How Can I Earn Money from Home in Saudi Arabia?

Updated on 10/06/2020: I initially wrote this blog post on 07/06/2016. Yeah, that was about four years ago. I took some time to explore how I could earn money online from home in Saudi Arabia. I also experienced some of the challenges that a person living in Saudi Arabia could come across when getting into this type of business.

If you're looking forward to making money from home in Saudi Arabia, then you've come to the right place. I'll describe some make money online opportunities that you can easily start if you are a resident of Saudi Arabia. 

Below are some methods, which I tried myself and which I will cover in this blog post:

- Liyeplimal Cryptocurrency MLM System
- Affiliate Marketing
- Ebook Publishing
- Mystery Shopping
- Direct Selling
- Online Services

Note that you can try any of these online business models, whether you live in the UAE, India, Egypt, Nigeria, or Pakistan, etc.

Two years ago, I was more successful with ebook publishing than affiliate marketing mainly because I invested more time in the former. However, in early 2019, I made it a point to focus on affiliate marketing, and I'll share my experience below. I also became interested in cryptocurrency and it turned out more profitable than I had imagined. 

In fact, it was easier to break into cryptocurrency investment than affiliate marketing and ebook publishing, which is why I'll start with it in this post.

Liyeplimal Cryptocurrency MLM System

It took me close to one year to do my research and join Liyeplimal. The main reason that prompted me to invest in a Liyeplimal pack was that my elder sister had been a member for a little over two years, and she had made six figures (in USD) annually with the system.   

If this is new to you, Liyeplimal is a system that gives people the opportunity to invest in cryptocurrency packs (with the prices ranging from $100 to $100,000). When you buy a pack, the company purchases and resells cryptocurrency and pays you part of the profit. 

Once you buy a pack, the company sends your first payment seven days after the date you bought the pack and continues paying you every week for a period of one year. You can buy several packs if you wish.

The images below show you the different packs and the amount you'll get paid weekly.

For example, if you buy a pack of $800, you get paid $29.23 every week for 52 weeks. At the end of one year, you'll get paid a total of $1520. 

Here's a quick video that I made to explain the Liyeplimal opportunity.

My Experience with Liyeplimal

I bought a $1600 Liyeplimal pack (also called the Malabo package). I get paid $61.53 every week, which means I'll get paid a total of $3200 after 52 weeks (one year). The company consistently sends my weekly payments (see the image below), and I can withdraw the money via my chosen payment method. 

Withdrawals are made from the 1st to the 23rd of each month (until midday on the 23rd). People living in West and South Africa have multiple payment options. For those living in Saudi Arabia, you have two main methods. The easiest way for you to withdraw your money is to use the Liyeplimal Visa card, which you can order by contacting an admin of the Saudi team. The Liyeplimal Visa card works worldwide and you can use it to shop online or withdraw money from an ATM.

Another method to withdraw money on Liyeplimal is by sending the equivalent amount in Bitcoin to your cryptocurrency wallet. You can HODL your Bitcoin for as long as you wish or sell it in exchange for Saudi riyals.

How Else Can You Make Money with Liyeplimal?

Liyeplimal follows a multilevel marketing system. So, you can also make money by referring people to the system. 

Here's how you get compensated:

Level 1: You get paid 6% commission when your first generation referrals (i.e., members that you directly referred) buy a pack.

Level 2: You get paid 6% commission when your first generation referrals buy a pack. You earn 2% on purchases made by second generation referrals (i.e., persons who were referred to the system by your direct referrals).

Level 3: You get paid 6% commission when your first generation referrals buy a pack, 2% when second generation referrals buy a pack, and 1% when third generation referrals buy a pack.

Level 4: You get paid 6% commission when your first generation referrals buy a pack, 2% when second generation referrals buy a pack, 1% when third generation referrals buy a pack, and 1% when fourth generation referrals buy a pack.

Level 5: You get paid 6% commission when your first generation referrals buy a pack, 2% when second generation referrals buy a pack, 1% when third generation referrals buy a pack, 1% when fourth generation referrals buy a pack, and 2% when fifth generation referrals buy a pack.

The third method of making money with Liyeplimal is by selling USD in exchange for Saudi riyals or another fiat currency. However, you can only do this with other Liyeplimal members. That alone is a blog post in itself, and I'll get to that eventually.

How Do You Start with Liyeplimal?

