Working directly for a Saudi company?
 

I'm negotiating a contract with a large American company to work in Eastern province, providing service to Aramco. However, they say the contarct would be with A***, a 100% Saudi company, rather than with the American company or H***, their joint venture with A***. A contact in Saudi advised me that I should avoid a 100% Saudi company and ensure I get my contract with the joint venture. Is this correct/why?

Also medical insurance sounds odd. Is the following (in their words) normal?

Thanks
C.

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A*** do not have any medical insurance scheme for its employees. But, A*** employees can go to any one of the designated dispensary or hospitals in Kingdom with an ID provided by A***. The employee gets free full medical care for IN/OUT patient in the hospitals best available in Kingdom. Hospital in turn invoice A***for the total cost of medical expense incurred by the employee. Eye and Dental care are excluded from medical coverage.

H***do have medical insurance scheme. The employee needs to pay SR.20 each time he visits a dispensary and SR.40 each time he visits a hospital. This amount can be reimbursed by H*** as employee expense. Under the medical insurance scheme, treatments are available only for body parts below the head, ie. no treatment coverage of ENT, Eye, Head, Brain etc.

H*** or insurance company will not bear the cost of air ticket to go out of Kingdom for treatment. However, medical expense incurred outside the Kingdom will be reimbursed by the Company. Under the medical insurance scheme, an existing illness if needed to be treated outside Kingdom, a referal by local hospital is required for purpose of reimbursement. In this case only 70% treatment cost will be reimbursed by insurance company. However, a referal by local hospital is not required if fall ill and treated while the employee is away from Kingodm.

Not sure about working directly for a Saudi company, though i would imagine that if it is a major contractor to Aramco it would be fairly safe.
The medical scheme sounds about right, many medical schemes run this way in the Middle East and the hospitals are generally good.

I am writing a number of job related articles for the Gulf and was working on Saudi Arabia last night. This is part of the text I plan to include about Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Aramco is one of the largest oil companies in the world and they have a subsidairy company in Texas, US (Aramco Services Company) that deals in the recruitment of professionals for the company. You can find over fifty of their job vacancies by visiting here. You will find information on the living and working conditions, compensations and benefits provided for North American employees at the Aramco Services Company's website.

About the idea of working for a 100% saudi company or a joint venture company, I don't there is much of a difference and from Saudi Aramco's position as one of the world's largest oil companies, I think it is a great idea to go for it.

Re: Working directly for a Saudi company?
 

Something to note - if you are in anyway looking for a "middle-east experience' working with Aramco will be a bit of a false environment. Bear in mind as well (I noticed your location as Scotland), the North American benefits are better than the ones Europeans are entitled to from Aramco (eg pension contirbutions).
Robin.