Feb 22, 2008 06:23 PM - I had a friend whose husband had to fulfill a foreign assignment for his accounting firm. She said as long as they were on the compound for "the foreigners", they were fine. Trips off the compound were few and basically, she was afraid when she was away. She had Saudi bodyguards from whom she learned much and they seemed to like her. She was very outspoken and didn't mince words with her bodyguards - they got a lot of advice (male-female relationships) from her. Her Bible was smuggled in, by the way. They did not seem to tolerate anything other than their belief system.

She left the day the war started. Bombs had just started to drop when her flight was airborne. She said that Saudi was the last place on earth she'd go to. Mind you, this is her opinion and hers only.

Money is not worth giving up my freedoms, especially of expression, where/when I go and my religious freedom.

Just my 2 cents.

Feb 24, 2008 06:17 PM - So where would I fall in being an American citizen AND an African American...I guess I shouldn't keep my hopes up. Thank you for the article.

Feb 25, 2008 08:53 AM - Leon1984 - I know what you mean - which would present more of a problem - being a woman or African American in SA, based on the reports of others. Just remember, if you are interested in travel nursing, there are lots of places in which being an American trained nurse is going to be to your advantage. And what an experience! As for me, though I am white, I would think I wouldn't be able to deal with accepting all the things I wouldn't be able to do in Saudia Arabia - Come to think of it, I don't know if I would even make it out of the airport. Wherever you go, just remember to do your research. Talking to nurses on allnurses.com is great. Another thing - I am reading this book "The Geography of Bliss" - a journalist travels to several countries, looking at which one is a happy place, or an unhappy place - Somebody did a research project to produce a list of countries in order of happiness. I would love to work in the happy ones, to be sure! Good luck in your travels!
Diahni

Feb 26, 2008 01:13 AM - For 4 years of working in KSA particularly in Jeddah,i agree with the content of this article.Working in one of the most highly paid private hospital and most of our patients are member of the royal family,as experienced it is really hard for our part as health care provider.Because,even if you plan for care for that day,if the patient or relative is not covenient with this,you dont have the choice but to follow them, otherwise,you'll find yourself in front of your supervisor or medical director asking you for incident report.But,as the years gone by i slowly understand their culture,as a health care provider it is very important to value others culture especially in providing care to be more effective.Some of them knows how to appreciate you in a simple way,like by giving a pieces of chocolates and its very foul for them not accept it.They have kind heart in a way,just some of them dont know how to express it....

Feb 27, 2008 07:17 PM - highest rate of pay.... that doesnt tell us much, thanks I guess

Feb 28, 2008 05:24 PM - The rate of pay is dependent on many variables: 1)Nationality, 2)Agency you work for, 3)Specialty Area, 4)Shift, 5)Facility. 6)Length of the assignment. The pay is often less if you contract directly with the Facility.

Mar 09, 2008 10:59 AM - personally, i don't see that the money is all that great in saudi arabia.

safety would have to be a concern, unless you never left the compound or were escorted everywhere you went. for what it pays (50k tax free)... i already earn well in excess of that here after taxes.

not worth it to me.

Mar 09, 2008 01:28 PM - traumahawk,
I'm with you! If somebody went to work in SA, I'd think it would be for the adventure, or to write a book about it. I'd be afraid of Sharia, which owes nothing to international law.
Diahni

Mar 09, 2008 01:29 PM - P.S. Somebody posted before about the people - I think one finds warm wonderful people everywhere in the world. The laws and lack of civil rights, however, would scare me off.

Mar 10, 2008 11:13 AM - Dear All,
Being following this thread - very informative. Is there anyone out there who has worked with ARAMCO in Dhahran? Or is currently in the process of application?
Many thanks