Undercover work in Saudi Arabia. Life, problems, work in Saudi Arabia without embellishment

Blogger finniken, who has been working as an oilman in Saudi Arabia for several years now, but lives, however, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, writes: “Chot wanted me to write 100 facts about Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed countries in the world. I do not pretend to be the ultimate truth, what I encountered, I wrote about it.

1. First, do you know why Arabia is Saudi? The name came from the Saudi dynasty, who fought with the Rashidi dynasty (and if they won, it would be called Rashid Arabia, but in the end the Saudis won) and since then the country has been called the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

2. Well, by the name it is clear that the king rules in this country. The old 90-year-old king passed away and his 79-year-old brother ascended the throne.

3. The new king, by the way, as soon as he ascended the throne, distributed money to the Saudis. WithoutDmozDmezDno. All civil servants, pensioners and students received two salaries/pensions/stipends.

4. In general, since they are officially allowed to have 4 wives, the entire royal family has about 5 thousand (!!!) princes and princesses.

5. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive. Local doctors argue that driving can affect the ovaries and pelvic organs and the likelihood of giving birth to a child with a deviation is high, and local scientists say that driving a car by a woman, I quote, "will lead to the spread of prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce." Despite this, women are actively fighting for the right to drive a car, some petitions are being written, etc.

6. In general, women in Saudi Arabia have very few rights. A woman does not have the right to go out alone, only accompanied by a male relative. Until recently, they didn’t even have passports, they fit first into the father’s passport, then into the husband’s passport. But the old king gave them the opportunity to have their passport.

7. At the same time, a woman cannot leave Saudi Arabia alone if she does not have written permission from her father or husband.

8. Another local feature is women's clothing. A woman cannot go outside in any clothing other than a black abaya. Well, of course, the hair should be covered with a black scarf. Faces are mostly also covered with niqab, but not always. Moreover, even a European woman has no right to appear in public without an abaya. You can not cover your face, hair sometimes too. Girls can walk without abaya, up to 12 years old.

Men mostly wear dishdash (such a white hoodie) and a red and white headscarf. Dishdasha is always dazzlingly white and ironed, and an Arab can adjust the scarf on his head for half an hour in front of a mirror so that everything sits beautifully.

10. From paragraph 9, we can conclude that the Saudis are usually in no hurry, because in such attire you can’t run, you can’t jump, and in general you can only sit sedately or slowly move from one point to another. And it's true, don't rush.

11. In general, the Saudis are not very hard-working people, I would even say that they are not hard-working at all. To tell the truth, they are lazy. Their attitude to work is well reflected in the phrase “If someone can do it, let him do it!” They will surely promise to do everything tomorrow, but ... The phrase "inshaala bokra" sounds in Arabic more often than others, it means "if Allah allows, then tomorrow." But it seems that Allah often does not allow, so if they say “tomorrow” to you, then this is at least a week later, but you should not flatter yourself, it can also mean NEVER. You just need to get used to it. I don’t speak for all Saudis, maybe there are hard-working and responsible ones, but I haven’t met such people yet. Although not, one can still be set as an example to others.

12. Saudis - colleagues do not like to answer letters. Highly. It is better to resolve all issues by phone, and even better in person. Eyes to eyes. First, talk about life, and then get down to business. Because a letter is a document, and a telephone conversation is just a telephone conversation, you can then say whatever you like, clapping your honest black eyes.

13. The Saudis themselves work mainly in government agencies, and if in some company, then in the HR Department, well, or top management. All other work is done by expats (unskilled labor - Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, engineers - Americans, Europeans, other Arabs (Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, etc.))

14. There is such a thing as Saudiization. Each company must have a certain percentage of the local population in the state, and not just gasters. The more Saudis in the company, the more companies give permission to hire foreigners.

15. Arabs love to go to each other's office at work and talk about life. And they do it loudly. This endless gyr-gyr-gyr can be heard from everywhere.

16. Returning to point 5, I would like to say that I even understand a little why women are not allowed to drive cars. To drive a car in this country, you need to have balls of steel, because I have not seen such crazy drivers anywhere else (well, maybe in Tripoli and also in Cairo). Interestingly, the Saudis usually do not rush anywhere in life, but they always drive fast and aggressively by car. You need to be constantly on the alert so as not to get into an accident. And I see several accidents every day. Traveled several times with the locals as a passenger, the bricks are deposited simply with a bang! The usual picture - you are driving on the far right with a speed limit of 120 km per hour, a truck transporting camels overtakes you on the side of the road.

17. In Saudi Arabia, huge fines for traffic violations. The average fine is 500 reals (1 real - 16 rubles). There are cameras all around, there are cars with cameras on the tracks, but this does not stop anyone.

18. The Saudis do not wear seat belts. Baby seat? Nope, didn't hear it. Usually, the baby sits with his mother in the front seat, leaning out the window, in the back a bunch of Arabs jumps around the seat.

19. Normally, when two Saudis in jeeps stopped opposite each other on a narrow street, blocking the street and standing chatting, not paying attention to the others.

20. If you see an empty car on a jack in the desert, you are in Saudi Arabia. Spare? What the fuck is the spare tire, you chow?

21. If you are standing in an auto queue of three cars and suddenly another one starts to wedged into it between the first and second car - you are in Saudi Arabia. Oh how they don't like queues. Oh, they don't like it.

22. About queues. I met several queues in institutions. For locals, for non-locals and separately for Paki / Hindus / Pilipinas. Direct signs hang over the queues. Racism, yeah

23. White expats usually do not go to government agencies, all issues are decided by HR. In cases where your presence is mandatory, the HR specialist will come with you, will lead you by the hand from office to office and explain everything. All you need to do is say hello and smile.

