Would you work in KSA?

[Dromedary66]

Are you still able to pop along to chop chop square in Riyadh on Friday and see a beheading or two?

[anonymous-user]

Dromedary66 said:

Are you still able to pop along to chop chop square in Riyadh on Friday and see a beheading or two?

As vulgar and barbaric as it sounds to us now, it wasn’t actually that long ago in the grand scheme of things that we were performing the exact same type of stuff.

William Wallace for example

[K50 DEL]

DoubleTime said:

Dromedary66 said:

Are you still able to pop along to chop chop square in Riyadh on Friday and see a beheading or two?

As vulgar and barbaric as it sounds to us now, it wasn’t actually that long ago in the grand scheme of things that we were performing the exact same type of stuff.

William Wallace for example

And the crime rate would probably decline rather rapidly if we went back to it... say what you like about KSA (in fact that region in general) crime really isn't an issue there.

[Gad-Westy]

K50 DEL said:

DoubleTime said:

Dromedary66 said:

Are you still able to pop along to chop chop square in Riyadh on Friday and see a beheading or two?

As vulgar and barbaric as it sounds to us now, it wasn’t actually that long ago in the grand scheme of things that we were performing the exact same type of stuff.

William Wallace for example

And the crime rate would probably decline rather rapidly if we went back to it... say what you like about KSA (in fact that region in general) crime really isn't an issue there.

I think I'd rather have a little bit of crime than to go back several hundred years of societal development. I mean sure, we're letting witchcraft go unpunished and it's tough finding work here if you're a professional crucifier but I think we might have reached a more reasonable compromise overall.

[Porridge GTI]

Funny because you never see people in the UK refusing more money because the relevant employer makes cigarettes, weapons, diesel vehicles, sugary drinks, junk food, has an awful pollution or employee relations record or is otherwise a blight on humankind.

[AndrewEH1]

Porridge GTI said:

Funny because you never see people in the UK refusing more money because the relevant employer makes cigarettes, weapons, diesel vehicles, sugary drinks, junk food, has an awful pollution or employee relations record or is otherwise a blight on humankind.

Just get a job there and find out then...everyone on here is saying it's basically st unless the money is everything to you

[Gad-Westy]

Porridge GTI said:

Funny because you never see people in the UK refusing more money because the relevant employer makes cigarettes, weapons, diesel vehicles, sugary drinks, junk food, has an awful pollution or employee relations record or is otherwise a blight on humankind.

I honestly don't know why you started this thread. You asked for feedback and appear to dismiss it all. If your mind is made up, just go for it.

[StevieT735]

I’m currently out here in Dhahran. The place is a hole, and there are definitely compromises to be made in terms of lifestyle, especially for women.

I would sum it up as a place where you would come to work if..

A- you are prepared to put up with the sh!t in order to advance your financial situation
B- have no decent employment prospects in a decent country.

I fell into both categories in 2015 due to the oil price crash, so here I am. Hopefully the economy will have picked up and more jobs will be available in 2021 when I aim to return.......

[oilydan]

I came back to the UAE after 3 years there, at the start of 2017. Lived in Dahran, actually Al Khobar I think, never got the local geography. I lived in the Rashid mall hotel apartments. Nice enough with a mall/Carrefour/foodcourt downstairs. Exclusive lift to apartments meant that the novelty of taking a supermarket trolley straight to the fridge never got old!

The driving got to me for a while, then just ended up amusing me. If you get road rage easily you need to come to terms with the fact that you can put a seemingly normal human into a 4 wheeled box and it instantly turns him into a . If you dont, you will spend a lot of time raging. And the roads are more pothole than road, do not get a nice car as door dings, potholes and hit/runs will ruin it.

Food, is crap, or expensive. Tamimi stocks some Tesco and US products, but expect to pay in gold bars.

Drink is available, if you have friends in the right places, if not it is an hours drive to BAH. I did this every 30 days to reset my visit visa as I didnt have residency. A good excuse for a glass of wine in a BAH hotel. Spinneys style shops in BAH for piggy products, easily sneaked through customs as they really are just on the lookout for bottles. Dont take bottles across the border!

Its dirty. Filthy. Zero respect for the environment, even just emptying crap out of the car window at the lights, leaving everything after a family BBQ on the 'beach'. Filthy. I could not find a patch of clean desert for some photos, even 10 miles out of town.

