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AmerikanSultana
Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Istanbul
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 Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 7:21 am Post subject: Istanbul to Saudi Arabia |
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To leave or not leave Istanbul for KSA... do you think I'm crazy? Been thinking about working the Gulf... Not making any money here in da'Bul. Lira has fallen through the floor. I've still got student loans to pay back in the US. So please gimme some advice!!
What do you think? An American woman (single), M.Ed TESOL, 3 years university experience, plus a CELTA. What kinda pay should I accept? Will I go crazy living in KSA? So far I have applied to Effat University and Dar Al-Hekma University. I am hoping to get a position in Jeddah.
I heard King Saud in Riyadh is a good school to work at but can't manage to apply to the directly. I am trying to do only direct hires. If I can't, which are the best recruiters in KSA?
oh and a question regarding the medical report... is marijuana a problem? Do they test for it? I will be home this summer and in my state marijuana is legal so I was looking forward to imbibing a bit...
Any advice you all can give me would be fabulous! TIA 
Last edited by AmerikanSultana on Fri May 01, 2015 8:08 am; edited 2 times in total |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 7:30 am Post subject: |
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You'd have to decide if you're "crazy" about taking a position in ultra-conservative, patriarchal KSA; it's not everyone's cup of tea. I suggest you take some time to look through this forum going back a year. In particular, take a look at "The skinny on direct-hire university opportunities" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=103722).
By the way, KSU ain't all that.  |
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BajaLaJaula
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 267
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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If given the choice...I would go for Jeddah. Compared to other cities in KSA....it is "the Paris of Saudi Arabia."
Both Effat and Dar al Hekma have good reputations. 2 - 5 years in Saudi will allow you to pay off those loans and still have some money in the bank....If you are single and don't need to spend a lot....it might be a smart move. |
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hash
Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| BajaLaJaula wrote: |
If given the choice...I would go for Jeddah. Compared to other cities in KSA....it is "the Paris of Saudi Arabia."
Both Effat and Dar al Hekma have good reputations. 2 - 5 years in Saudi will allow you to pay off those loans and still have some money in the bank....If you are single and don't need to spend a lot....it might be a smart move. |
Good advice from Baja....except I would opt for the Eastern Province (Dammam, Al-Khobar, Al-Dhahran) because of the easy availability of Bahrain ("the Amsterdam of the Orient").
(Actually, Jeddah, at least in Arabian folklore, is known as the location of the original "Garden of Eden". That's why it's called "Jeddah", the Arabic word for "Grandmother.") |
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BajaLaJaula
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 267
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Oh wait....except that the Hai'a had it bulldozed and covered over.....
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| It is their culture. What can you do? |
To which I responded, "What culture?" |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 2:31 pm Post subject: Re: Istanbul to Saudi Arabia |
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| AmerikanSultana wrote: |
| A question regarding the medical report... is marijuana a problem? Do they test for it? I will be home this summer and in my state marijuana is legal so I was looking forward to imbibing a bit... |
No, the lab requirements don't include testing for THC or any other substances. You can download a copy of the medical report form from the Saudi Embassy's website. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 3:53 pm Post subject: Re: Istanbul to Saudi Arabia |
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| AmerikanSultana wrote: |
| What do you think? An American woman (single), M.Ed TESOL, 3 years university experience, plus a CELTA. What kinda pay should I accept? Will I go crazy living in KSA? So far I have applied to Effat University and Dar Al-Hekma University. I am hoping to get a position in Jeddah. |
I think you should expand your search to the rest of the Gulf. While NS had a decent time in Saudi, many women do not. I chose to stay far from the situation of having to my life being so restricted and having to dress up in their traditional garb.
Every country has both national universities and private universities that hire women. Some countries segregate the students sexually (UAE, Qatar) and in others you will have mixed classes (Oman, Bahrain, & some private universities in other countries).
The lifestyle is significantly freer. A good place to start is Oman.