Account creation is FREE. You can start today by creating your account here. Remember to check the privacy policy and terms and conditions by scrolling down the small box above the "Sign Up" button. 

After creating your account, you'll need to activate it by clicking the link sent to the email that you used to sign up. Once created, you'll need to verify your account. Don't worry, the process is pretty straightforward (I'll prep a video and show you how to go about it).

After uploading a copy of your ID and a selfie of you holding your ID. The verification process is usually completed within 24 hours. 

To buy a pack, you need to deposit money into your account. People living in West and South Africa have multiple options, but if you live in Saudi Arabia, you have just two options.

The first option is to buy Bitcoin (the best platform to buy cryptocurrency in the Middle East is Uphold.com) and deposit it into your account. I hope I can get around to preparing a video to show you how to do it.

The second option is to buy a pack at a reasonable price from another Liyeplimal member. You can join the Liyeplimal Saudi Arabia WhatsApp group here to find other members whom you can buy Limos from.  

CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT NOW AND 

LET YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU  

Quick Summary

• Create your free account
• Buy a Liyeplimal pack 
• Start receiving your weekly payments (your first payment will be sent seven days after you buy your pack
• Withdraw or reinvest your earnings (you can buy your Liyeplimal Visa card that you can always use to withdraw your payments, make online payments, or withdraw money from an ATM machine). 
• Two other ways of making money with Liyeplimal: Earning commissions from referrals and selling $$ in exchange for a local currency 

Affiliate Marketing

I got into the world of affiliate marketing in July 2016 to become the next affiliate marketing millionaire 😉. It was an exciting experience, but I finally got carried away by the worries of life. I abandoned my website for more than 12 months, but early this year, I started working on it again and got rewarded. 

How I Made $1653 in 2 Months from One Blog Post

I got active again in May and started working on my website. First, I had to go over the courses taught at WealthyAffiliate^® (more below). I learned how to do keyword research using Jaaxy, their keyword research tool, and targeted a keyword with high traffic but low competition. 

You can sign up for for a FREE account here and upgrade later if you wish to take your online business to the next level. You can keep working on your free website(s) as long as you wish, but you will rank faster with your domain and if you complete the training.

After choosing my keyword and preparing the title for my blog post, I headed over to Google to check out the first three websites that ranked for that particular keyword. They all had blog posts with word counts < 1200. I aimed for 1500 words. 

My Results

It took less than a week for that blog post to get indexed on Google. A few days later, it was on page 1 of Google (position 6). The first sale came about 14 days later and then the second; I earned a $20 commission from each sale generated. 

Click to view full image.

Between May 1 and July 4, I made a total of $1653 in sales and $140 in commissions (from a single blog post).

A competitor noticed my website and invited me to become an affiliate partner on ShareASale. I accepted the invitation and got rewarded with a $25 bonus. Awesome, isn't it? 

You can also learn how to do this by joining the platform that taught me how to do this.

SIGN UP HERE TO JOIN WEALTHY AFFILIATE FOR FREE

OR 

GO PREMIUM AND GET A 40% DISCOUNT DURING THE FIRST MONTH

Any Luck with the Amazon Affiliate Programme?

This was the first affiliate programme that I joined when I started learning about affiliate marketing on Wealthy Affiliate. It is one of the most popular affiliate programmes in our age, although it has relatively lower commission rates compared with other affiliate programmes. 

My abandoned website had netted a few $$$ while I was chasing Saudi riyals to take care of my family. You can imagine my surprise when I logged into my Amazon affiliate account and found that my website was still making some money even though I had not updated it for several months. 

Click to view full image.

By the time I started actively working on it again in May, it had lost a fair share of keyword rankings, but things kicked off again in June. I hope I'll be able to keep up with the writing.

Challenges in Getting Paid

This was one of those things that made me grit my teeth. How difficult can it be to get paid because you're living in Saudi Arabia?

You can imagine my excitement when I collected my very first cheque mailed from the US by Amazon. A few years back, I wouldn't have believed I could actually build a niche site and make money from it. But I finally had this sleek piece of paper with my name and address on it showing that I had earned $159 from referring people to Amazon.

My excitement died when I arrived at the female branch of my banking institution but I was asked to go to the male section because no one knew what to do with my cheque. At the male branch, the cheque caused a lot of commotion. People came of their offices to see this cheque from أمريكا--even the branch manager was called to see "the cheque." 

