Potential move to Riyadh... many Q's! All help greatly appreciated!

Hi there,

My husband is currently in discussions to take a job in Saudi Arabia, with a large international FMCG stock exchange listed company. While in many ways this is quite an exciting prospect, I have spent several hours researching what our new life could be like and I am currently more confused than when I started out!

We have both been looking for an opportunity to travel abroad and work together (I am a chartered accountant, although currently working as a Professional Conference Organiser and he is a Marketing and Communications specialist), and we had initially discussed Hong Kong or another Asian destination.

However, after searching for close to a year it has become apparent that us both getting jobs in the same location at the same time will be an almost impossible task and it does not make financial sense for us to do it unless we can count on two incomes to subsidise our mortgage back home, pay for flights and moving costs etc as well as enjoy a reasonable standard of living and some spare cash to travel while we are away (let alone come home with any savings).

Enter Saudi Arabia!!! And what, on the face of it, seems like the opportunity to travel we have been looking for, an incredible opportunity to save (and pay off some serious negative equity on our property) as well as an (apparently) awesome career opportunity for my husband, that would likely benefit us for the rest of our lives.

This has all happened very quickly, and it looks like he will be entering negotiations stage shortly and so I have a million specific questions, that I hope someone who has already gone through this process may be able to help me with!!

Please excuse me if any of the questions below appear ignorant – I genuinely have no intention to offend, I am just trying to gather enough information as possible to help us make an informed (life-changing!) decision.

1.    Me! I am aware of the cultural restrictions on females in KSA, including restrictions on driving, travelling alone, wearing the abaya while outside etc. I am a fairly independent person and I have travelled extensively alone. I am slightly weary about going out of my mind with boredom!!! I would consider myself fairly practical and adaptable however, and resourceful enough to keep myself fairly occupied.

Q: I have a business degree and masters, if I were to study a TEFL course before departing, would I be able to get work, say teaching English? Is this a safe/ advisable thing to do? How easy would it be to find such work, and are the working conditions ok?

Q: I have read about the Riyadh Road Runners as an example of a club that I could join. Are there many more, and aside from such clubs, what kind of regular activities are available on the compounds? For example, if one was so inclined, would there be an activity to attend daily?

2.    Accommodation. This is another concern as I have read about the long waiting lists for many of the Western compounds. We know that the employer will be offering an accommodation allowance and we have yet to find out their opening offer of how much, and what assistance they will offer to help us source accommodation.

Q: For a childless couple who would be interested in interacting with other expats on a regular basis (taking the likelihood of getting to the top of a waiting list out of the equation for the moment!); which of the following compounds (all of which in a 10km radius from husband’s potential work) would you recommend most. Other things that might impact a decision is that we are more interested in the correct social scene than in quality of accommodation and also we might consider having a child during our time there:

•    Al Hamra
•    EID
•    Arabian Homes
•    Cordoba
•    Kingdom City
•    Arizona Golf Resort

Q: And while prices would vary for each compound, any indication of an approximate yearly rent for a two bed apartment on one of these that would help us in negotiations. We are currently thinking an allowance of approx. 180,000 riyals, is that about correct to get such an apartment/ duplex?

Q: With the influence of a large company what is the realistic time line for securing such a place?

3.    Travel to nearby countries. Part of the appeal of this move for me is to see a part of the world that is fascinating, and not hugely popular with Europeans (say as popular as visiting the USA or Europe – although I am sure there are many who do!). My husband has always longed to visit Iran (not sure how likely) but we would be very willing to spend time visiting say Jordan, Bahrain, Dubai etc.

Q: Is this a likely option for us? Is there a lengthy wait/ process to ensure your passport is returned from your employer or for sorting visas? Is it likely that such travel could be arranged on a whim, like travelling to other European countries for us now? Or am I totally deluded!!!

Q: Equally I have sisters both living in Asia and New Zealand. If life was getting too much for me I could visit with them or come home to my parents for a break. How difficult is it for a female to leave the country alone?

4.    Maternity. As I mentioned we would consider beginning our family while we are there as my husband may stay for two years or more. I am relatively nervous about such a thing anyway (!) but I would love some insight on maternity hospitals and the process of giving birth in Saudi Arabia.

Q: The first and most important!! Would my husband be allowed to be with me during the whole labour, as well as during scans etc during pregnancy?

Q: Are hospitals run by private companies or are they public? Are women and men allowed to visit, or do the normal rules apply?
Q: In Ireland there is a public and private medical service for pregnancy. Is there a similar system with different levels of service (I acknowledge the debate that the two are equal levels of safety etc here at home, I am just interested if there is anything similar in KSA?).

Q: I know the Saudi healthcare is system is as high as Western standards, so will I get the same health care provision as at home? Or would you recommend I go home for the birth? Genuinely difficult to phrase that question – I mean no disrespect!

5.    Visitors. My family and friends would be interested in visiting us while we would be there. Especially my parents should I plan on having a child.

Q: Is it possible for friends & family to get a visa to visit? If it is possible, is the process long/ difficult?

OK, apologies for the length of this! I hope you have been able to stay with me thus far! Even if you are able to answer just one of these questions – I would be very grateful.

It’s a big leap for us, but I think the more information we have the better a decision we will be able to make.

Thank you sincerely!
Ciara30011984