Turning Down The Full Expat Deal In Thailand

[Filer]

Best of luck, Guesthouse!

I think it's not a bad decision if it's for 15 months only. Life is now (since the Gulf War, Iraq invasion and all the so-called terrorism-related stuff) considerably harder and more complex for expats in Saudi Arabia than it has been in the past.

My wife (European) and I spent 18 years there up to 1996, including the period of the first Gulf War, when I worked in the oil industry. I have kept closely in touch with the country since I left. It was a great experience and we were able to save money to help with our long term plans - which mature this year with our retirement to Thailand.

For somebody going now, I believe there are three important factors: your attitude, the job's location and your living accommodation.

If you have an open and curious mind to other cultures, which it seems you have, it can be an interesting experience.

Eastern Province (such as Dhahran, Al Khobar and Dammam) where the bulk of the oil industry is and which has been home to countless expats over the last half-century, is more expat-friendly than other areas. Jiddah on the west coast still has a somewhat more 'open' feel than other cities, due to its long role as the traditional port of entry to Saudi and the holy cities. Riyadh, the administreative capital is relatively new and quite a tough environment for expats. Other cities are probably harder still.

Wherever you will be, the quality and scope of your living accommodation is critical. The larger, better equipped and better-run compounds will make a big difference to your and your wife's happiness in the country. Do not accept to live 'on the local economy' (as they say) just in a flat in an apartment building.

(Having your family with you, rather than a long way away, also really helps).

15 months sounds to me a reasonable period to experience the country.

PM me if you have any more specific questions and I'll help if I can.

Edited August 5, 2007 by Filer

[mellow1]

You may want to reconsider taking your family there.Go make the money,get the experience your looking for,and make it back to your family safely.They don't really need to be exposed to any possible danger or a repressive lifestyle.I have been led to believe that Arabs are even more xenophobic than Thais.But others who have worked there can probably inform you on this.Only my opinion as to what I'd do.

[Khun ?]

9 years in Riyadh and never had a drink in country nor any problems. Lived in hotels, villas on and off compounds.

We have nice clubs with real booze, most of the guys have nurse foreign girlfriends that they spend the weekends with.

Sporting complexes, swimming pools and fully stocked western food stores.

None that I know would be here if the the pay was not right. Myself could care less if I slept on the floor as

long as the money is right. I enjoy my work, and work for myself.

I only see locals when I am coming and going at the airport since moving to compound where my work is.

Alot of compounds have different things to do and life will be quite normal inside the compounds.

Westerners are waved through the security check points and most the locals are polite to westerners.

They have a hash group somewhere and plenty for the sports active people.

Many opportunities to travel on weekends, even to Thailand if that is your cup of tea.

My fear is out living my funds, not about having funds to live.

I only wish I would of found the work 30 years ago so I could of retired 20 years ago.

Forgot to mention it is aircondition season now, with no humidity or sweating

Edited August 5, 2007 by Khun ?

[mellow1]

duplicate post

Edited August 5, 2007 by mellow1

[theseveredhead]

i have a friend who is nationalized us cit, born in iran so youd think he could deal with the middle east.

he travels extensively for a software country. he HATES the place.

good luck!

[Farma]

As mentioned by other posters you can have good times depending on your life style and interests. Diving is good on the red sea coast, Bahrain is a short drive from the eastern province and Riyadh hmmm.

Sightseeing in the desert was good until a few years ago but now more of a risk. Ramadan starts in September with no eating or drinking in public. I hope your wife likes wearing the big black dress.

Arabic isn’t necessary. The locals use Arabic lessons as an excuse to convert you to their religion. Most shopkeepers speak English and Arabs in the major cities can too.

Your wife won’t take long to meet other Thai wives. They can be found on most western compounds. There seems to be a Thai takeaway on each compound so she won’t run short of somtum.

Life on compounds is close to normal. It will take a while to get used to shopping and the driving styles. Internet can be a pain. Slow Adsl costs around 3,000 Baht a month.

15 months will go fast.

P.S. Get a multi entry/exit visa as soon as you can, if you haven't got one already.

[Neeranam]

Wouldn't you be better asking a Saudi forum? or Italian?

[Neeranam]

Make the money while you can, where you can,

LOS will always be here when you want to spend some.

Good Luck,

You may not be here though - remember that guy who got beheaded in the ME? The one with the Thai wife. I bet she agreed, like your wife, to go there and earn the big bucks. Greed is a terrible thing.

[Tinkelbell]

My half-brother, a Ph.D in chemical engineering, chose to go to work for Aramco, Dhahran right out from graduation in '1978. The untimate goal is to save money ..save...save. Up until present, he and his wife are still living there all these years.

