I seem to have been fingered as 'Our Man for Hardship Postings'....

It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

Welcome back Mr Guesthouse. How does one get such an "HardShip Post" ;-)

anyway, you've given me an opportunity to ask a few questions about Saudi without risking (too much) the wrath of our beloved moderators.

I was surprised when a vacancy came up there recently in my line of work. It was a permanent Job rather than a contract which surprised me. I know nothing of Saudi except what I've heard in the past.

Do Westerners still tend to be employed in compound type situations or has it changed ? The Jobs always seem to be 'Tax Free' but how does one stop ones Home country getting there grubby little Hands on it when we file our annual Tax returns ?

And Finally, Its not somewhere to take the family , right ?

I take it that you've just been posted from your job in Saudi to one in LOS?

I hope you got a suitable increase in salary to compensate?

Yes, welcome home GH.

But I'd steer clear of the north as it's also rotten with dust here at the moment <cough>

- CB

Lucky bu66er!

I've got to sit out another two months here in Seoul then, as my site assignment has been chopped due to financial cutbacks, it's out on my ear looking again. Still I have a possibility back in Thailand that I'm chasing down. Other than that it looks like Libya or Russia neither of which exactly fills me with a warm feeling although Tripoli is not such a bad place.

It is a tough job but it has it's great times and some of those are in the most adverse places on Earth but even so it's nice to go home and not just two weeks R&R.

Goodbye Dusty Desert - Hello Land Of Smiles

I was saying the exact same thing 10 days ago! Ol' Swampy never looked so good. And the Heinie and pad grapow muu never tasted so good.

Enjoy!!

Welcome back Mr Guesthouse. How does one get such an "HardShip Post" ;-)

anyway, you've given me an opportunity to ask a few questions about Saudi without risking (too much) the wrath of our beloved moderators.

I was surprised when a vacancy came up there recently in my line of work. It was a permanent Job rather than a contract which surprised me. I know nothing of Saudi except what I've heard in the past.

Do Westerners still tend to be employed in compound type situations or has it changed ? The Jobs always seem to be 'Tax Free' but how does one stop ones Home country getting there grubby little Hands on it when we file our annual Tax returns ?

And Finally, Its not somewhere to take the family , right ?

Never been employed in a compound type situation but have lived in one, but have also lived in the local town more often. It's going to depend on whether your company has their own compound or not and the location of your employment.

Saudi is not somewhere I'd want to take my family but I've met lots of expats wives there that have liked living there. Again it depends on where you are, Jeddah is fine, but some other places are overun with muttawah.

I seem to have been fingered as 'Our Man for Hardship Postings'....

It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

I got my posting last Aug after 3 years in Jubail now it's LOS.

One of our guys asked for "hardship money" cause its bl@@dy hard to drag yourself out of the bars at 10.00pm to make work in the morning, he didn't get any.

I seem to have been fingered as 'Our Man for Hardship Postings'....

It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

I got my posting last Aug after 3 years in Jubail now it's LOS.

One of our guys asked for "hardship money" cause its bl@@dy hard to drag yourself out of the bars at 10.00pm to make work in the morning, he didn't get any.

Then he should just go straight from the bar to work at 9 am!!!

What do you do in Saudi Arabia?

Why LOS is to called 'home' to you, GuestHouse? (but I do welcome..)

Well, silly Qs...but ..umm.... is not hard to answer, right? (..eieie.plezzz.)

I've gotta say, its pretty strange being back working here. A lot of changes, a lot of things still the same.

My last ten trips or so have all been on R&R, not the same thing at all. And then there's the oddity of the corporate standard office, furniture, pc, company procedures, logo and company intranet all the same while the view out of the window has changed from Saudi sand to Thai greenery.

^thai greenery? ....ohhh I get it, they have a tree outside somewhere, do they....you are talking about the same Bkk I am?

Dont flame me, I am well aware what its like to live in the middle east, but thai greenery?

Just like there is more to the Middle East than sand, there is more to Thailand than Bangkok!

Yes I'm hearing you, but most flights land internationally into bkk & whenever I look out the aircraft window as it prepares to land, I don't think of greenery.

Perhaps I falsely assumed your office is in Bkk....for your sake I hope you get to live somewhere in the north where theres less concrete and more 'greenery'.

I have a pleasure to welcome my favorite TV members

'Guesthouse' and 'Spee'

L-O-S welcome you back.

Yes I'm hearing you, but most flights land internationally into bkk & whenever I look out the aircraft window as it prepares to land, I don't think of greenery.

Yes, same here a complete contrast to the approaches to KL and the city itself doesn't, apart from the heat, exude a tropical air.