Phones rang...a few persons were trying to find out what they were supposed to do with the cheque. Finally, a kind Saudi asked me to sit down and told me that banks do not accept cheques issued in US dollars. 

Frustrated, I left the bank and decided to seek help from other Wealthy Affiliate members. Apparently, affiliates who lived in other countries such as Greece faced the same problem. It seemed banks won't accept cheques issued in US dollars because the US was trying to control the flow of its currency...whatever that meant. I just needed to cash my cheque.

A Wealthy Affiliate member who faced a similar issue advised me to contact Amazon and have them cancel the cheque and add the amount back to my balance in my affiliate account. Next, I had to sign up for a Payoneer account. Payoneer permits affiliates, freelancers, and other persons doing business online to have a virtual US bank account.

After signing up, I confirmed my identity and created my global account. Later on, I used my new virtual account on Amazon to be eligible for direct deposits. I also used my global bank account on ShareASale. During the next payout, the amount was transferred to my Payoneer account.  

Click to view full image.

Need your own Payoneer account?

SIGN UP FOR FREE HERE AND GET A $25 BONUS    

I have now added my local bank to my Payoneer account. I plan to withdraw the amount to my local bank account once I make at least $1000. The withdrawal fee is low and you can view the transfer fee on Payoneer's website or within your Payoneer account. Some banks might charge a small fee for withdrawal. I don't know what my banking institution charges, but I'll try to find out. 

My Take on Wealthy Affiliate

I’ve tried every affiliate marketing programme that you can think of, and I’ve lost a lot of money in my bid to make money from the comfort of my home. I’ve even joined programmes that permitted me to make only $3/month before I got mad and quit, and I would never recommend such programmes to anyone. At the end of the day, there’s only one that I can advise anyone to join: WealthyAffiliate^® (WA).

Wealthy Affiliate^®, in my opinion, is the number one programme that can teach anyone (from anywhere in the world) to make money online. I’m an active member of WA, so I’m speaking from the point of view of someone who has experienced this first hand. See a screenshot of the members’ area below:

These are some of the benefits of WA:

1. You can choose to sign up FREE and only upgrade to become a premium member when you wish to take your business to the next level. I generally advise those who sign up under me to use the free option for as long as they want before upgrading IF they see the potential of this programme. I, for example, signed up for a free membership and only upgraded after 2 years. It took me a while to understand the programme because I was skeptical in the beginning, having wasted too much time on other programmes that didn’t get me any closer to my goals.

2. There are so many resources in the members’ area, where you are taught how to make actual money online. Members are provided with tools, training, and videos to teach them how to build an online business. Members can also get support directly from the founders of the programme, Kyle and Carson.

3. Wealthy Affiliate^® has an active community. I’ve never seen such an active community in other programmes that I’d joined online. Members are always quick to respond to questions when another member is experiencing difficulties in setting up their business. In other words, you get support all round the clock. 

Ebook Publishing

You can make a pretty decent amount of money from ebook publishing. However, it does take a lot of work to write and publish a book. In addition to writing the book, you have to hire someone to edit and proofread it. Next, you need someone to write the blurb and another to design the cover. 

If you don't have the budget, you can hire someone on Fiverr. You can find someone who's willing to edit and proofread a manuscript of 2000 to 5000 words for as little as $5. Once, you start making sales, you can hire an editor elsewhere for a more refined job. 

I believe you can make more from self-publishing. Fortunately, the Internet has made this easier for us. Anyone, young or old, can write and publish a book. My favourite platforms are Amazon's KDP and Draft2Digital.

With Amazon's KDP, you have to hire someone to format your manuscript before uploading it to Amazon. If you can format the book yourself, fine. You get to save a few dollars. 

It is much easier to use Draft2Digital. You can upload your Word document or an epub file, and Draft2Digital will distribute your book to several online book channels, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Tolino, Scribd, Inktera, OverDrive, Playster, Apple, 24 Symbols, and Bibliotheca. All you need is one document to upload and Draft2Digital will do the rest.

Most of my income from ebook publishing comes from Draft2Digital, especially from Scribd. I don't make a lot from Amazon due to the high level of competition on that platform. If you have to get into ebook publishing, my advice is that you start with Draft2Digital, earn a few loyal readers, then move to Amazon. 

You might not even need to get a KDP account to publish on Amazon because can submit your book to that channel on your behalf. But if you're writing in the self-help category, you'll have to submit your book yourself, as Amazon won't allow Draft2Digital to submit books in this category.