By living in Saudi Arabia (or any radical muslim countries), he and his family have been saving abundance: From a very minimal expenses which he benefits from the full expat deal that he receives, plus as he is a none drinker nor smoker, so his expense for entertainment is zippo. The lifestyles where he has chosen to lead enables him to send more than half of his every paycheck back to the state. His in-laws (one is a CPA) helps find investment avenues and carefully invests his money.

He is set to retire next year just before he hits mid- 50, still young and healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor without worries about his finance for the rest of his life, his children alredy been set to inherite a sizeable estate.

So this one is for 'Guesthouse' : Go For It ! It's better to live a hard life when you're young, than live a horrid life in your old age.

[Neeranam]

So this one is for 'Guesthouse' : Go For It ! It's better to live a hard life when you're young, than live a horrid life in your old age.

Did you ask your kids?

[cdnvic]

There comes a point where quality of life has to be taken into account. Can't live your whole life by following only the highest bid.

Best of luck to you though.

Edited August 5, 2007 by cdnvic

[toasted]

I'm with Neeranam on this. Happiness counts for so much more than money. You've also got to be sure that your wife and kids understand the full implications of living in a culture so different to Thailand's, and not just accept their decision to follow your suggestion.

An understanding wife will follow her husband, but an understanding husband will factor this into the decision making process. I'm sure Guesthouse has done that - he is certainly one of the wiser posters to be found here.

[samatrob]

I am just coming to the end of two year contract in Algeria and will be looking at Saudi or Qatar for my next contract having lived in Thailand for 18 years and married for 12 years i still would not like to work here Because i could not work the in the same style has thais .On my jobs i sometimes have to really push the work and this is not jai dee for the thais so will continue overseas foe a while longer .

[solo siam]

My half-brother, a Ph.D in chemical engineering, chose to go to work for Aramco, Dhahran right out from graduation in '1978. The untimate goal is to save money ..save...save. Up until present, he and his wife are still living there all these years.

By living in Saudi Arabia (or any radical muslim countries), he and his family have been saving abundance: From a very minimal expenses which he benefits from the full expat deal that he receives, plus as he is a none drinker nor smoker, so his expense for entertainment is zippo. The lifestyles where he has chosen to lead enables him to send more than half of his every paycheck back to the state. His in-laws (one is a CPA) helps find investment avenues and carefully invests his money.

He is set to retire next year just before he hits mid- 50, still young and healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor without worries about his finance for the rest of his life, his children alredy been set to inherite a sizeable estate.

So this one is for 'Guesthouse' : Go For It ! It's better to live a hard life when you're young, than live a horrid life in your old age.

30 years working in a Desert with no entertainment to retire at 55?

Don't know if I'd sacrifice my 20's, 20's and 40's for some more money when I'm close to hitting 60.

[waldpyk]

sure there are pay-packetges that are difficult to resist

everybody has his\her price . money or otherwise

still i agree with britmaveric : something dark and dangerous is growing (there)

but "only" 15 months so maybe home before the storm

[Kimera]

Make the money while you can, where you can,

LOS will always be here when you want to spend some.

Good Luck,

You may not be here though - remember that guy who got beheaded in the ME? The one with the Thai wife. I bet she agreed, like your wife, to go there and earn the big bucks. Greed is a terrible thing.

Yes you may not be there to spend your hard earned money, the older you get the more you realise it

Edited August 5, 2007 by Kimera

[Filer]

What Tinkelbell didn't say, and what Ben@H3-Digital may not be aware of, is that an employee of Aramco, living in Saudi Arabia in Dhahran, enjoys the finest expatriate living conditions in the whole of Saudi Arabia. It is not living in the desert at all!! This is absolutely the top end of the market there and Tinkelbell's half-brother certainly wasn't living in any hardship. It's not at all surprising that he chose to stay there for almost 30 years (as my wife and I did for 18 years).

The Saudi Aramco compound (really a company city) at Dhahran contains the company headquarters departments plus housing for several thousand employees and dependents. It is about 4km across and is like a giant country club in terms of its facilties - to mention just a few: 18 hole grassed golf course, several 25m swimming pools, all manner of sports fields and pitches, libraries, schools, movie theatre, 500-bed US standard hospital, clinics, shops, restaurants, vibrant employee-generated social life, women are allowed to drive cars (still not allowed in Saudi Arabia outside the Aramco family compounds) etc. etc. All these things are free. It's not a hardship posting. Restrictive customs that apply generally in Saudi Arabia are much more liberally applied there and the company takes care of any brushes that an emploiyee may have with any of the Saudi authorities outside the compound.