24. In general, if you can’t decide something yourself somewhere, like it’s not supposed to and that’s it, an Arab with an Arab will always decide between themselves. It's good to have a Saudi friend.

25. And they can easily in your documents (for example, in your passport) scribble their scribbles and they will roll like a document. Even without printing. Verified personally.

Pictured: Prophet's Mosque in Medina

26. In Saudi there is a rule of the “right hand” - you can’t eat with the left, pass something, because the left hand is considered unclean (yes, they are washed with it). A friend works with the Arabs at the field, says that they beat their hands when, forgetting, they take food with their left hand. Joking, of course, but still. I also try to submit documents only with my right hand, it doesn’t cost me anything, they are pleased.

27. Not in every Saudi toilet you will find toilet paper, but in every, even the most shabby one, there will be a washcloth. Such a small shower on a hose. Great tool, I think.

28. Very little Western music. Mostly Arabic, around. Even young people in the car mostly listen to their native mournful motives. Of the entire set of radio stations, I found only 3 with Western music: one Radio Bahrain and two from the Saudi Aramco company (one has Western pop music, the second American nostalgia).

29. Saudi Aramco (Saudi-American Company) is the world's largest mining company. Organized by the Americans in the 30s, at first they were 50/50 with the Saudis, then the Saudis squeezed everything out, now the company is 100% owned by the locals. Produces a quarter of all oil on Earth. A lot of people from all over the world work in Aramco. The average salary of a specialist with experience (and inexperienced people are not accepted there) is fifteen bucks.

30. Entertainment is officially banned in Saudi Arabia. There is not a single cinema in the kingdom (according to some reports, the first cinema was recently opened in Jeddah, on a student campus, but I don’t know how true it is).

31. Separate education in schools: boys separately, girls separately.

32. Each restaurant has two sections: for single men and for families. Because seeing other people's women is not good. Esssno, if you are alone, then they will not let you into the family section. But even if you came with your wife, you still won’t look at someone else’s aunt, because even in the family section tables are separated by screens so that a woman can uncover herself and eat in peace.

33. Even in fast food restaurants (McDonald's, for example) there will be two queues to the cash registers: for women and for the rest. Food courts are also divided into zones for singles and families. There, the aunts no longer uncover themselves, they eat in the curtains. With one hand she lifted the curtain, with the other she put the fork in her mouth. In shopping centers at the box office, there is also a division. Women (or family) separately, single separately.

34. Well, you won’t see the face of someone else’s aunt, very often siblings don’t know what the brothers’ wives look like. This is normal.

35. Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia. Strictly prohibited. Punishable by imprisonment and caning. But the locals somehow smuggle in, brew moonshine on dates, and so on. You can buy, but very expensive. Whiskey will cost about 300 bucks per bubble.

Pictured: King Fahd International Stadium

36. Sticks hurt. Not everyone will survive the caning. I don't know if it's true or not, but after 100 hits a person can die. Therefore, a doctor is always nearby, if anything, he will stop the punishment. The rest of the person will receive when he heals. If the punishment is, for example, 200 sticks, then it is divided into several months.

37. Pork is prohibited.

38. For drugs, the death penalty.

39. For homosexuality, by the way, too! But there are still a lot of gays here. Guys from childhood are separated from girls, at school there are guys around, at the university there are guys, in cafes you can only sit in a single section, where there are only guys. Well, this one too. Fall in love with each other.

40. Executions are usually on Fridays, in the squares. They cut off the head. The people are standing and watching. I saw the video, the sight is not pleasant, I tell you. The truth is less and less lately. Mostly for murder.

41. In Saudi Arabia, censorship. Pretty tough. In all films, even scenes with kisses are cut out, not to mention bed scenes. They just cut out stupidly, not caring that the plot might get confused from this. Even on the radio, words are cut out of songs. Remember Psy with his gangnam style? There in the chorus "Eeeee, sexy lady". So in Saudi Arabia he just sings “Eeeee, ik lady”. Okay, sex, of course, but here is a great song by Sia – Chandelier, where in the chorus “one two three one two three drink”, drink is stupidly cut out.

42. But most of all, censorship in stores touches me. There are specially trained people who paint over the exposed parts of the body of not only women, but also men on boxes and packages. Men's underpants are for sale, for example, the legs and arms are painted over. An inflatable pool is for sale, a happy family is on the package - the male children are left as they are, the aunt is completely covered with a black marker. In fashion magazines, girls in short-sleeved T-shirts are neatly drawn with long sleeves. And laughter and sin.

43. Of the religions, only Islam is allowed. All other religions are strictly prohibited. Of course, I wear a cross, but I try not to shine.

Southern Kingdom

44. In addition to the ordinary police in Saudi Arabia, there is also a religious police, which just monitors the implementation of all the above prohibitions. It is called the "commission for the promotion of virtue" or simply mutawa. They can come up and make a comment if something is wrong. Can be arrested for a serious offense. My friend was once stopped on Friday before lunch (the time of the main prayer) and asked why he was not at prayer at that time. The fact that he is not a Muslim did not greatly satisfy them. I sat in their car until the prayer time was over, then they let me go.

45. They pray here 5 times a day (in the holy month of Ramadan - 6 times). During prayer, the entire kingdom freezes. Shops, all institutions, gas stations are closed for half an hour. NOTHING works. There are a lot of mosques. There are several in each region. Every shopping center, every institution has a place for prayer. Each hotel room has a prayer rug, a Koran and an indication of which side of Mecca.