VS |
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AmerikanSultana
Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Istanbul
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| Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 9:02 am Post subject: |
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Thanks everyone for all the insightful information and responses. I appreciate it. And the link - very helpful! You all gave me a lot to think about. Thank you!  |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 9:09 am Post subject: |
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| Oman is a good place to start in the ME but if the money is the motivation then it probably has to be KSA and just keep your head down for a few years and stuff the bank account. |
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bigdurian
Joined: 05 Feb 2014
Posts: 401
Location: Flashing my lights right behind you!
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| Don't rule out Riyadh. It is a party town. Make some good friends and your social life will explode. Believe it or not but the party scene in Riyadh is great. We go out more here than we did when we lived in 'The City of Sin' AKA Bangkok. I definitely drink more too! |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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Saudi Arabia is the opposite of a bed of rose pedals. To make it reasonable for you to leave for Saudi Arabia, your pay in Istanbul would have to be fairly low and/or you would have to land a direct hire job with good pay in the Kingdom. In order to get an employment visa you will have to fly back to your own country and wait up to months for a visa. The processing time for the visa varies depending on how much frivolous paper work and clarifications etc is required by the SACM and the Embassy. You will lose money flying back and waiting, perhaps forever. Before you quit make sure your university is able to provide a document which shows you have no online courses. Never mind the fact that your accreditation for any online course is vastly superior to what you would find in Saudi Arabia. It's just a part of the frivolous nature of Saudis.
I wish I could hand out copies of "Culture Shock - Saudi Arabia" to everybody. The book does a very good job of explaining the underlying Saudi mentality that people coming to the KSA will face. It should be required reading along with the warnings occurring on this forum for anybody considering the KSA. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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I had to jump through hoops and wait a bit when headed to KSA - in 2003 and again in 2005. But I did get my visa processed in Istanbul and I am not a Turk ! Not even a Turcophile !
Plumpynut seems to have had a number of unpleasant experiences. I may have been luckier. Perhaps it depends on one's ability to sit and wait. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| I wish I could hand out copies of "Culture Shock - Saudi Arabia" to everybody. The book does a very good job of explaining the underlying Saudi mentality that people coming to the KSA will face. |
Yet it seems you yourself never read that book; otherwise, you wouldn't haven't taken a job in a country you abhor. Anyway, it's not so much about the stages of culture shock; frankly, some of us experience worse in the form of reverse culture shock when we return home.
This is about reading up on Saudi Arabia's (or any country's) cultural traditions, history and laws and forming either a tolerant, neutral attitude or one that's ethnocentric (judgmental). Obviously, those who are quick to criticize shouldn't be accepting offers to live/work in a culture they personally find distasteful or can't reconcile regardless of how tempting the money is. |
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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 861
Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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| Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 5:25 am Post subject: Re: Istanbul to Saudi Arabia |
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| AmerikanSultana wrote: |
I heard King Saud in Riyadh is a good school to work at but can't manage to apply to the directly. I am trying to do only direct hires. If I can't, which are the best recruiters in KSA?
oh and a question regarding the medical report... is marijuana a problem? Do they test for it? I will be home this summer and in my state marijuana is legal so I was looking forward to imbibing a bit...
Any advice you all can give me would be fabulous! TIA |
Forget King Saud Women's Campus. Go for Princess Noora U or Imam Saud U.
You will be working for a bunch of Amazonian warriors at KSU. Lots of bad karma there.
Grendal |
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Grendal
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 861
Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 6:30 am Post subject: |
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Gee I didn't even read your quote until I re-read the original post.
One of my colleagues of the female persuasion insisted on smoking a cigarette outside the MALL in Buraydah, Qassim Province. She was quickly confronted by security to extinguish it because she was not a man, and how dare she smoke in public. To which her retort was, "I am an American". To which they swiftly responded "We don't care".
So if you are looking for that other combustible substance here that Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were advertising, then good luck with that, and be prepared to be swiftly arrested, judged, whipped, imprisoned, and deported.
Grendal |
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