RizW

Hi

Myself and the family are moving to KSA in October. It's a perm move (well as long as we want to do it) and are likely to go into a compound, so my wife cane make friends and our son can have some fun after school.

We kind of need some help in terms of finding the right compound near a british school, (we are moving to Riyadh), we can't find answers to some basic questions, like do they come with sky (so. Would need the Cartoon Network and we need to watch game of thrones lol), can you have friends over to stay in compounds? As we would want people to visit.

Any help appreciated

Bob

Welcome to BE and good luck!

Have you had a browse through the wiki, up top? It's more DXB themed, but has some general info and some past threads which might be a starting point

DubInRiyadh

You can get Netflix and look up OSN for Tv channel listing...

nottmbantam

Hi and welcome to the board.

The best compound for proximity to the British School is Al Hamra. It is literally on the same site, so the kids and walk directly from the compound straight into the school. The downside is that this is one of the most expensive in Riyadh, but if the company is paying, then it's just a case of availability.

Others local to BISR that are worthwhile are Al Nakheel,Arizona,Cordoba and possibly Najd. Otehr that are nearby but are declining in quality are Eid, Granada, and Fal. California is also close, but it is all apartments - no houses.

I'd also suggest that you get in touch pronto with the school and ensure your kids will have a place. Again, if the company are paying, then it's all good, as it isn't cheap.

Most compounds will have their 'in house' set of tv channels which are a collection from other providers, so this varies from compound to compound. You can subscribe to a sat tv network ( OSN ) which should give you most of what you need ( except sports ) . As mentioned, once you have the internet, you can access Netflix etc.

Once you're into a compound, you will be able to have visitors stay over. Most compounds will have visitor rules eg must be notified in advance etc, but generally, it's pretty simple.

RizW

Really appreciate all your responses. I am going out in the next few weeks to have a look at some compounds and the school. I guess my only concern is that BISR have advised that they can't offer a space at the school until I have all my paperwork, but I don't want to be left in a situation where there isn't a school place and I've accepted the post.

Has anyone had issue getting into BISR after the start of term?

nottmbantam

Not really, most British Passport holders will be able to get a place but it depends on which year your kids are going into.

Most schools, including those in the UK, will not accept any new intakes in Year 11, they have to be in the school at Year 10 at the latest. I'm guessing by your requirement for Cartoon Network that your kids are a little younger?

RizW

Hi, yes, my son is turning 6 next month. As they will follow a month or so later, I was concerned that he may not get in

RizW

Would anyone have the up to date price list for Al hamra? Also does anyone stay here and have any opinions on it? I'm pretty okay wherever we stay, but for my wife Cassandra and our son. What's the split for nationalities? Is it a good community?

nottmbantam

Last time I checked, a two bed apartment was 205,000 SR for the year. Villa will be starting at around 250k for the smaller ones, and around 300k for regular. I've not spent much time on there, but looks pretty 'Western'. There will always be a mix of nationalities, Europeans and Arab ( mainly Lebanese )

Al Hamra is one of the more expensive compounds, but then you are right next door to the school.

scot47

"Permanent move" ? No one moves permanently to KSA. Do you have an exit strategy ? How will you know when it is time to leave ? I was there for many years but never really sat down and worked out a strategy !

RizW

Hi, when I say permanent I just mean it's not a contracted post. We will still have our home in the UK, as the family will come back during summer holidays etc. So we will be out there as long as we want to be...and will be able to come back.

sirajudeen

Hi,
I am attending an interview on 18th May 2016 with Al wefag food company in india for research executive position in R&D in jeddah. I have a 4 year experience with unilever research & development. I am a chemical engineer by discipline and i work in product development research. I want to go to saudi arabia for work. But i don't know expenses there and i have a family here. I don't have any siblings. My father and mother is too old. I want to take them with me where i live and work, so that i can take care of them. Otherwise, they don't have anyone to care for their elderly life. Is it possible to take my wife and my parent's with me. How should i negotiate with an employer for the same? Right now with my experience i get a 4000 sar per month in bangalore in india. How much should i expect for my position with an experience i have and considering the cost of living in saudi arabia is almost 100% higher than india can i expect the range 15000 sar to 20000 sar? kindly guide me in this. I want to go but lot of other things also stopping like my family, i don't know what to do. Need your help & EXPECTING YOUR REPLY.
Thanks,
Siraj

nottmbantam

HI Siraj,

Welcome.

The question would probably have been better posed in a new topic.

- I have no idea what R&D pays. I have recruited an Oracle specialist from Bangalore and have tripled his income from what he was getting in India. I don't know if this is a realistic expectation so please do not use this as a yardstick.

- Depending on the type of visa you are being recruited on, this will dictate if you can bring your wife over here to live with you. If you go for a 'professional' type of visa, then the answer is yes. However, please be aware that the visa regulations have now changed in India, and processing this type of visa can easily take 3-4 months. The guy I recruited was back in October, and he still hasn't arrived, so be prepared for a long wait.

- You should be able to bring your parents over on your sponsorship. Depending on your Company's goodwill, they could pay for this, but I suspect the cost will fall on you. This is around 2,000 SR per person.

- Cost of living all depends on how you live your life really, it can fairly cheap, but that is compared to the UK. Compared to India, it will be higher.

- Accommodation will probably be your biggest cost. Last time I checked, Jeddah was a little cheaper than Riyadh, but you could well be looking at anything from 25,000 SR to 60,000 SR per year for an apartment. All depends on where and how you live your life.

- In KSA, your monthly income will be made up of three elements 1 - Basic Salary, 2 - Housing Allowance ( generally 25% of Basic ) and then 3 - Transport ( generally 10% of Basic ).

- If your parents do make it out, the company will probably provide them Medical Insurance - but double check this at Interview. Otherwise, you will have to pay for this. Insurance isn't cheap, and neither is Medical Care when you need it. Generally speaking, companies offer what is known as 'Family Status' for senior or professional roles, but this typically means wife and up to two / three kids. Not usually parents so this may well be at your own cost.

Good Luck.