LostInBahrain

Ok not to throw a spanner in the works but I was around your age when I lived in Riyadh and I also happened to work in <<snip>> so I feel best qualified to give you an answer. Firstly that salary is nowhere near high enough, don't kid yourself Riyadh is a complete and utter hellhole, nothing will prepare you for the sheer boredom you will encounter there. Saudi is no real place for a young guy looking to have a bit of fun, it is for couples and families looking to put some serious wedge in the bank and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise. I went over with a similar mentality of 'it can't be that bad' but Jesus H Christ it was, I lasted a year, how I did it is beyond me but it involved going to Bahrain every weekend. Oh and working with <<snip>> , the politics, stress and hassle that those guys cause is unrivalled and I have worked for telecoms all over the world. My advice is not to take the job, maybe if they were offering £50K a year plus the per dium but it is not a place for a young guy, you will waste 2 years of your twenties which is worth its weight in gold.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, just my opinion, plenty of telco jobs around the world so you should find something else relatively quickly...

miuser2

Good points LIB, Riyadh is the most boring of cities, there's no getting away from just how dull it really is. <<snip>> is a huge organisation so you may get lucky and not end up working for/with assh*les but there are an awful lot of them around so the chances are high..

Overall, I'd still advise you to take the job, stick with it for a year and change then if you hate it, the experience will be useful (if nothing else, you are unlikely to ever have to work in a more dysfunctional organisation so everything else will be easy by comparison!)

LostInBahrain

Well I suppose if you can live without a proper social life, girls and enjoy being surrounded by miserable expats and awful Saudis then it is a walk in the park, I especially enjoyed being hit on by sexually frustrated local men, that was a hoot

Nic1

I know quite a few single people here, male and female, and they seem to party quite a lot. The guys behind us party at least three times a week, usually lots of people there having a good time. It's not the best place in the world admittedly, but there are a lot of single women here who work at the hospitals and schools, so you won't go without I'm sure .

When you get here get your name on the embassy lists - you should be able to go to at least one embassy do a week outside of the summer months when everything goes very quiet. Join one of the hashes too as lots of people go to those, families as well as singles. There is also a 4x4 club so you can do dune bashing at the weekends. It's really a case of meeting the right people so you get invited to all the parties. There are also out in the desert raves alledgedly . . . Not sure how you get invited to those.

Having said that if you are into nightclubs, cinemas etc. this isn't the place to be! Make sure the money is right and that you will leave with a big wodge of dosh in the bank - just don't get too big a package or you'll never want to leave

Must be having a good day to say nice things about this place!!

N

Duracell_Bunny

I was actually working on the Web and customer service portal development side for end users like you and me who have mobiles. Mix or software devlopment and hardware (servers etc...)

But it was not a pure telco role, i.e. antennas, routers etc...

What exactly was your job at BT, I think you have done quite well to get this job with you age. However as others point out, life is very boring in Saudi as a single guy. Lets face it, a flight to Bahrain every week is hardly a feasible solution. (Prices are min £300 approx, and thats if you book early).

But if you are here for the money and can sacrifice a few years, then go for it.

AusTel

So how much IS a good salary for a Senior Engineer - IP, Broadband Access etc. - from a western country? Is a $150K USD a dream?

Are the benefits and work/life balance any good? Someone mentioned that they have been put on Eid Villa. That's got to be a good thing right?

still.unsure

i'm not too familiar with the sector, but to come and work in Saudi in any generally IT-related field, having to manage a team and deal with the beaucracy, management, office politics and Riyadh, i'd certainly wouldn't want anything less.

as for the compound, the people make it more than the place. you can be in the swishest compound you like but if you don't know anyone, can't crack the social circles, etc. it's pure bloody boredom.

scoot

Thanks for the advice, always good to get an opinion/experience form someone who has been there and done it!

scoot

For BT, i maintain the exchanges. Working on voice and data switches, broadband, sdh etc. Came in as a apprentice and have now been here 5 years. It is not a bad job but i feel if i am going to take an opportunity like this, now is definitely the time to do it.

Someone mentioned on the thread about embassy parties, sorry to sound dim but what is the deal with them?

still.unsure

embassy = sovereign territory = real booze (not home brew). usually each embassy has a 'social committee' and organizes a bash at least once a month with a bar. only been to a couple and their pretty good nights, but the after parties are better!

scoot

I see, sounds promising.

I have decided to take the job, just sent off all the required info for my visa, slightly nervous but i'll be fine i am sure

coffindodger

How do you get onto the Embassy social lists ???
I have been in Riyadh now for 3 months registered on line via he FCO Website etc etc , even spoke to some one in the Britsh Embassy and still no joy ??
is this like the Feeemasons hush hush ???

Spurss

hy Scoot

hope it'll help

- http://www.ada.gov.sa/eng/index.aspx/?1=1&menuId=4058

- http://travel.yahoo.com/p-map-488146-map_of_riyadh-i

scoot

Thanks! Fly out on the 28th of May

typical

Drive. Or (shock horror) get the train and a taxi