Saudi Arabia is the richest country in the world. In a country where every citizen has everything from the moment of birth, the indigenous population is not used to working, so there are enough vacancies for residents. The main problem is that the country is closed to tourists. A gray wage labor market is flourishing. It is important to look for only legal earnings by contacting trusted firms.
The economic situation today
Since the discovery of inexhaustible reserves of oil and gas on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula, 85% The region's industry is concentrated in the fuel industry. This is also facilitated by the developed industry of processing enterprises. One-fourth of the total number of employees in the oil industry are newcomers.
Demography in the country is at a high level. Along with the growth in the number of young people, the percentage of the unemployed is increasing. More and more students, graduating from the university, do not care about their employment. Girls rarely go to college, since they get married before the age of 15. Hence the need for labor from the CIS countries, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine.
The average net income of a foreign mercenary is $ 3000 per month. Residency, academic degree, candidate title increase the salary by 2 or even 3 times.
Working in Saudi Arabia has several disadvantages:
- It is not easy to find reliable information about vacancies;
- A preliminary interview with a candidate is carried out by recruiting agencies even before leaving, which excludes the possibility of seeing the working conditions at the workplace;
- It is necessary to observe the customs of the host country: wear national clothes, get used to the heat.
There are much more advantages:
- After completing an internship, specialists with a confirmed diploma are assigned a decent salary and social package;
- Knowledge of Arabic is not required, only English;
- You won't have to get used to the role of an oriental citizen in everyday life, since all residents with their families live in specially isolated areas;
- There is an opportunity to teach children in a Russian or European school;
- There is practically no crime;
- Flights to home on vacation and back, business trips to the United States and Europe for advanced training are financially provided by the employer.
Visiting specialists will compete for employment on construction sites, in trade, business with Arabs from neighboring countries, who are attracted by Arabia with a prosperous income. Also, the government sets certain quotas for attracting foreign labor to provide jobs for its specialists.
Most in-demand professions in 2021
The country is in demand for qualified doctors, nurses, nannies, nurses, maids. Construction professions, engineering professions, IT-administrators, programmers, financial analysts, oilmen are in demand.
You May Also Like
The level of wages per month by profession
Among doctors, the salaries of employees of private clinics are the highest: surgeons, ophthalmologists, gynecologists, dentists, resuscitators. Specialists in this area are provided with work, salaries are from $ 3000 per month to $ 9000. Welder, bricklayer, foreman can count on earnings in 2000 $ and higher. The service sector is not highly rated.
For a nanny, the income will be 1500 $, for a nurse a little higher - 1700 $... The maid at home will earn 1000 $considering free room and board. Students, more often than not, take care of the sick and the elderly, work as sellers in supermarkets.
At the refinery, working conditions are observed in accordance with the highest safety requirements. Many functions are automated. Employees receive on average 100 $ per shift.
Table 1. The level of wages per month by profession
| Speciality | Minimum earnings, $ | Average earnings, $ |
| Doctor | 2500 | 4600 |
| Driver | 1500 | 2300 |
| Guide | 1200 | 1600 |
| Engineer | 2400 | 5300 |
| Cook | 1300 | 1600 |
| Salesman | 1200 | 1600 |
| Foreman | 2000 | 3800 |
| Dentist | 2800 | 5000 |
| Builder | 3000 | 4200 |
| Welder | 2500 | 4000 |
| Taxi driver | 1400 | 2500 |
| Policeman | 2800 | 3200 |
| An electrician | 1800 | 2300 |
Most of the residents from the CIS countries work at the livestock and meat and dairy farms of Saudi Arabia. You can get a salary in a similar place from 800 $ per shift.
How to find a job without intermediaries
To go to a company or a private employer from the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, you need to send your resumes to international job search portals, attach a short biography and data on professional experience and skills.
Popular job search sites
Specialized resources, agencies
- https://www.bayt.com - a convenient directory allows you to find vacancies by industry in the salary range;
- www.go4constructionjobs.com - the agency is engaged in the selection of personnel in the construction industry.
Employment types
When choosing an employer and drawing up a contract with a company, people enter this state for permanent employment most often. This is a positive experience for doctors, engineers, and builders. The experience in Saudi Arabia represents international experience. Having established himself as a first-class specialist, after more than 3 years of continuous work, it is easier to get a job in the USA, Great Britain, Australia. This is an excellent language and professional practice with a decent salary.
Work without knowing the language
It is not necessary to know the Arabic language for work. All documentation, reporting, textbooks and instructions are in English. Its level should correspond to the basic international standard. Without this knowledge, it is extremely difficult to pass an interview.
Seasonal work
In agriculture (animal husbandry, greenhouse complexes) in the hot climate of the Arabian Peninsula, there is no concept of seasonality. The period of influx of tourists and pilgrims to Mecca and Medina falls on the holy month of Ramadan.
It's a busy time for the service industry and the guides are busy too. You can come to work during the holiday period, but only if you are a man and a Muslim.
Temporary job
International companies operating in the country need from time to time professional support: setting up equipment, automating the process, installing the latest equipment. Contractors are attracted from abroad.
The company posts a vacancy on the portal or gives it to a recruiting agency. Applicants who have passed the interview stage receive a work contract, which sets the terms of their stay in the country. For this period, the receiving party issues a visa.
Other options
Food factories and oil refineries constantly require people who are ready to enter the country for a long time. Textile workshops and sewing factories also work on a rotational basis. Accommodation of employees in collective residence apartments (dormitories) is provided. They are provided with free food, medical care, delivery to the place of work.
