Many expats became disappointed or demoralized because of unfulfilled promises by the company. Especially promises that were given BEFORE we actually moved to KSA. For examples:
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You will live in Dhahran (in reality, many have to live outside the camp which also means their kids cannot go to the Aramco school)
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You will have an interesting job and be able to add value (in reality, many expats are misplaced, misused, or underused)
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You will continue to advance your career (in reality, it's almost impossible for expats to get a management position)
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You will be joining a world class organization (in reality, the company is quite dysfunctional in many ways, and led by very poor management. Many expats have never seen anything like this in their professional life. Almost all expats that I know have the skills to make a difference, and actually WANT to make a difference, but cannot do so due to poor management and utterly dysfunctional corporate culture. This hurts morale. Over time, many expats became apathetic.
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You will have Job security (in reality, the company is laying off people who have moved around the globe to come here. After one has worked here for 5-10 years, you really don't have any career prospect outside the company. This is another oft-overlooked disadvantage).
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No promise, but just a basic human expectation that we will be treated fairly (at least by western standards). In reality, expats are discriminated against in the performance ranking process. Expats rarely get any credits for success, and usually get the blame for failure. At the end of the day, we are human being.
Yet expats do need to count their blessings. Compensation is good, the environment is conducive to family life (that is if you live inside the camp), most of the Saudis are friendly and welcoming, and at work you do have many opportunities to add value to the company (although you will not be given credits for your contribution).
You just have to set your expectations right and know your place.
And if you can't take it anymore than don't complain -- it's probably time to leave.