Prayer time. I get that in the olden days you used to have to shut your corner shop to go pray, but there is no need to shut a massive supermarket when you can stagger the checkout guys prayers. The amount of trolleys I have had to abandon in Carrefour is comical. Half way through the weeky duties and the advert for Ali's Snackbar is broadcast.... just go home. Same for petrol stations, many times caught with zero fuel, and the pumps off for 40 mins...

Money. I did it for the money. Sent the wife and kids back to the UK, visited every 6-8 weeks for a week, and used the cash to buy the forever home. I would not do it for less, and I would not do it without a clear goal. I would do it again, without hesitation.

I spent my time in the gym, got really fit. Unfortunately back in the UAE I seem to be reverting to my natural form....fat. pissed. antisocial. Happy

[StevieBee]

K50 DEL said:

And the crime rate would probably decline rather rapidly if we went back to it... say what you like about KSA (in fact that region in general) crime really isn't an issue there.

Yes it is. It's as prevalent there as anywhere else. Cars get nicked. Houses get burgled. Drugs are sold and consumed, People get stabbed.....etc.

The difference is that most of it goes unreported, dealt with out of the gaze of public scrutiny with only the grim and sometimes unfair punishments for the seemingly innocuous crimes gaining any visibility.

[Adam B]

Porridge GTI said:

has an awful pollution or employee relations record or is otherwise a blight on humankind.

am confused, haven't you just described KSA?

[Porridge GTI]

oilydan said:

I came back to the UAE after 3 years there, at the start of 2017. Lived in Dahran, actually Al Khobar I think, never got the local geography. I lived in the Rashid mall hotel apartments. Nice enough with a mall/Carrefour/foodcourt downstairs. Exclusive lift to apartments meant that the novelty of taking a supermarket trolley straight to the fridge never got old!

The driving got to me for a while, then just ended up amusing me. If you get road rage easily you need to come to terms with the fact that you can put a seemingly normal human into a 4 wheeled box and it instantly turns him into a . If you dont, you will spend a lot of time raging. And the roads are more pothole than road, do not get a nice car as door dings, potholes and hit/runs will ruin it.

Food, is crap, or expensive. Tamimi stocks some Tesco and US products, but expect to pay in gold bars.

Drink is available, if you have friends in the right places, if not it is an hours drive to BAH. I did this every 30 days to reset my visit visa as I didnt have residency. A good excuse for a glass of wine in a BAH hotel. Spinneys style shops in BAH for piggy products, easily sneaked through customs as they really are just on the lookout for bottles. Dont take bottles across the border!

Its dirty. Filthy. Zero respect for the environment, even just emptying crap out of the car window at the lights, leaving everything after a family BBQ on the 'beach'. Filthy. I could not find a patch of clean desert for some photos, even 10 miles out of town.

Prayer time. I get that in the olden days you used to have to shut your corner shop to go pray, but there is no need to shut a massive supermarket when you can stagger the checkout guys prayers. The amount of trolleys I have had to abandon in Carrefour is comical. Half way through the weeky duties and the advert for Ali's Snackbar is broadcast.... just go home. Same for petrol stations, many times caught with zero fuel, and the pumps off for 40 mins...

Money. I did it for the money. Sent the wife and kids back to the UK, visited every 6-8 weeks for a week, and used the cash to buy the forever home. I would not do it for less, and I would not do it without a clear goal. I would do it again, without hesitation.

I spent my time in the gym, got really fit. Unfortunately back in the UAE I seem to be reverting to my natural form....fat. pissed. antisocial. Happy

Makes sense. Well done on the forever home as well.

People forget that doubling your money having already doubled or trebled it really helps.

[K50 DEL]

StevieT735 said:

I’m currently out here in Dhahran. The place is a hole, and there are definitely compromises to be made in terms of lifestyle, especially for women.

I would sum it up as a place where you would come to work if..

A- you are prepared to put up with the sh!t in order to advance your financial situation
B- have no decent employment prospects in a decent country.

I fell into both categories in 2015 due to the oil price crash, so here I am. Hopefully the economy will have picked up and more jobs will be available in 2021 when I aim to return.......

Lucky man.... I've been trying to get back to the region since 2015, no success at all!