Al-Hijra / Muharram in 2011 will start on Saturday, the 26th of November and will continue for 29 days until Saturday, the 24th of December.

The only "religious holidays" one gets in Saudi are the Eids, the EId al Fatr (the end of Ramadan) in 2011 began at the end of August and the Eid al Adha (end of Hajj).

These are "movable feasts" (on the Western calendar). For next year (dates are approximate since, in Saudi, it depends on the sighting of the moon.)

AUG 2012 19 Sunday Eid-Ul-Fitr, Ramadan Ends
OCT 2012 26 Friday Eid-Ul-Adha

So, most will "miss" the Eid al Fitr holiday next year since, for most, it will fall during the summer break.

Depending on what day they begin, the Eid holidays can give you from five to 9 days of holiday (I THINK that's correct.)

Regards,
John

[posh]

[quote="Badar Bin Bada Boom"][quote="posh"]

[Badar Bin Bada Boom]

Uhm...you might do well to listen to colleagues who have spent years and years with various employers in the kingdom rather than just dismissing their comments. I do--I don't dismiss them out of hand. As for my present military-related position, we come in at 6:30 and go home at noon...yes, noon. In addition, every fourth Wed. is normally an off day while every other Wed. is truncated to about 9 am.

[scot47]

If you feel compelled to convince the locals that your way of life is supertior, go and work as a missionary in Burkina Faso or the Solomoin Islands.

[Badar Bin Bada Boom]

My parents were missionaries for a long time, but in Europe. I always thought they should have found themselves in an oversized stew pot in the Congo.

[bulgogiboy]

[Madman]

Personally, I went to Saudi (Jubail) at a bad time - immediately post divorce , post bankruptcy etc etc and the boredom just gave me too much time to dwell on negatives which made me much more depressed than was healthy.

That said, I found the living conditions pretty bad at JUC - dreadful dirty apartment block with frequent long lasting power blackouts and non-working facilities (no laundry, barely working kitchenette).
My work conditions were pretty shabby - I had a dreadful Saudi boss (Dr D) who was a condescending bully but I found the Director Dr K very pleasant.

In the end other factors like the poor air quality (I got pneumonia soon after leaving) made leaving the best option.

There are better places in the ME - I tried the UAE and Qatar and make more money in Qatar than anywhere I have ever worked. Nothing could persuade me to return to KSA - life is too short.

[ecocks]

After reading about employers, visa restrictions, cultural boundaries and life in general, I am reminded of something an Aussie told me once about another country.

I was trying to rationalize how things were, figure out the reasons/excuses and mentioned the word reality. He broke in and told me that sometimes you just had to face the fact that there was no elegance to cleaning up after a dog. It was what it was and you simply had to accept what you were dealing with when cleaning it up. Continuing to look for the clean part to pick up simply wasn't possible.

That is the sense I get of teaching English in SA. It is a far cry from the high-end oil exec compounds we hear about with private restaurants, golf courses, women playing tennis and visiting around in a golf cart between trips out to Sri Lanka, Nice or Turkey. I've talked to so many people who regard it as a paid prison sentence that it is clear the money only goes so far. You go, get the money, leave and go somewhere to recover.....until you need to come back for more money.

[cmp45]

[ecocks]

Perhaps but a large part of that comes from reading the forum board here. As for the "fantasies about compounds" go visit the ARAMCO site and employee forums to look at the pictures of the golf carts, clubhouses and trophies from safaris in Africa and shopping trips. Those of us who grew up knowing people who went to SA for the incredible pay have that sort of impression as background.

And you can try to personalize it but in the last two weeks or so 9 different people have expressed this sort of attitude through PM's, Skype and email just with me. I sincerely doubt that these conversations and communications are that rare among people who use the forum.

While there are undoubtedly some good employers in SA, multiple schools, unis and private colleges are filled with warnings of "Don't work here EVER" and tales of heartache and chaotic management. Hence the unending stream of questions about where are the good places, the good recruiters and those places where women can be relaxed or even talked to on the street?

While poor management is somewhat the nature of the TEFL beast, it's clear why a large number of people steer away from the area and interesting how badly some wish to find a reason or rationale to be there. Money does it for a few, for a while at least, but there are quite a few who make it clear that they "got out" as quickly as possible and used the money to open their own school somewhere or return to their home country with a bit of savings.

I'd also point out that the example was in context of another country's issues but applies as I watch so many keep asking "But is it REALLY THAT bad?"

[cmp45]

Yes all quite rational...however those select people that have shared their negative thoughts with you really only confirms what you already believe about KSA is this not true? Therefore it all fits nicely with your world view.

I wonder if someone were to contradict your belief and say that KSA is not so bad, would you change your view or would you reject the person's comment out right because it does not fit with your preconcieved notion...

I do not think you are wrong in what you think, but somehow we tend to gravitate towards those opinions that fit with our own personal view.

Personally the expatriates I know in KSA do not hold such an extreme negative view and I choose not to seek out people that hold such negative opinions...but I am aware that such people exist since plenty that feel the way you mentioned certainly post their stories on this forum. I actually feel quite sorry for them that they feel stuck in 'a paid prison' of their own choosing.

[veiledsentiments]