46. ​​In the toilets before prayer, everything is filled with water. Since it is necessary to pray clean, the locals wash themselves very carefully, the usual picture is to go to the toilet, and there they wash their feet in the sinks.

47. Friday is a sacred day! Nobody works. Until lunch everything is closed, the streets are empty, everyone is praying.

48. The Holy Quran is the most needed book. It is the official constitution of the kingdom, and it teaches devout Muslims what is possible and what is not.

49. As in all Arab countries, there is a cult of the family. Every Friday they gather with large families, in restaurants, on picnics, etc. Elders are highly respected.

50. Gasoline is very cheap in Saudi. A liter of the 91st costs 0.45 real, the 95th - 0.6 (7 and 10 rubles, respectively).

51. For some reason, most Saudi men have long nails. I don’t understand what this is connected with, but I’m still not used to it, it twitches every time.

52. Summer in Saudi Arabia is very hot. Often, the temperature in the shade can reach +50C.

53. Therefore, on weekends in the summer, all the malls (shopping centers) are full of Arabs and expats. In the malls they walk, communicate, eat. Personally, it’s always cold for me in these malls, because they turn on air conditioners at + 18C, the Arabs are wrapped up just the same, but I’m cold.

54. In general, a lot of expats live in compounds, this is such an area, separated from everyone by a high wall, with security. Inside the compound, white women don't have to wear a black abaya, they can wear whatever they want.

55. Arab women put on a lot of makeup. Eyebrows as thick as a finger, brightly painted eyes, henna drawings on the hands. Everything that can be shown is decorated.

56. Despite the fact that women can only appear on the street covered, modern women's clothing stores do not experience a shortage of customers at all. Arab women actively buy all this to show off at home in front of their husbands.

57. There are no fitting rooms in Saudi malls. Women usually buy clothes, try them on at home, if they didn’t like it, they brought it back. Or in the toilet of the shopping center they will try it on without a mirror and will also return it if you don’t like it.

58. There is crime. If you leave your laptop in the car, they can break the window and pull it out. In the evening they can take away the money-phone.

59. Saudis swim in the sea mostly in clothes. Especially women. The men are in shorts and T-shirts, the woman is completely covered. Most do not know how to swim.

60. The beaches, by the way, are also separate. Somehow out of ignorance, I came to swim at the family beach, for a long time I did not understand why they looked at me accusingly. But no one said anything. A large family usually comes to the beach, from children to the elderly. With food, barbecues, hookahs.

61. The country is very dirty. Where there is a person, there is dirty. Paper, bags, packaging. The family came for a picnic, ate and drank, left all the srach. The usual picture is that you are driving, a bag of garbage falls out of the window of the car in front. Or stood at a traffic light, napkins, leftover food are thrown out of a neighboring car.

62. Inside the cars of the Saudis is also usually very dirty. Highly. The interior decoration of the car can be done in a couple of months. Make a mess. Therefore, many years do not remove the polyethylene from the seat.

63. Usually Indians clean up garbage from the streets. Well, how do they clean it up? They pretend. He walks with a bag, picks up one piece of paper, ten are left lying, goes on.

64. Almost every company has a tea boy. The dude who delivers tea and coffee to the offices. He looks in, asks what you want to drink today, leaves, brings.

65. In general, getting into Saudi Arabia is not so easy, it is not a tourist country. A visa will be given in case: 1) if you are at work, 2) if you are going to a close relative (daughter, son, mother, father) 3) if you are a Muslim and perform the holy Hajj to Mecca.

66. Mecca - the cradle of Islam, is located in the west of the kingdom. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world visit Mecca every year. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter this shrine.

67. When you come to work in Saudi Arabia, usually HR takes your passport from you (not always and not from everyone, they didn’t take it from me) and in return they issue an iqama (residence permit). Iqama is considered an official document in the kingdom. In order to open a bank account or buy a car, an iqama is required. Nobody asks for a passport. By the way, everyone has ugly pictures on their iqama. The photo is taken from the system - the one that was taken during the first passage through passport control. Usually fotkaetsya somehow from below and the people zadrochenny. When leaving Saudi Arabia, the iqama is surrendered, the passport is returned.

68. After receiving the iqama, you need to get a Saudi driver's license. Russians (and many others) are simply issued on the basis of Russian licenses, while Indonesians, for example, need to pass exams from scratch to obtain a license. The number of the water certificate is exactly the same as that of the iqama. Photo too.

69. Rain in Saudi Arabia is a rarity. Three or four times a year. And therefore, storm sewers are absent here as a class. And therefore, when the rain does happen, then a state of emergency is declared. Cities flood, cars float.

70. In winter, even snow can fall in the desert. But once every 50 years. The last time was in 2013.

In the photo: the Fahd Fountain is the tallest fountain in the world. Located in Jeddah

71. The deserts in Saudi Arabia are beautiful. Sands of different colors, from yellow to red. By the way, there are fences everywhere along the roads in the desert, you can only go to the desert at certain exits.

72. Although polygamy is allowed in the Kingdom, among my acquaintances there is no one who would have two (not to mention four) wives. Because according to the law, if you have a second wife, be kind enough to provide her no worse than the first. I mean, the first wife has a house, so you should also buy a house for the second wife just as well. The first wife has such and such a car with a driver, the second should be no worse. And time should be given to both equally. Cheap pleasure, yes.

73. Almost every Arab family has Filipina or Indian nannies. There are a lot of children, for all eyes and eyes. And not just nannies. Cleaners also live in many families. The usual picture in the mall is an Arab family walking behind 3-4 children with one or two Filipina nannies.

