Living and Working in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the last frontiers in the world of travel, due to the fact that it was previously so hard to enter. Until recently, being only accessible if you are a pilgrim during Hajj, or an expat working in the country. However, new Tourist Visas have been made available for nationals of certain countries. We have both been living and working here for a few years now, and this is our experience of living and working in Saudi Arabia.

(For the link to the Saudi Arabia eVisa please click here).

 

The Outside Perception of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the places that people don’t expect you to be living in. When they hear that you are in the Middle East it’s automatically assumed to be Dubai. The reaction is always the same, one resembling surprise. It’s a country people are still not really well informed about from the outside but hopefully that will soon change.  

When it comes to Saudi Arabia, unfortunately, what a lot of people think is danger, hard living, lack of things to do, unbearable temperatures, strict regulations, non-existent women’s right, and lots and lots of sand! Is Saudi Arabia really like that? Read on to find out.

 

Why Saudi Arabia?

Personally, I originally moved here during the recession in Ireland and Saudi Arabia gave me a chance to keep working and living my life without being in debt. I wanted to get out of the doom and gloom, and the constant feeling every month of yet again having nothing to put into the savings.

Saudi Arabia offered me a good salary, perks like car and accommodation, lots of vacation days a year, and a chance to keep living my life the way I wanted to.

For me, Saudi Arabia has given me a huge opportunity in life. It has given me the chance to do things I never would have been able to do if I had stayed in Ireland. It has created the chance for me to travel many times a year and to go to many different countries. The chance to immerse myself in a culture I have never been in.

The best decision I made was coming to live and work here. Its benefits far outweigh any deterrents.

In relation to Misha, she grew up in Saudi Arabia and due to that she had the chance to explore the country and witness the changes that were happening around her. She was comfortable in the community and felt safe here. After spending a few years outside the country she returned once more to live and work here.

Misha shares the same ideology that I do about Saudi Arabia, that this country has given her the chance of exploring the world, due to its perfect location and other factors. Even so, life in Saudi Arabia can be a little challenging at times, but there is nothing she would consider to be a major challenge that she can’t overcome.

To her once you keep an open heart and mind about a new culture, regardless of what it is, it’s only then that you start enjoying life and what comes with it.

 

Adapting to Life in Saudi Arabia

When I first came here I was expecting to be doing nothing every weekend, spending a lot of extra time in the office just to keep myself busy. After a few weeks, I found the golf courses and the driving range. It wasn’t long before I discovered the local Irish expat community where I was able to play football. I took up other hobbies and started planning trips to different countries. Now, I find it hard to find time to myself there is so much to do!

Regarding the culture it wasn’t as much of a shock to the system as I’d thought, maybe because I’d prepared well for it. I didn’t expect it to be as easy. Happily I settled in quite easily and found for me a good network of friends which definitely made it easier.

Adapting to the life style in Saudi Arabia was easier for Misha, as she has been here from a very young age. In addition to that she speaks the Arabic language. That made it easier for her to adapt to the cultural differences between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon and to settle into the country.

 

How We Pass Our Time in Saudi Arabia

The weekdays are as expected mostly filled with work, and sometimes pretty long hours. As the work day starts early, there isn’t a lot of time in the evenings to do much as it’s an early bedtime usually. However, any free time will go into working on this website or researching our travel plans. Sometimes we meet up with friends for a brief chat and just chill out.

During the weekends I get my usual golf game in early on Friday mornings. After this we get some pool time in, depending on weather conditions, or take some time to just relax and enjoy ourselves. If possible we may go to a neighboring country for the weekend, or do something that is unique to the local culture.

Sometimes there is a barbecue that a few of us will get together and have, and we will just meet up and chat and have a laugh.

We both have an interest in art, and reading, so often we will be doing something related to one of those. We both love experiencing new things and this is possibly what has led to our interest in travel.

 

What about the Danger Element?

