Living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Living in Saudi Arabia offers contractors and expat employees and their families the opportunity to discover a new country and culture. The conveniences of everyday life, including modern housing, schools, healthcare, and shopping, are all conveniently located in company-operated communities. Recreational activities in communities are many and include golf, swimming, sailing, horseback riding, and more.
There are plenty of opportunities for working in Saudi Arabia if you can offer a high level of expertise and experience. Large numbers of ex-pats have jobs in engineering (particularly in the oil industry), information technology, healthcare and medicine, banking and financial services, teaching (especially women), telecommunications, or construction. Since Saudi Arabia is also increasingly investing in urban planning, transport infrastructure, food processing, and water resource management, foreign specialists with experience in such jobs might also have good chances.
Traveling in Saudi Arabia and internationally is a popular pastime. In the Kingdom, expatriates enjoy day trips to local beaches – including a private beach. Desert camping and scuba-diving near the Red Sea's coral reefs are also available. The recruitment for managerial positions is mainly done by companies or agents representing Saudi employers in big cities across the globe. Intra-company transfers within multi-national corporations also account for a considerable share of assignees from abroad.
You cannot get a work permit unless you have a concrete offer of employment. In fact, individuals cannot apply for a permit themselves; their sponsor must apply for one on their behalf. Every ex-pat has a sponsor – usually their employer – who acts both as a guardian and a guarantor. The function of a sponsor can be held by individuals, companies, or institutions, such as your chamber of commerce in Saudi Arabia, or a business associate or partner. Some individuals may expect remuneration for their services.
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