Thinking of moving to Jeddah to teach....

It depends on what you want from your job / life ... you say you'd "like" to live in Saudi - Jeddah is more liberal than a lot of other places here in KSA but the rules can be quite restrictive.

Cheers for the reply, the money is a big draw to the job, just a bit worried about the lifestyle? How restricted are the compounds you stay on?

...also how easy is it to meet people??

The compounds are quite open and it should be easy to meet people there too(depends on which one, of course). Once you have a circle of friends life can be fun here. I came here in Sept 2010 at work at KAUST, and am enjoying life here. It's easier for men to get around than women and Jeddah has lots of activities - get yourself on the US Consulate invite list for their gatherings - the Brisish Consulate have 'get-togethers' too but they only allow you to invite one other person

Hello gregs87 and welcome to Expat.com!

So as to make it more visible, your post has been moved to the Jeddah forum.

Thank you,
Aurélie

gregs87 wrote:

Hi Guys,

I'm a 25yr old male, good move or not??

Cheers

Do you have any other option ?? , Just Kidding.

Good Luck !!

Haha...Really?? Is it that bad?

gregs87 wrote:

Haha...Really?? Is it that bad?

No Buddy I was just Kidding, Its way better than where I'm at present that is Riyadh !!

Do you live on a complex? What's the social side like in Saudi?

gregs87 wrote:

Do you live on a complex? What's the social side like in Saudi?

Yeh, I live on a compound... Its bearable under the confines of the huge walls !! And social life inside is like any other city in the world, surely not any of the cities of KSA !

Haha, nice!I haven't heard anything really bad about it to be fair! What's the situation with drinking alcohol?can you, can't you? Clothes, Tattoos??

BTW, Go through the threads on this forum, Lots of Info is being shared. And I bet you will find most of the answers. And if you have some specific queries, which you can't find, dont hesitate to shoot them here.....

We have here amazing people with abundant knowledge to resolve your specific queries!!

gregs87 wrote:

What's the situation with drinking alcohol?can you, can't you? Clothes, Tattoos??

Alcohol - Big time NO
Clothes - Moderate Clothing, though I feel its OK for Men, Short Shorts not allowed in public places.
Tattoos - Anywhere is OK as long as it is covered....

Does that all apply to the complexes?

gregs87 wrote:

Does that all apply to the complexes?

Does what Apply ??

Alcohol - Big time NO
Clothes - Moderate Clothing, though I feel its OK for Men, Short Shorts not allowed in public places.
Tattoos - Anywhere is OK as long as it is covered....

These rules ^^^^^

I have a sleeve tattoo, so does that mean I will HAVE to wear long sleeves everywhere in public!

Alcohol - Big time NO - It applies to whole KSA including complexes, except embassies
Clothes - Moderate Clothing, though I feel its OK for Men, Short Shorts not allowed in public places. It applies to anywhere outside complexes.
Tattoos - Anywhere is OK as long as it is covered.... Inside western complex, no problem.... Outside though No sleeveless !!

gregs87 wrote:

I have a sleeve tattoo, so does that mean I will HAVE to wear long sleeves everywhere in public!

Yep--it sure does (except if you're on a compound--western compound?  I'm not sure about tats on nonwestern).

Oh.. and no pierced ears for men.  No jewelry, either, except for a watch (a wedding band would probably be overlooked).

Oh.. and as a teacher, you'd have to wear a dress shirt, tie, and business casual slacks every day. No t-shirts, no jeans.  Probably as a teacher, closed toed shoes, as well. 

Oh, and no long hair for you.  Some Saudi guys have long hair but they hide it under their gutras lol

Oh, I knew it was strict but wow! That is extreme, a lot of things to take into consideration! Such a culture difference its unreal! Thats what scares me a bit!!!!