Thread regarding Saudi Aramco layoffs

You need to weigh the loss of career progression, stagnation of your skills, your mental health, embarrassment at work, boredom with money, ability to travel easily, money and money.

Additionally, your age should depend on your situation. If you’re on the older side, you can finish off your career and go back with some coin. If you’re on the younger side 30s, it’s not a good choice as your career will stall and if you have to go back (layoffs, which are common) you will definitely be at a disadvantage.

I joined early, although financially I’m at a place I would have never been working in US; mentally it’s taking a huge toll. I can only imagine if I was here without family. Probably find me hanging from a door.

Regarding slave driving, new management is definitely doing so. They (locals) want to progress as fast as possible so if they can, they will!

If you end up in a decent department, management changes often and the department can go down the tubes in a heart beat. True story.

All advice here has been pretty spot on, my only regret is I should have joined in my 50s when I would be concluding my career, but I doubt this company will be what it is now at that time. Take that as my addition.

Aramco is not a black mark on your CV if you’re seeking employment in the west. I’m leaving after 6 years and still able to get multiple offers before I even get back . What hurts with Aramco is that you give up any chance of career progression while you’re here so if you stay for too long you end up behind your peers when you go home.

Also some people talk about slave drivers. I’ve yet to see a single person in Aramco work hard by American standards myself included. Because of bad upper management the work is so useless that there’s no point. If you want to retire on the job then Aramco is a great place to be because it won’t matter anyway.

Aramco is not a black mark on your CV if you’re seeking employment in the west. I’m leaving after 6 years and still able to get multiple offers before I even get back . What hurts with Aramco is that you give up any chance of career progression while you’re here so if you stay for too long you end up behind your peers when you go home.

Also some people talk about slave drivers. I’ve yet to see a single person in Aramco work hard by American standards myself included. Because of bad upper management the work is so useless that there’s no point. If you want to retire on the job then Aramco is a great place to be because it won’t matter anyway.

Like others have said, Aramco is a big company with weird politics, but here are some things I consider red flags:

1. "Occasional overtime" is brought up in the interview. Certain jobs are very busy and stressful, while others are total slack offs. If you job involves a great deal of detail, then its a good candidate for the "busy and stressful" bucket. Some people at Aramco do pull 60 hour weeks. Also, I've never heard of an office person getting paid for overtime, no matter what the contract says.
2. "Matrix reporting" is brought up in the interview. On every project, there is the department in charge aka The Proponent, and the departments that work for The Proponent. If you are in one of the service departments, you can expect to be treated poorly by The Proponent, and your department is unlikely to stick up for you because they don't want to rock the boat.
3. Your boss is a newly promoted Expat. In the past, having an Expat boss was a good thing, but the recent group of promoted Expats are slave drivers. A bad Saudis try to slave drive, but they generally don't understand the work well enough to do it effectively. Good Saudis don't slave drive.

Also, you would be pretty safe in assuming the following:

1. Your salary will not go up, but your living costs and government fees probably will.
2. You will not have an office unless you are GC 17 or better. Prepare for a cube.
3. Aramco will be a black mark on your CV should you seek employment in the West.
4. You are unlikely to be at Aramco longer than a few years. Aramco's new HR strategy calls for getting the most out of cheaper employees, and not worrying much about Employee Turnover.

Another former Aramco expat here. The advise on this board is pretty sound. There is no way to know in advance how the job will be because each department / division within Aramco is it's own strange little fiefdom with its own internal customs and politics. A few Saudi supervisors (the younger, ambitious ones) are relatively decent whereas the middle age ones tend to range from mediocre to downright terrible.

If you go, go with an open mind and have a 2 year and 5 year financial plan and STICK TO IT. I know a number of expats who got caught up in the fancy trips and late model cars and as a result had far less to show for all of their years than they should have. Aramco is changing rapidly and multi-year tenures for Western expats are becoming few and far between. Don't go for the personal or career development because there will be none. Have other goals you want to get out of the experience (travel, get in shape, time with the family, etc.).

LOL you’ll see

Endless days of mind numbing “tasks” with little challenge

You will look back when you leave and realize you didn’t do a single thing you can be proud of

I think it's a good idea to ask around. I was fired in June and worked 6 years in an operational area. It took me a while. Also made a lot of friends along the way trying to do the right thing. Common sense is a hard sell in many parts of Aramco.
If you don't mind putting your skill development on the side and focus only on saving cash by the truckload, by all means join.
You may be lucky to join an area where things actually get done.

If not you'll just have to deal with mindless paper chases, having to put up with lengthy meetings and a bunch of utterly incompetent locals. Also as an expat you have to watch your back since there is a lot of blame game going on.

Jamal - I sense you got fired. Aramco has set the bar so low that only buffoons get fired. You must be one. MAJORITY of western expats are desperate to leave???? HEHEHE.

You only have to read forums, asking current and former employees or do some basic research to find out the truth.

The majority of western expats are desperate to leave (or have left!), the remaining few (usually second country western expats) are so desperate for the money they’d take an an@l en--a twice daily to keep their snivelling position.

Think three times before signing on the dotted line

Yep, It's a bit of a risk for you. And don't believe everything you hear from ASC.
There have been many that were told one thing or another only to find out that
ASC's goal was only to put bums in seats. Good luck to you.

The company is so big, so diverse that you can't have an idea like this. You must go and try, your colleagues, your direct supervisor can change anytime. Compound Living is so different and you need to go with an open mind. For some driving is so hard and risky that is a big no but for others actually enjoy, then only you after a couple of months can have a better idea. It's an adventure, be positive and have fun.