SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
Dec 13th 2010, 1:19 am
#17
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
lostinuk - please be aware there will be a HUGE difference in the amount of money a Saudi Company will offer a potential candidate who is a UK national compared to someone from Pakistan - there is a definite hierarchy in the Magic Kingdom. To be fair SABIC will expect rather different things from you.
Dec 13th 2010, 6:05 am
#18
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
lostinuk - please be aware there will be a HUGE difference in the amount of money a Saudi Company will offer a potential candidate who is a UK national compared to someone from Pakistan - there is a definite hierarchy in the Magic Kingdom. To be fair SABIC will expect rather different things from you.
Dec 13th 2010, 8:23 pm
#19
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
lostinuk - please be aware there will be a HUGE difference in the amount of money a Saudi Company will offer a potential candidate who is a UK national compared to someone from Pakistan - there is a definite hierarchy in the Magic Kingdom. To be fair SABIC will expect rather different things from you.
Don't see how to negotiate with them, becasue they ask for last two payslips before they make an offer.
Dec 13th 2010, 9:00 pm
#20
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Location: Riyadh KSA
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
lostinuk - please be aware there will be a HUGE difference in the amount of money a Saudi Company will offer a potential candidate who is a UK national compared to someone from Pakistan - there is a definite hierarchy in the Magic Kingdom. To be fair SABIC will expect rather different things from you.
apparently you chose to deliver the pathetic truth tactfully so I am gonna be somewhat blunt if I utterly revealed that Pakistanis & Indians & Asians in general get the lowest level of respect in KSA!
Arabs from Egypt and Sudan are on the same boat.. imagine salary of Egyptian doctor equals the salary of a French office coordinator!!! the list can go on with such horrible comparisions.
Canadians and Australians are not better off though!!
Americans get distinctive packages in contrast with the rest ...
Good Luck
Dec 14th 2010, 5:28 am
#21
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Dec 14th 2010, 5:29 am
#22
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Dec 14th 2010, 9:20 am
#23
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
apparently you chose to deliver the pathetic truth tactfully so I am gonna be somewhat blunt if I utterly revealed that Pakistanis & Indians & Asians in general get the lowest level of respect in KSA!
Dec 14th 2010, 10:42 am
#24
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
As others have referred to, KSA has a definite hierarchy in place, and generally speaking, the foreign workers are expected to fall into the stereotypes that have been firmly established.
Here is my subjective guide to the Saudi Stereo Type ( for Eastern workers )
Sri Lankan / Bangaldeshi - mainly cleaners. Road sweepers etc.
Pakistani - Construction / low skill labour / truck drivers / IT
Phillipino -electrical / technical / mechanics /
Indian - Lower level admin, office clerk ( well educated Indians. ) / IT
White Westerners - Professional / Executive
Saudi's - Top of the tree.
This is a very basic 'categorisation' but of course there are exceptions, and in more recent times, more Foreign Nationals are moving into 'professional type roles'
Me? I'm Asian, born in Kenya, brought up and educated in the UK, and have that all important British passport, so it levers in a decent level of income. I have faced discrimination, as some Saudi's think I'm Pakistani and don't want to work with me, but I also 'get away' with looking like an Arab, so also can get treated reasonably well. Depends on who you deal with.
So why do the lower income earners come to Saudi to get treated like sh!t? Well,
A - it gives them a steady income, and believe or not, more money than they can earn back home.
B - Living in Saudi can be very cheap, if you live as part of a community. Food is shared, accommodation is shared, living costs are shared, so it leaves more spare riyals to send to the folks back home.
C- KSA cost of living is generally considered cheaper than the surrounding Gulf Countries ( Bahrain, UAE, Qatar ) , with more employment opportunities.
These are simply my observations, they are not facts.
Going back to the original questions:
Schooling.
TO follow the British cirriculum, then of course, the British School is the best bet. THey will follow the GSCE syllabus and the kids will then either be able to carry on studying for A levels, or return back to the UK for A levels/ degree courses. My step daughter did her GCSE's in KSA and is now at boarding school in the UK doing her A levels.
THe Multi National School, although follows an Australian system, does also offer GCSE's , so this is another option. ASAIK, the American system will follow the IB programme. THere are other schools ( King Saud School ) that can also offer GCSE's.