GET YOUR FREE DRAFT2DIGITAL ACCOUNT TODAY

Contrary to Amazon that offers direct deposit (US), gift cards, and cheques as the only payment methods, Draft2Digital offers more options. You can select direct deposit (both US and international), PayPal, Payoneer, or cheque, and Draft2Digital will transfer your royalties every month once your account reaches the payment threshold.

Other Ways of making Money Online in Saudi Arabia

Mystery Shopping

In mystery shopping, you’re contracted to pose as a “shopper”. You’ll purchase or use a service and give your feedback to the contractor at the end of your assignment. The contractor will refund (either in part or in whole) the amount that you spent during your “shopping” and pay you a small fee for your evaluation. While this might be a good way to earn extra cash, I don't believe anyone can make a living from this.

There’re a lot of scams out there, and you don’t want to lose money when your goal is to make it. Be wary of 'mystery shopping' programmes that ask you to pay a small fee (even if it is $10) to join.

One programme that I found interesting was that of International Service Check (ISC). Read more about what they do here. The members’ area looks like this (see the screen capture below) when you sign up, and you have to complete a certification process to be assigned checks for projects in one of the following areas: Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah, Makkah, Al Ahsa, Taif, Dammam, Qassim, Tabuk, Jizan, Najran, or Yanbu. They typically send emails whenever they need service checkers at particular locations.

They are legit and pay mystery shoppers when they complete their checks. However, you may have delays of up to 6 weeks before receiving your payment. One other downside of this programme is that if ISC isn’t satisfied with your evaluation, you won’t get paid. Imagine how distressing that can be—spending money as well as time and energy only for your evaluation to be qualified as ‘unsatisfactory’.

Direct Selling

I’ve tried EDMARK^®, Avon^® and Forever Living^® and can proudly recommend these to women (and men) who have a business mind and who wish to make part-time income while hunting for a job. I personally know a few women who earn between 2000 and 5000 SAR/month just from promoting and selling Avon^® products, and I’ve heard about other women who make up to 10000 SAR/month.

I'm a fan of EDMARK^® products, and there're specific products such as Red Yeast Coffee, Ginseng Coffee, Shake Off Phyto Fiber, and Splina that I purchase nearly every month. EDMARK^® has a very interesting referral programme where they offer incentives to members who have the highest number of referrals and sales. Hard-working members can even earn a car or a villa! And before you scream, I've personally met a Filipino who won a villa in Jeddah through their programme.

Online Services

If you’re good at writing or you have other skills that can be offered online, then there’re good chances you may be able to make some money with Fiverr^®. If you don’t know it yet, Fiverr^® is a marketplace that permits people to buy or sell their services (also called ‘gigs’) for $5. Here is a list of services that you can offer on Fiverr^®:

·         Writing and/or editing

·         Graphic design

·         Voice over

·         Ebook formatting

·         Book cover design

·         Data entry

·         SEO / SEM, etc.

Fiverr^® is totally legit and they’ve been around since 2010. No worries...you get paid after each successful transaction, i.e., when your client is happy with the service you provided.

Another option is to create a free website and offer your services. I've tried this and I can tell you that it would very difficult to find clients if you don't know how to promote yourself. 

I hope you’ll be able to find something that works for you on this list. If there’re other programmes that you think can help expats in Saudi, please feel free to leave a comment below.

(Disclosure: Some of my links are affiliate links. This means that if you decide to upgrade, I shall be paid a small commission; however, I'd appreciate your support.)

Saudi Licensing Exam for General Practitioners: Resources to Help You Succeed

So, I've been getting a lot of questions from doctors who wished to know how to prepare for the Saudi Licensing Exam. Instead of responding to each individual email, I thought it would be time-saving to respond to most of the questions that I typically get.


What is the Saudi Licensing Exam (SLE)?

The SLE is a one-step examination for healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Physicians who wish to practice in the kingdom have to take the exam in order to be registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. While some physicians have been reported to practice without sitting for the SLE, the exam is mandatory for those who wish to join a residency programme in Saudi Arabia or for those who earned their medical degrees out of the kingdom to ensure that they have achieved the appropriate standards and criteria to practice in the kingdom.