74. Since entertainment is prohibited, the Saudis try to entertain themselves with just about anything. One of the entertainments is car racing (that's why a lot of people crash), riding on two wheels on their side and changing wheels on the go. Another extreme entertainment is slipper racing. This is when you get out of the car at speed and ride on slippers. At speeds over 100 km/h. Don't believe? Hit youtube with saudi crazy driver and saudi crazy skaters.

75. Another of the entertainments is to cover your car with stones (between the wheels and the bottom). I don't understand the meaning of this.

76. Over the weekend, neighboring Bahrain and the UAE are flooded with cars with the Saudis. They generally call Bahrain "our bar". Yes, yes, from Thursday to Saturday, all the bars are packed with Saudis. And cho, under the roof, Allah does not see how they joke.

77. During children's holidays, people travel to Bahrain and the UAE even more en masse. There are wild traffic jams at the borders. Entertain children. Cinemas, water parks, everything.

78. Weekend in Saudi Arabia - Friday-Saturday. A couple of years ago, the weekend was on Thursday-Friday, but then they decided to shift it by one day for international business.

79. Basically, they don’t know how to drink. They get wet. I taught one colleague. Well, as he taught, he explained why he quickly gets drunk, said that the snack is very important. Now he drinks like a human, even his head stopped hurting in the morning-)

80. They like to ask about everything forbidden for them (sex, drinking, etc.). Sometimes they remind me of children.

81. Despite strict prohibitions, local girls still manage to have sex outside of marriage. They meet on social networks, meet secretly. There are meeting houses. Even an expat can get there if he passes the “quest” and face control.

82. Saudi Arabia does not celebrate the New Year. Generally. Even Arabic.

83. By the way, according to the local calendar, it is now 1436.

84. In the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudis fast. Do not eat or drink during daylight hours. In recent years, Ramadan fell on the hottest months, it was hard for the Arabs, not a sip of water all day. Expats are also strongly advised not to drink or eat in the presence of fasting people, to respect fasting. All offices have a shorter working day during Ramadan.

85. But after Ramadan, the whole country walks for 9 days. Well, maybe not the whole country, but our office has been resting for 9 days in recent years.

86. In general, there are only 3 official holidays in the country. These are Eid al-Fitr, aka Uraza Bayram (after Ramadan), Eid al Adha, aka Kurban Bayram (also, by the way, they rest for 9 days) and National Day.

87. Many websites are blocked in Saudi Arabia. For example, our Vkontakte, Chips, not to mention porn sites.

88. It is forbidden to take pictures of people (especially military, police and women). Recently, one dude was arrested for having found wedding photos of various couples (he had a photo salon and three aunts-photographers customized photos from weddings for him, and he sold them to other men). Photos are decent, no nudity, just faces.

89. I have never seen public transport in Saudi Arabia. Taxi only. Maybe it's there somewhere, but I'm not sure.

90. Sometimes at crossroads you can meet women wrapped in abayas who go from car to car and beg. These are not Saudis. Refugees.

91. There are no orphanages in Saudi Arabia. If the parents are dead/died, the children live with relatives.

92. Here they are calm about minor accidents with scratches and small dents. They can safely disperse after such an accident without calling the police and without any complaints at all. A couple of times they drove me slightly into the stern, they just drove away.

93. Traffic jams in the desert often go around just in the desert. On the side of the road in 5 rows.

94. The Saudis, driving up to the store, often do not even get out of the car. Specially trained Indians run up, take the order, take the money, run away, bring the order and change. For a penny tip.

95. In general, the Indians do a lot of things here for a penny. For 100 rials a month, your car will be washed three times a week.

96. Very tasty (in my opinion) local food, especially the grill. Something, but Arabs know how to cook meat. Served with tortillas, hummus and baba ghanoush. Yummy is unreal. Especially lamb ribs. And most often the most delicious grill is in the most unpresentable cafes. Well, rice. Rice goes automatically.

97. Camels around. On the roadsides, in the desert, even on the menu. Tried good meat.

98. In many Arab diners, instead of a tablecloth, they simply lay polyethylene. Since the Arabs eat everything with their hands (instead of a spoon / fork, a piece of flatbread), rice with meat is simply dumped on the table (on polyethylene), eaten with their hands, and after eating they simply collect the polyethylene with food leftovers and throw it away, and the table is again as good as new until the next client .

99. There are no taxes in Saudi Arabia. You can open any business, earn money and do not need to pay taxes. True, it is difficult for expats to open a business, partners must have a Saudi.

100. At Saudi weddings, women walk separately, men separately. Often even in different parts of the city. Women come to the celebration in their most beautiful dresses and jewelry under abayas, celebrate openly, but before the newly-made husband arrives to pick up his young wife, they again hide themselves in abayas and niqabs.

Real stories of immigrants - life, problems, work in Saudi Arabia without embellishment. My longtime friend and comrade and I became permanent residents of Saudi Arabia thanks to a whole series of amazing coincidences and accidents, and it is interesting for us to remember to this day.

We met with Sabit in St. Petersburg (then still Leningrad) in the mid-80s of the past century at a school where we studied in parallel classes. Back then, we were brought together by a passion for traveling around the vast USSR, and every vacation, starting from the 8th grade, we always went to places where it was very far from St. Petersburg and where it was deserted, wild and incredibly interesting. Later, we united in a "strong group of travelers" from many Russian cities, and when we opened the borders, we "switched" to the knowledge of the most lost and exotic countries of the entire planet Earth.

