Job Discussion Forums

[FloridaTEFL]

Hello~
I've been spending much of the summer looking through the postings here. I'm interested in spending a year in KSA primarily for the money and university experience (for the resume). Competition for Uni positions is pretty fierce nowadays in other countries like Korea. (I have a masters in TESOL now but no adult teaching exp). Where the competition isn't so fierce the pay isn't so great. That kind of leaves me with just a handful of places to look, KSA being one of them.
I have just a few questions about the place... How dangerous is it really? I'm male, for the record. Are you basically safe being out and about each day? I'd hate to feel like some sort of potential Western target.

What about going through a recruiter? I've heard decent things about Skyline so far. I'm wondering because I do not see many advertisements for direct hire jobs at this time of the year. Or maybe a recruiter in another ME country would be better to try?

Ugh, sorry for these questions... Anycrap, your advice is so appreciated!! Thanks everyone!

[sheikher]

Under present circumstances, Qassim, for just one example, might not be your best bet.


http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article96541.ece

[Cuffs]

You've gone off in two wrong directions at the same time.

Firstly, day to day, it's perfectly safe. To a certain extent this depends where you are (see post above). The cities in the eastern and western regions (Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran/Jeddah) are certainly more accommodating of foreigners of any persuasion, as is often the case with coastal places. In Riyadh, with any decent employer, you will likely be put in to a heavily-guarded compound where you can do whatever the hell you like anyway.

Many people fall too easily downstream of the rumour mill. There's no need to have a bunker mentality about living here. I've heard so much clap-trap spouted in the 8 years I've been living in the Gulf about the people here. While it can't all be untrue, I would bet that most of it originates in the hazy, hungover memories of last night's drinking. It's spread in conspiratorial whispers by people for whom the grass is always greener - the kind who only become patriots of their homeland once they're away from it earning big, tax-free cash. And God, it's boring. I've not felt threatened once in my 8 years here. I've worked in or visited all of the GCC countries bar Kuwait. The worst I can say about Saudi is that there are a few idiots here. Welcome to the world...

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep up-to-date on security warnings like Sheikher's, above. However, a simple link to the latest vague security Post-It note from the US embassy doesn't tell you much, and is more than likely to scare you off.

I will be corrected if I'm wrong, but the last attack of any significance happened four years ago at the Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, an hour inland from the east coast. The attackers had help from inside Aramco, and were stopped before any damage was caused to anybody but themselves. I work there now. It's a walk in the park. The last major terrorist activity I heard about was earlier this year when a large cache of arms and munitions was discovered in the desert.

Secondly, and more briefly, Skyline? You've "heard decent things"? Where, exactly? I don't work for them, never have, but I'm pretty sure that coming over here with them would be two tons of fun. Not the good kind of fun, though.

D.O. A. S.E.A.R.C.H.

Regards,

Cuffs

[Sheikh N Bake]

There were more attacks than that and more recently, like 3 years ago a couple of Al Salam guys got beheaded in Riyadh.

[cmp45]

[Sheikh N Bake]

Care to join us in Qassim then? Some time when you're sober.

[johnslat]

Dear FloridaTEFL,

The problem is - everyone's idea of just what "safety." means and when he/she would feel "safe" can vary, sometimes considerably.

Personally, I wouldn't have any qualms about going back to Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam, but I might not feel quite so qualmless about Al Qassim (though I'd likely still go.)

My opinion is that you'd be as safe in Saudi as anyplace else these days (well, except for the traffic - that's what you REALLY need to be concerned about in the Kingdom.)

Regards,
John

[Sheikh N Bake]

You wouldn't want to come here to Qassim, John, if you realized there are only 7 or 8 Causasian westerners in Qassim and they know where we live.

Or..would you????

[cmp45]

[Middle East Beast]

[sheikher]

HISSY ALERT

[Cuffs]

[johnslat]

Dear Sheik,

"You wouldn't want to come here to Qassim, John, if you realized there are only 7 or 8 Causasian westerners in Qassim and they know where we live.

Or..would you????"

Having survived Vietnam, the Iranian Revolution, and being Scudded in Riyadh (I do seem to have a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,) I don't think going to Qassim would bother me too much.

Of course, I could always go to Samarra, instead:

""The Appointment in Samarra"
(as retold by W. Somerset Maugham
The speaker is Death

There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating getsture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."

It's inshallah, after all, right?

Regards,
John

[Sheikh N Bake]

[Grendal]