Five Tips for People Interested in Working in KSA

In no particular order...

1. Learn About Islam 

Saudi Arabia is a theocratic society and their legal system is based on Islamic law. So, it's a good idea to find out what Islam is all about. I don't mean you need to read the Quran cover to cover, but there should be a basic understanding of what Saudi Muslims believe, and how it affects their culture.

Saudis are Wahhabi Muslims, which means (at least in theory) that they take the business of being Muslim very seriously. They pray five times a day, they observe Ramadan, and they do not drink alcohol. While you aren't required to pray or go to a mosque during prayer time, be advised that the shops close during every prayer time and if a religious police finds you wandering the streets you may get stopped.

Saudi jail is not for reform--it's for punishment. It's not a place you want to wind up, so understand what's expected of you. Do not get caught with alcohol, and stay far away from drugs. The punishment for drug trafficking in the kingdom is death. Don't publicly insult Islam either; the punishment for that is death too. The odds of you actually being jailed, let alone executed for insulting Islam are extremely low but none-the-less, it's better to keep any judgement about the religion to yourself. Saudis are in general, respectful of other's religious views (believe it or not), and they deserve the same respect from you.

If you want to understand the basics of Saudi culture, it's not necessary to read The Quran cover to cover, but at the very least you should know who Mohammad was, you should know the difference between Sunni and Shia, and you should know about the five pillars of Islam.


2. Use Dave's ESL

Dave's ESL is the best place to browse postings for teaching positions in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Just go to the international job board and press ctrl-F to search for positions in Saudi Arabia (or wherever). There will be TONS for KSA. If the best way to get hired quickly is to apply for everything. The people who get back to you will be recruiters. Once you pass your interview with the recruiters, they will set you up with an interview with your prospective employer.

Dave's also has an invaluable discussion forum that you can use to answer any questions you may have about living in KSA, employer reviews, etc.



3. Have the Appropriate Expectations

As in Korea, or any other country where foreigners go to teach, some teachers don't last long. In my opinion, this is mainly due to not having the right expectations.

Saudi students, while friendly, sociable, and generally very nice guys, are by and large, very poor students. This is not because they are any less intelligent than anyone else, but I'm told, it's the result of a lackluster education system. The student are used to coming to class later, being able to play on their phones, and have the teacher give them answers during tests. Know that you may have to break some poor study habits, and instil them with basic classroom etiquette.

Also understand that Saudis have their own way of doing things, and they tend to operate on their own timetable. If you're used to things  being dealt with promptly, you may have to alter your expectations somewhat. Procuring licenses, and official documents may take longer than expected, and if the internet is not working at your apartment, you may have to wait a couple of days for the landlord to get it fixed.

Also, Saudi's are terrible, terrible drivers. Look both ways. Always.


4. Decide What Kind of Living Situation You Want.

So, you've decided you want to go Saudi. The first question you should ask yourself is: do I want to live on a compound or find a place on my own. Ask this question first, because they answer may influence what job you end up taking. For female teachers, there usually isn't much of a choice with this one--it's may be compound or nothing. 

Both options have advantages and disadvantages. Compounds are nice places to live because they are secure, they have amenities, and you can live your life in a way you are used to. There are security check points to go through and armed guards. Inside the compound you can enjoy swimming pools, soccer fields, tennis courts, et cetera. You are free to wear what  you like, and although it's not legal, you can often find alcohol inside the compounds.  The disadvantages to living on a compound are: the high cost, and the commute and hassle of entering the compound.  I don't live on a compound, myself, and everything I've written about it comes from outside sources.

The main advantages of living outside of a compound are: you can choose where you live, and you will pay much less. I enjoy living in my own apartment. There are no security issues and I feel one hundred per cent safe. I pay the equivalent of about $600 dollars a month, which includes furnishings, satellite, internet and utilities. But you can get by paying far less than that--especially if the place is unfurnished.  After vacation, I will be splitting an unfurnished apartment with two other guys. We will have tons of space and will be paying about $250 per month each. Factor in internet and utilities and the grand total will come to about $270 each.


5. Learn to Socialize without Alcohol

While in Korea, I realized that when I decided to take some time off drinking, my social life went into the toilet. Not so much because I didn't want to go out, but because whenever people got together they wanted to drink. If you went to the beach, people would be drinking, if you climbed a mountain, people would be drinking, if went on a day trip, people would be drinking. Pretty much anything you did that wasn't soccer involved drinking. The low price and high availability of alcohol, coupled with the total absence of other recreation drugs made it so common that it was difficult to avoid if you wanted to socialize at all!

In Saudi, no such social crutch is allowed. People make alcohol here, but it's at the risk of your livelihood and well being. If you end up working in KSA, and want to enjoy yourself, try getting people together for BBQs at the beach, soccer, weekend trips or whatever. Everybody else is in the same boat, so grab your colleagues phone numbers and get together. You can't grab a cold one after work, but you can always grab a coffee instead.


Bonus Tip:  Get  Started Collecting Your Documents.

Applying for your Saudi visa may be a lengthy process. So get a head start on it if you can. Find out exactly what you need for your medical documents, and then start getting them together when you start applying for jobs. And if part of your experience is overseas you need to get letters of employment from that country stamped by your employer, notarized in that country, and stamped by the Saudi embassy in that country. Having your documents in order could get you into Saudi weeks faster.  

Soccer Sunday

Before coming to Saudi Arabia, I was a little bit put off by the prospect of not having access to alcohol for three months at a time. For me, drinking alcohol has long served as the de facto reason for getting people together. But, in Saudi you have to find reasons to get people to congregate. My favorite of these is soccer.

So, why soccer, and not some other sport? Soccer is the appropriate game for the environment. There are no ice rinks, so hockey is out. There are no baseball fields, so baseball is out. There are no football--well you get the idea. Even in a small city like Rabigh there are several soccer pitches. They have sufficient lighting, and they are cheap (one hundred riyals per hour). In the day time it's much to hot to play but in the evening, it is very pleasant indeed. It's cheap, it's fun, its a good way to stay in shape, and it's an excellent way to socialize in the absence of alcohol. 

I started playing soccer in Korea, when I was thirty. I'm thirty two now, and just about everybody on the field has significantly more experience than me. I try to make up for it in enthusiasm. Also, I'm bigger than most people on the field and I'm (for better or worse) not afraid of getting injured. Unfortunately, I seem to have a tendency to injure other people on the field, despite being careful not to foul.  But I'm always getting better, and I'm beginning to rely more on finesse and less on brute force. Playing soccer has been a great reminder for me that it's never too late to start something new.

At first the pitch was rented by school, for the benefit of the employees but some of the players had bad attitudes, so it became harder and harder to find enough people to come out and play. The the poor sports were the guys responsible for renting the pitch, so when people stopped showing up, they decided discontinue the whole exercise. But my colleague Ahmed, and I took this as an opportunity, and started renting the pitch ourselves. We bolstered the ranks with our Spanish friends, and soon our  disenfranchised co-workers began to come back. We've been playing twice per week ever since!    

Although there has been a fair bit of altercation on the pitch, playing soccer has been, and continues to be a very satisfying and worthwhile practice. It's reinforced friendships with colleagues, and created new ones with the Spanish guys, and whomever else decides to come out and play. Sometimes students from the institute come out, too, which is nice, because we get to interact with those guys without playing the authoritarian teacher role. It's nice to just play together on the field where everyone's role is equal...and you don't have to remind them to turn off their cellphones!