No wonder that Tinkelbell's half-brother chose to stay for almost 30 years. He's earned good money, had a comfortable existence, with ample opportunity for periodic vacation travel world-wide, and probably stayed at the cutting edge of his technology and professional field in the world's largest oil-producing company

As I said, this is one end of the spectrum, and Guesthouse is not going to enjoy such luxury on his assignment there, but. depending on the location and the residential compound where he lives, he may well have quite a reasonable life for 15 months and collect good money and career experience in the process. The critical thing in Guesthouse's case, in my view, is that he is embarking on this for a limited time frame.

[Scott]

GH: Not a bad decision, really. I spent 3+ years in Thailand and then moved to the Middle East, then later to Europe and kept running around (not in Engineering though). I came back to Thailand every three months and really enjoyed the place--more than when I lived here. Eventually, I got tired of moving all over and returned here.

Thailand is a lot nicer place to visit than it is to live in. I had forgotten that there was a reason why I left after 3 years. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place to live, but it's an even better place to visit!

Best of luck to you.

[bangkoksingapore]

Saudia Arabian chicks are sooo hot.

[chinthee]

Saudia Arabian chicks are sooo hot.

I can't decide if it's the sexy black ninja outfits, the pleasingly plump figures, or the moustaches (when you are lucky enough to glimpse them). sizzlin hot.

[bendix]

Only Guesthouse knows what is the right thing to do, and he's made his choice. Only he knows the financial aspects too.

I would have no qualms going there to work for a short time. It would be just another of life's experiences. I'm not sure how old GH is, but one has to take advantage of one's peak earning years and Thailand is not going to disappear overnight.

[thaihome]

GH,

Some what surprised the assignment is family status. The people I know that worked in Rome and now have gone on to the site all sent their families back to Thailand (or other SEA countries) until the project finishes. Personally not sure I would take the wife to SA, unless it was in one of the big compounds such as the Aramco one described earlier.

I can understand the lack of desire work in Thailand, until my wife started her business here, she prefered working overseas.

TH

[Khun ?]

The women drive where I am at also and the Philippinoes come on weekends for church services.

So many places in the world to experience and many of the good ones are not cheap. If you really do

want to live and experience the best life has to offer and not be stuck in Thailand on a normal farang

pension you'll have to most likely have a few discomforts. A bit of time working in a so so place in a job

you enjoy regardless of where it is, is not so bad. The rewards can be 10 fold with generous time out of

country still earning top $ is a bonus few get the chance at.

For each their own, but I would rather be getting a full salary from interest on a savings account than

living on a budget 1/3 of my life. Being restricted to a budget that allows only limited travel and pleasures in a

certain region with fear of starting over if something changes don't set to well for most.

Good Luck and hope the rewards are never ending.

[tutsiwarrior]

salaries and benefits are always higher/better in the middle east than in SEA...and I'd rather work for an arab client than an asian one anyday...

Edited August 6, 2007 by tutsiwarrior

[Khun ?]

Lucky I always work for people from my home country that does not have anything to do with country I am in.

I can tell you the guy who worked 30 years as chemical engineer will get a retirement around $40K+ a year.

[tutsiwarrior]

Lucky I always work for people from my home country that does not have anything to do with country I am in.

I can tell you the guy who worked 30 years as chemical engineer will get a retirement around $40K+ a year.

sure...everyone works for a western employer...who else could afford to pay the big salaries, but who is the employer's client?

[Khun ?]

I am the employer and employee, and provide a commercial service to ? ( they have deep pockets and not in business

to make money).

[garro]

No offense meant to anybody but many of the long-term ex-pats who lived in compounds who I met were very institutionalisd and would probably not cope well in the real world again. I met people who hadn't left their compound in Riyadh for years except to go to the airport. Apparently many long-timers who did leave usually soon came back because they could not cope living outside a compound.

I look forward to hearing what GH thinks of Saudi when he arrives.

[meemiathai]

women are allowed to drive cars (still not allowed in Saudi Arabia outside the Aramco family compounds)

What else are women not allowed to?

This is one of the reasons I dislike Islamic countries! And there is no way I am letting my wife live in a place where she has to feel inferior to men!

[meemiathai]

Saudia Arabian chicks are sooo hot.

I can't decide if it's the sexy black ninja outfits, the pleasingly plump figures, or the moustaches (when you are lucky enough to glimpse them). sizzlin hot.

I think wearing a lot of clothes makes a person hot.