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To go or not to go to Saudi
#26

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-15-2019 03:44 PM)Atlanta Man Wrote:  

In your position I would go to KSA for 1-3 years. While I was there I would spend as little as humanly possible while still pursuing the opportunities in other places you would rather be.

I have a friend who is a Doctor(Internal Medicine) he took a job in Qatar for $650,000 a year on a 3 year contract-he saved every damn penny he could and is in excellent shape financially- He fucking hated Qatar and it was a big culture shock for him when he first moved there. Qatar is not as strict culturally as KSA.

I think the picture is taking shape.
1. Go there and save as much as I can. At the same time try to enjoy it
2. Try to get a certification in data science/big data/ or a skill I can use in a cool place to live while over there
3. Once I save enough to buy a cool house out right in cash, I jet out.
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#27

To go or not to go to Saudi

I'd say GO! Give it a year, then decide. Instead of waiting around unemployed, you could be earning right away, and no one is preventing you from continuing to apply elsewhere while working there.

There are some women from the UK who live there, this is first-hand knowledge as I know someone who lives and works there. They pay a lot, plus there is the benefit of taxes (don't know for sure, but I think it used to be tax free). I have another friend who lived in Muscat for 10 years. He's around 40, and says he can retire now if he wanted to.

If you pass up this opportunity, you'll always think back and wonder how your life would have been if you would have gone. After a year, if you don't like it, you can always come back, with some cool stories to share about your experience and some solid money.
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#28

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-15-2019 07:44 PM)mcw78912 Wrote:  

I'd say GO! Give it a year, then decide. Instead of waiting around unemployed, you could be earning right away, and no one is preventing you from continuing to apply elsewhere while working there.

There are some women from the UK who live there, this is first-hand knowledge as I know someone who lives and works there. They pay a lot, plus there is the benefit of taxes (don't know for sure, but I think it used to be tax free). I have another friend who lived in Muscat for 10 years. He's around 40, and says he can retire now if he wanted to.

If you pass up this opportunity, you'll always think back and wonder how your life would have been if you would have gone. After a year, if you don't like it, you can always come back, with some cool stories to share about your experience and some solid money.
I officially get terminated from my job in the next 3 months. The company was just kind enough to let me know in advance.
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#29

To go or not to go to Saudi

I don’t know much about working in SA, I’m just a tradesman and I think my job is done by Asians over there who work for peanuts. OP congratulations on the incredible offer, you obviously have a great education and skill set to command such an impressive salary. I would probably try it out for a year or two just to stack cash, you could do a lot of things with the money you’ll be able to save there, even if it’s just a year.

I definitely understand how good and bad the oil industry can be, I’ve managed to do ok post oil slump but the industry just isn’t what it was when I got into it over a decade ago. Over the past six months I’ve been working in some really crappy locations and odd hours, mostly nights and evenings so my social life has been shit. I’m working as much as I can this year to save up money and may go back to school next year and leave the industry. It will be a difficult decision as I still make pretty good money but the oil and gas lifestyle is really getting old.
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#30

To go or not to go to Saudi

You absolutely should accept and go. The contract doesn't bind you in any way (you're certainly not so greedy to stay for 10 years if you hate it just to get whatever perk they promised), you're not prevented from keeping an eye out for other jobs, you begin stacking cash immediately rather than sitting at home unemployed, and just a year or two is enough to make a big change in your life.

As far as dating goes, you made it to 37 without settling down. A few years won't do any further harm in that regard - 10 might, but if you decided to stay for 10, then I assume you'd have a great reason that would make it worth it, or it might even be due to having found someone there.

NOTE: I'm assuming that oil work is the same everywhere and that work conditions in Saudi oilfields are no more grueling, unhealthy or unsafe than at any other oilfield in the world. If it's not the case, then obviously disregard everything I said.

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#31

To go or not to go to Saudi

Agree with the conventional wisdom here.