Official employment procedure
It is not easy for a foreigner to receive an invitation from an employer. But qualified doctors, engineers, builders are always welcome here. To do this, you need to submit your resume directly to the organization's portal or to a recruiting agency in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
Priority of actions
After receiving a positive answer, you will certainly be invited for an interview. Here it is important to know English at a confident basic level. Further, this skill is necessary in professional activities.
- Find an official job.
- Receive an invitation or e-visa from the employer.
- Receive the original of the employment contract and its certified copy at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia.
- They give a diploma to a translator into English or Arabic (depending on the requirements of the host).
- They certify the diploma at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as at the embassy of the country that issued the diploma.
- They certify the diploma in the Ministry of Justice and the KSA embassy.
- They check that the title of the position in the employment contract coincides with the specified specialty in the diploma.
- They take a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the absence of a criminal record. They carry it for translation, and then the Foreign Ministry certifies the certificate and its translation.
- Receive a medical certificate of health at the place of residence, sign it from the chief physician of the polyclinic. The document must indicate that the patient is not sick with meningitis, encephalitis, hepatitis A, B, C or HIV infection.
- The visa application form is filled out in the native or English language, the date of filling and the phone number are indicated.
- Pay the consular fee and keep the checks.
Types of work permits
Having a visa is the reason for permission to enter the territory of the KSA. The resident must immediately provide the law enforcement agencies with a package of documents proving his identity and the right to visit the country. The newcomer will be registered with the department for the supervision of foreign citizens.
As a work permit, you must provide a work visa from the employer or its electronic version, an employment contract or a contract with the specified start and end dates of the validity period.
Table 2. Types of visas in the KSA
| A type | Multiplicity | Validity | Processing time |
| Business visa | Single entry | 30 days | 7-10 working days |
| Multi | From 30 days | 7-10 working days | |
| Working visit | Single entry | By invitation or contract | 7-10 working days |
| Multiple | By invitation | 7-10 working days |
Are there categories that do not require a work permit
Inspections in institutions for legal employment are carried out regularly, therefore, without a work permit, it is possible only as a device at home. These are private drivers, nannies, maids. Russian and Ukrainian girls most often play the role of a nurse or a nurse at home. Such activities are illegal, there is a risk of being fined and deporting.
If, upon the call of a husband employed in KSA, his family enters, then a visa is issued to his wife and children without a work permit.
List of main documents
After a successful interview, the following documents are collected:
- The original contract from the employer;
- Job invitation;
- Copy and original of internal passport;
- Original archival certificate from the university to confirm the fact of training;
- The diplomas of doctors and engineers are certified by the closest cultural attaché located in Turkey;
- Certificate of no criminal record;
- Photo on a white background 3x4 in the amount of 2 pieces;
- Visa application form (download);
- Original passport;
- Medical certificate of health status.
For a specialist with a work visa to stay in the country with his family, you must first arrive in Saudi Arabia and make an official invitation request through the KSA embassy by attaching:
- Originals and translation of marriage certificate;
- Birth certificates of children;
- Photos;
- Questionnaires;
- Police clearance certificates for children over 18 years old;
- International passports.
The visa application form must be completed before being submitted for consideration.
Registration of a work visa
All visas are issued through the Visa Application Center of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Moscow.
To obtain a work visa to visit the KSA, you must have a contract or employment contract from the employer. Therefore, the applicant is interviewed outside the country and receives documents for entry before being sent to the kingdom.
Registration is usually handled by a recruiting agency flesh before submitting the package of documents to the consulate.
Selection Criteria for Applicants for a Work Visa
Females are supposed to travel only accompanied by a man, and a relative: a brother, father or husband.
The applicant will be refused a visa if:
- In the passport there is a mark about crossing the Israeli border even in transit;
- Extravagant appearance: piercings, tattoos, bright clothes or hair;
- The denomination column indicates something other than Christianity or Islam;
Work visa extension
4-5 weeks before the expiration of the visa, you can apply to the consulate for an extension.
To do this, you must provide:
- A copy of a valid residence permit.
- Employer's application for the extension of the residence permit, certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the KSA.
- Exit and entry permit issued by the Passport Office of the KSA.
- A document confirming the continuation of children's studies at the KSA educational institution.
- Statement from the head of the family confirming that he continues to work for KSA.
Business immigration
When making investments in the economy of the kingdom, you can count on obtaining a business visa with subsequent permission to immigrate to the country. To do this, you need to enlist the guarantees of the partner company on the territory of the state, receive an official invitation to enter and confirm financially your intentions no later than 30 days from the date of arrival at the KSA.
Features of internship in the country
Each graduate is required to pass a test in the form of testing after completing an internship at the place of work. There is a possibility of retaking twice.
If the contract does not provide for an internship period, this is a disadvantage. Conditions and terms should be negotiated, documented, so that the applicant has the opportunity to assess the working conditions and, in the event that the place did not fit for any reason, leave the employer without breaking the contract and related problems.
Consequences for attempting an illegal job placement
In this closed country, the only correct way to find a job is official. Bypassing documentary conventions, you run the risk of entering the gray labor market, where you will find yourself outside the law. Clashes with the Saudi law and order, at best, will lead the illegal to fines.
Saudi Arabia's growing economy requires new talent to build a solid foundation of financial stability. The residents fit well into this system. Their comfortable living on the territory of the kingdom has been established.
The salaries are decent, so people return home with money to buy real estate, have the opportunity to educate their children, and gain international experience in working with advanced equipment.
