NEOM Community Thread - for all questions about living at NEOM
#3016
Forum Regular



Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 196
From: NEOM











Hi.
For example, cleaning will be done once a week for free but any extra to be paid.That is true. One free cleaning a week.
Similar for food, for which some contribution will be expected form staff. This isn't true. There are some changes coming along to the dining setup, but this more to reduce food waste than as a transition to having employees pay for food.
Cheers.
For example, cleaning will be done once a week for free but any extra to be paid.That is true. One free cleaning a week.
Similar for food, for which some contribution will be expected form staff. This isn't true. There are some changes coming along to the dining setup, but this more to reduce food waste than as a transition to having employees pay for food.
Cheers.
#3017
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 1

Hello All!
Great forum - very glad my wife and I found it as we have been in touch in regards to Neom since End of December 2021 and as many of you already mentioned, things are a little bit slow. but hey, its sort of a start-up and things surely will improve. i consider the employees who are there and are currently being hired are the pioneers :-)
apparently neom needs to hire another 1500 employees in 2022 thats potentially 125 people per month to interview, onboard, process, reply etc. and sometimes even multiple people as some may not be fit for the application.
Anyways, i am just gonna tell me story from the beginning and i hope theres some info for everyone.
Upfront note, I am from Austria, been in UAE for 16 years, and that we are a family of 4 - 2 kids (18 months girl and 6 years boy).
I was approached in mid december by a recruiter based in dubai and i seemed to be a good fit for the position (its within the project development) and had my interview 10 days later (which was impressive considering people were in their christmas holidays). my interview was with my future line manager and a special consultant (hr could not attend).
(BTW, the recruiter in dubai who approached me was perfect!! i am still in touch with him and hes so helpful.)
5 days after that, still impressed as its the festive season, i got the thumbs up from my dubai recruiter, with the info that this means neom will issue their offer letter probably the week after new years.
impressively, this was spot on, although i just received the link to submit the documents like medical questionnaire and other simple things. unfortunately, a key person then was on covid leave but at his return i instantly received my offer letter in the first week of February 2022. unfortunately, there was a mistake and i could not sign it. i told my neom recruiter and they adjusted it within 10 days. so i then officially signed my offer letter in the 3rd week of February and was contacted by the onboarding team 5 days after that followed with an onboarding teams call (there was 4 of us on the call) with more info and Q&A.
then it took about 10 days for Hire Right (a third party hired by neom to take care of this professionally) to reach out to you to upload all your documents required for the back ground check. its basically refrence letters, or previous contracts so they can verify you actually worked at mentioned firms as per your CV. pretty simple and when you did nothing wrong, its all easy and good. they seem to be pretty quick too as my previous employer already told me that they reach out to him (36hrs after i did the online application). FYI, they request you to hide any kind of information on previous salaries, bonuses etc. they just need prove that you did work there.
now, it all seems to be pretty smooth and rather quick, as i think i am 75% through the onboarding and expect that i can start my visa process end next week. NOTE: i did not resign yet. i will only do that once EVERYTHING including visa is done as you never know what can happen, but back to the smooth operation - well yes, i seems like but NO it isnt really. as mentioned before, they have a lot going on and are "slow" or "delayed" with responses. its in my nature to follow up and babysit [projects] - in this case to get my employment sorted as quick as possible, so i called, emailed, whats app etc as much as i could - considering not to be on anyone's nerves. this really helps - obviously.
So now to accommodation and kids in neom (schooling)
as i understood you arrive to NC2 and need to travel 35-45 mins each way. majority of the offices are in NC1. Oxagon is different and whoever is jooing the oxagon family is going to be in "NIC". NC2 only has studios ( 1 bed available). if you have a family you will be on a waiting list and hope to get your 2 bedroom cabin in NC1 as soon as possible. families have priority over a couple or singles.
school is about to open the enrollment and their expansion is approved. they have school up to grade 8 and early learning/day care for toddlers. tons of activities happen after school and i am sure the kids are very busy there (referring to NC1). the communites can be seen on google and it looks pretty nice.
if all things work out i am excited about the nature as it is all virgin land, and go down to aqaba which is 2hrs15min driving distance.
flights from neom bay are for employees and their relatives only ( i reckon also for suppliers and contractors) and can be booked via Kanoo website. there are flights to riyadh and jeddah on thrusday late afternoon and back to neom on saturdays evening. i also heard flydubai will soon fly direct to dubai ( i reckon this will be their first international route).
i understood the relocation allowance of 75kSAR is reimbursed and not paid in full. however it is paid with your first salary in neom.
as many also wonder about the salary - so my salary was topped up 30% from my current salary in dubai + all the allowances which are 22 days remote working days, 30 days annual leave, 2 domestic flights per month, bonus scheme, flight to home destination 1 per annum, insurance and visa for family...