School fees can be very pricey, ranging from 50,000 sr per year up to around 65,000 per year, so of course, it makes sense to get the company to pay for this.
Compounds:
We live on Cordoba which is nice, the others I would recommend you have already referred to. My wife loves Kingdom Compound, but as I've never been, I can't really comment. THe western compounds will have pretty long waiting lists, so it's better to get your company to source it. I'm pretty sure that Sabic have accommodation on the top three - Al Hamra, Arizona and Kingdom.
Kids. A friend of mine has just been offered a position with Sabic, he has three kids here in Saudi and his previous company only sponsored two kids, so he was pleased to hear that Sabic will pay for three. Check with Sabic and see if they are willing to cover the costs for three.
Two is the common yardstick.
Cars. as already stated, you can either buy new - plenty of car dealerships to choose from, all offering special deals every now and then, so you can pay monthly. Used cars very easy to get hold of, though I think used cars are a bit pricier than they are in the UK. As fuel consumption isn't an issue, big engined cars do not depreciate as much as they do in UK.
Hope that helps.
Dec 14th 2010, 2:14 pm
#25
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 16
Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
^ yeah thats helpfull, bro how about joing SABIC on mid career level. I have finance background and offering me similar king of package like 2 kids education, housing and travelling allowance. all together become 12K. I am 26 years old now, single. how about growth and learning prospects? Do people get purmotions and hows working enviornment.
Dec 14th 2010, 2:39 pm
#26
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Riyadh KSA
Posts: 102
Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
It would be pretty much paradise for you depending om who you are in life! what is your background ! and finally when you quote someone kindly do not delete his name. It adds you no value than what you are ^.
Dec 14th 2010, 9:25 pm
#27
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
I could talk at quite some length about this.
As others have referred to, KSA has a definite hierarchy in place, and generally speaking, the foreign workers are expected to fall into the stereotypes that have been firmly established.
Here is my subjective guide to the Saudi Stereo Type ( for Eastern workers )
Sri Lankan / Bangaldeshi - mainly cleaners. Road sweepers etc.
Pakistani - Construction / low skill labour / truck drivers / IT
Phillipino -electrical / technical / mechanics /
Indian - Lower level admin, office clerk ( well educated Indians. ) / IT
White Westerners - Professional / Executive
Saudi's - Top of the tree.
This is a very basic 'categorisation' but of course there are exceptions, and in more recent times, more Foreign Nationals are moving into 'professional type roles'
Me? I'm Asian, born in Kenya, brought up and educated in the UK, and have that all important British passport, so it levers in a decent level of income. I have faced discrimination, as some Saudi's think I'm Pakistani and don't want to work with me, but I also 'get away' with looking like an Arab, so also can get treated reasonably well. Depends on who you deal with.
So why do the lower income earners come to Saudi to get treated like sh!t? Well,
A - it gives them a steady income, and believe or not, more money than they can earn back home.
B - Living in Saudi can be very cheap, if you live as part of a community. Food is shared, accommodation is shared, living costs are shared, so it leaves more spare riyals to send to the folks back home.
C- KSA cost of living is generally considered cheaper than the surrounding Gulf Countries ( Bahrain, UAE, Qatar ) , with more employment opportunities.
These are simply my observations, they are not facts.
Going back to the original questions:
Schooling.
TO follow the British cirriculum, then of course, the British School is the best bet. THey will follow the GSCE syllabus and the kids will then either be able to carry on studying for A levels, or return back to the UK for A levels/ degree courses. My step daughter did her GCSE's in KSA and is now at boarding school in the UK doing her A levels.
THe Multi National School, although follows an Australian system, does also offer GCSE's , so this is another option. ASAIK, the American system will follow the IB programme. THere are other schools ( King Saud School ) that can also offer GCSE's.
School fees can be very pricey, ranging from 50,000 sr per year up to around 65,000 per year, so of course, it makes sense to get the company to pay for this.
Compounds:
We live on Cordoba which is nice, the others I would recommend you have already referred to. My wife loves Kingdom Compound, but as I've never been, I can't really comment. THe western compounds will have pretty long waiting lists, so it's better to get your company to source it. I'm pretty sure that Sabic have accommodation on the top three - Al Hamra, Arizona and Kingdom.
