Living and Working in Gulf States & Saudi Arabia
Robert Hughes & Graeme Chesters
Living and Working in the Gulf States & Saudi Arabia is the most comprehensive book available about daily life – and is essential reading for newcomers. What’s it really like Living and Working in the Middle East? Not surprisingly there’s a lot more to life than camels, deserts and oil! This book is guaranteed to hasten your introduction to the Arabian way of life, irrespective of whether you’re planning to stay for a few months or indefinitely. Adjusting to day-to day-life in the Middle East just got a whole lot simpler!
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Extracts from the book…
Employment Contract
On being offered a job, which in the vast majority of cases happens in the expatriate’s own country, you will almost certainly sign a contract or at least a letter of agreement. This will contain the conditions of employment (see below) and perhaps include a detailed job description, indicating responsibilities and performance standards. On arrival in the Gulf, you can ask for this document to be formalised, with an official Ministry version in Arabic, or attested to by a notary, although there’s little advantage in doing so. A verbal agreement is possible, but a written agreement is, of course, preferable.
In most Gulf states, your contract specifies your basic salary, job title, duties and responsibilities, the period of your contract, and possibly also details of the reporting structure and performance measures of the company. An employment contract should also contain termination conditions, including required notice of intent to terminate the contract on either side and liabilities to be incurred in respect of breaking the conditions of the contract. Your contract might include the phrase ‘employment subject to obtaining the necessary permits’. This is unlikely to present problems, but make sure that you’re able to obtain the required visas, etc. (see Chapter 3) before committing yourself to the move abroad.
Note that local labour laws apply whether you hold a contract or not. A company contract is likely to take precedence over basic labour laws where its stipulations are in excess of legal requirements, but you still have the protection of the laws as a minimum.
Traditionally, most expatriate contracts were for two years only, but it’s becoming increasingly common for contracts to be open-ended. Employers have found that they can be held to a defined period if the employee proves unsatisfactory, and most contracts now have a termination notice period of between one and three months, or payment in lieu of notice. Contracts can be extended or renewed by mutual consent and frequently are if all parties are happy with things as they are. It’s quite common for expatriates to stay in the Gulf for 20 years or more.
Most Gulf states have sophisticated, computerised control of their labour force and specify job categories that are open to foreign labour. Certain employment is reserved for nationals, particularly in the service industries. You might, therefore, find that your contract gives you the job title you would expect, but the official version on your work visa is something quite different. This might be because of full job quotas or other reasons. You’re sometimes required to attend the Ministry on the completion of your contract to ensure that you have no complaints and to cancel your work visa.
Education - State or Private School?
In order to help you decide whether to send your child(ren) to a private or state school, you should consider the points mentioned below. Note that in many cases state schools aren’t an option, and that the vast majority of non-Arab expatriates send their children to private schools.
- If you’re non-Muslim, you might not be allowed access to state schools. Even if you are, local Arab children and children of Arab expatriates are likely to have priority over other foreigners for places, which might be scarce.
- How long do you envisage staying in the region? If you don’t know, assume it will be for two years, in which case you should opt for a private school. If you think that you will be in the region for many years, you might consider a state school to teach your child the local culture, although very few expatriates send their children to state schools even in these circumstances.
- Will cultural differences cause problems? Sending your child(ren) to a state school will to a large extent remove them from the expatriate community.
- What about religion? Islam is the fundamental way of life in the Arab world and pressure might be exerted for your children to convert. Muslims believe that all of us are born Muslim, some people moving away from the ‘truth’ later.
- If your work prospects indicate a long-term future for your family in a Gulf country, you might see your child’s integration into the local community as important. A later switch to private education, however, might prove difficult and stall your child’s development.
- Note also that naturalisation and citizenship are very rarely granted to foreigners, even in the long-term, so your child(ren) are unlikely ever to be assimilated fully into the local culture.
- An obvious obstacle is the use of the Arabic language in state schools. The curriculum is entirely Arabic-based (English is taught only as a foreign language), although with very young children this isn’t a problem, as they adapt so easily.
- Will you be able to help your children with their education, particularly in view of the language barrier?
- Is special or extra tutoring available in Arabic?
- What are the school days and hours? Are they similar to the hours you do at work? Will school holidays align easily with your periods
of leave?
- Do you want your child to attend a co-educational or single sex school? In the Arab state system, schools are single sex, whereas most private schools are co-educational.
You should also consider the advantages and disadvantages of private schools in the Gulf. If you decide to educate your child(ren) in the state system, you must visit the Ministry of Education offices for information about availability, qualifications and procedures.
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PRICE: £14.95
PUBLICATION: April 2003
EDITION: 1st
PAGES: 420
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: A5 (210mm x 148mm)
