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Unscrupulous recruitment agents
One of the sad facets of expatriates working in Saudi Arabia is the problem faced by literally thousands of underpaid and fleeced people, most of them from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is not clear whether it is poverty or ignorance or both, which drives people to work in Saudi Arabia for a pittance.
I have seen janitors from the Indian subcontinent work for just SR400 a month, when they could have easily got a similar job in their own home countries if only they had tried a bit more. Worse, most of these illiterate poor people have been cheated by unscrupulous recruitment agents. The most common problem is that these agents promise them the moon, take hefty amounts as recruitment charges, and send them bag and baggage in the next available flight to Saudi Arabia. It is only upon landing here that these people come to know the vast difference in the salaries they were promised and are actually paid. With just no money to even buy their return tickets, they simply work as virtual slaves. Some of them, out of sheer desparation, jump sponsors and work elsewhere illegally, and sadly, some of them even go to the extent of suicide.
There are some of them who have borrowed huge sums of money, paid the agents hefty amounts, have purchased their own tickets and landed here only to face despair.
How does one identify whether an agent is genuine or not? Well, to begin with, just see the advertisement. Check whether the license number of the agent is mentioned at the bottom of the advertisement. As an example, if the license number is, say, xxxxx/BOM/PER/1000+/......., then it means that the agent is a reputed one. Instead of the number "1000+", if it is, say, "600+" or "500" or any number other than 1000, then absolute caution must be taken. And if you do not find the license number, then don't even touch it with a barge pole!
If the agent charges a fee for recruiting you, DO NOT TAKE THE OFFER. It just means that the agent is making money out of you.
Reputed companies always ensure that the agent charges nothing from the candidates. If you are going to pay a fee to the agent for getting employed in Saudi Arabia or for your air fare, then rest assured that your stay here is going to be miserable. The reason? Either the company which recruits you doesn't want to bear this cost or the agent is so bad that he wants to make a quick buck out of you. In either case, it is not really worth it. And never ever ever give your qualification certificate to your employer / interviewer for safe keeping as he will use it to browbeat you - this is no joke, it has happened to people! Believe me, no place in the world is paradise as Home Sweet Home. If you really do want to come and work in Saudi Arabia, ensure that you work in a good company and that your agent is a reputed one. |
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Cost of living in Saudi Arabia
One of the issues a potential expatriate wanting to work in Saudi Arabia should know is the cost of living in the kingdom and the savings he would be making as an expatriate. This is a rather tough question to answer, because there are factors such as income, habits of individuals, etc., which also have a bearing on the total savings. Nevertheless, a rough idea is given here.
Bread is usually quite cheap, though recently the cost of rice has increased by about 20%. Fuel is also very affordable and is currently around SR0.47 a liter. The only worrying thing is the cost of housing, which is going up exponentially. Most western expatriates prefer to stay in housing compounds, as mentioned in an earlier post. Due to the limited number of such compounds, the rents have gone up tremendously. Most of the companies which used to bear the housing of such expats have now changed their policy to paying house rent allowances instead, to offload their burden.
Eastern expatriates on the other hand, usually prefer to stay in apartments. A typical double room apartment for a family, which used to cost SR12000 a year now costs anywhere between SR15000 to SR18000 a year. For those who get housing allowances from their companies, this will put a big hole in their pocket. Expats living in apartments must enter into a contract with the house owners. Usually, the rent is payed in advance either once or twice a year depending on the agreement with the owner. For the period of the contract, the house owner cannot raise the rent. However, in case the expatriate wants to vacate the house and move to some other place, he has to pay the rent for the remaining part of the contract. Most house owners take advantage of this law and use it to their advantage for fleecing. In recent years, the rents have been going up at a mind-boggling rate. As this has a direct effect on the savings, most expats are now considering sending their families back home.
For potential expatriates planning to work in the kingdom, my advice would be to let the company take care of the housing. If this is not possible, then ask for a housing allowance which should not be linked to your basic salary (most companies pay 3 times the basic pay). After all, if you have the right skills and they need you, they would definitely pay you. If not, it's really not worth it. |
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Working hours and leave
An employee working in Saudi Arabia is not supposed to work continuously more than 48 hours a week without a day off. Any hours worked beyond this must be compensated at the rate of 150% of the pay. Generally, Friday is the weekly off (Thursdays and Fridays are the weekly offs for government offices and banks). For people working in shift duty, the weekly off can be on other days, provided that they do not work more than 48 hours a week.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslim employees should not work more than 6 hours a day. Again, where the work deems that they have to work additional hours, Muslim employees have to be compensated with overtime.