I graduated from the Art School and began to paint pictures, portraits of people on the Arbat, made various crafts, sculptures, and, in fact, I lived and did not grieve. But at the beginning of the 21st century, we found ourselves in a country that shook us, in Greater Saudi Arabia. She somehow instantly conquered us all and “took our hearts and souls” and we, already “hardened travelers”, traveled almost all of it in almost three months. And even this was catastrophically not enough for us then, but who needs us here and what are we going to do?

And when the tickets to Russia were already on hand, there were no more than two weeks left before departure to our homeland, we, lazily wandering around the beautiful city of Jeddah, found our first “pleasant surprise”. Sabit suddenly saw in one "cool" jewelry store his own uncle, who "disappeared" back in the days of the USSR.

• As it turned out, Uncle Sabita has been living here for many years and is the owner of a whole network of various stores, from jewelry to grocery. And he did all this on his own.


• We politely called him Farit Muslimovich. How else. After all, he looked so chic that he looked more like a gray-haired modern-day Duke of Edinburgh. He immediately drove us on his seven-meter snow-white Maybach to his home, which seemed to us a “home”, which, in terms of beauty and grandeur, would give a hundred points to Versailles itself, no less, here’s a cross for you. This is me from myself, I'm kind of a Christian.


• And, despite the fact that Uncle Sabit created from scratch an entire empire named after him in Saudi Arabia, he, Farit Muslimovich, turned out to be a surprisingly simple, kind, sincere person in everyday life. And with an incredible subtle, like the whole East, a sense of humor.


• At first, having fed us “to the fullest” with delicious dishes, the most delicate aroma of which I still remember to this day, Farit Muslimovich, lighting a hookah, listened for a very long time and attentively about everything that concerned the life of Sabit and me. And what do you think, gentlemen, happened next? You'll never guess, and once you find out, you won't believe it. And in vain.


• Having learned that I am an artist and sculptor, and Sabit is an excellent cook, that he worked for several years in one elite restaurant in Moscow, Farit Muslimovich, already infinitely respected by us, silently, quietly and calmly nodded, and it was time for sleep.


• Well, the next day, but already in a jeep the size of a tram or trolleybus, he took us to one of the resorts on the Red Sea, which also belonged to him and was located near the town of El Kunfida. What for? It was our "surprise-luck" under sweet as Turkish delight number two.


• He arranged for me in five seconds an art workshop that was engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of souvenirs, jewelry, all kinds of figurines, paintings from real desert sand, only painted in hundreds of the brightest colors and divine shades. Where I gradually became a real "eastern artist of miracles."


• Sabit became the chef of this resort. Both of us were given an unrealistically beautiful villa for living. An Arabic teacher was “assigned” to us, and Farit Muslimovich entrusted the hassle with visas and other “official paperwork” to his assistant, and he did everything for us so quickly that we now have permanent residence in Saudi Arabia for a long time, an excellent job in the specialty. And to their liking, it just can be placed in the section: "Real stories of emigrants - life, problems, work in Saudi Arabia without embellishment."

Saudi Arabia today very similar to a grand construction site. And people from almost all parts of the world live and work here. And of course, from our native Russia in the same "honorary number".

For example, boys and girls from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus work only at our resort. And no one is "offended". From animators and masseuses to guides and doctors of a hospital that was built specifically for tourists. And the day is not far off when Saudi Arabia will become cooler than the Emirates, Dubai and other “Hong Kongs”. Give me just a deadline. Quite a short period.

Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has changed significantly, both economically and socially. For example, since 2015, local women have gained the right to participate in municipal elections, and since 2018, the fair sex can drive a car on their own. Opportunities for professional employment have also been significantly expanded. However, work in Saudi Arabia for girls, also from abroad, is very limited. There are small chances for employment in the field of health care or education.

Jobs in Saudi Arabia in 2020 for men, including Russians and Ukrainians, are primarily related to oil sector. About 87% of the country's income and 90% of all exports come from petroleum products. On the other hand, local authorities are trying to modernize the economy and diversify the sources of filling the budget. Qualified foreign specialists can find vacancies in Saudi Arabia in the field of tourism, construction, information technology, telecommunications and some other industries.

Features of employment in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a wealthy Middle Eastern country with at least one-sixth of the world's oil reserves. Climatic conditions are not the most pleasant, mostly hot and dry weather prevails throughout the territory. Saudi Arabia population 2020 is about 34.8 million people.

Up to 90% of local residents are Arabs, the rest are mostly from Asia and Africa. The official religion is Islam. The country has strict laws and special traditions that labor migrants need to know and take into account even before moving to Saudi Arabia.

The labor legislation of Saudi Arabia is designed to maximize the provision of jobs for citizens of the country, especially young people. It is very difficult for foreigners to break into the labor market of this Arab state. Every year the authorities set special quotas on the number of foreign workers and in case of non-compliance with these conditions, companies face large fines.

In the field of unskilled labor, the main competition is made up of residents of Southeast Asia, many of them arrive in the country illegally, which is strongly discouraged. Also, according to some estimates, more than 125 thousand specialists from Western countries work in Saudi Arabia.

The main task of a foreign applicant is to first find an employer who will act as a sponsor and issue all the necessary documentation, including a work permit and a visa. This process usually takes a long time, so it is important to be patient.

To obtain a work visa to Saudi Arabia ( Iqama) it is necessary to have an employment contract, appropriate education to perform professional activities and undergo a comprehensive medical examination. As a rule, a visa is issued for a long period, which is previously requested by the employer.

Important. Foreign workers should be aware that leaving Saudi Arabia is allowed only with the consent of the company and local authorities, even the foreigner's passport is often kept by the employer.

Job search in Saudi Arabia without intermediaries

As already mentioned, it is very difficult for Russians and other foreigners from the CIS countries to find work in Saudi Arabia. Competitive advantages must be very significant. For example, possession English language, and preferably also Arabic are the necessary conditions.

