Aramco is the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia. The company was originally American-owned, co-owned by American oil giants like Standard Oil, Exxon, etc. It had a very cozy relationship with the CIA and other US government entities, and continues to do so today, but to a lesser extent I believe.

At one time (in the 1950s and 1960s), Aramco had a lot of Americans working and living in Saudi Arabia on an Aramco compound, where they lived a completely American life, exempt from many Saudi laws. For example, the American women who lived on the compound didn’t have to cover up when they left their homes, as long as they were within the compound, which was a large settlement of up to 17 thousand Americans. The compound was literally a quintessential mid-20th century American suburb, complete with manicured lawns, little league baseball games, and company picnics. I once read that the Americans on that compound were not only isolated from Saudi society (obviously), but also far removed from what was going on back home in America during the turmoil and social changes of the 1960s.

Aramco was nationalized by the Saudi state in 1980 (that is, 100% of the company now belongs to the Saudi state). Since then, the company has invested outside Saudi Arabia, having acquired a few oil-industry subsidiaries in other countries, and also maintaining some offices outside Saudi Arabia as well. A look at their jobs website http://www.jobsatara… suggests that most of the positions are based in Saudi Arabia, and living on an Aramco compound (which nowadays houses employees from all over the world, including very many Saudis). Saudi law is infamous for the draconian restrictions it places on the day-to-day lives of people, particularly women, but apparently the Aramco compound operates on a separate set of laws that are more liberal than the rest of the country; women drive here and are still not required to wear an abaya (the body-covering cloak worn by Saudi women). But that doesn’t mean it’s completely autonomous, and personally, I would feel nervous about living in a country with a legal system that rightfully receives a lot of criticism. We hear a lot in the press about the questionable legal system in Iran, but Saudi’s isn’t any better.

My dad used to work in ARAMCO and, just like what luv said, the compounds feel like American suburbs. The main camp, Dhahran, is where we lived although I’ve visited some of the others like Ras-Tanura and Abqaiq (I think that’s how you spell it). There are golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, soccer fields, bowling alleys, a cinema, a theatre, a library, etc. The compounds even have their own police force and firefighting department.

Even though 100% of the company is owned by the Saudi government, it feels very Westernized. I remember when I was a kid, you can even buy bacon on the supermarket there (bacon is taboo in Islam and you can’t buy it anywhere else), although somewhere along the line, they removed it. Women can drive even though they can’t outside the compounds.

Health care is completely free (paid for by the company). I actually remember one of my classmates who went to surgery just to remove a birthmark, and it was completely free. LOL. Education is also free (they hire American teachers to teach in the local schools inside the compound). They will also pay for your kid’s education outside the compound. I have friends who were sent to private boarding schools in Switzerland and somewhere in the US and the company paid for everything. Growing up, it makes you feel sheltered though. There was virtually zero drugs and alcohol so my parents never had to worry about those things (although strangely enough, I had a classmate who smuggled a porno magazine, Penthouse to be exact).

Although I remember Saudi Arabia (well, mainly the Eastern Province) becoming more Westernized. Al-Khobar, just outside Dhahran, has a really large mall full of American stores. There is a nice seaside promenade full of American fastfood chain and there’s even a Toys R Us store there. There are nice beaches as well.

I loved living there. Thank god for high gas prices. LOL.

The only company that I consider having jobs worldwide would be BP, they seem to have an arm around the world.

Heymikey,

Thanks for the insider’s description from someone who’s lived there. That’s very useful information you posted.

All pork, BTW, not just bacon, is taboo in Islam. Since Saudi Arabia enforces strict religious law, pork is not to be sold anywhere in the country (except on Aramco compounds, apparently, until recently). By contrast, in Egypt pork is perfectly legal (but it’s consumed only by the country’s fairly large Christian minority).