DO NOT WORK FOR AL K****** IN SAUDI ARABIA

Hello everyone,

I have seen several posts over the years asking for advice and information about this company. I would like to make it easy by stating that they are without a doubt the WORST company I have ever been in contact with. My credentials are that I worked for them from Oct. 2013 to Dec. 2014. I was placed in Dammam and then a short stint in Khobar. I fulfilled all of the obligations of my contract.

Lets just say, that my experience was almost exactly the same across the board for all employees. I obviously met many teachers while I was there, and the consensus amongst all of them was that they had made a terrible mistake, and hated the company. I did not meet ONE teacher who enjoyed their time there.

I could write for days about my experience but I will keep it manageable.

First, you will be flown to Riyadh where you will be placed in a fairly dingy hotel. The next few days or weeks will be a whirlwind of uncertainty. This will be your first experience of how awful communication is with Al K******. I spent 2 weeks in this hotel with hardly a hint of information. I had to actively call the head office just to keep things moving. You may literally be lost in the mess and be forgotten about. Skyline makes it sound as if you are likely to be placed in Tabuk, which is the most desirable of the positions. Forget it. You are more likely to be sent off to the middle of nowhere. In the 2 weeks that I was there, 3 teachers who had been sent to a project in some God forsaken part of the country came back because the refused to stay. I don't know whatever happened to them, but I think 2 of them left Saudi if I remember correctly. I was born in Dharhan, so I insisted that I be placed in that region. I was given a placement in Dammam. I was lucky, in a twisted perspective.

When I was finally sent to Dammam I was given a hotel (dingy of course) about 30 minutes from the institute. The company policy was to pay for my accommodations for 10 days, and then I had to find my own housing. I dont know if you realize how difficult that is to do. First of all, they don't have anyone designated to help with this at all. I was completely foreign to the area, I had no idea where to even begin. Location is key, because you will be taking taxis a lot. Which of course, the stipend you get will cover a week of taxis and then you are out of pocket. I ended up being very aggressive with finding a place and got one after 15 days... In the worst neighborhood in the tri-city. Taxis didnt even want to take us there. I say us, because I made a friend with a guy that I met when I arrived in Riyadh, and if it weren't for us being together, I don't think either would have made it. Long story short, we bailed on that place because it truly was dangerous. We paid for our own hotels for a while until we got really lucky and found a place near my branch in Dammam. My friend worked in Khobar, so he got kind of screwed, because that was at least a 30 minute taxi.

Oh! Forget about being able to pay on your own. And DEFINITELY forget about the agreement letter that says "You will be provided accommodations with a roommate." They said that wasn't true. Well, that was in the agreement letter, and if you would like a copy of that for proof, I am happy to send you a picture.

You can't afford even the least reasonable housing on your own for several reasons. You are western, single, and won't speak Arabic. Single male Saudis do not live on their own. So, apartment managers know this. The only single males who need housing are expats. As soon as they find out you are a westerner, they either all of a sudden don't have rooms, or they charge more. My apartment (located above a chicken restaurant, infested with cockroaches, pictures available as well) was 3000 SAR a month! That is over $800... This place was tiny, filthy, and not fit for living. I BEGGED my school to help me find something, no help was ever offered by management.

No help was ever offered for anything actually. Not setting up a bank account, finding transportation, navigating the city... Nothing.

Lets discuss what I would consider 2 pretty serious human rights violations. One teacher (Pakistani) had been teaching there for 7 years. He was offered a much better job by another company, but Al Khaleej wouldn't release him. They held his passport and controlled his visa. They said he had to put in 10 years before they would give him a release letter to obtain another visa in Saudi. We call this the good boy letter, you have to get one or you cannot obtain employment in Saudi for at least 3 years. The other, which was much more depressing, involved a lab aid from Syria. He was truly the nicest guy I met while I was there. He had to flee Syria for obvious reasons. He also avoided his military duty, this meant that he could not renew his passport in Syria. Well, come last November, he asked to use his vacation days to visit his family in Syria, because if he did not do it then, his passport would expire and he would not be able to return. They denied him his request. He may never be able to go to Syria again. ONE WEEK for a lab tech. My friend and I even offered to take over his responsibilities so that he could go. Still denied.