A minimum of 4 days at the end of the month of Ramadan and 4 days Hajj holidays are to be given to the employees every year. Also, September 23, which is the Saudi National Day, is a compulsory holiday for both government offices as well as private sector.
As per law, employees are entitled for 21 days vacation after completing the first year of service and 30 years vacation after 5 years of service. However, it is quite common that employees in private sector, particularly in lower levels, to be released on vacation only once in two or three years. Remember that this is a paid vacation, which means that you are supposed to be paid for the duration of the vacation and also the to and fro air tickets to your home country. You have to be careful about this point in the contract, because a few unscrupulous employers may sometimes browbeat the employees into foregoing some of their rights. |
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Work permit in Saudi Arabia
An important information which the potential job seeker to Saudi Arabia should know is that your passport will no longer be with you as soon as you land in the country. Your sponsor will be having your pasport. Obviously, you will not be able to go out of the kingdom even on an emergency without your sponsor's knowledge and most important, his approval. Even if you happen to get the passport in your hands, without an exit/re-entry visa stamped on your passport, it is impossible to go out of the country, even though you have a valid plane ticket with you! And the only way to get it stamped is with your sponsor's approval.
You will be initially given a photocopy of your passport with your sponsor's signature and seal and within 3 months, you will be given a small booklet called "Iqama" which you must carry with you all the time. The iqama is nothing but a residence permit, which contains information such as your sponsor's name, your profession, your date of birth and dates of birth of your family members. Recently, this iqama has been replaced with an electronic so-called smart card, but the booklet is still widely in use. The iqama is green in color for Muslims and in red color for non-Muslims. Make sure you do not lose it and also ensure that you carry it with you whenever you go out, because this is the most important document which is going to prove that you are a legal resident in the kingdom.
It is the responsibility of your sponsor to bear the cost of the iqama as well as its renewal. More on this and much more in future posts. Do let me know your comments, which is my inspiration to write in this blog. |
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Employment contract in Saudi Arabia
As mentioned in my earlier post, the most important document for any expatriate planning to work in Saudi Arabia is the job contract with his employer. Please be aware that this contract has to be in Arabic for it to be an official document. Usually, the contract is in both Arabia as well as English, but the text contained in Arabic is what is considered legally as final and binding
In some cases, the employer will make you sign an English contract in your home country and follow it up with an Arabic contract as soon as you arrive in the kingdom. This could be a bit tricky, so please ensure that your sponsor is a reputed employer. Also, as I have been repeatedly stressing earlier too, do not go by any verbal assurances. There are scores of instances when people have been promised a salary back home and are paid far lower than what they where promised after they arrived in the kingdom  There is nothing which you can do about it in such cases, because your passport will be with your sponsor and you will not even be able to get out of the country without his knowledge. In short, you virtually become his slave. Of course, this is not to generalize all Saudi sponsors under the same category - there are good employers too and some of them even go out of their way to help their employees.
The contract for an expatriate worker in Saudi Arabia has to be necessarily for a fixed period of time. Make sure that your probation period mentioned in the contract does not exceed 90 days, as required by Saudi labor law. Please note that sick leave and the public holidays for Eid (just after Ramadan) and Hajj holidays are excluded
If you are looking for working in Saudi Arabia, you must be aware of your rights as a worker. The entire cost of bringing you from the home country, visa processing fees, renewal of work visa and the cost of air tickets back to the home country is the responsibility of the sponsor. Do not sign any contract in which you have to pay for these, because it is your sponsor's responsibility to bear these expenses.
More posts will follow about this and other interesting topics on working in Saudi Arabia. If you liked this information, do write your comments here which will motivate me to write more. |
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Different salaries, same job
A fundamental thing which a potential expatriate who wants a job in Saudi Arabia should know is the salary structure here. Please note that there are three different salary scales in almost all companies, depending on your nationality. The highest salaries are invariably for Saudi nationals. Next come citizens of the US, UK, South Africa, Australia and EU. The least salaries are for people from the Indian subcontinent and the Phillipines, collectively known here as "Eastern expatriates".
