Some locations in the Middle East offer a combination of the potential for building up a reasonable amount of savings AND having a pleasant lifestyle. Not everywhere in the region is as austere as Riyadh or Kuwait City.? Whether or not a country or city is an enjoyable place to live is very subjective, and depends on a variety of factors associated with the individual concerned. We all have different perceptions, expectations, resources and experiences. One man?s heaven is another man?s prison. Large numbers of expats remain in the Middle East for many years, whilst others may flee at the first available opportunity.
Most people adapt fairly quickly to life in the region and many enjoy their stay, remaining for several years or returning on other contracts. The lifestyle generally appeals to people who enjoy expat living, particlarly those who are married with families. Those who wish to party hard every night, or people looking for an interesting cultural experience, meaningful interaction with the locals or an opportunity to become fluent in Arabic should perhaps look elsewhere.? The more liberal parts of the Gulf can offer a comfortable lifestyle, a reasonable, if not riotously exciting social life, and the chance to build up a decent nest egg.?
Dispelling a Few Myths
Only in Kuwait and Saudi will you have to resort to moonshine and boot-leg alcohol. Sourcing phenomenally expensive real stuff on the black market in these countries can be difficult and risky. Unlike Saudi however, the authorities in Kuwait will mostly turn a blind eye to the reasonably discrete production and consumption of home brew. Oman, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain all have real bars in the hotels and well-stocked booze shops, though in Qatar, Oman and most Emirates in the UAE (including Dubai), you will need to apply for a ?liquor permit? to buy alcohol for home consumption.? Most of the better restaurants are located in the hotels, and so are able to serve alcohol (except in Qatar), and the few upmarket eateries located outside the hotels also usually have a liquor permit.
Since the first Gulf War, freedom of information has improved considerably throughout the region, though everywhere except Bahrain, the internet will be censored to a greater or lesser degree.? This censorship generally covers ?pornography? (as defined by the various Ministries of the Interior) and some political sites.? Western news sites such as the BBC or CNN should not usually be affected.? Western newspapers and publications are widely available, though articles considered to be ?sensitive? may be removed from time-to-time, or may even cause an issue of a particular publication to be withdrawn completely.? Cable and satellite packages are available, which include channels such as BBC World and CNN.?
In my view, Dubai and Bahrain offer a higher standard of living, and more diverse, expat-orientated, social activities than many places in Europe or Asia. Muscat and Abu Dhabi can be OK, too.? Bars, discos, good restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine, cinemas, live theatre and concerts, beaches, a variety of expat clubs and societies, great shopping and pretty well every kind of sporting activity you care to name. Supermarkets are extremely well-stocked, with high-quality goods and produce from around the world. Only pork-products may be restricted in some places.? Good-quality accommodation and cheap and easy availability of servants and hired-help mean that home entertaining is also popular.? There are even ladies-of-the-night, if that is your thing. I had a great social life in Bahrain and was at some function or other four or five times a week ? much better than many Asian cities, in my view.?
Whilst summers are incredibly hot (and humid in the coastal areas), the Gulf has a more diverse range of temperatures than tropical Asia. Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Northern Saudi all have short, but quite cold winters. I often wore an overcoat in Bahrain in January/February, and heaters are required indoors.? Winter months in the southern part of the peninsular, such as Oman and the UAE, are a bit milder, but still fairly cool and pleasant.
Safety is an increasing concern in the region.? The only attacks on Western compounds have been in Saudi Arabia, though there have also been isolated terrorist incidents in both Kuwait and Qatar. Nothing in Oman, Bahrain or the UAE as yet, as far as I'm aware.? The Gulf is generally very safe with low crime rates.? Attacks on Westerners, whether politically or criminally motivated, are still extremely rare and you will not encounter undue amounts of hostility from the population at large, except perhaps for isolated incidences of verbal aggression. However, these will, (thankfully) also be quite rare.? The levels of xenophobia in Bahrain, Oman the UAE and Qatar are often less than in some Asian countries such as Korea, Thailand, China and Japan, due to the large numbers of foreigners that have worked there for a considerable number of years.? Saudi Arabia is the only place where it may be necessary to exercise anything other than reasonable caution, and it is perhaps the only country where you may experience ouvert displays of xenophobia and anti-Western sentiment.? ?
