Good non aramco compounds

Sara compound is supposed to be good and has a small British school on site only available to residents. I think the compound is currently occupied by BAE Systems however their contract may be coming to an end. Heard this via word of mouth only but it may be worth looking into.

Oasis Gardens has the BISAK school on site. The compound itself is not maintained as well as it used to be however I know people who have lived there and were quite happy. Long wait lists for the school though but still worth checking with the registrar (email address can be found on their website). The school is planned to be relocated to a completely new site in the next couple of years so more spaces may be available then. Not much help if you need schooling immediately.

My family and I have been here less than a year so maybe others can offer more details. Some of the other compounds are supposed to be quite nice, Zamil Village for example, however they can be quite small. Sara and Oasis gardens would be two of the largest outside of Aramco. Aramco local compounds themselves are compact and confined...not exactly abundant with outdoor space.

Transportation is difficult here without a car. There is a list of private drivers circulating around that you may already have. We used a different one most days when we first arrived and found one we liked and manged to agree an arrangement. They are in demand so it may take some effort, but not impossible to do. As you are probably aware, most things here take time.

Hope some of this is useful. I really feel for everyone impacted by this policy change. If you are well committed to the relocation process and have cut ties at home already then this is a very difficult and stressful position to be in.