The exam for general practice consists of 100 multiple choice questions (MCQs) from the following areas:

- Internal medicine (25 questions)
- Family medicine (15 questions)
- Ophthalmology (3 questions)
- Gynaecology/obstetrics (10 questions)
- Paediatrics (15 questions)
- General surgery (15 questions)
- Orthopaedics (3 questions)
- Ear, nose, and throat (3 questions)
- Basic sciences (3 questions)
- Psychiatry (5 questions)
- Dermatology (3 questions)

It is considered an easy exam to pass, but candidates need to put in more work to get high scores. The passing grade for the SLE is 50%, but you should aim for a much higher grade (>75%) if you wish to increase your chances of joining a postgraduate programme.


Resources

Anecdotal reports from interns and general practitioners suggest that the questions are recycled. This said, it might help to revise previous exam questions. A few books currently on the market are great for the exam:

SLE Made Easy: Saudi License Examination by Dr. Yasser Albrahim


Where to purchase: Jarir Bookstore

This 769-page long book contains over 1,300 MCQ, including answers and explanations, to help students understand concepts instead of them just practising to memorise answers to questions.

Comprehensive Review for Saudi License Examination (SLE) by Dr Yahia M Al-Khaldi.

Price: 26.66 USD (100 SAR)

Where to purchase: Jarir Bookstore (either online or at a physical store in your area)

Format: Paperback


This 306-page long book contains more than 1,200 MCQs, with answers provided by the author.





Other helpful books

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine by Murray Longmore, Ian Wilkinson, Andrew Baldwin, and Elizabeth Wallin

Price: 39.49 USD (148.13 SAR) for the Kindle version and 46.81 USD (175.59 SAR) for the flexibound version

Where to purchase: Amazon and Jarir Bookstore

Format: Kindle and flexibound

First Aid for the USMLE Step 3 by Tao Le, Vikas Bhushan, James Yeh, and Kachiu Lee

Price: 33.08 USD (124.07 SAR) for the Kindle version and 42.32 USD (158.73 SAR) for the paperback version

Where to purchase: Amazon and Jarir Bookstore

Format: Kindle and paperback









How to Register for the SLE

To register for the exam, you need to visit the offices of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). They have offices in several cities of the kingdom. You can visit their website for information on how to register and the location of testing centres, both within and outside Saudi Arabia.

The SCFHS warns all candidates on their website not to submit fraudulent degrees when registering for the exam, as they check all certificates submitted to the council. Frauds risk a jail term and a permanent ban from Saudi if caught.


Have you taken the SLE? If yes, please share your experience below. And for first-time takers of the exam, I wish you all the best!

Could "Hiring Based on Experience" Be the Solution to Fake Degrees in Saudi Arabia?

OK. Lets admit it. As expatriates, we each (personally) know at least a couple of folks who are working in Saudi Arabia with fake academic degrees. And they've been doing so for years without anyone at work noticing (in most cases). Have you ever asked yourself how they managed to keep their jobs for so long? Do you think their employers kept them for so long despite the fact that they weren't productive? 

I will cite a few examples based on the experience of persons whom I know (no names mentioned):

X and Y are desperate to get a job to feed their families. They have completed at least high school and can speak English better than most Saudis. So, they opt to work as teachers. Now the thing is, employers won't hire teachers who don't have at least a bachelor's degree. X and Y are stranded. They find someone who can get them a fake BA or BSc. Then they pay more to have a copy of their 'fake' certificates authenticated at the Saudi consulate in their home country. Bingo! The employer sees the authenticated copies and he's impressed. X and Y have just landed a job and are keen to keep it because that's how they get to feed their families.

A and B have worked for ten years with fake bachelor's degrees and no one has ever noticed. They feel they have achieved enough experience to pose as holders of master's degrees. That's about double the time required to complete undergraduate and graduate studies combined. They pay someone and get their master's degrees within a few months. They get lucky. A recruiter succeeds in making them land a position as lecturers at a Saudi university. Eureka! The Saudi government grants them visas and all the benefits that follow (housing, medical insurance, paid vacation, two-way ticket, education for two children, etc). 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not an advocate of fake degree use, and I abhor the use of fake documents (in fact I possess an authentic degree that I spent three years short of a decade to obtain). I'm just saying that shouldn't employers offer jobs based on experience instead of insisting that the minimum requirement should be a "bachelor's" or "master's" degree? How do people with fake degrees sometimes outperform holders of authentic degrees, which employers are so much after? 