Saudi Arabia is probably safer than a lot of countries around the world at the moment. There are numerous police in the cities, and checkpoints all over. True there are some dangerous areas that you should not travel in, but as a foreigner this is true for a lot of countries in the world. We have never felt at risk in Saudi Arabia, although the aggression shown in driving can sometimes unnerve you. But once you get used to that and learn to just ignore it then it doesn’t even bother you.

 

And the Unbearable Temperatures?

In the summer months it often reaches 50°C, and this is uncomfortable to say the least. In the capital of Riyadh it is a dry heat so it is not humid. Obviously every car and accommodation has air conditioning which works overdrive in the summer. In the winter the temperatures can drop to 0°C at night, and because of the dry climate this feels extremely cold compared to temperatures in more humid climates. The coastal areas have a more consistent 30°C-40°C as their yearly averages. But these are more humid and can be hard to bear because of this.

In the winter it rains quite often. When this happens traffic becomes dangerous and accidents occur often. The lightning storms in the winter are a beauty to behold. Beautiful blue fork lightning strikes a few seconds after you hear the deafening rolls of the thunder. It is remarkable to watch. The downside of this is the flash floods which can occur and which have been known to claim lives. The drainage systems in some cities are not designed to take the volume of water and underpasses can fill quickly.

You need to have caution during rainy season; it can be hazardous if not treated with respect.

 

The Accommodation in Saudi Arabia

A lot of Expats will be living in compounds, which are similar to gated communities. The larger ones will have National Guard security, and will have supermarkets, restaurants, and other shops inside. Visitors can be allowed in if signed in by a resident, and many people visit them on weekends. The security to get inside often involves car checks including under the hood, and security scanners. Prior permission needs to be gotten beforehand by sending in your ID in advance.

There are also apartments available for rent which are not in compounds. These are a lot cheaper than compounds and some have a swimming pool and gym. However, be aware that sometimes these may have certain times for families and others for singles. The apartments themselves can be quite nice and are a good alternative to live in if you are not able to afford a compound or if you are not provided one by your company.

 

The Work Itself

The working environment varies depending on the position and the company. As do the benefits and perks. Most companies will either supply you with accommodation and a car, or give you an allowance for these. The language usually spoken in the office is English, though naturally you will hear a lot of Arabic, Urdu, and Tagalog. The working hours are generally long, but there is never really huge pressure. Of course sometimes there is and you are expected to work the extra hours to accomplish your tasks. This is why we are here, to push through these stages of projects and to ensure they run smoothly.

The workers you will encounter apart from Saudi are mostly Filipino and sub-continental, i.e. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi. Naturally there will be a lot of Arabic speakers too, such as Egyptian, Syrian, and Lebanese. Respect is a huge part of the working life. You will sometimes have to endure the first half an hour of a meeting listening to small talk before it really kicks off. You just need to relax and wait for it to happen. 

There has been a lot of talk recently about working conditions in the Middle East, mostly in relation to sub-continentals. There are a lot of people here on what we would consider as really low wages, but in relation to what they would earn in their own countries it is still more here. Again it is all dependent on the company they work for and whether it is a large company or a private individual.

Health and Safety in the workplace is undergoing a large drive currently especially in the larger companies. It is now much more common to see workers wearing the proper attire and not taking their lives into their hands by doing something considered outrageously unsafe! You may still come across instances where someone is doing something which looks absurd but these circumstances are definitely decreasing more and more every year.

 

The People

The Saudi people enjoy sitting and talking to you. I have often been in my office and someone will come in and we start talking. It could be about anything. But one thing that people love to talk about is your impression of their country and what you have discovered there. Like any nationality, people love to know that you enjoy it in their country. They love to hear about your country too. Even if sometimes they can’t speak good English they will try their best. You will be surprised how quickly you pick up certain words and often you know what they are talking about even if you can’t understand them. The fact you don’t speak Arabic won’t deter them, and they will chat to you regardless.

A lot of them follow football and will support teams like Barcelona, Madrid, or English teams. They are proud of their national team and you will regularly come across groups of guys playing football in the streets.

