Job Discussion Forums

4321contact4321 · Joined: 19 Aug 2015 Posts: 2

Hello everyone and just quickly I want to thank everyone on here who has contributed so much helpful information for newcomers as well as the more seasoned Gulf teachers. You guys are great

MY QUESTION:
With the situation being that you must obtain an Exit/Re-entry Visa, do you ever feel trapped?
What if your employer or sponsor will not allow for the exit visa?

My worry is that something could happen back home and I will not be granted permission to leave (and then re-enter). Ever heard of a situation like this??

I am supposed to depart for KSA within the next month….

After all, what is the worst that could happen in this regard??

Thank you all!

Very Happy

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

There's no clear answer --- it depends on the employer. But if you're heading off to Saudi Arabia with the expectation of being "trapped" or worrying that something will happen back home, then maybe you need to rethink working in KSA altogether.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Some employers let you have a multiple exit visa. And let you keep your passport.

Dodgier employers may not and there may be problems in getting an exit visa.

Are you sure that you want to leave Kansas ?.

hash · Joined: 17 Dec 2014 Posts: 456 Location: Wadi Jinn

-- unintended double post. See below. --

hash · Joined: 17 Dec 2014 Posts: 456 Location: Wadi Jinn

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The OP may like it in KSA, or may experience psychotic episodes.

With me, the symptoms appeared after I left !

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

halebob · Joined: 03 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: uk

I'm a newbie to KSA, but as the others say, it all depends on your employer. My employer has their faults but I have my passport and a multi-exit visa valid for 6 months in hand too.
This means if you want to hop over to Bah rain or UAE, you can.
But as has been said, seriously think about whether KSA is right for you. Don't just come for the salary.

sicklyman · Joined: 02 Feb 2013 Posts: 930

sicklyman · Joined: 02 Feb 2013 Posts: 930

aliasrachel · Joined: 04 Aug 2014 Posts: 44

My employer does not keep our passports and we are allowed a multiple exit/entrance visa, so no, I don't feel trapped.

BajaLaJaula · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 267

some companies allow you to take bereavement leave, if you have to travel home for a funeral.

the Saudi aspect of the job is all about control. they own you while you are there...and it is up to your employer to decided whether or not you can leave.

even if you have your passport, it does no good without the Saudi issued exit reentry permit.

Do you ever feel trapped living in Saudi Arabia? ABSOLUTELY. That is how they like it. It is a nuisance having to deal with escaping maids and drivers...better just to keep their passports so that they have no choice but to continue to put up with the mistreatment.

On the bright side.....you could be earning a really good salary.

TEFOFF · Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 36

An informed thread, where someone has asked a serious question, and people have given thoughful answers without it degenerating into something sarcastic or nasty, hats off. I'm also seriously thinking about going back to KSA and the trade-offs involving the money and the opportunity costs of loss of freedom and the degrading of my mental state have all been things I've been thinking about too.

About the feeling of being trapped, like the others said, pretty much everyone feels trapped in Saudi. Even those in the best situation of having a 6 month multiple entry/exit visa, their passport and being an hour's drive from Bahrain, I think even they feel trapped, if only by the golden handcuffs and institutionalised nature of the country. Even the Saudis themselves feel trapped there I think, even if they wouldn't see it the same way as us. Feeling trapped is part of the deal there.

Like someone else said here, your demons come to the surface here very quickly. I'm not sure if it's a zero sum game where either you handle them or they handle you, but in Saudi any mental problems, worries or conditions are magnified. Also in my case too, once Saudi helps bring them to the surface, they don't magically go underground again once you go back to your home country. A plus side, you can face them and even survive them. Or sometimes not, as the case may be. The people saying maybe Saudi isn't the best place for you, have I think, your best interests at heart, even though they're strangers to you.

Another fact to consider, which I don't think was alluded to here, and depending on your contract/position is, if you're planning to arrive in the next month or two, it's possible you won't have a holiday until next Ramadan, which is June 2016. I think in your position, I'd make sure you know exactly what your holiday dates are. Ideally, it would be great if they were 3 or 4 months after you arrive, giving you a decent window to find out if Saudi's the place for you, rather than something longer, where you might feel more 'confined'.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Best vacation time is on contracts at Universities.

myohmy · Joined: 31 Jul 2013 Posts: 119

I tolerated it for three years, but I got the sense that my employer was going to stop issuing exit-reentry visas except for official university breaks in order to cut down on the runners (it was becoming an epidemic). I didn't think I could handle the feeling of imprisonment, so I lined up another job outside the ME just a week before the end of semester and didn't return after the summer holiday, gladly forfeiting my end-of-service pay. Healthiest decision I've ever made. Three years was long enough anyway.