Job Discussion Forums

[Leno]

Hi All
After reading negative aspects of working in KSA, would anyone be able to help the new comers how to earn and survive ( stay problem free or leave the country in peace for the next future job) in the KSA? there are 10 millions or so foreigners there working, so what will be the best way to set a friendly and problemfree atmosphere?

there might be roommates from hell, delayed salary, hostile supervisors, unresponsive managers, etc. how to overcome those things?

I heard that even the sponsor/employer let any foreigner take the dues to walk out of the country, the foreigners would be blacklisted secretly in the system, no one will ever know what kind of excuses they recorded in the system, some said the reason for blacklisting could be from " unpaid rent" to ' some immoral behaviors that contradicts with the values of the kingdom"( even these could be fake, but hey, anyone can arrange a document or make it vanish)
Recently, the Labor ministry has announced that any foreigner leaving on a final exit ( iqama holders) will be barred for working again ( in KSA or GCC , not sure) for 3 years.
hopefully, that will make some mean saudi employers happy.
Foreigners working on visit or business visa will stay safe because the employer is more in the worng for emplying a foreigner under visit/business visa, so the employers usually stay quiet. ( no report on blacklist etc)
In the end, all of us just want to make a living, have a working holiday, and save for the rainy days or pay off the loans.
Nobdy wnats to be blacklisted anywhre wihtout commiting a crime. dont we all want to make friends with the locals and earn at the same time?

What is your your valuable suggestion and take on that?
Thanks and regards...L

[No Place Like Home]

I left both my jobs there on good terms, no anonymity or bad feelings on either side and as far as I know I would be able to go back to either institute if I chose to.

My advice - keep your head down and do your job, do not complain when you see all the others around you whining about every small detail, show plenty of patience and respect for your Saudi peers - you are a guest in their country regardless of how you look at it. Small problems generally burn themselves out, bigger ones you should take directly to your line-manager rather than b*h about colleagues or students - they indeed may not react but sometimes just getting the problem off your chest can help.

In public, show respect in the shops and you will get better service, do not shout your mouth off or draw attention to yourself. Off campus, try to occupy yourself, afternoons and evenings stuck on your compound or in a flat can be long. Be careful who you befriend and hook up with, there are plenty of expats who use the social scene there to their own advantage.

Patience, patience and more patience, the most valuable assets you can have there

[2buckets]

No Place Like Home

Perfect advice.

"do not shoot your mouth off or draw attention to yourself." If you do this anywhere in Asia, you lose "face", a very important and essential concept in Asian culture.

There's an Arabic saying:"Allah karim" which literally means God is generous, in reality it means just be patient and things will work out. They always have for me.

Keep your mouth shut and put your money in the bank.

I did three separate contract in SA, had a good time, saved money and left with not problems.

Good luck!

[scot47]

Be wary of anyone telling you that the business visa is the best way to go. There are many disadvantages. Apart from any other issues, it is illegal.

A legit employer should provide you with working papers, ie an Iqama. What would you make of a US or UK employer who told people "Come and work for me on a tourist visa and I will sort it all out when you get here."

[Lord T]

The best advice I ever read was on this website:

1-Avoid the drama queens; they are the ones who are desperate to stay at all costs.

2-Don't concern yourself with trying to change the system because it's not going to change.

3-Set yourself a financial target and when you reach it, leave.

[MENA_chica]

[2buckets]

Observe the 2bucket rule. When you get there, get 2 buckets, one you fill with money, one you fill with BS. When one overflows, it's time to leave.

