subwoofer

Hi, just applied for a job with BAE in Saudi. Any news on what they are like to work for, T& C's etc?

shakh your bootie

Hi - don't know anything about the Saudi Ts&Cs (I guess it's the Al-Yamamah project you're on??) - but I have dealt with BAE Systems a lot in the UK. They're a good employer - great employee care, professional development etc. The money in the UK is middling, but I have met ex-RAF people who've worked on Al-Yamamah with really good rates... Just mind you don't get institutionalised - BAE can be a job for life...

subwoofer

Thanks very much, figures crossed huh? By the way, will I be able to take the missus and child?

Bob

It's in KSA though, and that's a big kicker for sanity/survivals sake...

benzonar

Potentially.

However there are looooong waiting lists for Married Status accommodation.

Depends where you will be based, if Riyadh then not likely. Elsewhere you may have a better chance.

BAE Systems provides their own compounds which have good facilities and are secure.

PM me if you want more info.

jvr20

they're fantastic at paying large bribes to Saudi princes with my taxes!

Amazing Grace

My husband and I worked in a hospital in KSA in a place called Khamis Mushayt which was high up in the mountains. The airport is called Abha. There was a large contingency of BAe guys also working in the same area, not sure how large it is today as this was back in 1996. The rugby club there was excellent and a sanity saver at the weekends. The compound for them is very nice and has both single and married accommodation. We knew families there but it is a very hard life for a woman generally not being able to drive although buses are laid on to go into town for what it is. A lot of research to do I think. One of the things i do remember is that a lot of our friends would go out of country about every three months to somewhere like Cyprus for a holiday and some normality. Moneywise it can be very fruitful so pros and cons. We also knew quite a few alcoholics (not all BAe I must add) so depends what you really want to do. Good luck!!

benzonar

Hoochie Mama

Subwoofer...

Where in Saudi do you expect to be based? What is your job?

Some jobs get preferential treatment over others for family visas. We were in Dhahran for 2 years and then Tabuk for 4 years. I am married to a pilot and I had to wait 6 months for a visa. I thought that was a long time.....until I arrived in KSA and got daggers from the other wives who hated me because I was:
a) married to a pilot
b) walked in after 6 months.
Turns out some of the women had waited for up to 3 years for their visas.
All in all, our experience was fantastic with BAE. However, I hated the pilot vs ground crew politics.
I loved living in KSA - BAE provides a social framework both for men and for families in that you will never feel lonely or isolated....everyone looks after each other on arrival and I can assure you that there is no end of parties and socialising. There might legally be no alcohol in KSA but it is plentiful and the parties are the most extravagant that I have ever been to.
We left because our shit bucket was full and we were sick of it. But, it made us a shedload of money and it was well worth the friendships and financial freedom that we gained in our time there. I'd say....go for it!

subwoofer

Hi Hoochie,
Thanks for that, I didnt realise that it took so long to get visa's for the missus! LOL I understand all about groundcrew versus aircrew, I'm groundcrew, although it must be said that 7 out of 10 front end crew that I know are fine and realise that they couldnt do their thing if we werent doing ours. Anyway, I have no idea if I even have a job yet, I have applied for a calibration job on a 2 year contract and my papers are in Saudi now by all accounts waiting to be looked at. I started the thread to see what all the fuss was about. Thank you for your advice!

Grumman

Obviously my opinions/experience may differ from others, but here we go.
I went to khamis in 92 (after 2 years of Avionics training, one year was wasted).
On arrival I then found myself a the wrong end of a huge waiting list to get my family out (BAE were VERY ambiguous on the wait time prior to me getting out there, and once you are there.. what are you going to do about it?).
Obviously things may have changed (no internet in those days), but keeping in touch with my family, even for a short time per week cost a pretty penny. If you are a single guy, you get 3 breaks a year (usualy somewhere good Austalia or whatever), but as a married man with kids, all you want to do with those 3 breaks is get back to the UK and see them, this usualy means spending lots of the money you thought you were saving, trying to make up for the time you have missed them. My wife came for a visit after I had been out there for 2 years, and decided NO WAY AM I LIVING HERE. She doesn't drive in the UK, so it wan't the lack of freedom, having to wear an abaya (binned at Charles-de-Gaul on the way home), it was more to do with the shear monotony of doing nothing once laying by the compound pool excitement doing nothing wore off. About this time BAE changed the rules so they would only support 2 children through school, once you eventualy got them out there (I have 3). You may find that drinking homemade beer (barbican + yeast +sugar) or wine ( is it?) does not suit you. There are ways of getting real alcohol (if you are prepared to pay or are in the right clic). This was not a concern of mine, as I don't drink, maybe thats the problem, I couldn't look at may time there through (homemade)beer goggles?
There may be people who enjoy it there, though I am sure there are plenty more who just say they do because they have no other options. My 3 years in Saudi taught me one very important lesson, money is NOT everything. I came back to the UK after being with BAE for 5 long years with no job (good luck finding a job in the UK whilst living in Saudi, another point not realy stressed at your induction), a few (less than 5) thousand pounds in the bank and living in a council house. I now have 3 houses, (I rent 2 out) and none of it is thanks to BAE. No they are not a good company to work for, once you're there you're stuck.. Get a job in the UK (or any free country) and don't get trapped in Saudi. These are my experiences, you may disagree 100% with them, but obviously I may not agree with you either.

The Dean

Blimey Grace - small world. I remember the KM rugby guys from the Sevens one year - forgotten all their names but I'm sure you'd know them. One or two Southern Hemisphere boys amongst them I recall. They sang that song about stealing from kids and all that........

The Dean

Er....... Grumman - otherwise OK???????

Grumman

Lol..

OK, I don't work for BAE/Saudi Pr dept, can you tell.

Like anything else, until you experience it for yourself, don't just take the positive advice about the 'Saudi experience'.

Amazing Grace

When were you there, yes a few of our good friends were from Oz etc but they were never called by their christian names. I worked in the military hospital where my husband was the hospital engineer from 1995 to 2000. Waddo and Ziggy are two of the guys and I remember we went to Bahrain for a rugby weekend and Waddo walked on to the pitch with a pint of Bunderburg rum and coke as it was his 40th birthday and kissed the pitch as it was grass. Our team played on sand and gravel but happy times. We had fun in our time in KSA but it isnt for everyone and not a place for a woman really but I had a job which helped so much.