The Saudi Dilemma

I got a job teaching English in Dhahran back in 2007. The job was based at a Royal Saudi Air Force base. It was incredibly well paid and extremely straightforward in terms of what I was teaching. The issue was splitting the family up, even temporarily. Now, some of my colleagues just loved being away from their wives and family, and if that suited them then fine! For me it was purgatory. The only light at the end of the tunnel was being told that my wife and children could join me after a year.

I figured that I could just about manage for a year at the type of money they were paying me, but I was in for a nasty shock. When I asked about it I was told that family accommodation was subject to a three year waiting list! This threw me into a tailspin. We were relying on the money to get us straight financially after going into debt when I studied for my Masters degree in Australia. However, there was no way we could cope as a family with a three year separation even with twelve weeks at home every year.

I spent day after day turning it over in my head, but it was only difficult because I hated being a failure at the job. From a personal perspective the decision was 100% cut and dried. I had to come home and stay home. From a financial perspective I was giving up the chance of security and from a career perspective I had already given up a full time job at university and they were rare even then! I was right in that my decision to chase the money made me a less attractive prospect for a good job for a long time and, for two years, I could only get summer work.

Anyway, once I gave in and accepted the inevitable I went to my line manager who understood completely and even helped out by telling me he hadn’t seen my resignation letter. If he had, I would have had to pay for my own flight back! I emailed him from England on Boxing Day, the day I was supposed to go back and told him that I would not be returning, enabling me to leave during the agreed probation period and therefore avoiding any contract issues.

When I had my discussion with the manager he said something that made me realise how badly I had been affected. He told me it was the first time I had smiled in the 6 months I had been over there! A difficult decision but unquestionably the correct one.