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Bayt’s recent polls reveal that KSA is one of the preferred places to work for professionals in the Middle East (33.9% of professionals from a global professional pool indicated it was their preferred place to work in the ME), closely following the UAE which secured 35.7% of the vote and led the pack. The KSA is especially alluring as it has traditionally allowed professionals to save a bit more of their monthly income compared to other countries across the region and has historically continued to accommodate a” hardship premium” in salaries even as the country’s infrastructure has grown to world-class standards and nearby countries like the UAE have ceased to price in any such allowances. Bayt's Salary Survey released early in 2008, shows that almost 20% of working professionals in the KSA save more than 21% of their monthly income, ranks the country in the 3rd place regionally in terms of savings right after Oman (where 36% of respondents save more than 21% of their income) and Bahrain (where 35% of respondents save more than 21% of their income).
KSA not only offers quality of work, it also is increasingly perceived to offer an attractive and stable quality of life. Bayt's recent Top Industries survey indicates which industries are most in demand in the KSA market and which are perceived to offer the best salaries and best work-life balance.

Public executions and the oppression of women, sounds like an absolute paradise. I'm in!

People can save money there as you are restricted to a compound with nothing to spend your hard earned Rials on. With little or no accommodation cost, its possible to keep some of your income, rather than handing it back in vast rents.

Apart from that, its a good place to work if you like being a slave.



Knight

I am not sure how true is the survey. I travel to Riyadh every week because my customers are there. I cannot even last for a week. When I arrived, I felt so depressed with the environment and it s so hard to work..

Well, you can save a lot of money there as there are no entertainment for singles except eat n .... i m not sure what else.. hehe

ivanlim84 wrote:Well, you can save a lot of money there as there are no entertainment for singles except eat n .... i m not sure what else.. hehe

www.amazingsaudisandals.com

There is one form of Saudi entertainment for you!



Knight

Dubai Knight wrote:People can save money there as you are restricted to a compound with nothing to spend your hard earned Rials on. With little or no accommodation cost, its possible to keep some of your income, rather than handing it back in vast rents.

Apart from that, its a good place to work if you like being a slave.



Knight

DK, Have you worked in Saudi?

sage & onion wrote:

Dubai Knight wrote:People can save money there as you are restricted to a compound with nothing to spend your hard earned Rials on. With little or no accommodation cost, its possible to keep some of your income, rather than handing it back in vast rents.

Apart from that, its a good place to work if you like being a slave.



Knight

DK, Have you worked in Saudi?

Yes thank you very much! I cannot say it is my favourite part of the Gulf to work in, however some of the culture can be interesting and the scenery in southern Saudi is stunning. Its a shame they will not allow anyone in there to see it. I have been frequently quoted on Saudi TV commenting on the advent of a Supreme Commission for Tourism in a country that does not even have a Tourist Visa classification.

They consider Hajj and Omrah to be their major tourist attractions, however I had to point out that these were influxes mostly paid for by the Suadi government. Real tourism consists of people bringing additional income to the country, taking hotel rooms, undergoing excursions and actually adding to the GNP. It is changing slowly under the governance of one or two younger Princes but it will take a long time.

The largest work sector for the expatriate community is oil, however the majority of low income jobs are covered by Yemeni, Indian and Bagladeshi labour. Rates of pay are similar to the UAE, however living costs are lower.



Knight

Dubai Knight wrote: Rates of pay are similar to the UAE, however living costs are lower.



Knight

and the culture?

aramco... one nice company to work for....in'e?

Its the only place where restaurants have a seperate entrance for 'singles'.

I was 'singled' out for not using the 'singles' entrance even thought I was not single.

Cheers

Dubai Knight wrote:People can save money there as you are restricted to a compound with nothing to spend your hard earned Rials on. With little or no accommodation cost, its possible to keep some of your income, rather than handing it back in vast rents.

Apart from that, its a good place to work if you like being a slave.



Knight

"if you like being like a slave!!!"

C'mon DK… You know better not to say that!!

Yeah.. Saudi sucks in the social and entertainment arena , but the working conditions there are not that bad at all. In fact, in some respects, I think they are better than those in the UAE.

