22yo female teacher with a job offer in Riyadh

theroadjesstravelled wrote:

I know there are a million posts about this kind of thing, but honestly wading through them to find the relevant information is giving me a head ache!!

I have been offered a position at the Princess Nora university to start in January. I'm happy with the workload and the pay at first glance seems pretty excellent.

The salary would be around 10000 SAR but rent and some utilities would be free.

I have spent the last year living in China where the cost of living in general is incredibly low. So basically I was just wondering about the kind of lifestyle that can be had on that kind of salary. i tend to live quite modestly in general.

Additionally any advice on any aspects of life in Riyadh for a single female, or indeed in general, would be incredibly helpful in helping me with this decision.

Kudos to you for not blindly accepting the position without  first deciding if you can actually live in this very conservative culture.  (Actually, researching before applying for jobs in this region is better.)  But you're right, these questions have been answered ad nauseum within this forum and on other women-specific sources (do an Internet search on saudi Expat.com women).  Plus, there's the Saudi jobs discussion forum on Dave's ESL Cafe (google it)---there are several threads about PNU and life for single wormen.  So take a couple of Advil for that headache and start doing your research.

In terms of your salary (around $2600 USD), it's far from excellent, but probably reflects your age and minimal qualifications.  Also, if the position is with a company contracted with the university, salaries tend to be lower compared to direct-hire positions. 

Can you live off of that mediocre pay?  You'll have to figure that out based on your personal spending habits, expectation of savings, and any monthly debts you're required to pay, but it's likely doable.

10 000 is a fair amount if they provide you with the housing and basic stuff.

I was in China also for almost a year and life here is not as cheap as there but still, less expensive than in Europe.

Also, I know some teachers in PNU (women and single) and they don't complain about their living. Teachers here are very united and hang out together so you won't be alone here^^

Anyway, If you've been to China (depends on the city), then you won't be afraid by the culture here .

To get to know more people, and quicker, you can contact your embassy. In general, European embassies throw events every month for their people. It is the good time to make contacts.


Again, as I always say, we are still young and have plenty of time to experience new things ! Well, it's my opinion since it depends on what is your goal in life. ( wouah that was philosophical, I'm impressed by myself )

Haha
Thank you both for your advice.

Advil in, and a night trawling through blogs and forums is on the way.

In regards to living in China I currently live on around a quarter of that wage pretty happily, so I'm hoping it will be adequate. I am still quite new to teaching so yes, the wage offer does reflect that. Though on the flip side I'm relatively fresh out of university and used to surviving on 10p noodles and bags of rice for weeks, so any standard of living above that has to be a step up!

Thanks again for your advice.

@TRLT  You'll be fine with $2,600 clear since your only expenses will be internet and food (which is subsidized and fairly cheap here). 

Your other expenses can be as much or as little as you choose:  taxi fare, eating out, buying shoes, lol. 

You should be able to save at least half (probably more) of your salary per month.  Lots of young'uns come here for a couple years and leave having paid off their college debts in the US.

And, btw, reading the forum posts won't be as tedious as you think.  Lots of good info and you should have some laughs along the way.

Good luck!

u can also Teaching at Language centres or private lessons
so u can get 4000-6000 SR maybe more

u can also Teaching at Language centres or private lessons
so u can get 4000-6000 SR maybe more

Giving private lessons and working at a language center discretely on the side are not recommended---it violates the employment contract and Saudi labor law.

Theroadjesstravelled:

There may be opportunities for extra work at PNU through whoever you're employed with. But frankly, as a young newbie, you need to focus some time and energy on moving your teaching past the novice stage. Some mentoring from a seasoned colleague would be beneficial.

smurfette wrote:

u can also Teaching at Language centers or private lessons
so u can get 4000-6000 SR maybe more

Giving private lessons and working at a language center discretely on the side are not recommended---it violates the employment contract and Saudi labor law.

Theroadjesstravelled:

There may be opportunities for extra work at PNU through whoever you're employed with. But frankly, as a young newbie, you need to focus some time and energy on moving your teaching past the novice stage. Some mentoring from a seasoned colleague would be beneficial.

you are right but On the ground some of people do that

as example my teacher at British council was teaching at an international school and giving classes at British council and also private lessons per hour

it's part time job and I think it's OK if not discord with ordinary work

but of course your experience is important and your advice must listen to it