WORKING IN SAUDI ARABIA – BERLITZ AL AHSA

My wife and I have been working at Berlitz Al Ahsa since 2010 and we would like to share our experiences to date.

From the top …

The interview process was very swift and the company fulfilled our request to arrive together. We were welcomed to Saudi Arabia by the Manager of Instruction. Our apartment is centrally located and within walking distance to restaurants, supermarkets and malls. The furnished apartment is comfortable and equipped with everything detailed in our contracts.

Our goal was to experience a different culture, living amongst the local people has enhanced this. Al Ahsa isn’t a large, buzzing city compared to Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam however is growing rapidly. Al Ahsa has become home and a little part of us now. It’s rich history, traditional values and culture has fascinated us. We love exploring the old castles, museums and markets which are alive with flavour.

The training on arrival was intensive and effective. It thoroughly prepared us for teaching according to the Berlitz requirements. The trainer was experienced and knowledgable and it equipped us with techniques we still use daily.

The students are pleasant, respectful and motivated to learn. Classroom sizes are small making teaching an overall personal experience.

The managers and administrative staff are friendly, helpful and do their best to assist where needed. In general teaching is teaching as there is very little admin work, compared to previous schools – this allows someone who is passionate about teaching to teach as we spend most of our times in the classroom. Selected classrooms have SmartBoards and technology components. We are continuously supported through workshops, meetings etc. which encourages development and collaboration.

Berlitz Al Ahsa also allowed us to work remotely when we needed to return home for some time. Additionally management went out of their way to assist us when we needed to upgrade our medical insurance – this was truly remarkable. Furthermore, Berlitz Al Ahsa has fulfilled all benefits, to date as per the Saudi labor law.

In terms reimbursements, claims and salary payouts etc. we have never experienced any delays ever.

I must add that it’s exciting to work in a rapidly growing company. 2013 has seen many new projects and the staff numbers have doubled.

It’s been an amazing journey where we have made lots of friends along the way. Interacting with people of different nationalities and cultures has been one of our best experiences. This to me has been a strong personal growth point.

Overall I would rate Berlitz Al Ahsa 4 out of 5. Although there is some room for improvements, over the past three years I have seen a lot of positive changes, which indicates to me that management and the company is moving in the right direction.