You will also need higher education, qualifications and experience. That is, the future employer should be extremely interested in attracting a foreign applicant, for whom he will bear a considerable share of responsibility, including compliance by the foreigner with local laws.

Very often, vacancies in Saudi Arabia are received by foreign employees of international companies operating in the country ( Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and Siemens). Cities are considered popular destinations for employment Riyadh, Jeddah and Yanbu. Pay special attention to large companies in Saudi Arabia, which often open jobs for foreign specialists. For example, Saudi Aramco and Saudi Telecom Company.

In most cases, foreigners find work in Saudi Arabia through specialized recruiting agencies that operate in many countries around the world. With the help of such companies, specialists in specific professions for which there is a demand are recruited. Often, the employee is charged for intermediary services in the amount of 10-20% from the annual salary. A longer option is to independently search for a job in Saudi Arabia.

Top Job Search Sites in Saudi Arabia

Newspapers in Saudi Arabia

Actively use social networks, visit forums, contact employers directly or look for recruitment agencies. The resource saudianyellowpages.com will help with this.

The indisputable advantages of employment in Saudi Arabia include the absence of income tax, moderate prices, medical care and other social benefits. Compared to other countries in the region, local workers earn high salaries.

Of course, a lot depends on the profession. The average salary in Saudi Arabia in 2020 reaches 2-3 thousand dollars a month. However, foreigners often receive a lower amount.

So, for the Saudis, the minimum wage is set at 3,000 local riyals ( about 800 dollars), but only for the public sector. There is currently no minimum wage in the private sector. The same applies to foreigners.

If we consider specific professions in Saudi Arabia, then on average a waitress earns about 600 dollars, au pair until $800, guide to $1200, builder before 3000 dollars, IT specialist until $4000, oil industry workers up to $5500.

In addition to the oil industry, jobs in Saudi Arabia for Russians or Ukrainians in 2020 are available for builders, doctors, programmers, English teachers in private educational institutions, sometimes financiers and bankers are required. In principle, the list of possible options for working in Saudi Arabia is quite diverse. The main thing is perseverance and, to some extent, luck.

However, as it turned out, talented Belarusians are in demand not only in the educational institutions of this country. There are also many Belarusian doctors working in Saudi Arabia.

Our today's hero is a Minsker Dmitry Melnikov- just one of them. Four years ago, as part of a group of 30 Belarusian doctors, he decided to move to the Al-Khasa region, the second largest oasis on the planet.

Today Dmitry lives and works as an anesthesiologist in the city of Dammam with a million inhabitants.

— The story of how I ended up in Saudi Arabia began with a desire to work as a doctor in Kamchatka, at a submarine base. A friend found an ad on the net and waved his arms for a long time, describing the beauty of the Far East and the opportunities offered by a salary of - scary to say - two thousand dollars a month. At the same time, I was somewhat embarrassed by the town of ten houses and the opportunity to get to the mainland only during the shipping period. But these are mere trifles compared to the salary, which exceeded mine at that time by three hundred percent (I worked in the anesthesiology department of an emergency hospital).

And then I took the first and, as it turned out, the main step towards a total change in the environment around me - I wrote a resume. In Belarus, doctors usually do not write resumes to find a job. After university, the state takes care of employment, and then acquaintances come into play: either you are invited to work somewhere, or they say that there is a place somewhere.

On the contrary, when looking for a job abroad, it is the resume that is put at the forefront. More often it is called "CV" (CV, Curriculum Vitae), that is, "biography". Although it was unusual, it was not difficult to write about myself - there are a lot of samples and recommendations on the Internet.

And since I wrote it for the “underwater” personnel department, I decided to put it in the vacancies section on JOBS.TUT.BY at the same time. The “submariners” did not answer me, but TUT.BY worked - a letter arrived with an invitation to take part in the project to send our doctors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

At that time, I could hardly show on the map where it is. In addition, fragmentary media reports about this country have formed in me a kind of vague negative attitude towards the region. And I did not answer the letter.

I am still grateful to the girl who, a couple of days later, duplicated for me by phone an invitation for an interview with representatives of Arab employers.

The owner of a small new private hospital and its medical director flew in for an interview.

There were about three hundred of us - applicants. The interview took place daily for a week. Characters who came to interview in a T-shirt with a marijuana print or citizens with obvious signs of a severe hangover and a bottle of beer in their hand were immediately eliminated. The rest were asked purely professional questions on the theory and tactics of managing patients with various diseases and conditions.

At the same time, the level of English was assessed. It is this language that is working in the Arab countries, documents and case histories are written in it, conferences are held and communication with colleagues and patients is going on. I must say right away that insufficiently good knowledge of the language is not at all an obstacle to working in the Gulf countries. Since he is not native to anyone here and the general level of his knowledge is about a four in high school, if we take the old grading system.

There were guys in our group who never studied it at all (even at school and university they taught other languages). Three months of tutoring before departure and the desire to succeed is enough to achieve the minimum required level of English proficiency. I won’t say that it was easy for these people to work for the first year, but everyone managed.

According to the results of the interview, thirty people were selected in fifteen specialties. And we flew.

Of course, it was exciting and even somewhere scary. The most prudent of us have insured our lives and health for large sums.

All of that money is gone. As it turned out, in the Gulf countries, crime is practically zero. Even in the CIS countries, the probability of encountering even with Islamists, even with hooligans, is immeasurably higher. The only feeling that the locals have towards us is benevolent curiosity. During my four years in Saudi Arabia, I did not see not only aggression in my address, but in general not a single sidelong glance. Therefore, all our doctors are now here with their families. Flights (including air tickets for annual leave), accommodation and medical insurance for the doctor and his family members are paid by the employer.

