When do you know your time is up?
 

Not me, I hasten to add. My time is up as soon as they pull the feather bed package..

But, I came across a post on an FB ‘Dads who hail from Britain’ site where a gent admitted he had been out of work 2 years, family were sent home immediately, and he has stayed on in Dubai in an attempt to secure another job here..

Now, there was a lot of snowflake ‘stick in, son’ comments, as he pleaded for a place to stay and a word in anyone’s ear, and I found myself wondering Why the f**k would you stick around here for that long...

Is it vanity? Stupidity?

Is it the California gold rush mentality of If I stick around long enough I’m bound to make it here?

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

I remember a few guys like that in Jeddah in the 1970s. Lost their job but stuck around undocumented with no visa. "Mr Brian" an English teacher who stayed in the same hotel as me. "Fundok Shaheen" in King Abdulaziz Street. A luckless convert, heavy drinker and compulsive liar. He was a convert at a time whn that was still a novelty.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Just had a read, you really do want to give him a shake and say "give it up, go home and get a steady job in area sales". Especially given his offering and how the main players, regardless of sector, are properly throttling spending. He's already relocated the family and living out of a suitcase too.

Being out of work here is like a loosing gambling run, forever chasing that one bit of good fortune to break even again and then one more after that to get back into the black.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Precisely, Arnold, although I was thinking more a slap than a shake...

Some of the more recent arrivals really seem to have sold themselves so hard on the Dubai Dream that they are willing to forego common sense and money.

And 99% of responses the guy got were from enablers, back patters and stiff upper lippers.

Just blows my mind..

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

I'm guessing any savings he had are gone, or more likely that he's racked up debt. I can't understand why people would hang around eating into any money they saved knowing that compensation packages generally aren't what they used to be.
I've done 15 years so the gratuity plays a fairly big part in us being here now, if it comes to the point where I get the push, we will be gone in a month.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Interesting thread.

I would not hang around.

If you can't leverage your contact network into a new position pretty quickly, then the odds get very long. Not to mention that many fields require a labyrinth series of HR and security checks that can take months . . . if all goes smoothly.

Go home and regroup.

Of course that requires planning and that you've banked enough to see you through a difficult period . . . which few have the foresight to do.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

I knew someone that gave it more than a year. They wanted to go after 6-9 months when their existing lease ran out and started paying rent month to month but their spouse wanted to stay. They got through it through frugal living and savings but an existence of visa runs, no health insurance and the fragile hope that somethings got to give soon, can't be much fun.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

The way Saudi is, hanging around isn't an option. But after x number of years, I'd be happy enough to go straight away. Not many companies will transfer Iqama, I know mine doesn't so I'd have to leave anyway regardless if there was another job to start the visa process again.

more than happy to take six months off outside Saudi and look for work from there.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

There was a Jamaican guy a couple of years ago actually, and he hung around for ages. Bearing in mind we live on base, I'm surprised he didn't get escorted off the premises, and even then when he did leave the MPs were still letting him back on the base as he tried to worm his way back in.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Back in 2017, my contract wasn't renewed. Was paid up until Sept. Made arrangements for Final Exit in late October. Had a few job applications in and one in particular looked promising, so took a calculated risk of staying another month. Job Offer came through and started end of October. Have moved on again since then, but th epoint being, I would never think of staying on for more than a month. Compound living is so expensive here In Saudi, it just isn't worth shelling out your hard earned.

Would rather go back to Blighty and start the job hunt there. That will be happening next year, when this current contract runs out.

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

You can't educate pork that's for sure . Can't believe these fellas chase the rainbow here , especially those with a skill in selling bog rolls or piss poor pension scams . Most clued up people usually have an exit plan and you usually know when it's looking like it's going to go belly up , leaving on your terms is always the best bet to lay.

I always have a float so I could see out 4-6 months if pushed so I could tie up the ends and move on or bag another job but as Millhouse said there would be 2-3 I would look at then just pull the rip cord . Cheaper and less hassle to go back take an extended break and try again if you fancy .

Re: When do you know your time is up?
 

Exit Strategy ? out of more than a hundred teachers at KFUPM in my day less than half had any viable plans on what to do after KSA - or even an idea of where they would live. Most of the time in my last years in the Kingdom I had a plan or two. Plan B worked out and I am now enjoying my retirement on my Scottish island.