1. It's in a country that is safe, interesting, and easy to live in.
2. The school runs smoothly and successfully, staff is happy and supported by admin, and there is a good work/life balance.
3. Salary and benefits meet all basic needs and substantial savings can be put aside every month.

Congratulations on your job! And welcome to your first taste of how things work in Saudi Arabia!

What you're describing is not at all unusual. For now go with what the agency tells you. They're the ones who will be working directly with the Saudis in DC and will hear the latest requirements. The school will take over with their part once you arrive there. (It's a long process that starts before you come and continues after you arrive.) In the meantime, check the Saudi embassy website for what they say is required, and if anything the agency says seems off to you, question it. Don't be shy. My experience was the agency was more demanding about requirements than the embassy was, for no clear reason. Then be mentally ready for things to not work out, for preparing documents over again, and for having the agency on speed dial. Once they've turned the documents in to the authorities in Washington it goes quickly. It will suddenly be over and you'll wonder what the fuss was about. Good luck!

Here's my perspective. I've been relatively wealthy in the Middle East, middle class in the US, and poor in Europe. The happiest time was the poor in Europe time. I was young, and that's the best time to do it.

As you get older you need more savings for things like kids, retirement, and other big, expensive, unexpected events. When you have decades ahead of you, you can afford a few lean years. Not so when you're older. I disagree with the idea of saving first and then live somewhere expensive. The older I get, the more important those savings become, and they're not for frivolous things.

My advice is to take the job in Europe, know you probably won't save anything, enjoy life there, and get that PYP experience. After a few years you can move on to a better school, a better income and savings potential, and other, different experiences.

Mac1030 wrote:

> My friends are Southeast Asian- they have concerns about facing
> discrimination in Saudi? Is this a valid concern for them?

Yes, I am sorry to say, it is a valid concern. How bad it would be would be determined by how international their living and working communities are. If they are the only southeast Asians in a community of mostly middle easterners (it's not just the Saudis), it could be quite bad. They might have more support at, say, a Phillipino school, which exist here. There is a huge Southeast Asian community here in the Eastern Province. Most work in service industries.

I'm teaching in Saudi right now, and want to clear up something that raises a red flag. I have my passport and a multiple entrance/exit visa, as do all of us expat teachers in our school in the Dammam/Dhahran area. (Maybe one day I might run into Dawson in Bahrain as we go regularly). It is not true that the government isn't issuing multiple entrance/exit visas to teachers. If a school is holding passports and saying that, I would be very, very, careful.

Cindioeo, I hear you! Hang in there! I just sent you a pm I hope might help.