Thread regarding Saudi Aramco layoffs

coming for 2 years only does not make sense to me...plan for 4-5 at least to get all the benefits...ur first repat payment comes after 12 months and your first bonus will probably be in Mar 2027...it ll take u at least 1 year to settle properly and then back to Eutope? ...

Similarly, I had very low expectations coming in. I relied most on the tax free basic and overbase pay, being already 3x as what I'm making. Didnt care much about promotion and any other perks. I see them as just bonuses and can be taken away. We travelled on the cheap as much as we can, didn't buy a fancy car, horses or sailboats. Showed I can be relied on, didn't ask for much nor step on toes, kept my head down. Planned for 3 years, stretched it to 5 years. Portfolio was growing so fast that I decided to add a few more years and not worry about working again. Retired in my early 50s after 13 years. Keep the same mindset and be friendly to all, then you'll be just fine.

Fair enough. So £60k a year more than you’d make in London I presume. If that’s what your management and bosses make then you’re in a low paid industry already tbf!

It’s not bad but won’t set the world alight, and will degrade given the opportunity cost for you, of career and wage stagnation. It might be worth a couple of years if you are very strict about saving and living frugally. This will have a cost on your metal health, you will need to budget for holidays and frequent (expensive) breaks.

Please don’t listen to what Aramco tell you about your wife working, they lie for a sport - your wife’s iqama will have in red on it “no employment”.

Ask for written permission from Aramco management in writing and and iqama for her also - they will never confirm such.

@Inconvenient truth thanks for your response. I’m UK based. I’ll making 2.5x of what I’m making here net (or an additional $100k even compared to my gross salary). So money wise it’s pretty insane. I’ll making more than my C level bosses on the net basis. I’ve seen a lot of comments about Aramco looking terrible on the CV and I get it but I genuinely think it might look pretty good in my area. In terms of skills, I’m sure I won’t grow a lot but I’m being hired to work in two areas which are my secondary areas of expertise so I’ll have to improve them on the job to some extent. I guess. I do worry that finding a good job back in Europe may be tricky. As to my wife, I did raise the question of her working remotely with Aramco and they said it’s perfectly fine. I’ll press them a bit further on that, thanks for the advice.

Where in Europe exactly? You presumably will be making a significant tax saving. Don’t factor this in, the offer has to be much larger than just that uplift. You will kick yourself otherwise once you get here and realise what you’ve done! There will be no uplifts and no promotions so do not listen to the recruiters with their lies.

Your career will die here and Aramco is worth sweet FA on your CV so you are deluded if you think it’s helps. You will also stagnate professionally and your skills will quickly degrade as they won’t be used in this cesspit.

Also consider divorce rates among expats are high for those like you that think they can ride it out, also consider that your wife working remotely is illegal and Aramco will use that as a vehicle to bot lay you severance when the time comes (if they find out). This doesn’t even factor in the terrible quality of life and all of culture beyond the head bruisers.

If you like your current job and have reason to think that they will let you relocate to a lower cost area, then you might want to sit on Aramco's offer for a while and see how things develop where you are now. Aramco will tell you that they want you to come by the end of the year, but I have seen people not show up until March or April.

@hv no, it does not happen very often. I routinely pull the layoff reports and it’s rare that people don’t pass probation.

@dg does it happen often for no obvious reason? If I’m kicked out after the probation period, I’ll be very very miserable😆

@de looks like you already decided. Have you considered what if you don’t pass probation period? They kick you out after 3 months? Don’t be surprised if that happens

Thanks all, appreciate your responses. I think I’ll be happy to leave after two years, especially if my plan to spend less than 50k per year works out and we save around 400k in these two years (my wife will continue to work full time remotely). The most difficult thing for me will be not being able to see friends and family whenever I feel like it, but the rest I’m ok with. I don’t go to nightclubs, I don’t mind not being able to drink alcohol for weeks, and I have quite a thick skin for corporate and government bureaucracy.

Having said that, getting a job when I come back to Europe is probably my main concern. It’s very unlikely that I’ll find the same position as I have now which offers me a good mix of interesting tasks, lots of flexibility and an opportunity to move pretty much anywhere in Europe in the next 18 months or so while keeping my current salary and working mostly remotely. My wife and I are originally from the Baltics and we have a flat there so money-wise in the long term we’d probably be better off with my current job unless I find something much better paid after Aramco. Kind of thinking aloud here.

I would say this: I was in the same boat. Exact situation. I gave it a try and went back after 1 year. Terrible terrible mistake. Had to take the pay cut going back. Looking back I would not do it again. You can’t imagine the bs that you have to deal with.

"Most people in the team (including the line manager) are either American or European."
That was exactly my situation when I joined. It changed rather quickly, sad to say.

"The plan would be to stay for a few years, save aggressively and come back to Europe." A few years is too long for you to assume that things in your new position will be stable. Does your plan work if you can only stay two years?

"I also think that in my area Aramco would look pretty good on the resume, and there’s actually an area in which I can grow professionally in Aramco simply because it’s part of the job." I have NEVER seen anyone grow professionally at Aramco. The best case scenario is that you will be as employable when you return to Europe as you are right now. However, if you are at Aramco more than two years even that might be a stretch.

Bottom line: if the money works if you stay only two years, your wife is on board with expat life, and you think you can get another job in Europe when you are done, then go for it. Otherwise, stay where you are.

@OP
It all depends. I've always said and thought that you don't earn you pay at Aramco by the work you do, but by putting up with the bureaucratic bs, governmental and corporate. Plus, can you do the time? Sounds like you have already given it some thought with the books, PS5 etc... A girl friend who is a homebody would help but that, though not unheard of, is certainly a unicorn. It will certainly be trying at times. In my, case it was worth it. If you do decide to go, keep it simple. No large furniture shipments. If I had it to do over again, I would arrive with two suitcases. Acquiring what I need or want over time on the cheap with the idea that when I leave, I will sell it all and leave with the same two suitcases. I would also steer clear of acquiring big ticket items, absolutely no motorcycles or sail boats. Even cars are a hassle but needed by all but the most spartan of individuals. Good luck with your decision.