The implications of using fake degrees are serious. The Saudi government plans to introduce penalties against people found to be holding fake academic degrees and to deport them from the kingdom. According to one report, fake degree holders will be prosecuted, imprisoned, deported and banned from entering Saudi (more). Although the punishment is harsh, this still doesn't deter people from purchasing counterfeit certificates. I, however, still believe that if employers focus on experience/ skills instead of academic qualifications, many people won't find a reason to break their moral rules to purchase fake degrees. I agree that hiring employees based on experience might only work for some professions, and it will probably not work in the case of engineers or doctors. Thus, it is reasonable for the Saudi government to regulate such high-skilled professions and use the necessary measures to catch fraudsters.   

What do you think? Should people be hired based on their skills/ experience or qualifications? Will hiring people based on their experience/ skills decrease the use of fake academic degrees?

Saudi Arabia: When is it Time to Leave?

Most of us, expats, are in Saudi because we wish to make more money. Very few are here for purely religious reasons. (True or false?) While this is the best place for a Muslim to live, what can this country offer us? Our bank accounts are monitored (what? I read that our incomes should be proportionate with our monthly salaries), we're not supposed to have extra jobs, or even send substantial amounts of money to our home countries. What irks some expats

most is that you cannot buy an apartment or a piece of land and call it yours.  

Some Muslims are planning to leave Saudi Arabia for other countries: for the West! Why the West when we know how Muslims feel about westerners? Why the West when we know that the standard of living in those countries is much higher that in the Kingdom? Below are the responses of some expats (quote unquote):

• I felt that I was persecuted. I published a paper and I was verbally abused for telling the truth. What can we gain when in the academic setting a researcher is threatened for publishing his data--results that he did not falsify? How do we expect research to move forward? 
• The educational system is not good. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is employed to teach our kids. Some teachers are not even qualified to teach, yet employers hire them without running a background check.
• You can never be too sure that you'll leave the hospital alive when you're ill. Some specialists are far from being who they claim to be. I've heard of Egyptian doctors who buy the MRCP from the black market and brandish it around to avail of high salaries. Blimey!
• We get paid according to the colour of our passports. I thought everyone was equal in this country. I was so disappointed when I observed the contrary.  

Is there anything that irks you in Saudi? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. As a matter of fact, there are always pros and cons about life anywhere. To be fair, I had written a post a few years ago about a woman's advantages of living in Saudi.

Goodbye Saudi Arabia

We all have a reason why we are here in Saudi Arabia. Did you come to look for better opportunities? Are you here because you are an adventurer? Did you come here for religious reasons? I could continue because there are a million reasons why people leave their home countries to work or live abroad.

Whatever be the reason behind your decision to come to Saudi Arabia, you wouldn't want to leave unprepared. Unfortunately, it is sooo easy to say 'Goodbye Saudi Arabia'. At this very moment, a few expats are preparing to go home unexpectedly. They didn't commit any crime. On the contrary, they were hardworking employees who were looking forward to going home for the holidays, then come back to Saudi to continue their duties. They were buying presents which they were planning to take back home to please their family members. While they were shopping, they didn't have the slightest hint that some HR guy was busy preparing a letter to announce the termination of their contracts. Just a click and there went the mail!

This was really bad news and it was one that was hard to accept. How will these expats announce this to their loved ones who are relying on them financially? How is life going to be like starting all over again when jobs don't come easy these days, even for nationals? 

It takes just a little to get you walking through that door. It might come unexpectedly and one thing I have learnt in this country is to hope for the best, prepare for the worst and accept the path that is reserved for you by God. My situation is not any better. I might be leaving unexpectedly in less than 2 weeks. May God help us.

Saudi Arabia: Who is Keeping Your Passport?

One of my in-laws came to spend a few days with us before travelling home to spend the long holiday with his family. The funniest thing about the whole show was that, he has to travel in about a week, but he didn't have his passport yet. He was waiting for one of the company administrators to ship his passport to him so that he could travel. His cousin also had a similar problem. His passport was shipped to another province, hundreds of miles away from the city where his flight was booked, so he had to make his company send his passport to his present city instead.


Wait a minute! Isn't there an international law that says the bearer of a passport has the right to keep it? I can see a line in my passport which says that the passport is strictly for personal use and it must not be loaned or sent by post. What are these passports that keep on transiting in Saudi Arabia?


