"Riyadh" a Riyadh Travel Page by EthicalHackr

Congratulations! You have an offer for a job in Saudi Arabia but are quite confused whether to accept it or not. Your mind is full of doubts about the location, culture, weather, work atmosphere, local population, and so on and so forth. The picture here aptly describes your mindset - is it a sunrise or a moonset - you aren't too sure! You are in a Catch 22 situation - "Should I go in for the plunge or not"! You are looking for someone who can guide you, atleast through the basics. Not to worry, you have come to the right place!
This blog doesn't claim to be an authority in Saudi Arabia. Nor is it even remotely connected with any official agency. With a decade of experience of working in Saudi Arabia as an expatriate, the intention of this blog author is just to make the first-timers more familiar with the working conditions in the Kingdom. If in any way this blog has helped the would-be expatriates, then the purpose of this blog is achieved.
Your feedback in the form of comments and backlinks would encourage me to post more articles. Also, do feel free to correct me, if you feel any information provided is not accurate enough.

Expatriates driving in Saudi Arabia require special skills. Even if you are an experienced driver having an international driving license, you need to be street-alert while driving in the kingdom. If you are new to the kingdom, the first lesson is to unlearn whatever you have learnt elsewhere! For instance, theory states that whoever reaches a roundabout first has the first priority. In practice, the priority increases proportional to the size of your vehicle - i.e., Might is Right! Looks like the authorities are also fighting a losing battle, which is why you can find traffic lights even in roundabouts, particularly in places like Dammam. Amazing, isn't it?
Now for some practical tips on driving in Saudi Arabia :) Theory says that you don't move your car until the traffic lights turn green. In practice, you slowly inch towards the middle of the intersection even if the lights are red, virtually blocking half the traffic, and zip across as soon as the lights turn yellow for the traffic coming on some other road! Don't bother about the traffic behind you, what matters is that you have to be the first and ahead of all other cars! God help you, if you are racing ahead and the traffic lights suddenly turn yellow! Theory says that you overtake someone always from the left. In practice, you drive at 160 km/hour in the emergency lane, then race to the extreme left and again zigzag to the extreme right without any indication to the guy behind you. Who cares about road safety, you have a GMC and hence are the king of the road.
Jokes apart, Saudi Arabia has the dubious distinction of the maximum number of road fatalities in the world. Please be extra cautious and always adopt defensive driving while on the road.
By the way, did you know that you are forbidden from driving your friend's car without permission? One of the readers had specifically asked for this information in my earlier post (click here to read it). Let's say that your friend is on vacation and you want to use his car during his absence. The procedure requires both of you to go to the police station personally and sign a declaration form in Arabic. The car owner has to attach copies of his iqama, ownership and istemara cards and the person planning to drive the car must also attach his iqama copy and the copy of his driving license.The declaration letter must clearly state the starting and ending days, i.e., the duration for which you would use your friend's car. The police would then give an authorization letter to you and it is only after this that you can drive your friend's car. Without this letter, never ever drive any one else's vehicle. If the car meets with an accident, you would straightaway be imprisoned, so take care. Personally, I would suggest you do not even try driving any one else's car.

Here's wishing you a safe ride!

One of the issues a potential expatriate wanting to work in Saudi Arabia should know is the cost of living in the kingdom and the savings he would be making as an expatriate. This is a rather tough question to answer, because there are factors such as income, habits of individuals, etc., which also have a bearing on the total savings. Nevertheless, a rough idea is given here.
Bread is usually quite cheap, though recently the cost of rice has increased by about 20%. Fuel is also very affordable and is currently around SR0.47 a liter. The only worrying thing is the cost of housing, which is going up exponentially. Most western expatriates prefer to stay in housing compounds, as mentioned in an earlier post. Due to the limited number of such compounds, the rents have gone up tremendously. Most of the companies which used to bear the housing of such expats have now changed their policy to paying house rent allowances instead, to offload their burden.
Eastern expatriates on the other hand, usually prefer to stay in apartments. A typical double room apartment for a family, which used to cost SR12000 a year now costs anywhere between SR15000 to SR18000 a year. For those who get housing allowances from their companies, this will put a big hole in their pocket. Expats living in apartments must enter into a contract with the house owners. Usually, the rent is payed in advance either once or twice a year depending on the agreement with the owner. For the period of the contract, the house owner cannot raise the rent. However, in case the expatriate wants to vacate the house and move to some other place, he has to pay the rent for the remaining part of the contract. Most house owners take advantage of this law and use it to their advantage for fleecing. In recent years, the rents have been going up at a mind-boggling rate. As this has a direct effect on the savings, most expats are now considering sending their families back home.
For potential expatriates planning to work in the kingdom, my advice would be to let the company take care of the housing. If this is not possible, then ask for a housing allowance which should not be linked to your basic salary (most companies pay 3 times the basic pay). After all, if you have the right skills and they need you, they would definitely pay you. If not, it's really not worth it.