Best way to find a job for expats from North America

@Danielksa2023

Hello Daniel,

Welcome ! Till members share some insights with you, feel free to read the Working in Khobar article for some hints.

Have you searched for companies in your field and sent your cv ?

All the best

Bhavna

@Danielksa2023

Networking.

Networking, networking, networking.

Especially if you freelance.

Getting invited to a party at the USA Consulate used to be a good place to start, but all interaction with them is electronic now and when you ask about functions there the clerical staff suddenly become professional "gatekeepers".

The British consulate was good for networking also.

When looking for a job, as a general rule of thumb local companies want you here already (so they do not have to pay for flights, accommodation, etc) before they hire/ employ you.  But the salary will be very low.  They will insist on having Arabic language skills, even if not necessary to perform the work, in part because it allows them to hire qualified but less expensive expats from other countries in the region.

Foreign companies, on the other hand, appear that they would rather hire someone who is not already here.  It may strike one as odd, but the reason seems to be that would rather hire someone currently in an environment where they are consistently challenged, methods are continuously updated and their skills stay sharp.

I run my own shop here in Jeddah.  When it came to selecting a local partner, I went with who I know.  Again, networking is so critical, but not always easy to execute.  Fortunately, you should have an easier time of it in Al-K, which still functions (socially, at least) as something of a "small town", as opposed to, say, Riyadh.