Do most non-Saudi employees even know that their employers are not supposed to keep their passports? And what about these employers? What do they benefit when they keep their employees' passports or what do they have to lose if their employees keep their passports? An article recently published in Arab News, rightfully said employers were keeping their employees' passport illegally. We all hope that something is going to be done about this unfair treatment one day.

Saudi Arabia: The Most Wonderful Résumés

A couple of months ago, I was asked to help our company in recruiting 2 individuals for two positions at a government hospital in Jeddah. On the day that I posted the ad online, I got about a hundred applications. I was stunned, but I had to get to work since the company needed to fill those vacancies urgently. 


Most of the applicants (95%) sent their emails without cover letters. Is this the general tendency in Saudi Arabia only or is this what usually happens in the Middle East and Asian countries? I ask this question because all of the applicants who sent in these wonderful CVs or résumés came from this part of the world. I come from a country where it is mandatory to send a cover letter along with your CV when applying for a job, even though everyone knows that the letter might end up in someone's trash or serve as paper to wrap doughnuts or peanuts at lunch. Nevertheless, people still write cover letters whenever they are applying for a job. 


In Saudi Arabia, it is common knowledge that employers never glance at cover letters, so the general opinion is, "what is the need of writing them anyway?" When I just came to Saudi, I didn't know that this was the general tendency, so every time I applied for a job, I always included a cover letter. After living in this country for 3 years, I also got into the habit of not writing a cover letter when applying for a job. This always irritated my husband, who after living here for 5 years, still felt it was necessary to write one even if it would not be read by a potential employer.   


Another surprising thing which I saw was what applicants wrote on their CVs. My! Is this another tendency in Saudi Arabia or what? Over half of them gave too much of their personal details like, the name of their father, their father's experience, the number of siblings in their families etc. Some even went as far as saying that their father had Saudi nationality and that they were under the sponsorship of their father! Has anyone out there carried out a study to find out how information of this type would help job seekers in Saudi Arabia land a job? Please send the results of this research to my email address. Thank you!


So what happens if you can't write your CV correctly? Consult someone whom you judge has the experience in doing so. Many CV writing services such as ResumeWriters.com, PrimeRESUME.com or Resume Lines can be gotten online for a reasonable fee. If you do not have the possibility of paying online, look for a CV writer locally. As far as I am concerned, I have come across a few CV writers here in Jeddah who charge only 50SAR (13.3$) per CV. My husband for one has experience in writing CVs, and he has the habit of writing them for friends and relatives, for free of course. If you really want a job and want to have your application considered, then you would not mind going that extra distance to get someone, friend or acquaintance, to write you a professional CV.


So what do I think?

• Write a cover letter. It doesn't cost anything, right? It might be read, who knows? You might also stand out among other applicants who have the same qualification as you but who applied for the position without attaching a cover letter. Most experts advice job seekers to write one when applying for a job.  
• While it is worth mentioning the name of your sponsor, I doubt it is necessary to write it on your CV. I think that should be left out until when you are asked for that information at an interview. What many employers are interested in knowing is whether your iqama or residence permit is transferable or not. Writing this information on your CV is enough.

If you have not yet read what you need to leave out of your CV, you can get some tips from here.

Saudi Arabia: What is the Fate of Non-Arab Doctors?

Many doctors who migrate to Saudi Arabia have little or no knowledge of what is waiting for them. This is especially true for doctors who come via family visa. Doctors who come via work visa are usually informed of the salary, the benefits and sometimes of the nature of the job. Those who pass through recruitment agencies know that they have to pay them (these agencies) a specific percentage of their salaries over a given period.

If you are a non-Arab doctor who is coming under the sponsorship of a relative, you should be aware of the obstacles waiting for you. This is especially hard for doctors who have not yet done their postgraduate studies, i.e., MBBS or MBChB holders. For specialists and consultants, the way could be smoother, as they are highly needed in most hospitals and clinics. If you are a specialist or consultant, you could be fortunate to find a hospital or clinic that is either willing to get you a visa, or pay for the transfer process (which is not easy as I heard, and it could take up to 6 months for this to be done).

So, MBBS/ MBChB holders, what lies ahead? If you have less than 2 years experience as a practitioner, you will be required to do an internship of at least 1 year at any government hospital. At the end of your internship you will get an internship certificate from each department that accepts to take you as a training resident. Bear in mind that some departments would reject your application for internship for one reason or the other. Most often, the reason is that they have reached the maximum of interns required for their department, and they would ask you to reapply later. It is necessary that you pass through the internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, and Emergency Departments. If possible, you could also do an internship at a Family Medicine Department. After this, you can apply to sit for the Saudi License Examination (SLE). You can get the application form as well as the list of requirements from the office of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties located at Al Ruwais District.