For children, there are international kindergartens and schools teaching in English. At first we were worried about adaptation, but after a month the photos of our children hung on the Hall of Fame - the experiences slowly faded away. School education costs an average of $2,000 to $5,000 per year, depending on the age of the child and the level of the school itself.. There are also more expensive ones (this is already the choice of parents). The school bus takes children to and from classes, and sometimes the parents themselves. Rather, the father, since women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

But buying a car for the family is not a problem. Developed leasing programs. A very unusual feeling: to go into the salon and know that you can afford any car. In Minsk, I only went to the Lada salon.

Gasoline here is cheaper than water. Half a liter of water costs the same as a liter of the 95th: you can fill a full tank for change from buying groceries.

Our Belarusian rights give us the opportunity not to study at a driving school, but to take an exam right away. First, practice - you need to drive in a circle and perform diagonal parking. The size of the parking space is one and a half times larger than ours. The rules of the road fit on a sheet of A3 format, where there are signs on one side and rules on the other. The questions in the theoretical part of the exam are something like: “When should you turn on the headlights?” And the answer options: “when reversing”, “if there is a mother-in-law in the cabin” or “at night”.

The traffic on the roads here is such that I will not even describe it - this is a separate issue. I can only say that everyone is not going according to the rules, but where they need to go at that moment. Therefore, we insure cars without fail. It's not very cheap, but the salary, of course, is enough.

Salaries in Saudi Arabia are not cosmic, but they still differ from Belarusian ones. The minimum that our guys go to is $ 3,000 per month net. Our residency diplomas and Ph.D. In our country, a candidate of sciences receives an allowance of at best $ 100. And here, the presence of such a diploma increases the salary at least three times, and in some cases much more.

It costs about $300 per person per month to live. These are groceries, the Internet, electricity and household items. Shopping and restaurants are separate.

There is no entertainment in the country and shopping is almost the only opportunity to go somewhere to unwind. Fortunately, the salary allows you to purchase things of any brands and brands. So the girls really have something to do in huge malls, where you can easily spend the whole day.

It is more difficult for women doctors to live here than for men. And it’s not that you can’t go out alone on the street - just you can. There is simply nowhere to go. And to go to the mall, you can safely use a taxi (there are city services and Uber). And not that you have to wear an abaya (it's a black hoodie from neck to toe). Firstly, they are not only black (it's just a traditional color for local women). Our women wear blue, green, and beige. In addition, there are a million styles, many and beautiful: fitted, with embroidery, inserts, rhinestones. Secondly, according to the unanimous recognition of our girls, abaya is just convenient. No need to think about what to wear. No need to buy outfits. And it is quite suitable for hot and windy weather.

The problem with women in Saudi Arabia is that they are terribly bored here. Men, too, but at least they can go to the gym, go-karts on the track or ATVs in the desert. And they can also pack up and go across the country to see the sights.

In fact, women can only stay at home, visit boutiques, and on Fridays get out to the city embankment or the beach to fry barbecue with their families. Perhaps that is why local women love visiting doctors so much. Nothing but entertainment.

The most popular medical specialty here is a cosmetologist. In second place are gynecologists. They give birth here a lot. At least three or four offspring hang on each local woman in the mall. The rest at this time are either already studying and living separately, or are still at home in a cradle under the supervision of Filipino nannies. And every local hospital has an obstetric department, and a significant part of the work of anesthesiologists is the care of caesarean section and epidural analgesia of childbirth.

At the same time, patients are by no means only local residents, but also guest workers (or expats, as it is customary to call “come in large numbers” here). For twenty million locals, there are ten million expats. It is easy to guess who does all the work in the country.

The level of medical literacy of the population leaves much to be desired. If the patient does not know exactly how many kidneys he has and why he needs a spleen, then telling him about the angiotensin-converting enzyme is simply useless. Including for this reason, there is a huge amount of diabetes in the country with a full range of complications. They affect up to 20% of the population. Both a sedentary lifestyle with a high-calorie diet, as well as long-term isolation of the population and the inevitable accumulation of genetic errors play a role in this. Plus a philosophical attitude to life and death.

A ten-year-old diabetic boy came to our intensive care unit ten times a year. Half of them are in a coma.

We ask parents:

Are you giving him insulin?

- Why?!

- He does not want.

If this is how parents treat their children, then you can imagine how they treat themselves.

Fortunately, there are no specific infectious diseases in the country. Firstly, because there are no carriers - I see flies maybe three times a year, one by one. Secondly, because any organic matter in such heat instantly dries into stone. Simply put, everything is dying, not reaching the consumer. For the same reason, there are no dangerous animals, and non-dangerous ones are rarely found - mainly in the southwestern part of the country, where there are mountains. Everything else is a lifeless desert. To drive a thousand kilometers and meet only a couple of gas stations where three or four Pakistanis live on mattresses thrown right there on the ground - the feeling of all this is specific.

The equipment of hospitals in Saudi Arabia is at the level of world standards. In parentheses, I’ll note that in Belarus it’s no worse - our doctors upon arrival here did not encounter anything new for themselves. Moreover, Belarusian specialists, as a rule, have a better knowledge of the practical aspects of treatment. But to speculate about new methods and delve into the nuances of the theory - this is for the Arabs. To really do something is ours.