A pilot test of 1 year seems like a good decision OP. Go 1 year then reassess. Going there might help you achieve more quickly your ultimate goal. Granted, they have a shitty mentality. But you can take advantage of it. They will not be racist against you, they love Americans. You're the #1 in their view before anyone else.

You can take advantage of the bullshit racism with the right mindset. There are a lots of opportunities there if you are willing to put in the effort. I'd recommend you try to meet people who are in business. Expand your social circle. Networking can go a long way. Make the best time out of it. I know someone who used to work as a sales rep in SA, Jeddah. He launched a small business after a few years in his home country thanks to the money and portfolios of clients he had made there. As an American I think you will have a lot more doors open than an African or Middle Eastern guy. As for the women, the best option is the airport.

Good luck!
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#32

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-15-2019 02:23 AM)RatInTheWoods Wrote:  

Quote: (02-14-2019 11:36 PM)Lampwick Wrote:  

Quote: (02-14-2019 10:53 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

I'd say either go work there to gain international experience and stack some major bank, then apply to work international in other companies with better locations like Mexico, UK, PNG, Oz, Colombia, Brazil.

You know Saudi Arabia is a true shithole when Papua New Guinea is being recommended as an upgrade.

Anyone saying PNG is better than Saudi hasn't been to PNG!

Fuck that place!

Work we do is always going to be a shit hole, thats a given, but its called work for a reason, and we are going there to stack cash, not have a holiday.

Holiday is where you go after your roster, loaded with cash and can ball it up.

Want to stress again, forget some 10 year bonus - not going to happen.
Make sure you get a sweet pay deal then and there, never live on promises, its take home pay that counts.

Saudi is close to Europe too, so you can explore that in your off roster as well.

I'm nicer to cannibals than fuckers that want to bomb us and wipe us off the map. Hence PNG > KSA. I strongly dislike Saudi.

Also, OP would not have a rotational position but it seems more of a Monday-Friday job which limits his traveling opportunities.

Quote: (02-15-2019 03:44 PM)Atlanta Man Wrote:  

In your position I would go to KSA for 1-3 years. While I was there I would spend as little as humanly possible while still pursuing the opportunities in other places you would rather be.

I have a friend who is a Doctor(Internal Medicine) he took a job in Qatar for $650,000 a year on a 3 year contract-he saved every damn penny he could and is in excellent shape financially- He fucking hated Qatar and it was a big culture shock for him when he first moved there. Qatar is not as strict culturally as KSA.

Damn, sign me up!

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#33

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-15-2019 08:52 PM)scotian Wrote:  

I don’t know much about working in SA, I’m just a tradesman and I think my job is done by Asians over there who work for peanuts. OP congratulations on the incredible offer, you obviously have a great education and skill set to command such an impressive salary. I would probably try it out for a year or two just to stack cash, you could do a lot of things with the money you’ll be able to save there, even if it’s just a year.

I definitely understand how good and bad the oil industry can be, I’ve managed to do ok post oil slump but the industry just isn’t what it was when I got into it over a decade ago. Over the past six months I’ve been working in some really crappy locations and odd hours, mostly nights and evenings so my social life has been shit. I’m working as much as I can this year to save up money and may go back to school next year and leave the industry. It will be a difficult decision as I still make pretty good money but the oil and gas lifestyle is really getting old.


Thanks guys. I think I do it for a few years and stash away cash. This oil industry sucks
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#34

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-19-2019 07:22 PM)Leonidas_B Wrote:  

Thanks guys. I think I do it for a few years and stash away cash. This oil industry sucks

Would you rather be an accountant with a cubicle job, pocket protector and getting maintenance sex of a fat suburban 4?

Travel, excitement, massive cash, adventure, and a job so tough we know most couldn't hack it is the man's life!
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#35

To go or not to go to Saudi

I had a similar dilemma..

I teach English in China. It gets more bad press than maybe anywhere (except Saudi lol).

I'm always worried when I read the latest negative news report on the BBC.

