bluelotus

Hi all my fellow sisters out there,

Im a British EFL teacher and considering working in Saudi. I want to know what its been like for you as a female living and working in the Kingdom?

-work (do you enjoy your job? do you like the work environment?, any barriers to employment?)
- travel (how do you move around? can you travel on your own?)
- housing (who do you live with?)
- schooling for children?
- customs (what to wear and what not to wear?)
- leisure (what do you do when your not working? How do you relax after a long day?!)
- what things you would recommend taking there that us females of the species can't live without!


I would really like to hear from both women in Jeddah and Riyadh. Thanks!

screeeeeem

im not a female but i could help you in the above questions as im living in saudi since 2008


1) this depends from one person to another but in brief if you are good paid you will forget all the stress around you

2) you cant travel by your own , you need a driver or your bro/husband/
this in arab culture is called mohram ( a relative for you but not a bf ! ), of course if you are with your BF the police wont be restricted on you as when they notice you are a UK person they got afraid that you will complain to human rights

3) some lives by their own and some with friends ., others with family , it all depends on you

4) private schools are the best for your children , as public schools in saudi are unhealthy , that is based on the views of my friends who were living before here

5) ALL GIRLS is a MUST to wear something called abaya , its a black long dress to cover all your parts ofcourse under abaya you can wear anything , for your head you can wear a scarf or not , that depends on you and on the location you are in , some locations are forbidden to have your hair exposed even

6) AC as its damn hot hehe , most of your time will be shopping , there must be some social activities done by the embassy but till now didnt find compared to kuwait or UAE

7) cant help LOL will ask one of the female friends i know to help you in that


hope the above is a good start for you

Dilmun

Hope my answers give you an idea.

kellieb

Hi there

I am a women working in Riyadh at a hospital here.

1)I love my job but I know there are many who do not - as we spend most of our time here working its important to be happy in your job.

2) As a female you can travel alone - around the city you get a taxi (our hospital provide a limo service) but I often catch taxis off the street and on my own (but not at night alone) I travel everywhere on my own - you do not need husband/brother to travel with you. All of my colleagues travel alone or with other females.

3+4) Housing for nurses is provided by the hospital and we have to share with one other - not sure about teachers. Schooling cannot comment on.

5) Customs I always wear my abaya - you sort of blend in if u do. On arrival if u do not have one make sure your legs and arms/chest are covered and you will be just fine.

6) Relaxing is either poolside or shopping for me and most of my colleagues. Not really alot else to do here.

7) You can get most things here - there is nothing that I have really wished that I had bought with me.

Hope this helps you.

bluelotus

Thanks Dilmun, Kellieb and Screeeeeem your insights have given me a good idea of what to expect!

Screeeeeem.. your post is very helpful indeed even if your not a female.. and well your my first reply too!! so im really thankful for that!

.. what i mean by female things are like sanitary towels, wax strips and tampons etc. As I don't know the arabic for them, just incase i end up in some shop where they dnt have any out on display! i may have to ask for them. i don't want to get lost in translation ukno!


is it just a black abaya you have to wear out and about? can't you wear different colours, black absorbs heat! and its really hot out there. Have you seen any women out there who wear different colour abayas?.. like every colour of the rainbow! i heard the colour red in public is a no no! oh do i buy one before i go over or I can wear a tunic top for my journey there as i dnt have an abaya? does it get chilly at night? should i bring at least one cardigan! lol

I wouldnt mind travelling alone as long as i know its safe to get in a taxi, Kellieb it seems like its pretty safe, I don't think il be moving around at night. Im hoping to go over with a friend who will be teaching too so at least we have eachother! You sound like your experience there is going well. Im both apprehensive and excited at the same time!

kellieb

Hi there

Have not seen any coloured abayas - but they are very decorative now with sparkles and colours on them - I have four lol.... Dom't worry about them being black and it being hot over here - just wear bare minimum underneath and u will be fine.

You and your friend will be just fine travelling together and I have never felt unsafe travelling alone. You do not need permission etc like some may tell u. Just visas to exit Saudi which I am sure your company will arrange.

As for those female things - they can be found here and they are openly on the shelves so no problem.

I would not worry about getting an abaya before u get here as many come thru customs without one - but you will need to borrow one when u get here to go and out and buy one as you cannot go out without one on.

Saudi is what u make of it as is any place - its comes with many challenges and frustrations (as does many places) but they are just ++++ here. The first three months can be really hard but it does get better and if u are coming with a friend that will help a great deal. This is my second time here so its not all that bad.

lionheart

My wife had trouble finding good quality tampons when we lived there. Also, vibrators and other sex toys are not readily available.

mission

you got to be frigging crazy to work in saudi as a single female.

screeeeeem

sorry for late
well experience comes from my Arabian roots hehe , i have to disagree though with kellieb ( did i write ur name right lol )

im now in riyadh for a buissness trip and found some interesting stories ! some taxi drivers just kidnapped some girls lately !


again you can ride a taxi by urself for sure but i didnt mention that coz its just not safe ( not 100%) if i was you and my salary is a kind good i can rent a car with a driver ( try to make this as a 1st project for u ) , you buy a car and rent a driver for that ( some ppl around u will tell u abt his location ) and from there u have ur own CAR ! just call tht driver and hit the roads although there isnt that much to hit in madineh , u are lucky coz the famous mousqe is beside u ( alnabawe mousqe ) give me some of ur doaa hehe

about abaya colors , only black and there is a reason for that , try to wear another color and ull see lol , i prefer on u to just stick with black and hide ur body parts coz saudi ppl are famous in gazing even on black SACKS !


now related to women stuff , i just asked my friendh and she said you can buy whatever you want from a shop called faces , when you reach madineh ill give you some hotspot locations to start enjoying ur time there

finally climate is bad most of the year here , without AC ur a dead fish


if you need anything else just tell me