Then there was the transfer fiasco. Because my friend and I lived together, but worked at separate branches it made sense for us to work at the same one. The Khobar branch was the better choice. After meeting with the director at the Khobar branch, he was happy to have me transfer over but needed authorization from the head office. It took TEN months and a strike on my part to finally get it. I went on strike after my initial contract finished by the way, I told them that if I was going to continue working there that it would only be in Khobar. They finally caved, and I transferred. I got an agreement for a new contract, but of course, the contract never actually came. This proved to be a big issue later.

Part of my new agreement was that I would be able to go home over Christmas. It was a miracle that I got this approved, but I was a really good teacher and they needed to keep me. Well, I made my plans for Christmas. My Iqama was set to expire on January 4th 2015. I started my Iqama renewal in October. They put it off, put it off, put it off... Finally, I was getting really worried that things wouldn't get done, so as usual, I had to be on top of it EVERYDAY. Well, Al Khaleej somehow pissed of the government, and they put a freeze on all visa issues and Iqama issues. This was by far the most frustrating and mind numbing experience I've ever had with a school. If they had just done it on time (takes 2 days!) I would probably still be there. But as it was, they were unable to renew my Iqama and I had to leave the Kingdom for good. This cost me my girlfriend who happened to be the only reason I continued to stay there in the first place.

So, after all of that, it was a FIGHT to even get some of the things promised to me. They told me that since I didn't give 30 days notice (their fault because they couldn't renew my iqama) that I wasn't entitled to some things. For example, I didn't get my release letter, so I cannot go back to Saudi for 3 years. And I couldn't get my end of contract bonus. I BARELY got my salary. But, get this, NO ONE gets their bonus. The bonus is only applicable by law if you stay TWO years. Of course, that is not stated in the contract (happy to send a pic of my contract for verification). My friend who recently left, with 30 days notice, will not be getting his either. No employee does. That is an outright lie.

They are the most inept, deceitful, and disorganized company...

Look, this is only some of the major stuff, there is plenty more. It is hard to express the day to day bullshit that I had to endure with them, but if you want to know more, I am happy to answer specific questions.

I love teaching ESL. I taught in Korea for 2 years and in the Czech Republic. I am no rookie to traveling either. I have been gone for a total of 5 years. I know how to navigate a new country. As you can see, I am not bashing Saudi as a whole. There are certainly frustrations that you will deal with, but those should be expected if you are considering going there. There are plenty of reputable companies that you can work for, and if you would like some suggestions, I can point you in the right direction. For example, about half way through my contract I contacted ICEAT. They are another ESL company in Saudi. When I spoke with them and told them where I was working they laughed and said they were really sorry, every company knows how bad Al Khaleej is. They said that when I was comfortable with leaving them that I could immediately apply and they would place me. Unfortunately, that meant coming back to the States and doing my whole visa process over. I was in a wonderful relationship and I didn't want to risk harming it, so I committed to finishing my contract.

Do your research, avoid Al K******. I cannot believe there are not thousands of testimonials similar to mine. I think most people are so glad to be out of there that they just wash their hands of it and move on. I wish I had taken more time, but I was desperate to get to the Kingdom because I was born there and really wanted the experience. I would not dissuade anyone from giving the country a shot, but please please please heed my warning. DO NOT work for Al K*****. I have never had a bad experience with any of my past schools, I love my field, and I love exploring new countries. I probably would have just left this all alone too if it weren't for being denied my release letter and bonus considering I fulfilled my contract PLUS some. But not getting those were my last straws. They have no integrity.

If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask. I do not want ANYONE to go through what my friend and I went through, along with the hundreds of other people who have had terrible experiences as well.