Westerners are paid very well over there and get free housing -- usually in nicely landscaped, gated compounds where they pay no rent and nothing for maintenance, water or electricity. Most compounds have their own recreational facilities, where everyone can exercise, swim, play tennis, have parties, drink and be merry -- and not have to worry about the local religious police.

Westerners also usually get 3-4 times a year paid R&R vacations.

The working hours are 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, like everywhere else.

I don't call that working as a slave.

Even TCN's (third country nationals) don't have it too bad either in Saudi. Not like Dubai, if I may add.

For example, the maintenance and security crews who work in my Dubai Marina building (for a major developer), work 12 hrs a day with only one day a week off. That's more like working as slaves, as compared to their counterparts in Saudi!

Although the money is good in Saudi, I would not recommend it at all for a single westerner. It's too restrictive and deathly boring in the weekends!

I lived there with my wife for some time, and it wasn't so bad, but it's definitely not a place for long term living. We kept busy and traveled a lot, and so we didn't mind it too much. Nonetheless, there is still so much of it you can take.

Arabs and Moslems seem to be happy there. I know some who moved to Dubai and then returned back to Saudi, because they could not save any money in Dubai.

If you don't care much about the night life, or going to the movies, or going out on dates ..etc, then Saudi might be OK for you. The booze is available but very expensive, so if you are a big drinker, forget it – you'll blow all your savings on booze!

Have a nice Eid hoilday everyone!!!!!

Cheers Tom,

My reference to 'slavery' refers not so much to the comparatively few pampered expats who are treated well in their compounds with all costs found as they provide essential services, but to the attitude of the Saudis who, despite their best intentions, feel that certain jobs are beneath them and that they are buying your expertise or labour to do either a complex or menial task on their behalf. This extends throughout their culture even to the military, where a Prince was overheard saying to the US Secretary of Defence during Gulf War 2 "We are paying you to fight Saddam for us!"

Not sure how long ago you were there, however the Muttawah have had much of their powers restricted by the Royal family now and do not have such control. Someone rightly pointed out that they are not an official body and are self proclaimed. I have seen them escorted off certain premises by the police and told not to 'interfere'.

Outside the compounds, it can be a hard life.



Knight

Dubai Knight wrote:Cheers Tom,

My reference to 'slavery' refers not so much to the comparatively few pampered expats who are treated well in their compounds with all costs found as they provide essential services, but to the attitude of the Saudis who, despite their best intentions, feel that certain jobs are beneath them and that they are buying your expertise or labour to do either a complex or menial task on their behalf. This extends throughout their culture even to the military, where a Prince was overheard saying to the US Secretary of Defence during Gulf War 2 "We are paying you to fight Saddam for us!"

Not sure how long ago you were there, however the Muttawah have had much of their powers restricted by the Royal family now and do not have such control. Someone rightly pointed out that they are not an official body and are self proclaimed. I have seen them escorted off certain premises by the police and told not to 'interfere'.

Outside the compounds, it can be a hard life.



Knight

"the Saudis who, despite their best intentions, feel that certain jobs are beneath them"

Isn't that true of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, ..Etc? And to some extent it's true for America (using Mexicans for hard farming jobs and for menial jobs in the janitorial and gardening services). And also true in Western Europe (using East Europeans and other immigrants for similar low service jobs... Etc).

I still travel often to the Kingdome, and this attitude is slowly changing due the high unemployment among young Saudis. Now you see them working as taxi drivers, shop cashiers, operating heavy machinery at construction sites, store clerks and salesmen, ..Etc.

As you said, the Mutawas, who have been the biggest hindrance against the society's efforts towards openness and liberal tolerance, are beginning to lose their grip on the country. This is to the delight of residents and most citizens who are so tired of having to worry about those fanatics, who made life miserable for everyone.

Most Saudis I met were generally nice and pleasant, and I never really had any bad experiences, to speak of, with anyone. The Saudis, like most Gulf people, are a bit cold and reserved at first but, once you get to know them, they are warm and friendly.