Where to Go
I am often asked about the ?best? place to work in the Middle East or how I would ?rank? the different countries.? This is a very difficult question to answer due to the many variables and subjectivity involved. It really depends on your motives for going there, your personal preferences and temperament and also, perhaps, whether you would be dragging the wife and kids along too. Many people simply follow the money, in which case location is very much a secondary consideration. Different cities and locales in the same country can also offer hugely different lifestyles and experiences. The UAE for example, is a relatively loose confederation of seven, formerly separate, sheikdoms. The Rulers of each individual Emirate retain a great deal of autonomy over how their own particular little sandpit is governed, in much the same way that laws and customs can vary from state to state in the USA.? Wealth, or lack thereof, from petroleum products (or in the case of Dubai, trade) also determine what the place is like. In Saudi, Riyadh is known to be a much more difficult place to live than the slightly less uptight city of Jeddah. In Oman, the Capital Area offers a fairly pleasant lifestyle with most of the comforts and conveniences you would expect in the West, but there are also now a large number of teaching positions available in small towns in the ?interior? ? which may not appeal to everyone (myself included).
My ranking would be as follows, based on a combination of quality of life, Western-style comforts, comparative liberality and the relative inoffensiveness of the locals. For the purposes of this list, I define liberality in terms of not imposing too many Islamic restrictions on the population at large, lack of censorship, and availability of alcohol which won't rob you of your eyesight before the end of your contract.?
The 'A' List
1. Bahrain
Definitely the best for me. Small island just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is linked by causeway. At weekends and regional holidays it is full of Arabs and expats from Saudi and Kuwait looking for R&R. Probably the most liberal and ?welcoming? place in the Gulf. Friendly, comparatively sophisticated locals and a great expat lifestyle. Offers more rights and opportunities to its womenfolk than any of the other states. It also has much more national character than some of the other States, due to the government's efforts to get locals, including women, into the workforce at all levels. This contrasts quite sharply with the UAE, where most of the people you deal with will be non-nationals. Little censorship and no restrictions on booze (apart from the cost!). The drawbacks to Bahrain are that it is quite expensive, there are not many teaching jobs around, and salaries tend to be on the low side.
2. Dubai (UAE)
The Emirates probably offer an ideal combination of a congenial lifestyle, excellent salaries and benefits for the top-end jobs, together with different types of location. Lots of jobs around, but competition for the better positions is intense and the requirements high. Dubai is by far the most liberal and progressive of the seven Emirates, with more than 90% of its GDP coming from non-petroleum related trade. The whole of the UAE is something of a huge ?refugee camp?, and you may not encounter many locals outside the classroom.
3. Muscat/Capital Area (Oman)
A fair number of jobs around in Oman, but not the highest-payers in the Gulf. Along with Saudi, it is the only ME country which now uses recruiters for teaching jobs. Caveat emptor.? Comparatively liberal, friendly people and lots of spectacular scenery.? A different atmosphere to the rest of the Gulf. Even the costumes of the locals are different.
4. Abu Dhabi (UAE)
The federal capital of the UAE and the wealthiest of the seven Emirates, due to its immense reserves of high-quality petroleum deposits. Definitely more staid and conservative than Dubai, and doesn't have quite the same vibrancy and atmosphere. Still fairly liveable though, and offers a decent expat lifestyle.? The town of Al Ain, on the border with Oman, and home to the UAE university, is also located in this Emirate.
