Job Discussion Forums

[yeehii]

I am just curious: There never seem to be advertisements for summer schools and that sort of thing.

Why is that?

[Stephen Jones]

There are various reasons.

There aren't summer schools. Those with the money to pay forleave the country. And with the temperatures being what they are, who wants to study in summer.
The only summer courses are those that happen at universities and other tertiary institutions. As these courses are part of a student's degree they are conducted by normal staff.
It is not uncommon to see a four or six month gig, normally intensive courses for a large company. The problem here is the visa. The visa process for Saudi is complicated, and to work on a visitors visa is illegal, though it often happens.
The cost of hiring is too high for a short period of employment to be worth it.
Employers are legally bound to pay for your fare and accommodation. A considerable expense for a short term job.

[Van Norden]

Lots of teflers shorten their contracts - unilaterally. The technical term is to do a 'runner.' As these 2005 rankings reveal, Saudi is far and away the world leader in this department:

Runners per 1000 of tefling population:

#1. KSA............ 113
#2. Nth Korea.... 56
#3. Somalia....... 48
#4. Kuwait........ 25
#5. Iraq............ 19

[dmb]

Van, where are your figures from?

Even your good friend 007 quotes his sources(albeit wikipedia )

[Cleopatra]

[veiledsentiments]

I too am curious. Who keeps track? Who reports it?

Van... are you just makin' stuff up to see if we're paying attention?

VS

[Van Norden]

Talk about shooting the messenger! My sauces are impeccable (I'm often complimented on them.) What we really should be focusing on here are the issues raised by this, er, 'report.' Why does Saudi have the dubious distinction of topping the list?

Let's see if the anecdotal figures agree with those in the 'report.' At my workplace the 'runner rate' is negligible. Less than 5% on my guesstimate. But I think it's as high as 20-30% in some workplaces in KSA.

What's the 'runner rate' at your workplace?

Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night

[Cleopatra]

I've only known of a handful of 'runners' in my time in KSA. I'd say no more than one for every year I've been here. I don't know if my experience is typical, but I would say that the working conditions at the particular institution concerned, rather than the country in general, are a more important factor in determining the 'run rate'.

[veiledsentiments]

Runners seem to be more common in KSA and Kuwait that in the UAE or Oman. In Kuwait it seems to affect certain employers at times (read management issues). One particular department at KU had three years in a row where they had about 50% of their teachers do a runner. Fortunately it was a small department, so we are only talking around 4 or 5 runners plus those who resigned, were fired, or ended up in jail. (that was an interesting year...)

I have often wondered if there is a relationship between 'ease of leaving' and runners. In the countries where passports are not held like KSA nor exit visas needed like at KU, people seem to find it easier to wait out the contract... or at least give notice.

VS

[Cleopatra]

[007]

[veiledsentiments]

I know that one of the reasons that people did runners in Kuwait was because the checkout procedures were so ridiculous... took twice as long as their onerous checking in procedures... involved two or three or four weeks of running about from one corner of Kuwait City to another to get stamps and signature and forms... from bureaucrats who would declare that the person you needed was not there, and when you went back, you learned that it was actually him all along, but he didn't feel like opening his desk drawer to take out that heavy stamp and stamp pad.

As long as one wasn't giving up a few years of gratuities, it was easier to just 'abscond.'

VS

[007]

[Stephen Jones]

[oxi]

OP said: Why are there no short term contracts in Saudi Arabia?

There are, or there used to be, with Al Rajhi European Centre. When I was there they weren't too great to work for, but I hear they've improved.