so yea, thats my insight. biggest worry is the school and accommodation right now, but hoping this will work out. i have put my application online - thanks to Elena who is in charge of Neoms community school. shes been great so far. they teach in IB btw.
okedoke, hope this could clarify a few things for a few people. happy to share more down the line and lookign forward to ready more info soon.
Best regards and take it easy!
Great forum - very glad my wife and I found it as we have been in touch in regards to Neom since End of December 2021 and as many of you already mentioned, things are a little bit slow. but hey, its sort of a start-up and things surely will improve. i consider the employees who are there and are currently being hired are the pioneers :-)
apparently neom needs to hire another 1500 employees in 2022 thats potentially 125 people per month to interview, onboard, process, reply etc. and sometimes even multiple people as some may not be fit for the application.
Anyways, i am just gonna tell me story from the beginning and i hope theres some info for everyone.
Upfront note, I am from Austria, been in UAE for 16 years, and that we are a family of 4 - 2 kids (18 months girl and 6 years boy).
I was approached in mid december by a recruiter based in dubai and i seemed to be a good fit for the position (its within the project development) and had my interview 10 days later (which was impressive considering people were in their christmas holidays). my interview was with my future line manager and a special consultant (hr could not attend).
(BTW, the recruiter in dubai who approached me was perfect!! i am still in touch with him and hes so helpful.)
5 days after that, still impressed as its the festive season, i got the thumbs up from my dubai recruiter, with the info that this means neom will issue their offer letter probably the week after new years.
impressively, this was spot on, although i just received the link to submit the documents like medical questionnaire and other simple things. unfortunately, a key person then was on covid leave but at his return i instantly received my offer letter in the first week of February 2022. unfortunately, there was a mistake and i could not sign it. i told my neom recruiter and they adjusted it within 10 days. so i then officially signed my offer letter in the 3rd week of February and was contacted by the onboarding team 5 days after that followed with an onboarding teams call (there was 4 of us on the call) with more info and Q&A.
then it took about 10 days for Hire Right (a third party hired by neom to take care of this professionally) to reach out to you to upload all your documents required for the back ground check. its basically refrence letters, or previous contracts so they can verify you actually worked at mentioned firms as per your CV. pretty simple and when you did nothing wrong, its all easy and good. they seem to be pretty quick too as my previous employer already told me that they reach out to him (36hrs after i did the online application). FYI, they request you to hide any kind of information on previous salaries, bonuses etc. they just need prove that you did work there.
now, it all seems to be pretty smooth and rather quick, as i think i am 75% through the onboarding and expect that i can start my visa process end next week. NOTE: i did not resign yet. i will only do that once EVERYTHING including visa is done as you never know what can happen, but back to the smooth operation - well yes, i seems like but NO it isnt really. as mentioned before, they have a lot going on and are "slow" or "delayed" with responses. its in my nature to follow up and babysit [projects] - in this case to get my employment sorted as quick as possible, so i called, emailed, whats app etc as much as i could - considering not to be on anyone's nerves. this really helps - obviously.
So now to accommodation and kids in neom (schooling)
as i understood you arrive to NC2 and need to travel 35-45 mins each way. majority of the offices are in NC1. Oxagon is different and whoever is jooing the oxagon family is going to be in "NIC". NC2 only has studios ( 1 bed available). if you have a family you will be on a waiting list and hope to get your 2 bedroom cabin in NC1 as soon as possible. families have priority over a couple or singles.
school is about to open the enrollment and their expansion is approved. they have school up to grade 8 and early learning/day care for toddlers. tons of activities happen after school and i am sure the kids are very busy there (referring to NC1). the communites can be seen on google and it looks pretty nice.
if all things work out i am excited about the nature as it is all virgin land, and go down to aqaba which is 2hrs15min driving distance.
flights from neom bay are for employees and their relatives only ( i reckon also for suppliers and contractors) and can be booked via Kanoo website. there are flights to riyadh and jeddah on thrusday late afternoon and back to neom on saturdays evening. i also heard flydubai will soon fly direct to dubai ( i reckon this will be their first international route).
i understood the relocation allowance of 75kSAR is reimbursed and not paid in full. however it is paid with your first salary in neom.
as many also wonder about the salary - so my salary was topped up 30% from my current salary in dubai + all the allowances which are 22 days remote working days, 30 days annual leave, 2 domestic flights per month, bonus scheme, flight to home destination 1 per annum, insurance and visa for family...
so yea, thats my insight. biggest worry is the school and accommodation right now, but hoping this will work out. i have put my application online - thanks to Elena who is in charge of Neoms community school. shes been great so far. they teach in IB btw.
okedoke, hope this could clarify a few things for a few people. happy to share more down the line and lookign forward to ready more info soon.
Best regards and take it easy!
#3018
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 16

