Expat women working in Saudi?

Hi there,

Expat women don't often take up employment in Saudi Arabia and many find themselves suddenly in the role of a stay-at-home spouse. There is some resistance from some local employers when it comes to hiring women, although this is gradually changing. Women that do work in Saudi Arabia typically work in fields such as medicine, education and for airlines, but you may be able to find something in engineering. There is more info on life in Saudi Arabia for women here and here.

Since your husband is working in the same industry as you're looking to work in, might it be possible to explore opportunities at that company? In general, I'd think you'd probably have a better chance finding work with multinational companies with offices in Saudi Arabia – in other words, working for an international employer.

Best of luck with the move.

M

Of course ex-pat women and local women work in Saudi. I have lived there and worked as a teacher and I have taught young adults vocational English to Saudi females to work locally

My husband has the work permit, I do not. I'd like to start a new career in teaching so that I can work in Dharan. Do I need a separate sponsor to get a work permit? Is there paperwork that I should get before moving to KSA next month? Like my university degrees attested? Anything else? It seems that paperwork flows take a looonnng time and would like to get ahead of things. TIA!

Hi there,

Unfortunately you won't be able to work under a dependent's visa. In the past, expat wives were able to work at private schools as teachers but there's been a crackdown on this in the last couple of years because it's technically illegal. Some schools may be willing to employ you as a "local hire" but any such schools should be avoided. Apart from the legal aspect, which should be enough to deter you, is the fact that this is a tactic used to take advantage of foreign employees - by employing foreigners as "local hires", schools can then avoid the obligation to pay for things like visas, flights and relocation costs.

The best way to go about it, then, would be to find work as soon as possible and to acquire your own sponsor for the work permit. You can read our page on Visas in Saudi Arabia for more info on the work permit application process. It's also a good idea, as you suggested, to get any certifications or qualifications formally attested ahead of time.

M