Job Discussion Forums

lcanupp1964 · Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381

Does anyone have an opinion about King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah? I just received an offer for 16,172 SR per month. I would teach 18 hours per week. Thanks for your help in advanvce.

Linguist · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 202

That's pretty good as the standard offer is SR 12,000 at most Saudi universities.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

For a university job teaching English that is a good offer. KAAU in Jeddah is known to the students there as "the coffeeshop." Stanford it is not.

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:54 pm Post subject:

I'm guessing that the offer includes housing and transportation allowances. Still a good offer even so. That said, KAAU does not have a good reputation as an employer, though this is just something I've picked up from second or even third hand sources.

007

Asda · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 231

Well, there have been cases with KAAU where the salary offered prior to entry into KSA is not quite met when it comes to working out where you fit on their payscale in person. It depends on what documents you can shove under their noses in terms of quals and exp. I some cases it can be as much as a couple of grand lower.

Their housing allowance is also fixed, 17K if you have Bachelors only. 18K if you have a Masters and 25K if you have a PhD. Please note that if you are applying with (for example) a PhD, they will only consider your experience accrued POST PhD. This happened to a friend of mine who had just obtained a Masters (with no post-Masters experience), but with 5 years experience prior to that - he applied with his Bachelors degree only...go figure!

Jeddah's good only if you want to be near Makkah and Madinah...

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Jeddah is a nice city - not just for those who want to be near the Holy Cities. I lived with my family in Jeddah from 1996 to 2002. It was good.

Though even then my young daughter commented on the propensity of the streets to fill with water after rains !

Asda · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 231

Well, most of Jeddah's dug up now so traffic is quite bad, still some remnants of flooding (yes, the one 2 weeks ago) here and there, plus who can forget the aroma of sewage on many of the streets...?!

Why am I still here? PM me and I'll answer you.

lcanupp1964 · Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381

Thanks for all the information. A teacher (KSA national) at the university and I worked together in a previous job and he recommended me. I was a direct hire � best way to go. I have not heard anything (good or, bad) about the university. I have lived in Jeddah for the past 12 months, but I have to fly back to the states to re-do my visa.

I have a BA in English from the University of GA. (go dogs!), a 120-hour TESOL and nine years exp. I taught in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Oman, UAE and KSA.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

My wife and I and all our friends thought Jeddah was hideous. Furthermore the street IPA stuck us on was filthy. It had a large storm drain in the middle that everyone used as a dump site. And driving--forget about it. I like driving, and cut my teeth driving in Naples, Italy. But Jeddah was the worst. I noticed my pulse was way up after driving the 20 minutes to work and eventually had to take beta blockers. Later, driving in Dubai for five years was child's play, relatively speaking. At least there they tend to honor roundabout right-of-way rules. In Jeddah and throughout the Tragic Kingdom you pays your money and you takes your chances.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I lived in Jeddah and managed well enough without a car. Saudis think that having a car is a necessary condition for being an adult male. I proved them wrong. I still live a car-free existence. My students think this is shocking or perhaps a sign of insanity.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Plenty of people I know like Jeddah, though there has been considerable urban degeneration in recent years.

There is also a considerable difference between the North, which is where the newer, posher residential areas are and the South, part of which was hit by the recent floods.

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

I prefer not to leave the driving to taxi drivers in the Middle East if I can avoid it. At least I know how to drive, aside from generally enjoying it, if the vehicle is a decent car.

lcanupp1964 · Joined: 12 Dec 2009 Posts: 381

Yes!!! Jeddah has the worst drivers. Twisted Evil

Everybody is in a hurry to go nowhere.