The attitude towards doctors from the CIS is positive, but wary. It’s good if there are a hundred of them in the country - they simply don’t know us. And therefore it is clear that the employer does not want to take risks by hiring no one knows who. In addition, new countries mean new recruitment schemes and new document requirements. The world-famous Arab laziness forces employers to use long-established methods - to hire Indians, Pakistanis and Egyptians.

This Arab direction is something unusual for us, and the whole world has long realized that there is an unreal lot of money from the sale of oil and people who do not want to work on their own. So the Europeans and Americans do not disdain to work for a dozen or two years in the desert. High salaries and local tax laws are very conducive to this. Yes, and saving here is easy - there are no temptations.

True, Western specialists usually work in large American or Arab-American companies, mostly associated with oil. I will not name the figures of their salaries in order to avoid psychological trauma for Belarusian readers.

Citizens of Western countries live in compounds - these are closed territories with a throughput system. Inside, everything is almost like in America and Europe.

Unfortunately, our specialists have not yet managed to prove themselves so well, and things are simpler with housing, although often noticeably better than at home. Each doctor is provided with a separate apartment. Most often they are three-room, plus a hall and two bathrooms. Furniture and household appliances are included. We pay only for light, about $25 per month. Everything else is at the expense of the employer.

The apartments are located in a building that belongs to the hospital. Only doctors live there. The nurses have their own houses and everything is organized there like a hostel, they live two or three in a room.

The hospital can be reached on foot. Accommodation is located in such a way that travel time is three to five minutes. Or you can take a small hospital bus, which is transported by staff around the clock - you just need to call the driver (not everyone likes to walk at night or in the heat).

The working day is eight hours. Mode - six days. There are shifts at home, processing is paid separately at one and a half times. No you our day and a half. Worked 8 hours - go home.

Since almost all of us work in private hospitals, we rarely encounter difficult patients. A private owner does not need problems, for him medicine is just a business. And the easiest way to treat healthy people. Therefore, for our doctors here is a natural resort in a professional sense. After Belarusian or Russian medical practice in large emergency hospitals, local planned patients are not difficult.

But this does not mean that we do little work. Eight hours a day at the operating table is not seeds at all. But at least here we have the opportunity to sleep at night and not rush around in soap around serious emergencies.

Everyone spends their free time in their own way. Someone watches movies online, someone bought an easel or a piano and finally reached their favorite hobby, someone studies and takes exams in other countries (fortunately, in Saudi Arabia there is both time to study and money to buy textbooks and fly to exams in these very other countries).

And someone is traveling. Bahrain is nearby with its nightclubs, cinemas, a wonderful history museum, wind tunnel flights and tennis on the roof of a skyscraper. Qatar is also nearby with a good opera. And of course the Emirates, where there are almost all possible tourist attractions. And in general, the whole world is in the palm of your hand from here.

On Fridays, a public holiday, we often gather together on the beach. There we have volleyball, barbecue, swimming. On public beaches, women can only swim in an abaya. This process looks like this: they go into the water knee-deep, sit down and chat about something for an hour. Men swim in the same way, but in shorts and T-shirts. An interesting fact: in a country that has most of the borders of the sea, no one knows how to swim. Our girls swim on closed beaches where locals are not allowed. You can also wear an open swimsuit.

It is not difficult for a doctor or nurse to get to Saudi Arabia. To do this, it is enough to have a residency, at least basic English, and pass an exam (tests on a computer) in your specialty three months after arrival. That's all - get a license and go to work. However, work and payroll for newly arrived specialists begin from the first day when we work under a temporary license.

Three attempts are given to pass the exam. Most of our hands over from the first. Only one person reached the third in my memory and also passed. A similar system for recruiting specialists operates in all Gulf countries: Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. For four years, our guys have dispersed to almost all these countries. But still, Saudi Arabia is the most conservative of the Arab countries. Breathe easier in the neighbors.

The most difficult thing to continue medical practice is to get to the Emirates, but here the Belarusians have a head start. Russians and Ukrainians, for example, need to be PhDs to work there, but we don't.

Usually, three or four months pass from signing the contract to departure, but a lot depends on the Arab side. Their manner of work is vividly characterized by a sign that we once met on the door of a mobile communications salon: “Dear visitors, our salon works according to such and such a schedule. But we may not be."

There is no problem in contacting me or other colleagues working here and asking us about the employment algorithm or some professional or everyday details - social networks are now an integral part of everyone's life.

For some time now, I began to have a different attitude towards people who go to work abroad.

Five years ago, I personally shouted at a good man who went abroad, called him a traitor and asked who would raise the country. It's still a shame.

On social networks, they often write to me, they say, you probably fly home and start to wrinkle your nose: and this is not the case with you, and that is wrong. Guys… when I fly home, I think “God! How good! How wonderful and reasonable everything is arranged for us! What wonderful people we have! And what a pity that those who scold their homeland have not been further than a tourist hotel in Antalya.”

In Belarus, not everything is as you want, but it is always and everywhere like that. The only thing we really lack is money. And the Arab countries are just a great option to solve this problem. Someone goes to the Arab countries for an apartment, someone - for an SUV from the passenger compartment, someone - for a house in the village. And for our country as a whole, all these trips are not at all expensive. You see, there is no permanent residence in Arab countries. And all our doctors, having worked and earned money there, will return home, only with the housing issue already resolved, with a broad outlook and international professional experience. By the way, everything earned will also end up in Belarus, which is very good for our economy.

Here are the Philippines nurses annually tens of thousands for export. And they cook well. On this they have both money and reputation. And who's stopping us? It seems to me nobody. Well, here we will only be glad to increase the Belarusian diaspora.

See you on the coast of the Persian Gulf!

If you have been living outside of Belarus for a long time and want to talk about it, write to [email protected]