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[inthesun]

Re: King Saud University looking to attract PhDs
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2009, 06:48:00 AM » Quote 

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Before you make any decisions let me tell you some facts,

1) The salary in Saudi Arabia is completely tax-free.
2) You don't need to rent a house in a compound. You may get excellent housing in 25000 SR per year in the city. (Somebody misinformed you when he said that you can not get a decent apartment in  25000 SR).
3) Even if you wan't to live in a compound, there are excellent cheaper options.
4) The law and order situation is the best in the world (I've lived in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, for 7 years.)
5) The medical care you'll get is completely free. Not all government hospitals have low service quality. Besides, the private hospitals are not too expensive either. (A far cry from US or UK).
6) King Saud university is one of the big universities and they have a lot of funding these days. (You may get involved in paid projects).

Any more queries will be welcome.

Dear Saadbin,

Many thanks for your reply. I agree with what you said, except for these:

1- I have been told that government hospitals are no go places. If you have kids, you would want them to be attended to immediately in emergency cases. If the university does not provide an adequate health insurance for my family, am I the one to pay for that? If yes, it will be quite expensive for a family of five. They should provide an option to say the least.

2- I have been informed by someone working in Riyadh that rent went up last year by 20-30%. The rent for a decent half villa, with 3 bedrooms, near the university, is now around Sr 35000 - 40000 / year.

3- The transportation allowance is a pittance. Limousines charge Sr 15-20 for each trip. That's approximately Sr 1200 - 1500 per month.

Regarding salary discrimination, I disagree that people from some countries get less than others while they do the same job. This is not acceptable as all of them live in the same country where they work an equal amount of hours. They go to the same hypermarket and buy the same food.

Many people in the West now have houses in third world countries where they live, such as Sri-Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. So the argument that their salaries are 'good' for the country where they come from does not hold water.

Are others negotiating with KSU?

[sayyedmaisikeli]

I was offered a position at KSU as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science last July and I humbly rejected the offer based on the low salary they offered. (Note that US citizen get higher salaries).  My decision to reject the offer was based on the fact that a fellow I know with a High school diploma was offered higher salary to teach English.

I understand that there is a high demand for English teachers in KSA, but it is ridiculous to offer higher salary to a High school graduate than a Ph.D holder in Computer Science or any Ph.D. for that matter.  I believe KSU needs to review their salary structure if they want to attract high quality professors.

[doccan]

Dear forumites,

Is anyone applying to King Saud University (in Riyadh)? They are looking for PhD holders in Engineering, Biotechnology, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Law.

The trouble is that the salary range they quote on their ad is quite farcical for PhD holders in these fields.

What makes it worse is I’ve received confirmation from someoen who works there that English language teachers without any form of qualifications (no degrees & no teaching certificates) are working for them on their Preparatory Year Program (managed by a UK language center), making SR 12000 -14000 / month [1 USD = 3.75 Saudi Riyals], paid over 11 months. In addition, they get, monthly (again, over 11 months), 10% of their basic salary as transportation allowance and 25% as housing allowance. They also get an annual 500 British Pound flight allowance, and a medical cover. King Saud University funds this program. There are numerous threads on a website for English language teachers about the British company.

If someone without a degree, employed by this British company for King Saud University, gets a net annual take-home salary of USD 48,000 – 56,000, how can KSU possibly think that someone who holds a PhD would accept an annual salary of USD 30,000 - 80,000 ?
 
I have received an offer from King Saud University. In this offer, KSU only pays SR 25,000 / year for accommodation (USD 6670) and medical care is at public hospitals (notoriously low in service quality). There is a transportation allowance of SR 500 (USD 133)/month.  When I enquired about the fees for compounds in Riyadh, the prices quoted were SR 90000 – 125000 for single accommodations. With SR 25,000, I have been told that I cannot even rent a decent apartment.

I don’t understand why KSU value unqualified English language trainers more than those who hold PhDs in Engineering, Biotechnology, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Law.

Is anyone applying?

The annual base salary is not US$ 30,000 - 80,000. It is US$ 30,000 - 60,000.

See http://www.ksu.edu.sa/Faculty/Estechtab/Pages/default.aspx

[doccan]

Dear forumites,

Is anyone applying to King Saud University (in Riyadh)? They are looking for PhD holders in Engineering, Biotechnology, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Law.

The trouble is that the salary range they quote on their ad is quite farcical for PhD holders in these fields.

What makes it worse is I’ve received confirmation from someoen who works there that English language teachers without any form of qualifications (no degrees & no teaching certificates) are working for them on their Preparatory Year Program (managed by a UK language center), making SR 12000 -14000 / month [1 USD = 3.75 Saudi Riyals], paid over 11 months. In addition, they get, monthly (again, over 11 months), 10% of their basic salary as transportation allowance and 25% as housing allowance. They also get an annual 500 British Pound flight allowance, and a medical cover. King Saud University funds this program. There are numerous threads on a website for English language teachers about the British company.

If someone without a degree, employed by this British company for King Saud University, gets a net annual take-home salary of USD 48,000 – 56,000, how can KSU possibly think that someone who holds a PhD would accept an annual salary of USD 30,000 - 80,000 ?
 
I have received an offer from King Saud University. In this offer, KSU only pays SR 25,000 / year for accommodation (USD 6670) and medical care is at public hospitals (notoriously low in service quality). There is a transportation allowance of SR 500 (USD 133)/month.  When I enquired about the fees for compounds in Riyadh, the prices quoted were SR 90000 – 125000 for single accommodations. With SR 25,000, I have been told that I cannot even rent a decent apartment.

I don’t understand why KSU value unqualified English language trainers more than those who hold PhDs in Engineering, Biotechnology, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Law.

Is anyone applying?

The annual base salary is not US$ 30,000 - 80,000. It is US$ 30,000 - 60,000.

See http://www.ksu.edu.sa/Faculty/Estechtab/Pages/default.aspx

"Salary is calculated based on years of teaching experience, research experience, number of publications and patents/awards. The institute or university where the Master's and PhD degree were obtained also have bearing in the calculation of preliminary offer."

See http://www.ksu.edu.sa/Faculty/Estechtab/Doc/FAQs.pdf