Kids. A friend of mine has just been offered a position with Sabic, he has three kids here in Saudi and his previous company only sponsored two kids, so he was pleased to hear that Sabic will pay for three. Check with Sabic and see if they are willing to cover the costs for three.
Two is the common yardstick.
Cars. as already stated, you can either buy new - plenty of car dealerships to choose from, all offering special deals every now and then, so you can pay monthly. Used cars very easy to get hold of, though I think used cars are a bit pricier than they are in the UK. As fuel consumption isn't an issue, big engined cars do not depreciate as much as they do in UK.
Hope that helps.
As others have referred to, KSA has a definite hierarchy in place, and generally speaking, the foreign workers are expected to fall into the stereotypes that have been firmly established.
Here is my subjective guide to the Saudi Stereo Type ( for Eastern workers )
Sri Lankan / Bangaldeshi - mainly cleaners. Road sweepers etc.
Pakistani - Construction / low skill labour / truck drivers / IT
Phillipino -electrical / technical / mechanics /
Indian - Lower level admin, office clerk ( well educated Indians. ) / IT
White Westerners - Professional / Executive
Saudi's - Top of the tree.
This is a very basic 'categorisation' but of course there are exceptions, and in more recent times, more Foreign Nationals are moving into 'professional type roles'
Me? I'm Asian, born in Kenya, brought up and educated in the UK, and have that all important British passport, so it levers in a decent level of income. I have faced discrimination, as some Saudi's think I'm Pakistani and don't want to work with me, but I also 'get away' with looking like an Arab, so also can get treated reasonably well. Depends on who you deal with.
So why do the lower income earners come to Saudi to get treated like sh!t? Well,
A - it gives them a steady income, and believe or not, more money than they can earn back home.
B - Living in Saudi can be very cheap, if you live as part of a community. Food is shared, accommodation is shared, living costs are shared, so it leaves more spare riyals to send to the folks back home.
C- KSA cost of living is generally considered cheaper than the surrounding Gulf Countries ( Bahrain, UAE, Qatar ) , with more employment opportunities.
These are simply my observations, they are not facts.
Going back to the original questions:
Schooling.
TO follow the British cirriculum, then of course, the British School is the best bet. THey will follow the GSCE syllabus and the kids will then either be able to carry on studying for A levels, or return back to the UK for A levels/ degree courses. My step daughter did her GCSE's in KSA and is now at boarding school in the UK doing her A levels.
THe Multi National School, although follows an Australian system, does also offer GCSE's , so this is another option. ASAIK, the American system will follow the IB programme. THere are other schools ( King Saud School ) that can also offer GCSE's.
School fees can be very pricey, ranging from 50,000 sr per year up to around 65,000 per year, so of course, it makes sense to get the company to pay for this.
Compounds:
We live on Cordoba which is nice, the others I would recommend you have already referred to. My wife loves Kingdom Compound, but as I've never been, I can't really comment. THe western compounds will have pretty long waiting lists, so it's better to get your company to source it. I'm pretty sure that Sabic have accommodation on the top three - Al Hamra, Arizona and Kingdom.
Kids. A friend of mine has just been offered a position with Sabic, he has three kids here in Saudi and his previous company only sponsored two kids, so he was pleased to hear that Sabic will pay for three. Check with Sabic and see if they are willing to cover the costs for three.
Two is the common yardstick.
Cars. as already stated, you can either buy new - plenty of car dealerships to choose from, all offering special deals every now and then, so you can pay monthly. Used cars very easy to get hold of, though I think used cars are a bit pricier than they are in the UK. As fuel consumption isn't an issue, big engined cars do not depreciate as much as they do in UK.
Hope that helps.
Dec 14th 2010, 9:32 pm
#28
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Joined: Dec 2010
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
Further can you advise how far is cordoba from SABIC HQ and british international school. thanks
Dec 15th 2010, 7:32 pm
#29
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Joined: Aug 2010
Location: Riyadh
Posts: 75
Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
Dec 15th 2010, 8:23 pm
#30
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Joined: Dec 2010
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Re: SABIC Riyadh Compounds and salaries
I have told they have availability in Waha and Kuzama - not sure how you spell it.
If anyone can advise which are better compound and realistically can accommodation be found there by May/June at the latest. thanks