5. Other Five Emirates (UAE)
Sharjah is the most fundamentally Islamic of all the Emirates. The place is officially dry, pork products are banned from the supermarkets, and I understand that they have lately introduced some kind of draconian "dress code" for foreign women - though not quite as bad as the one in Saudi. Many of the exigencies are however mitigated by its close proximity to Dubai (about 20 minutes) and Ajman (10 minutes), both of which have an abundance of everything which Sharjah prohibits! The other four? Emirates (Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, Fujeirah and Ras Al Khaimah have little or no oil, subsist primarily on federal handouts from Abu Dhabi (or from selling booze to Muslims!) and are consequently much less developed. They do however offer some pleasant and scenic weekend retreats and would be fine for anyone who dislikes living in big cities.
The 'B' List
6. Qatar
Small place which generally appeals more to married couples and families. They adhere to the same Islamic sect as the Saudis (Wahabism), but a few of the hotels have bars and you can get a liquor permit to buy booze for home consumption. Women can drive and work. Qatar is currently experience something of a boom, fuelled in part by the high oil prices. There are quite a number of teaching jobs now available and salaries at the top end of the scale are pretty good. The downside is that this has led to a huge increase in rents - so make sure any contract provides actual housing, rather than an allowance. Not a bad place if you aren't looking for a riotous lifestyle. Along with Saudi Arabia, the Qataris require you to obtain an "exit visa" before you can leave the country.
7. 'Interior' of Oman
May appeal to those looking for a more authentic ethnic experience! Salalah, the second city on the southern tip of the country would be about the only place I would consider in Oman, outside the Capital Area. Western style ameneties and entertainment facilities are few and far between. Restaurants, supermarkets and shops also obviously cater more to local tastes. If you're lucky, there might be a more upmarket hotel with a swimming pool, health and fitness club and bar. There are however, an increasing number of jobs available in some of these towns.
8. Kuwait
I have never worked there, only visited for a weekend. Not quite as uptight as Saudi - women can work and drive and the police turn a blind eye to moonshine - but the locals can sometimes be even more obnoxious and arrogant than the Saudis. Friends who have worked there say Kuwaitis win the award for the laziest students in the Gulf ? and there are lots of contenders for that title.
9. Saudi Arabia
Perhaps not the best place to cut your Middle Eastern teeth, but there are some reasonable-paying jobs on offer. If your prime objective is to save money as quickly as possible, you don?t require organized entertainment, and can live a life which is not too far removed from that of the Trappists, this is the place for you. Not everyone can hack it and the teacher turnover rate is fairly high. Many more security risks nowadays, too. If you take the family, your wife and any post-pubescent daughters will have to wear a garment which closely resembles a black bin liner when they are outside the house. They will also have to cover their hair (but not the face).
Bear in mind that this ranking and the appended comments are highly subjective. Others may well have different opinions. Many people may prefer the bigger city atmosphere and amenities of Dubai to the more liberal and friendlier Bahrain, for example. I generally prefer urban locations in the ?A? List, though lady of negotiable affections that I am, if the price is right ??.
Comparative Living Costs
The Gulf as a whole is quite a bit more expensive than say South East Asia, but probably not that much more expensive, overall, than Western Europe. Many things are imported as the region does not produce much apart from oil and petroleum products. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are probably the cheapest, with Bahrain, Dubai and Kuwait being perhaps the most expensive. However, this can also be subjective. I definitely found living costs in Bahrain to be a little higher than Dubai, for everything except accommodation (which is generally provided by the employer anyway), but I have heard others express a contrary view. As with anywhere, it depends on the individual and the type of lifestyle they espouse. Alcohol in the bars and restaurants can make serious inroads into your budget. A bottle of drinkable wine and a couple of brandies after a meal can easily treble or even quadruple the restaurant bill in say Bahrain, UAE or Oman. In most of the hotel bars, you are looking at around ?5 or $8 for a pint of beer or mixed drink, though cheaper venues can sometimes be found, particularly in Bahrain and the UAE.
Prices of everyday items in the countries on the ?A List? above do not vary all that much. Salaries, however can and do fluctuate considerably, depending partly on the country, but mainly on the individual employer.
Topic: Life in the Middle East (Read 2950 times)