However, I was hugely reassured by reading there are something like 400,000 other English teachers in China.

I just keep my head down and bank the coin. I work like 7 months a year and save around the same amount as I did when I worked in a London cubicle.
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#36

To go or not to go to Saudi

Quote: (02-19-2019 07:22 PM)Leonidas_B Wrote:  

Thanks guys. I think I do it for a few years and stash away cash. This oil industry sucks

It's a double edged sword. I did the field expat service engineer thing in Indonesia for 2.5 years, and also worked a bunch in Western Canada/Tx so think I have a bit of a perspective here.

Overseas I lived in field camps for months on end where I'd eat rice 3 meals a day, to regular houses in Jakarta where I could go to malls, and stayed largely around the base working office hours inter spaced with month long stretches in middle of no where.

I wrote a bit about the expat life in an old thread:

http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-18313.html

Which I largely still stand by now. As others said your time in Saudi will be for a cash injection to set you up. You will be treated fine, it's safe enough, but you will never be an equal in their eyes. I found some of my best friends I've ever met through work in Ab and Tx. Over there, I have okay friends who I'll look up when I'm there, but it isn't quite the same. I had a few friends who worked in Saudi. They said it was okay all things considered, but "all things considered" included making like 200k/yr with occasional large stretches of time off, so if you're an engineer you should be able to work that equation backwards to solve for quality of life and work.

Forget the idea of making it 10 years. That is the one big thing I would caution you on. Even if you physically can hack it for 10 years, it's in a lot of people's financial interests for you to not. Working internationally for these companies will red pill the fuck out of you if you're not already. Keep in mind these are companies that are often in bed with gov'ts and the military, and will readily use armies and violence (albeit indirectly) to protect their interests, so what leverage do you have if they want to fuck you? Keep in mind the rule of law protects you from the most egregious transgressions in North America, but over there not so. In Indo, they were literally making local engineers sign bonds saying that they would pay back double what a course cost (equivalent to like 3 years of their salary which they certainly didn't have) if they failed, quit, or were fired within several years.

They generally paid me, and well, because money was plentiful then. However every promise about days off, training to better myself, a nice transfer permanently out of the field, or any other perk was generally dangled in front of me got rescinded because they were busy then, and wanted me making them money.

Other's I've talked to in Venezuela were still waiting for pay cheques after years, because their bonus checks (constituting >50% of their yearly pay) were contingent on the service company actually getting paid by the gov't. How fucked up is that? Work now, keep working, and when/if we get paid, maybe you will too.

Other's in Brazil had like 250 days owed due to always being understaffed and being keen to 'help out' or being stuck offshore, but then because management wanted to clean up their books in '09 after the last big crash, these guys were given like 3 months notice to get their balance down to their yearly maximum of 50 days, or else they would lose the rest. How does one burn 200 days vacation in 90 days when you're not even allowed to take a weekend off? Well they suggested you 'manage' it.
We retroactively determined you worked 4 moths salary free! Thanks!

Despite all the shady shit I saw, the money set me up well. That said I'm stuck in a pretty niche area without a lot of experience in others(hence my push to get out of the field), so job prospects now are limited, especially since I don't want to live in oil towns any more. So I would also echo the save save save mantra. But your age would be another caution. When I got out in my early 30s I was frankly tired of living out of a bag, and having no life. Body can't take the 60 hour 'days' like it used to, and I'm honestly not as hungry as I was fresh out of school. I've dealt with enough BS to last a lifetime, don't need to anymore to pay the rent, so I don't. I found most people after 30ish in the industry got more and more picky about what they would or wouldn't accept, because they had the experience and didn't need the money, so if I were you I would either try and get some sort of quality of life assurances like 28/28 or more money. I always always see ads on job boards for SA, but never met anyone who directly worked for them so am curious why they're always so desperate for people. Anyways best of luck. I'm truly curious how this works out and what you think of it if you decide to go for it.
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