Middle East work?

[fatpies]

Dear Auntie BCF.

Has anybody here worked in the middle east? I've only heard 3rd hand accounts about it. And Andy who said you earn lots tax free but can't spend it because in Saudi, there is nothing to spend it on. Some guys go off to Bahrain to party at weekends and spend it all.

My only experience has been short 2 week treks for jobs there, which isn't exactly representitive of how it would be like to work and live there.

Anybody?
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"It's easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It's a lot more difficult to perform one"

[Kradmelder]

[fatpies]

[Kradmelder]

Don't worry about education. Plenty of good schools about everywhere for your kids. They can still do O and A levels, and follow international standards.

It also gives your kids a dimension they will never have just staying at home. Broadens their minds and experiences. Kids adapt easy.

Responsible men easily put up with it for the end goal. The key thing will be the attitude of your wife. She will be in a foreign land, not working, in a culture hostile to women. Maybe get bored. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. Not exactly the place for women to walk around alone, so trapped in the expat lifestyle in Islamic countries. Even business functions, you are expected NOT to bring a female partner.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[fatpies]

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]

tried to gather my thoughts of what I felt like then working there compared to now with hindsight.

Firstly, look at yourself. Im a pure apartheid boy. Can mix with others, but keep them at a distance and will mix with my own kind rather. So I slotted in more with other whiteys, or kept to myself. With muslims, they are very hospitable, but faith often comes up. And Im a big pork eater!

If you are 'very british' you will live in a bubble of british expats with similar values. Working in Rwanda, the Europeans asked me to join their 'club', but it was made up of liberals in NGOs, and I found I had more in common with the darkies and preferred to stay in my camp and organise my own security. I had nothing in common with those help the darkie do-gooders. Im there to make money, not to 'save africa' the middle east or whatever.

If you can survive in a very small social circle of the ex pat bubble, you will be content.

The financial benefits are obvious. But if you are content, you wont want to go home to nothing and leave all these new friends and all that money. You may stay longer. Rather stay not just long enough for a home, but to be able to come home and start a business. You wont easily work for a boss again.

You will meet expat people from other countries, who may offer you work elsewhere. You may never come back to the UK. I was away years, then kept going away for contracts. You will get used to many cultures, love some hate others. You will see through the liberal BS at home that we are all the same. We are not. Their countries are a shambles because of gtheir own culture. We are not equal. You will see some damn useless people and cultures. You wont fit in with image painted in the UK about other people. You will know a useless nation when you see it.

I couldn't live in a camp with the French. within 2 weeks all the saffers picked up and left. They were married and sleeping with darkies, bringing them to our meals etc. Anathema to saffers, none of whom cheated on their wives ate home. Amazingly enough, the African staff preferred us, and asked to work for us rather.

Holidays. from the middle east, why go back to the dreary grey UK? You can fly anywhere for holidays. You will find yourself going home less and less and see so many better places.Makes it hard to go home. You may never go home. Many brit expats settled in new homes. SA is full of them. So is Oz. Chinaboy on here seems like another. Some meet ladies elsewhere, or some just prefer the lifestyle elsewhere.

You will make friends from different places. You can make friends with arabs, but they can be tedious at times. Just overly friendly and less respectful of space. and you are always an outsider.


Your professional network will grow. I was getting intl jobs with people I met for yearsafter . You will work at a far more responsible level than by staying at home. and become a jack of all trades. and you will have an intl CV. I still get asked to go for jobs in other countries, even though I don't want nor need the many anymore. You will also be able to do JVs with people you met at a later date. You wont be unemployed after. plenty of work for such people. They know how to tender for overseas jobs.

You will have adventures and see the place far different than as a tourist.

The pitfalls? The climate. you may not like the heat and will be forced to stay indoors. The cities can be crowded, filthy, noisy, and chaotic, depending where. Cairo is a shit hole. Traffic is terrible. Im a very light sleeper. mosques blaring at sunrise piss me off. distorted and in surround sound. At first it is exotic, but soon wears thin, especially when all business stops.

Flies, dust, filth. enough said. In darkie places it is even worse.

Red tape. any dealings with government is frustrating. You will be tempted to pay bribes to avoid it.

There are no human rights. You wont agree with a lot of what you see. But it isn't your place to judge. Don't feel sorry for them or it will eat you up.


They will try to rip you off for everything you buy as a white man. The endless bargaining. they will charge you 10, 100 times more than a local. You will want to throttle them or put your fist in their grinning face, especially when they tug on your arm.

I met poms, aussies, kiwis, swedes etc. Must say, I got along well with the aussies and some brits, generally not the yanks. The French.....zero work ethic, always complaining, prone to tantrums and hissy fits. emotional. And their bringing their bush wives to dinner is vomit material. I cant believe you brits and the yanks would want to chase the germans out of france. Let the germans sort out these cry babies. Good only for wearing perfume and chucking food in the streets when they riot. And having arrogant fits if you speak English to them. what gratitude.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[nowhere.elysium]

[scorps]

I loved being in Saudi and I certainly spent money there on electrical items and gold mainly.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[daffy]

what type of work is there in these countries?

[Chinaboy]

[Frost]

My uncle works there a lot. He spends a lot of money on holidays as it keeps him out of the country long enough not to need to pay tax.