If a Saudi asks you to accompany them to a restaurant, it’s an opportunity you should take. They may take you to a traditional restaurant or an international one like a Turkish or Lebanese. Expect to see a lot of food in front of you as they like you to try everything. They are a generous people and you will be treated well.

In the airport in Riyadh the immigration officials can be very jovial. One experience when I returned had the official wanting to form a rugby scrum with me as he saw my Munster rugby top! This was all while his companion was trying to talk Spanish with Misha as he was trying to practice. It didn’t matter that the she wasn’t Spanish or couldn’t speak Spanish! They are very helpful and interactive and give a great first impression for anyone on their first trip here.

 

Driving in Saudi Arabia

And here is the sticky point! Driving is erratic to say the least. You need to exercise extreme caution on the roads. If you are in the fast lane expect someone to come up behind you fast with lights flashing. If you don’t (or can’t) move out of the way, they will likely tailgate you. They come within inches of your bumper. The best solution? Stay out of the fast lane! Some people will use the traffic like a slalom course. It’s not unusual to see someone skip two lanes and then swerve back and forth between the lanes just to pass cars. Patience is definitely not exercised in driving! Queues do not work at traffic lights, and people will regularly be in the wrong lane just because it’s shorter.

Lanes are rarely used properly, and the same applies for roundabouts. At roundabouts you will sometimes see a car coming into it fast and then swinging out to perform a perfect drift around it. While this is an amazing feat to perform its not really wise!

The main thing is to be aware of your surroundings. I use my rear-view and side mirrors more than I look in front of me! You never know what is coming up behind or alongside you. It’s always safer to be aware and careful.

As of June 2018 women have been granted driving licenses. This is a huge step for the Kingdom and all eyes have been on Saudi Arabia at this time to see how this changed the driving. In reality it hasn’t changed it much. You do start to see a lot more women driving now than when it first started and people have got used to seeing them. 

 

Tourism in Saudi Arabia

At the moment there is discussions about bringing in a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia. People will wonder what tourism could exist in Saudi Arabia. Well it has the Red Sea for a start, which is an excellent diving location. It has some UNESCO World Heritage Sites, one of which is in Riyadh, in the old part of Diriyah. And it has Petra’s sister city of Madain Saleh. At present there is a shopping mall underway which will be called ‘The Mall of Saudi’, this will be similar to ‘The Mall of The Emirates’ and will also include an indoor ski slope.

Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a big tourism drive and is reviewing plans on how to increase tourism and how to allow foreigners in for tourism. While this will not happen immediately, it is a positive step for them.

 

Is it a Good Decision to Move to Saudi Arabia?

In our case, absolutely! We wouldn’t change it for the world. As mentioned already, it has given us opportunities we would never have dreamed of. It has created chances for us that we never thought we would have. It has given us a confidence and a new way of looking at everything around us. We can travel more, we can experience so much more. People say if you can live in Saudi Arabia you can live anywhere. While this may be a little dramatic, it does have a certain truth to it.

Saudi Arabia is a great country to live in, once you respect it and its people and abide by the laws. You need to respect the traditions and cultures of the country, and understand that you are the foreigner here. Saudi Arabia is a country with many unique traditions, and as foreigners we must respect these as we would in any country we go to. Once we can do this, then our time in Saudi Arabia will be one to remember always.

 

For our experience on Living A Life Abroad as an expat please see our article here.

 

Our Saudi Arabia Travel Guide

• For our Saudi Arabia Travel Guide with information for people looking to travel to Saudi Arabia please click here.

Related Articles about Saudi Arabia

• If you are looking on information about the Cultural Festival in Janadiriyah in Saudi Arabia please click here.
• To get a feeling of what its like at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival please click here.
• On Learning to Scuba Dive in Saudi Arabia please click here.
• To see how to Rent an ATV in the Red Sand Dunes please click here. 
• If you want to see the Edge of the World Riyadh please click here. 
• Looking to try some Yemeni food in Sanaani House Riyadh? Please click here.