wigankebab

Hi all,

My partner has been offered a job with BAE in Dharan. The plan is for him to go alone and then perhaps dependant on how it goes, I'll join him later. I already know we have to be married, so we'll take care of that when he comes home on leave.

I have children from a previous marriage, is that likely to be a problem? The fact they'll have different names?

And generally what is life like for a wife? I work atm, are there any job opportunties within the compound? Will I be bored witless?

TIA!

nottmbantam

Hi and Welcome.

With regard step children, there is a slightly longer process to go through in order to get them residency within KSA. Once you're ready and nearer the time, I'll go through it with you in more detail if you want to ( I've been through the same process ) are there are a few more additional steps required e.g Letter from father giving consent, attested by a Notary Public, legalised by FCO, stamped by Saudi Embassy ( in that order ) .

It can be a great lifestyle for younger children. Older kids i.e teenagers will struggle a bit. There are a couple of British Schools there in Dhahran - but you might want to start investigating that now to ascertain availability of places etc.

I guess as he's working for BAE,you will be living on Sara Compound? Not been to it, but I know Salwa here in Riyadh, which is I believe the model on which Sara was built.

As for you - if the kids are at a school, it can be a boring lifestyle bound to a compound all day long regardless of how swanky the facilities are. There are jobs around, but they will be relatively low paid and with not many benefits and tend to be focused around health care and education.

Dhahran as you know, is on the coast, so there may be more activities for the family at the weekend, tends to be a nicer place than dry and dusty Riyadh. Plus, you're also just over a short crossing into Bahrain, where there is more going on.

And yes, you will have to be married. Good luck, hope all goes well. Be prepared for the humidity in Dhahran.

wigankebab

Thank you, that is most useful. We have 2 younger kids and the oldest is 12 just now, so likely to be 13/14 before we get there. Mmmm he may hate it. Plus I've read that the schools only educate to GCSE level and if he wants (he will) to do A levels he'd have to come back to the UK.

I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess there might be sewing clubs, singing groups etc for bored wives? I could probably fill my day somehow lol. My eldest son I think is my main concern at this point but at least we still have some time to consider it. It's a 2 year rolling contract he's been offered, he may want to come home after the 2 years so there would be no point uprooting us anyway, although knowing him........

So long as we're married before we come, would holiday visits require the same 'checks' and permission from the father?

Hmmmm the weather also worries me, myself and my oldest have that porcelain complexion, burns then goes white again, the younger ones cope a bit better, I must admit I'm not a fan of heat.......oh dear.....

Charl01

If you are not a fan of heat you might struggle a bit.....the humidity is the real killer. At least you will have AC's whenever you are indoors or in the car, but during the summer months beach trips can be very exhausting with the heat.

Take a chance despite what others say, Saudi isn't that bad

sicklyman

look into rules for qualifying as UK-resident uni students if your children intend to go to uni there. I think they changed them recently so that unless you return within a certain number of years prior to uni, you're regarded as an international student and will pay fees accordingly.

beach trips in the summer months? er no... in Khobar that would be misery for most weekends between mid June-mid Sep ish due to the humidity. Don't worry too much about the sun as you won't be out in it as much as you expect.

Sara compound ain't that big so those groups you're imagining will consist of the same people you see in the coffee shop, pool, bowling alley, supermarket and bar (lots of them).

You're a bit isolated from town too. A good 20 mins taxi ride to get you Khobar.

nottmbantam

There are slightly different processes for a Residency / Visit Visa.

Once you obtain residency, if you really want to, all family members will be issued with a Residency Permit - Iqama. This is where you will need to fulfill the 'longer process' I referred to earlier. Once you have this in place, it kind of makes it easier to enter / exit each time. You may know that KSA strictly controls all people coming in and out of the country, so you must have a visa to exit and then to re-enter. As long as you have the visa, you can come and go. Most visa's issued are 'single use' but you can get 'multiple' use visas valid for 6 months at a time, to be used as many times as required during the 6 month period.

If you just want to get a Visit Visas - that's an option and simpler - but you may face an issue with the step children again. All visit visas are single use and of varying duration 30/60/90 days.

The heat / humidity can be difficult in the height of summer. There is a reprieve for around two months during the winter, where it's quite pleasant!

The Brit School here in Riyadh does cater for A Levels,although in small numbers and therefore limited subject areas. My step daughter did her GCSE's here and then returned to Boarding School in UK for her A Levels. If you're still there at the time, BAE used to pay a limited allowance for Boarding Schools.

wigankebab

Thanks for al the info, it's much appreciated. I know the primary school in sara village is paid for by BAE, do you know if they also pay for the high school?

The other thing is holidays. My partner;s not quite sure yet but he thinks he'll come to the UK for a few weeks at a time, weeks that co-incide with saudi religigious festivals. He reckons, though, he'll be there and working at Christmas.

We're thinking initially (this year to begin with), I'll go to Bahrain with the children and he'll meet us there for the weekend, it would mean us being on our own for a few days but at least getting a couple of weekends with him if you see what I mean? If we're there for like 10 days or so.

I really think he wants to do at least 4 years, he would need to to make it financially worthwhile and I really can't bear the thought of being apart that long. So looks like we may start making Saudi plans for all of us

sicklyman

there are only two Saudi religious holidays: Eid al Adha and Eid al Fitr. They are about 4 days long each. He can, obviously, come to Bahrain any weekend (once he gets his multi-entry sorted out) and see you there.

I would imagine that he'll have more leave than just those Saudi holidays and could travel to the UK during those times. But to be away from partner and children for 4 years will take a toll on your relationships no matter how hard you try (I know this firsthand).

nottmbantam

If the family is there and residing full time, BAE will grant what is known as 'Family Status'. Once this is in place, BAE will pay for all schooling up to the child reaching 18 yrs of age. This also includes boarding schools ( capped amount) but the spouse still has to remain in KSA in order to keep the 'family status' active.

If he is living on his own, he will be issued 'Bachelor Status'. This actually increases the number of air tickets he gets each year.