Employment escapades

Part of the Expat blog is a job site for employees looking for work in the Middle East: http://www.expat-blog.com/en/jobs/middle-east/saudi-arabia/



My experience is limited to language teaching, but I have heard/read some interesting stories.



The Arab News reported that a Pakistani driver was in a car accident, in which he was killed and the car was totalled. The Saudi owner had no insurance on the car, and blamed the driver for the accident. The driver had worked for the owner for over 15 years. Upon his demise, the owner refused to repatriate his body back to his home, so that his family could bury him, unless the family gave him something like 50 thousand dollars to pay for damages. His body was kept in cold storage for over a year before the courts ruled the owner could not keep the body, and damages were waived. Bear in mind, Islam requires that the dead be buried within 48 hours. That his body was kept for over a year, apart from the bereaved family, is unfathomable to me.



A nurse, new to the working here in KSA, had noticed that an elderly patient (who was in the mutawa) in pre-op for a tracheotomy had had his long beard carefully taped to one side. Thinking that this was inappropriate for such a procedure, she proceeded to shave off his beard, and threw the remains into the trash can. His family was in hysterics about the result, and seemed to prefer the possibility of bacterial infection rather than the loss of the beard. The nurse's identity was unknown, but the story has become legend around hospitals in this area.



Different country, same indentured story

 Bangledeshi workers on top of a 4 storey building were working on the roof, when it suddenly collapsed. Seven died, and the owners claimed to not know the identities, or possess the iqamas of the workers. The only way families back home would ever know that their loved ones had died would be if other members of that work group had recognized the bodies and reported it informally. The fact that the whole group had died at once lessens the possibility, so perhaps 7 families will never know what happened. My barber has been in the country for 16 years, and his partner for twenty. They are both from Pakistan. They get to go back home once every 2 years. They paid an astronomical fee to the sponsors (always Saudi) for the "privilege" of working here. When they go back, they have to pay the sponsors the amount the sponsor estimates he loses from their employ (so, 6 months' worth of profits) before they leave, which is probably equal to 1 years pay. This is partially reimbursed when they return. Indentured servitude.

I remind myself of these stories whenever I think to complain of my circumstances here. What I make in one month of work here is greater than one years' salary of my barber. And they are always cheerful.



When the Asians came to NA, they came for 3D reasons: dirty, dangerous and demeaning. This is still very much the case for migrant workers who come from near Asia to work in KSA. It is said that those that choose to come and teach here in KSA  do so for 3D reasons: divorce, dry out from drugs/alcohol, debt. I would add a fourth one: delusional - there are some strange birds here, I have to say.



For those thinking of working here, do your homework. Know that your life will be curtailed here. Social outlets are few and far between. The diplomatic and engineering class of worker represents the upper echelon of employees here, and I do not run in those circles, so their experiences are substantially different (they also live in those compounds I talked about yesterday), and their salaries are twice to four times as high as well. Know that the contract you signed overseas will not be the one that you may have to sign again when you arrive: the contract must have the signature of the saudi owner in order to be legitimate in the eyes of sharia law.


Mouth shut, eyes open


The work circumstances are surreal. Expect the unexpected, and do not try to be an agent of change, or an adherent to standards of excellence. There is a lot of lip service paid to standards, as KSA tries to primp itself to the world as a place which is in progress and developing quickly. In truth, westerners are paid to stand around, do "busy work" when required, and look western for photo ops. Keep your mouth shut, your eyes open, and remember why you came. Do not try to be "different", or be a "rebel" and kick against the taboos: it does not work, and you do not want to run afoul of the mutawa or the police. You can disappear. Have an exit plan. Very few come here long-term, so it makes for a transitory expat experience, much more so than any place I have been.






A metaphor for social life...

 Know that your family will experience a lot of difficulties. I left my wife and son back home for precisely these reasons. Frankly, I do not want to explain to my son why mom cannot go outside, and why she has to cover herself up. There is nowhere for my son to play outside, as riding a bike is bound to be fatal. There are no libraries, no rivers and green places. There is work, for me, and an AC-cooled room, with the internet. Expect nothing more, so that if there is (the odd BBQ now and then, a friendship), you will appreciate all the more.





The green is an indicator...


Life in KSA is not a dream job, or a dream place. UAE (Dubai), Qatar and Bahrain are different worlds that are more family-friendly, but the pay scales seem to be less, and due to their size, opportunities also seem to lag as well. Oman and Yemen I would stay away from, as the Arab spring seems to be making those places unstable. Iraq, Iran, Egypt - forget it. Kuwait is just a little too close for my comfort to the Iraqi border. A Montrealer was shot in a taxi by militia in Egypt couple months ago. The Gulf states, on the other hand, have the benefit of a large presence of US military, which can give a sense of security, but can also lead to the presence of unsavory establishments. So, for the money, and nothing else, KSA is it.