Job offer at Princess Nora University in Riyadh?

Hi Angela

Hopefully someone with firsthand experience can answer. Failing that, there are quite a few expat forums discussing this elsewhere and they would be well worth looking at.

The most basic piece of advice I can get is getting the contract up front. The reviews that I've read are mixed. The culture there can be quite startling for a lot of, especially Western, people and I suspect that this is the root of many people's criticisms. 

Have a look at our Culture Shock in Saudi Arabia page and especially our Women in Saudi Arabia section to get a bit more of an idea of what you might expect. 

In terms of expat communities, given the large amount of expats in Saudi Arabia, finding one is fairly easy, especially since many people live in Western compounds. I know the university provides their employees with accommodation too, and you would probably find yourself in a similar situation to many of your colleagues. In any event, expat communities there have a very strong online presence, so keep an eye out.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck,

Xavier

Thanks so much. That was very helpful.

Never, ever work at PMU. It's a prison with a crazy amount of rules. It's almost like a police state and the admin staff are inflexible and mean. I worked there for a year and will never, ever go back. Nor will any of my friends. It's a place where you will not be appreciated, will be over-worked, undervalued and you'll have to beg for your end of the year bonus, holiday leave and flight home. Don't bother. They're a perfect example of the corrupt Saudi system.

Hi. I was contracted at this university. Sad to say very disappointing experience, too much confusion, and very bad administration.

Hi Friends, I am 30 Years Old Female with 7 month old baby girl and have done masters in library sciences having 4 years of experience in this field, Currently I am working as Librarian here In Pakistan. I just want to know about my chances in KSA especially in Riyadh, My Husband Will be with me, Thanks to all Great people here,

I worked for PNU for a few years. It was good for the first year and then things started to go downhill and they still are. They took away everything they gave us at the beginning. They took away health insurance. They took away iqama fee reimbursement. They took away the free gym. They took away paid vacation. Students and Saudis get paid vacation but foreigners have to come in every single day for the whole year. If you are sick, you will not get paid for the day. The medical director herself said: Even if they have the flu, they have to work. The work is backbreaking. They see you as a source of unlimited work and they treat the teachers badly. The administration is extremely arrogant and they don't see foreigners as human beings, more like maids. Just do a search on the Internet for PNU reviews and you will see how it is for the women who work there.