Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

BISR is the main choice for Brit expats here. There is another school that follows the UK curriculum which is the Multinational school. There is mixed feedback about BISR, some parents are quite dismissive of the educational standards whilst others think it's ok. I don't think it would ever be ranked as high performing by UK standards. Will your employer be paying the school fess - as they very expensive. To put into context, for the older kids ( Yr10 and Yr11 ) , its more expensive than a year at a UK University. MNS is slightly cheaper.

Al Hamra is ok as a compound, probably classed as the higher end as prices go, quite large, good facilities, but is quite dated now. It adjoins BISR so kids can literally walk to school. Again, all depends if your employer is paying for the accommodation. Western Compounds tend to very expensive. a Three bed villa on Al Hamra will probably be in the region of 250k-300k SR per year.

Other compounds - Wadi Qurtoba is brand new, so still filling up, Very nicely finished. Prices comparable to Al Hamra. Reem Compound is also close to Wadi, but not as nice, and also not as expensive. Arizona is smaller, but more exclusive and also very green - has it's own nine hole golf course. California is large but all apartments - no villas. All of those are roughly close to each other, in the Northern part of Riyadh and not too far from BISR or MNS. A little further out is Al Bustan compound, relatively new-ish and also houses the American School.

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

Thanks for the info. The employer is paying upto some extent. I have checked BISR fees and I will have to fork out some from my pocket too. I was thinking of a budget of 20000 SAR for the accommodation. I just want to live in a place where we can meet other families and have atleast some social life. Is Multinational School any good at all? I checked out the American School and fees were exorbitant, cant afford that at all. Would it be safe to presume that BISR would any day be better than the state school my kids are already going to now in UK?

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

Re Schools - all depends on how good / bad your current state school is. There are some very well run state schools in the UK, and some very bad ones. Personally, I'd put the BISR as average. Depends also on the age of your kids too - the younger, the better. I think it can be a little tough for teenagers here. Younger kids can have a great lifestyle. MNS is a decent enough school from what little I know of it, it offers the UK curriculum and the also the US style Baccalaureate.

Accommodation - was that a typo? Suggest your budget needs to be around 200,000 SR pa if you want nice Western Style compound. My personal choice would be Wadi Qurtoba. A large two bed apartment is currently 150k pa. Three bed townhouse would be upwards of 200k. You might also want to consider Kingdom Compound. A little further out ( not too far from Al Bustan ) , it's a nice compound, a little dated now, but you could pick up a three bed for around 200k mark.

Cheaper accommodation is available, for example Seder Village. I lived there for nearly five years, very old now, but very social. Good mix of people. Around 20 mins drive to BISR on a good day. Three bed bungalow there is currently 127k.

All of the compounds I've mentioned have their own website, so suggest you have a look at their websites, gives you an idea of the style of each compound. They won't list prices though, but will give you an idea of what accommodation is on offer.

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

Thanks again! I meant budget of 20000 SAR per month. I would rather live in a place which has families and the wife has someone to speak to and make friends when we ( kids to school and me to work) are all out. If someone does know any such compounds or a little more help about the schools, please do let me know.

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds
 

Re: Riyadh Schools and Compounds