Bahrain is a tolerant country where the standard of living is high, where employment opportunities for professionals are in abundance and where both Bahraini citizens and expatriate residents can achieve a good quality of life.

As a result the Kingdom has witnessed a growth in the numbers of international expatriates seeking jobs in Bahrain and relocating with their families to reside in the Kingdom.

The first and most critical issue to address when discussing jobs in Bahrain or seeking and securing employment in the Kingdom is the issue of visas.  Those who wish to legally work in Bahrain have to obtain a sponsored employment visa and their families can then apply for a family visa to accompany them to Bahrain. 

The reality is that an employment visa can take a good few weeks to obtain and it’s often the case that employees begin living and working in Bahrain on a temporary visit or business visa while they get everything in place for their employment visa.  This means that their families cannot join them on a family visa for a few weeks and this is something that should be taken into consideration when looking for work in Bahrain. 

To get an employment visa you need a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as well as a No Objection Certificate from the General Directorate of Immigration and Passports.  An employment visa will be sponsored by the applicant’s employer and generally speaking the company’s personnel department will handle visa applications and renewals.  A family visa can be obtained for a travelling spouse and children once the employment visa has been obtained, those who enter Bahrain on a family visa cannot work in the country and can only remain in the Kingdom as long as the employment visa holder’s visa is valid.

It’s worth mentioning that those with a stamp from Israel in their passports will not be granted entry to Bahrain and that anyone who overstays their visa will accrue daily fines.

The main employers of expatriate personnel in Bahrain are oil, petroleum, gas, engineering, IT, telecommunications, medical and service industries and most jobs are either initially sought online or through specialist recruiters in these particular fields.  For those seeking employment in the largest recruitment field of oil and gas, Oil Careers.com have a great many listings in Bahrain and it’s a good place to begin searching for jobs in Bahrain as it lists a lot of recruitment companies as well as specific positions currently available.

The Gulf Daily News is another starting point, it has a classifieds section with situations vacant and situations wanted which can be accessed online, they also list recruitment agencies.  There are a number of recruitment agencies located in Manama which may be able to assist someone with their search for jobs in Bahrain…but please note some are better than others!  You could try JHC Recruitment, Azrek or even Ernst & Young and KPMG who recruit in Bahrain but know that it can be extremely difficult for women to find employment in the Kingdom especially if they have entered the country on a family visa and are accompanying their husbands.

Once someone has secured employment and made the move to Bahrain it can sometimes be quite straightforward to find a new job or to secure another contract by networking either socially or professionally.  In terms of social networking there are many expatriate clubs and societies in the Kingdom such as the British Club or various sports clubs like the Bahrain Tennis Club or Rugby Club where individuals can meet like minded people from similar professional backgrounds and enquire about employers, vacancies etc.  Professional networking can take place at any number of conferences and events that take place in the Kingdom or else try the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce to find out about specific events relevant to the industry in which you work.