Fellow Aussie here and a few months ahead of you in the process, but not on the ground yet. I believe that the formal offer is only finalized once the background screening comes back. I was asked to provide documents and the third party screening as a part of offer preparation - the formal offer followed shortly after.
From my understanding of the benefits as described, family should be eligible for one trip to KSA per year if they are not resident. Though given the pace that things move on the offer and visa side, December seems optimistic.
From my understanding of the benefits as described, family should be eligible for one trip to KSA per year if they are not resident. Though given the pace that things move on the offer and visa side, December seems optimistic.
#3019
Just Joined
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 14











#3020
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 4

Fellow Aussie here and a few months ahead of you in the process, but not on the ground yet. I believe that the formal offer is only finalized once the background screening comes back. I was asked to provide documents and the third party screening as a part of offer preparation - the formal offer followed shortly after.
From my understanding of the benefits as described, family should be eligible for one trip to KSA per year if they are not resident. Though given the pace that things move on the offer and visa side, December seems optimistic.
From my understanding of the benefits as described, family should be eligible for one trip to KSA per year if they are not resident. Though given the pace that things move on the offer and visa side, December seems optimistic.
#3021
Just Joined
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 14











Degree attestation not required for Australian issued documents. Degrees need to be confirmed via Apostille process which I completed via Australian embassy (10 minutes to complete), but can be done by DFAT in Australia. Visa processes have been slow so far but mainly due to a lack of clarity on visa requirements for applying from my location. There is a lot of information on Australian visa processes and requirements on the Australians in KSA Facebook group.
#3023
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 6

Just wondering re this - and thanks for any help in advance? Is your salary generally set at 1.25 times your current salary? If so, do you then have to pay towards accommodation etc out of it?
#3024
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 1

Hello what would be the process if you know someone has abused the system and has made a false claim on the school fees reimbursement using someone else’s invoices which he hasn’t paid or contributed to. There’s always one that ruins it for everyone!
#3025
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 18

Internally, there is a system called "speak up" to report things like this (abuse, fraud, harrassement, etc.).
#3026
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 9

#3027
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 1

I'm curious about talking to people who have left Neom. There eem to be a lit of conflicting opinions (which is to be expected). As with all research, it's helpful to factor in as many views as possible.
Would anyone be willing to talk to me about their experiences?
Would anyone be willing to talk to me about their experiences?
#3028
Just Joined
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 4

What dates do you normally choose to travel to Neom for your joining? Thursday night and then take rest on Fri Sat and then join on Sun? Or Wednesday night ? But then again you’d actually land on Thursday so would be joining on Sunday? Has anyone travelled from Australia and what day did you choose? I can see least time journey only on Wednesday from here via Qatar airways , all other days journey is over at least 22 hours.
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
#3029
What dates do you normally choose to travel to Neom for your joining? Thursday night and then take rest on Fri Sat and then join on Sun? Or Wednesday night ? But then again you’d actually land on Thursday so would be joining on Sunday? Has anyone travelled from Australia and what day did you choose? I can see least time journey only on Wednesday from here via Qatar airways , all other days journey is over at least 22 hours.
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
#3030
Forum Regular


Joined: Jul 2023
Posts: 97

What dates do you normally choose to travel to Neom for your joining? Thursday night and then take rest on Fri Sat and then join on Sun? Or Wednesday night ? But then again you’d actually land on Thursday so would be joining on Sunday? Has anyone travelled from Australia and what day did you choose? I can see least time journey only on Wednesday from here via Qatar airways , all other days journey is over at least 22 hours.
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
Also, what day of the month should one be joining to get the salary that month. Suppose I join on 15th , would I be getting Salary on 25th of that month or next month? Or should one try to join by 10th to ensure Salary that month
Many arrive and are in the office the same or next day, so having the weekend would be a privilege.




