Job Discussion Forums

[newyork]

Does anybody have any information about PSU in Riyadh? I been offered a position at this university (male section) and would like to know a little more about it. They have also offered housing in the Diplomatic Quarter, I would be grateful if anyone could offer information about this compound.

Thanks for any information you can give.

[Thwartley]

Please note: I have never worked in Saudi and have no first-hand info.

However, I have looked at a number of their job ads and did as much searching as possible online. Many threads on Dave's with information, though the only synopsis I can offer through those searches is that: it's all a bit nebulous. That's probably not a bad thing in this case however.

Throughout the dozen or more threads started specifically about the school or that includes it incidentally, it doesn't appear as though there is a single first-person account. Which again, is probably a good thing. No one ever done over to a degree that drove them to bad-mouth the place online.

Apparently the salary isn't as high as some other universities in Saudi. I believe the highest they will offer as a starting salary is 12, 000 riyals per month. Accounts of the accommodation are that it is spacious and would probably be no cause for complaint.

I urge you to search for other threads. Make sure to click the "search for all terms" radio button. This will improve results immensely. Just try a few different searches with the full spelling of the name, the abbreviation and various other key words.

This is very basic info and may be no more than you have already learned.

Added after original post: note that the Diplomatic Quarter is not a compound. Though with the amount of security, many people claim it is probably more secure.

[Cleopatra]

My contacts at PSU are mostly on the women's side, but by all accounts the men's college is a more pleasant, or perhaps less unpleasant, place to work than the women's college.

As the above poster says, the salary is not great at PSU, but then, neither are the demands made of teachers. From what I've heard, provided you don't really care about having a satisfying work life, and can put up with a great deal of nonsense on a daily basis, PSU is quite tolerable. Of course, cynics among us might say the same could be said for many (most?) institutions in this Kingdom...

As for housing, newyork is right, the DQ is not a compound. I personally know of at least one person who got themselves into serious trouble by assuming that the same rules applied - or rather, did not apply - in the DQ as in private compounds. Having said that, it's a pleasant place to live, arguably much nicer than your typical expat ghetto. PSU's housing there is usually spacious, but maintanance, as in so many places, can be poor.

[Imdramayu]

Has PSU finished making their hiring decisions? I submitted my CV at TESOL Arabia but haven't heard back from them.

[Cleopatra]

Finished? I doubt they've even started.

PSU is the type of Gulf institution which contacts people in July about the CV that was sent to them in March. Then they wonder why they never manage to recruit the cream of the crop...

[Imdramayu]

July? That does take a lot of faith to hold out until July. I gotta figure out what to do with my car before then (sell it, keep it) and personal belongings. I can't leave them in Qatar without knowing where to send them.

But it looks like a nice gig to teach at. I wonder if I can keep dw (darling wife) in line until then...with that uncertainty.

Do Saudi universities/colleges often wait until July or so to hire people for September?

[Cleopatra]

[Imdramayu]

I've also been offered a job at PSU and am wondering whether to accept it. If I do, how long might the work visa processing take? Would it be done by the time classes start (in September)?

I've heard the traffic is worsening in Riyadh. How far is the PSU campus from the DQ housing?