Many are interested in working in Saudi Arabia for a variety of reasons; however, most have one thing in common TO SAVE MONEY. The fact that there are NO taxes deducted from a pay cheque, no rent at the end of each month, no hydro bill, no telephone line rental bill, no insurance bill etc ... allows you to do exactly that. In addition to saving money, there can be a multiple opportunities to enrich one's life.

Now, most people have ideas about Saudi Arabia and the Saudis' life in that country.

Here are some of the MYTHS:

• Staff Nurses are making $US 50,000 p.a.,
• Nurses are offered married contracts allowing them to bring along husband and children.
• North American Nurses have to cover "head - to toe" including face or will be expelled from the country.
• Nurses cannot leave compound they are living on.
• Nurses can not go shopping alone, need escort!
• Nurses have to walk behind men.
• Nurses could be abused and finally,
• Everybody wants to live on "Americans' Compounds" or work in American Hospital!

Trust me none of the above is true, as a matter of fact nothing is further from the truth!

The TRUTH is,

• Nurses salaries vary from one hospital to another, the range for staff nurse is between $ 23,000 and $ 33,000 (US) p.a. paid in local currency (One US Dollar equal 3.75 Saudi Riyals).
• North American and Western women do NOT have to cover their faces, and won't lose their jobs or be sent to prison or get deported for that. As with every woman living in Saudi, they have to wear a loose black "over - whole" called "Abaya" over their regular clothes when they leave the housing compound.
• Nurses CAN leave the compound on their own unescorted to go shopping, making visits or socialize; there are NO restrictions on their movement around town.
• As for women walking behind men, this is really a Saudi tradition that does NOT apply to Western women!
• There are NO American or Canadian hospitals in Saudi nor American Compounds. In most cases, hospitals have their own compounds or living accommodation.

Working and living in Saudi Arabia is an adventure, a challenge, a life experience and a new way of living. You need to go with an open mind, willing to adapt, ready to accept changes and contribute professionally to those changes. Saudi is not the place to run away from your problems. It's hard enough to try to adapt to a new culture, a new job, new friends, a new hospital system and a new life.

Some of the Benefits:

Because of the low cost of living and small monthly expenses not only you will be able to save money, you will have golden opportunities to travel around the world and visit new places you did not know existed. Socially, your agenda could get busy, like going on a desert walk or enrolling in tennis lessons, scuba diving, volleyball tournaments, barbecuing and many other events.

Another interesting thing to do is Shopping! Especially for gold, silver and other jewelry. Prices are reasonable and affordable. Designs are more that your imagination could take and could be a real bargain. (Currently 1 gm of 18 carat gold cost about $ 10 US.)

MAKE SURE YOU ARE GOING TO SAUDI ARABIA FOR THE RIGHT REASONS AND IT WILL BE AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!