I remember when I first came to the Gulf many years ago, and met the locals, I become very depressed. I said to myself, what's the matter with these people? They don't smile, they don't say thank you, they don't hold the door for you when you're right behind them, and they cut the line (the queue) just about everywhere...Etc. Some even appear to give you dirty looks and look like they hate you. But then I came to the realization that's the way they are. They don't mean to be rude and discourteous. They even treat each other that way.

That too is slowly changing. Now you see more and more locals who actually smile, say thank you, respect the queues and show a pleasing display of common courtesies… which is good. Needless to say, pleasant and polite people make the world a happier place!! And mean people do indeed SUCK!!

Well.…off I go, before I get too much off the subject!!!!

Cheers!!!

Check out this story I just read on another blog about the awesome KSA. F*ck that place.

Short version at the bottom if you don't want to read it. The girl telling the story is Ukranian.

Tuesday night December 9th 2008 I came back from the wonderful vacation in Africa and was full of energy to start my work. On Wednesday I spent all my day at home and was not actually thinking of going out when I got an invitation from some friends in Diplomatic Quarter to visit them. I called my friend driver who is Saudi and who speaks Russian (that's why I called him) to give me the ride to DQ. My mind was still in Africa, I didn't even unpack and that is why I forgot my iqama (the residence permit in Saudi). I realized that I forgot it at the gate of DQ. Since it was late to turn back, I had no choice but to get in.

The first gate was ok so I thought it is not a big deal. We were stuck at the 2nd gate. They asked for my id, I said I simply forgot it. I thought I would be allowed to come back and get it. I was so naïve. Since they don't speak English, they didn't ask me anything, they took the guy aside and held him like for half an hour talking. During this time I was sitting at the back of the car wondering what is going to happen. Suddenly they rushed to the car and started searching everything including my purse. After searching and finding nothing I thought they would let us go. So naive! Then the security guy came to the car and drove me to the police station. The guy was taken in the separate car. I spent like an hour at the police station when the guy was questioned. I was sitting at the entrance hall wondering what is going to happen. I called my journalist friend who works at KSA2 (he was also visiting my friends in DQ) to come and talk to the police. He came and talked to them and they told him that I would be released in 30 minutes. He asked them what is her case but they couldn't say anything and asked him to leave. The driver came out for five minutes and told me not to worry because they are going to ask me questions and let me go.

Later on (which was already like 12 at night) they put me in the car and took me somewhere without saying anything. The lady in the car told "Malaiz". I had no idea it was prison. I felt something fishy and called my friend journalist to help me. He said he would come immediately. Later on, he said, he spent 4 hours in jail. He came in and demanded what is my case. He didn't receive any response. Instead they asked him, "Is she your wife? Your sister? Why do you care? You should go!" Meanwhile I was taken in, given some paper in Arabic and pushed behind big gate.

Only then I realized I am in prison, oh my God! There I was received by 3 women who couldn't speak English. They immediately took my cell phone and my watch, sealed them. Then I was taken to the room by the big scary lady who kept yelling at me in Arabic and forced to remove all my clothes and jump naked for some time. I was so panic-stoke that I didn't really care what was happening as far as they didn't beat me. After asking me to put my finger to sign something in Arabic which I had no idea what was written there I was pushed to jail. They took my all belongings including my bag and let me keep only money (100 SR). I was put to the room with 5 double beds and given a bed. Immediately half of prisoners who were mostly Filipinos, Indonesians and Africans run to look at my like at some exotic fruit – the blond prisoner, very rare thing in Saudi jail. I was very lucky I was put in the Pilipino room where girls spoke some English.

There my eyes slowly opened and I began to realize the whole tragedy of situation. Some of them were staying there for weeks, some for months, some for years. Their relatives had no idea what happened to them. All of them were nice girls; they really helped me not to loose my mind. I was afraid I would go crazy at that place. They told me I was lucky because I got a bed; before the jail was so full that people were sleeping on the floor without blankets. I was scared to death. The worst part was that there was no toilet paper. We were supposed to wash it off after using the water. I was very lucky I happened to have a towel with me otherwise I cannot imagine that. The first night was terrible, I was so weak, I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, I was crying the whole night. I slept in my abaya because I didn't have other clothes. The issue of basic hygiene was creeping me out. How long will I stay here?

