Originally Posted by wwinit

C'mon. You will be in the Land of Allah and also it is a kind of adventure, so there is nothing to be afraid of. As a Muslim academic, you will have three missions here:

1. Pray properly five times a day plus Omrah and Hajj.
It is a kind of belief in KSA that if you pray at home or in your office, it is nothing. It might be 10% merit if you could go to a masjid/mosque nearby; 100% in a masjid during Ramadan. So, there is always a masjid every 100-200 metres away. You will be woken by a loudspeaker (azdan) around 3.30 am for the 1st sala. Go to work at 8 or 8.30 am and then 12 noon get together at the University mosque for the 2nd sala. Finish your work at 2.30 pm and go home for the 3rd sala. Take a rest and prepare for the 4th sala around 5.30-6.00 pm and the 5th sala at 7.30-8.00 pm. After that, tuk tuk (juk juk), sleep and prepare for the 1st sala on the following day. That's your life in a day. Omrah and Hajj are quite cheap and easier to manage here. You can do your Omrah every time when you are free and Hajj every five years if you wish. You will see millions of people moving from Mecca (Makkah) to Medina (Madinah) during the Hajj period.

2. Do your teaching as assigned and carry out research if time permits.
For an assistant professor, you have to teach at least 12 hours per week, incl. lectures and labs. Your academic life is basically overwhelmed by your teaching and other silly activities. Expect to work with Indian or Pakistani Muslims, Egyptians and Jordanians mainly. Therefore, you will experience poor management, politics in the Department/College mostly played by Egyptians, and poor-quality male students.

3. Wait for your monthly salary (probably every 25th of Hijri month).
You will enjoy having lots of money with some allowances at first and then every month with basic plus travel allowance. In your case, it is probably SR 15K+. You could save up nearly three times more than you do in the UK. In other words, working in this kingdom one year is equivalent to three years in Britain. You will be a millionaire soon.

Good luck with your academic pilgrimage to the holy city of Medina.

Originally Posted by MSHQ

sure. I wonder how we manage our present jobs if we have so much uncertainity in future jobs.

Originally Posted by rto

I think because of ramadan this much delay.In sha Allah everything will be ready in the coming month

Originally Posted by MSHQ

Lets see. I am not sure that they will hire us during the semester. I think we can make it in January/February 2015, provided they are still interested in hiring us.

Originally Posted by rto

Dear brother whom you are contacting to follow up for contract letter please send Priveate message.But some other thread some one posted that they also didnt get visa like PMU.Anyone pray to god to get everythng asap

Originally Posted by rto

Dear brother whom you are contacting to follow up for contract letter please send Priveate message.But some other thread some one posted that they also didnt get visa like PMU.Anyone pray to god to get everythng asap

Originally Posted by rafe

Hi all,
I am also facing the same problem.Selected as a lecturer in electronics through videoconferencing interview and the dean said that may be the joining date is augest 24th. but still no electronic VISA copy,or offer letter from IU. Every week I called the contact person suggested by the dean ,his last message is they didnt get the visa paper from the ministry of higher education.If any one have new information regarding this please share...

Originally Posted by rafe

thank you...but the problem is no exact conformation from the university department.they said you get visa when yur papers are ready..no other information.they didnt give the deans phone number,HR number....no proper email reply..

Originally Posted by rafe

Hi friend any news from Islamic university..I called them they didnt give proper answer.they said the HR personals in vacation ,they didnt give a proper clarification..now what to do?