[plumpy nut]

As the hiring companies are becoming more and more crooked it's getting more and more difficult for a teacher to make any reasonable amount of money at all, even with superb Saudi coping skills. Some of the newer crooked practices by Saudi companies include withdrawing the employment offer after a teacher spends loads of money on the employment visa. It's not legal for them to do that, but what recourse does a teacher really have? Also some of the rotten hiring companies will send a teacher an offer via email, only for the teacher to find out after weeks of waiting that the promised employment or stipulations in the contract was from the beginning only to be followed "through with" assuming that it was convenient for the company to do so. These known low balling companies should be avoided. If a teacher cannot find employment with a good paying Saudi company then he or she should look elsewhere in another country. Hopefully some of these companies will collapse with the ensuing Saudi economic crisis.

[laughingalltheway]

Leno,

I like the advice about patience.

Also, if you are desperate enough, there is nothing wrong with working under a business visa, as long as someone can help you send money home, or your employer can help with that. I worked under a business visa for one year. It was strange not having a bank account or drivers license. I did have health insurance card though. But a work visa is better.

Also, I never had my pay delayed. Well, maybe one time by one day.

When you read these forums you get a slanted view.

Life in Saudi is very different. But you can do it to earn money. No problem.

It's not some living hell as it's made out to be by some people here.

Yes, there are some problems and peculiarities that you don't face in the west. But it's not terrible. Get past that notion now.

[laughingalltheway]

I also think you have to learn to deal with a lot of politics in Saudi workplaces.

So not trying to change the system is a good thing.

[plumpy nut]

Its not a living hell due to the fact that the West could crush the Saudis like a bed bug. For the expats from the weak poor countries, Gulf State stupidity and wickedness, it is a living hell. The problem is that original promises of very generous salaries to offset the general undesirability of Saudi Arabia turn into mediocre amounts after the waiting subsides. Some people are unfortunate enough to even lose money from the beginning, and the lack of Western moral imperatives among the Gulf States leads to long standing complications for some who have had teaching stints in the KSA.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[scot47]

The Plump One, for reasons no one can fathom, spends his life in South East Asia from where he launches frequent attacks on Saudi Arabia as a destination for teachers. Not all of us have such a jaundiced and biased view. I worked for 4 different employers over a period of 17 years. My experiences were generally positive. I first went there in 1970 and finally gave up in 2011.

[izmigari]

The life...a bit boring.
The cities...vacant replicas of the West-looking.
The atmosphere...dusty & blistering.
The satellite channel selection...routine and uninspiring.
The spaces between cities...barren without ending.
The job teaching Saudi military...laughable and challenging.
The compound living...sanity preserving.
The alcohol consumption...copious and habit-forming.
The whinging co-workers...never-ending.
The driving habits...potentially life-curtailing.
The Saudi military pretending to be military...entertaining.
Trying to keep Saudi military students awake...unending.
The Saudi bureaucracy...incompetent and ever-so-slow producing.
The Saudis on the street...arrogant and off-putting.
The Saudi inability to simply stand in line...awe-inspiring.
What people there will do just to get ahead...mind-boggling.
Experiencing Westerners sell their souls to be "managers"...stomach-turning.
Vacations from Saudi...pork-consuming.
The paydays & watching your bank balance grow...obviously, rewarding.

Now...

Living in the Land of the Big BX...refreshing.
The paid-off mortgage...gratifying.
Being the one, now, to tell Saudi military what to do...enormously satisfying.
Saudis trying to get me in trouble with my boss for simply doing my job...for them, frustrating.
Saudis experiencing scholastic failure for the first time...hopefully, character-building.
Saudi "anchor-babies" being born...potentially terrifying
Telling co-workers who have never experienced it, Saudi stories...endlessly entertaining.
Being able to put half of my monthly wages into retirement funds...boast-inspiring.
Knowing that the wife doesn't have to work outside the home...marriage-pleasing.
My wife trying to serve me turkey bacon...argument-producing.
Trying to remember the details of ten years spent in the Kingdom...fleeting.

Composing this post...progressive tense-producing.

[paul.conlong]

Outside of your contracted job role how do you actually find other paying jobs?

Also if your spouse goes over there is it fairly easy for them to find work if they wanted to on a part time basis, such as a teaching assistant etc.