Next day, however, I found out that if you have money you can buy some clothes. I bought a nightgown for 30 SR which I wore afterwards. There in jail they have a store where you can buy basic things like toothpaste, soap… if you have money. Since it was still Eid vacation the store was closed.

I stayed in jail for 3 nights and 2,5 days. I got there on Wednesday night (next day after coming back from Africa), next day nothing happened. Only at 6 in the evening I had an interview. The interview was conducted through an interpreter, who's English was one word in English and 5 in Arabic. I was supposed to guess what he was asking me. My answers were written in Arabic and I had no idea what was there; however, I had to sign it. He asked me if I had sex with the man, if he was touching me. I was really fortunate they didn't check my cell phone. Other girls told me that if they found a picture of any man in my cell phone, I would be pretty much screwed. They consider every man in your cell phone or on your camera to be your boyfriend no matter if you took that picture here or in your country, nobody cares. Friday nothing happened and all I had to do was to sit and wait, wait for absolution. My mind was about to boil, I was so much afraid I would do something crazy or go mentally sick. I listened to the women's stories and was horrified. People were caught in the store and accused they were with men while they were just buying something. One girl was caught on the street and was accused meeting with her boyfriend somewhere. She was not caught meeting with him, somebody just told this about her and they don't investigate if it's true or not. I have heard so many stories, it would take hours to write them down. I though maybe I should start some program like, "Saudi Jail Survivor" and broadcast it on tv, I could make so much money or maybe I should write a book? On Saturday I was fingerprinted and taken picture of. I begged them to contact my employer or my embassy, they said tomorrow (on Sunday). That is after spending 3 nights and 2,5 days in jail.

It came unexpected that I got out Saturday when my employer Al-Yamamah University got me out of their. My journalist friend informed everybody so they knew I was there. I was afraid how they would find out where I am, they may think I'm still in Africa. I was really happy everything was over. The person from HR who took me out said that it is not a big deal, nothing is gonna happen to me. So next day I came to work ready to teach and forget all horrible things that happened to me. However, I was very wrong again. I share office with other teacher, so very soon I was approached and told not to talk to anybody from the teachers or students. They didn't allow me to teach my classes anymore. That day, after a while I was informed that I was fired. I didn't even have a meeting with the President to discuss my case. Nobody asked me, nobody cared what happened to me in jail, all the cared was their reputation. One of our college, our supervisor, Grace Spivak was also put to jail for the same reason. And guess what? Nothing happened because she is a supervisor. They have double standards, one is for privileged, and one is for other mortal people. The termination letter that I received from the University by supervisor David Philipson says, "I am writing to inform you that, because of your inappropriate behavior during Eid Al Adha, which led to your being stopped and detained by the Saudi Police, I have to course of action other than to terminate your contract forthwith. Your unseemly conduct in trying to enter the Diplomatic Quarter in the company of a Saudi gentleman who is not a relative is morally unacceptable in the conservative, religious Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Wow, look at that – unseemly! What is unseemly? What did I do? That I was with the guy who is a driver? I cannot drive in this country, now they are accusing me that being with my driver is unseemly conduct. I must stress that I didn't have any meeting and nobody asked me what happened. They just fired me like that. I asked them, "So even at the University you don't have freedom of speech, not talking about one in prison. What can you expect in prison if you are treated like that at the University? Here you cannot speak, or if you do you life maybe endangered.

Soon after I got out of jail I was offered to have an interview with Arab news. I was invited to come to their office and talk about what happened. At first, I agreed but then after talking with my friends I got scared for my life. They can detain me at the airport and then there would be no one to take me out of there. So, I'm sending this story when I'm out of the country, when I'm free…

Short Version: Girl can't drive, gets ride somewhere, forgets id, gets arrested for being with man (driver), spends 3 days in jail, gets out, gets fired for being arrested, goes home... writes story.