You may be quite surprised to learn that the job may be the same, but will find a guy from another nationality earning far less or far more than you. Also, you must be prepared, particularly if you are going to work in a government organization, that all higher level positions are invariably occupied by Saudi nationals. The only exception may be for the private sector, but here too the top boss will definitely be a Saudi national.
It is also quite common here that people with far lesser qualifications and experience may be your boss, but you should be mentally prepared for this too. Remember, as mentioned in my earlier post, if you are already in a senior position in your home country, you must definitely bargain your salary / position well and make things amply clear with your potential employer. Make sure to have all your emoluments / benefits in black and white in your contract, so that there is no heart-burn once you arrive in the kingdom. |
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Different salaries, same job
A fundamental thing which a potential expatriate who wants a job in Saudi Arabia should know is the salary structure here. Please note that there are three different salary scales in almost all companies, depending on your nationality. The highest salaries are invariably for Saudi nationals. Next come citizens of the US, UK, South Africa, Australia and EU. The least salaries are for people from the Indian subcontinent and the Phillipines, collectively known here as "Eastern expatriates".
You may be quite surprised to learn that the job may be the same, but will find a guy from another nationality earning far less or far more than you. Also, you must be prepared, particularly if you are going to work in a government organization, that all higher level positions are invariably occupied by Saudi nationals. The only exception may be for the private sector, but here too the top boss will definitely be a Saudi national.
It is also quite common here that people with far lesser qualifications and experience may be your boss, but you should be mentally prepared for this too. Remember, as mentioned in my earlier post, if you are already in a senior position in your home country, you must definitely bargain your salary / position well and make things amply clear with your potential employer. Make sure to have all your emoluments / benefits in black and white in your contract, so that there is no heart-burn once you arrive in the kingdom. |
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Kalau sesiapa berminat nak baca lebih lanjut bolehlah pergi kat
- http://workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com/
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aku nak kejer kat uae...sapa tahu kat na nak cari kejer kosong kat sana |
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Originally posted by Ina_zali at 8-7-2008 11:38 AM 
Thanks payrol & maratussolehah for the input, ada member senyap2 baru ckp yg dia dah dpt tawaran keje kat Arab Saudi, package dia RM19K total tapi dah masuk mcm2 - housing, medical, car etc siap ...
tergantung jugak post apa...klu RM19k to clean after housing etc ok ..
klu 19k tak termasuk housing sakit jugak...sini housing mahal  |
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Originally posted by maratussolehah at 9-7-2008 08:35 PM
tergantung jugak post apa...klu RM19k to clean after housing etc ok ..
klu 19k tak termasuk housing sakit jugak...sini housing mahal
Rasanya berapa tinggi kita boleh nego gaji??? Apa lagi yg patut kita minta, yg Ina dapat fikirkan....allowance
- kereta
- rumah
- medical
- round trip balik Malaysia - sekali setahun
- annual leave - minimum 20 hari setahun
- education
- sponsor process visa & permit
lagi ada apa2 lagi ke??? |
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nak keja gak kat sana...huhuhuuu |
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Reply #172 Ina_zali's post
SR19k...baru dlm RM16k
tp sbb ja nnti di saudi pon SR jugak ..so bleh guna 19K effectively la..
cuma klu SR19k tak termasuk yg ina listkan kat atas tu...kene betul2 list balik la brapa y tinggal after semua spending nnti. |
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hmm,mostly bidang engineering,petroleum la yg byk offer kan? and klu dah xp 10thn ++ jee |
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guys, nak tanye yg berpengalaman bawak wife yg tidak bekerja ke UAE, apakah gaji plg minimum yg aku boleh negotiate kat kampeni aku? hmm is it worth it to bawak yr wife along together? |
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Reply #175 kashaz's post
tak jugak..
construction, telcos, medical (dr & nurse pompuan byk sini)...
mcm2 ada peluang..cuma byk yg tak tau sbb kebanyankan opening dibuat secara referral |
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member aku keja operator kat qatar pun kompeni sopnsor balik 2 kali setahun. gaji aku taktau la, segan nak tanya. kalo yang keje engineer mesti lagi banyak kemudahan kompeni bagi. |
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fresh grad cm saya ni leh keje sane x?saya degree mechanical engine tp pointer <3.00 |
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Reply #179 tajul186's post
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tuntut ilmu dulu kat malaysia ni ...nak kerja oversea nak kene ade experience |
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Category: Belia & Informasi
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Post time 8-7-2008 11:55 AM
