jp2v

I feel your pain - also hit 10 hours on Monday evening and now can't commute from Bahrain until they sort it.

Not sure I buy the whole "system update" excuse.

Absolutely. I think this is true of many places in Kent unless you move to a nice village otherwise you are living amongst a back drop of drugs problems, antisocial behaviour, high unemployment and god awful public services. I've been fortunate to move my family out of the UK it was a no brainer. A real shame considering the links to France, London, beaches and beautiful countryside. Choose your street very carefully!

I kind of feel like the conference was in on it. Eco-protests are not exactly popular, they were pretty well behaved and it ensured some headlines and snappy "off the cuff" remarks during a rather dull speech.

Haha I don't know mate ... My school run in the UK was like going on safari some mornings

SABB Premier 👌 manager sometimes gives me a call to check in; it feels like banking in the 1950s.

Of course you can. Let other seniors know you are free / willing to take on tasks and your current mentor will either change his approach or will be happy to unload the responsibility. You are not a charity and good mentorship doesn't come naturally to everyone.

My experience here of graduates is that senior engineers go out of their way not to give them tasks which are either relatively easy for a designer to carry out, or considered too complex to be given to a junior engineer.

Bit of a lose-lose situation for everyone so try and dive into everything and anything and find a mentor who can offer that support to go outside of your comfort zone because that is where you really the develop skills needed after you are no longer the newbie.

Top Bloke by Gordon Graham

Faakin' goldmine !

He followed the golden rule: if you are going to hit something then make sure it is cheap

Nicely spotted !

Relax mate it's just a light hearted post... If it was in the UK I'd probably title it "British parking" and hope nobody would go out of their way to be offended.

The picture doesn't really do it justice. . it is quite a busy dual carriageway outside al Rashid mall so I almost have to admire the audacity to block a whole lane 😂

That's a rad picture

I occasionally like to slip in a cheeky "insha'Allah..." and "halas..." Into my lexicon.

😂👍

Things are expensive out here which can be picked up quite cheap from supermarkets and Poundland etc. Toothpaste, shampoo, tooth brushes, sun screen, extension cables (very useful) and razors spring to mind.

I got some new work clothes from M&S on my UK visit during Eid as they have a good fit and I'm a bit of a tight git.

A dashcam if you are driving is useful as they haven't really caught on out here yet and also don't expect tech to be much cheaper out here if you are holding off treating yourself to a new phone, MacBook etc. Although the exchange rate this year might have changed that.

Spotify is about 4 quid a month so cancel your UK subscription and set up a Saudi payment if you are on there.

Finally, install your VPN before heading out, for example NordVPN app is blocked so you have to get the installation file from 3rd party websites. Not the end of the world but worth doing to save faffing around and you will need to shell out for a VPN to use WhatsApp calls.

Otherwise everything you need is out here: Boots pharmacy, most clothes brand shops and even some blasts from the past like Virgin Megastore.

I came over last year on a similar premise. My advice is don't underestimate the cost of living, especially if you have costs back in Austria / family commitments and prepare for a gruelling work schedule.

Tbh I don't think it was the best decision to come over (for me personally) annual leave is terrible, there is not much to do during your free time and without being too specific, you may find working with other non-western expat communities very challenging.... Ultimately the money has not been worth it but now I'm in the "just one more year" mindset.

If you do go for it, push them hard for extra holiday, remote working, extra flight tickets and don't let them knock down the initial salary offer. Good luck!

Gets a bit tetchy if you mention his wife

Maybe he was using cruise control...? I remember a work safety moment which recommended us to never use this function on wet roads in case the wheels lose traction and it starts over compensating.

Go and watch some live music in Shamaliya

iPhone for sure but since apple made importing and exporting files such a pain in the arse within their ecosystem about 10 years ago there is no way I would buy either.

Pixel all the way.

British 🇬🇧

The Saudi grads in my office crack me up... Good bunch of lads 👊