Learn more about the SLE and the books that can help you prepare for the exam by clicking here.

If your wish is to work as a general practitioner, passing the SLE, even with the highest score, is no guarantee that you will get a job in any hospital or clinic. Your application might be rejected because most of the clinics and hospitals usually want Egyptian, Indian, or Pakistani doctors. This is not because they are racist. No. They select physicians based on the nature of patients they get at their institutions. For example, many Indian patients want to be seen only by an Indian doctor or more specifically by an Indian doctor from Kerala. Hospitals and clinics might also turn you down because you do not speak Arabic, as more than 80% of the patients who show up at their facilities do not hear or speak English. Hiring a translator or finding a nurse to translate is not something that most of them are willing to do. And why would they do this, anyway?

If you are planning to continue postgraduate studies, good luck! The path is rough, but it is not impossible to make it. You should be very determined to continue till the end. To start with, certain specialties are reserved for Saudis only. If you wish to join the Saudi Board, you can choose internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery or gynaecology and obstetrics. If one of these is your first choice, then, masha'Allah, you are in for a good start. 

I know a few doctors and have heard of many others who, out of frustration, ended up teaching or doing non-clinical medical jobs. These are good positions with rewarding salaries in the range of 6000-7500 SAR (1600-2000 USD), but it can be pretty frustrating for doctors who have always dreamt of staying in clinical practice. Very good opportunities can be found at Bupa Arabia, AXA, the Islamic Development Bank, and many other private companies.

For doctors who are determined to continue their postgraduate studies and who do not wish to go through these difficult stages, my best advice is for you to stay in your home countries.

NB: This does not apply to doctors trained in the West.

Saudi Arabia: Work Panic

"The Labour Office has changed its rules in a way that will affect you, so you need to finish your iqama transfer quickly or you will not be able to renew your iqama next time, or maybe you will not even be able to stay till your iqama expires. Make the transfer quickly and make sure you transfer to a company that complies with Saudisation requirements."

This was the message my husband recently received from his former employer. It caused distress because not only will he have to look for a company to hire him, he will have to look for a company that promotes Saudisation.

After the message of the Minister of Labour a few days ago saying that, all expatriate workers within the Kingdom will have a six-year cap on their work visas, many expats have been pretty stressed up. The Minister of Labour, Adel Fakieh, threw more light on this issue, reasuring expats that this does not apply to all of them.

According to the Ministry of Labour, companies will be placed in 3 categories:

Green:Those that comply with the Saudisation policy.
Yellow: Those that have not reached Saudisation quota of employment.
Red: Those that have completely disregarded Saudisation rules.

If you are working for a company in the green list, you are safe. Your iqama (residence permit) does not have the six-year cap.

If you are working for the yellow-listed guys, and have been working for 6 years or more, your visa will not be renewed. If you have been working for less than 6 years, your visa would be renewed, but bear in mind that you will have to say goodbye to Saudi at the end of your 6 years. Nice for someone who has amassed enough to go on retirement, right?

If you are working for a red-listed company, forget about renewing your visa with your company.

The good news is that, employees working for the yellow and red-listed guys, would have the liberty to join a company that falls in the green category, as their employers would not have the power to stop them from transferring to another company. That leaves a smile on the face of the guy who was always working under constant threats from his employer. On the other hand you should be darn lucky to find yourself among the estimated 50% who would get a job in a green-listed company. So what happens to the other half? Packing their bags and preparing to go home earlier than planned? Not a good end for someone who has not yet achieved his goal in Saudi Arabia.

When is this going to come into effect? In two weeks. Waoh! That's pretty tough. Lets hope for the best. We pray that many Saudi employees will learn when it is time to come to work, and how to make the difference between working and sitting all day long drinking tea/coffee and/or smoking cigarettes during working hours.

Below, you will find the links to some companies that promote Saudisation:

Balubaid Group of Companies

Saudi Arabian Basics Industries Corporation

Al Tayyar Travel Group

NAMA Chemicals

Abdul Latif Jameel Group

AM Batterjee Group

For more information, see the Ministry of Labour Nitaqat programme. Please be informed that the information at present is given in the Arabic language only.