johnyzee

Hi guys,

Is there anyone out there who has experience doing freelance/contract IT consulting in Saudi Arabia?

I am currently an independent consultant in Copenhagen, but with a serious mind to go to KSA as long as I can find professional opportunities. I have gone through loads of recruiter and jobs sites, but they seem generally geared towards permanent positions, whereas I am looking primarily for freelance/contracting work.

Do you know any particular agencies that are good for this kind of placement? Or do you happen to know anyone personally I could send my CV out to? I do enterprise software consulting with expert skills in J2EE and the IBM Websphere product line. Looking for team lead/architect type positions

I have a pretty good idea about the Saudi Arabia environment by now so you don't have to explain why I'd be daft to consider it etc. (just the facts Ma'am).

Extremely grateful for any pointers on this.

still.unsure

hi johnyzee,

not sure what luck you'll have in regards to getting contract work particularly at that level. my experience is limited but i'll share what i know... at the company i work for, whenever they're looking for a contract IT role, it generally goes out to a couple of preferred suppliers, not the open market through agents (like the UK). those preferred suppliers mostly use workers from the middle-east (jordanians, lebanese, egyptians, etc.) and have (to my knowledge) no "westerners" on the books. that said, it's not to say it doesn't happen, but neither i nor my co-workers (who've got a lot more runs on the board than i), know of "western" it contractors who are working through an agency. most of them are working through a consultancy like SBM (Saudi IBM) or such.

what's your reluctance about taking a permanent role in the mid-east?

NorthernLad

I don't know of any IT contractors in KSA, my company works with pretty much all of the major customers there.
Try companies like STC, Mobily, SAMA, Aramco etc... You will probably find that if your skill set is of a high enough level a permanent package will be just as attractive as a contractors package elsewhere in the world.

johnyzee

Thanks for the input. I tend towards contracting only because that is how I work now, and the salary is better, at least here in Europe. That said, as NorthernLad hinted at, it may well be possible to find a permanent position in KSA that yields a similar pay when all is said and done about taxes etc.

I understand from your replies that the freelancing markets does not work quite the same as here in Europe, it sort of makes sense with what I have seen that Saudi companies would prefer to partner with some big corporate entity for their employment needs.