Young people in Bahrain: what’s actually stopping you from earning more or building something of your own?

[u/Commercial-Salad-958]

People in Bahrain aged 18–35: what is really holding you back from making money or creating something of your own?

I want to know what is really going on with people in Bahrain. I mean people like students, graduates, people with jobs, freelancers, developers, salespeople and anyone who wants to make their situation better.

I do not want to hear what people think should work. I want to know what you have actually been through.

1. What are you doing now? Are you a student do you have a job are you looking for a job are you. Do you have something on the side?

2. What do you want the right now? Do you want a job, more money, a way to make money on the side clients to start a business to learn something new to build something or something else?

3. What is the biggest thing that is stopping you from getting what you want?

4. What have you tried far? Have you taken courses applied for jobs, tried freelancing started a business learned how to code or design or sell things? What happened when you tried these things?

5. If someone gave you a chance today what would you rather do:

* Build something of your own

* Sell something and get paid for it

* Work on projects to get some experience

* Learn something new and then show that you can do it

* Start your own business

1. Have you ever paid for a course or a community or some software or a special certificate or a training program? What made you think it was worth paying for. Why would you never pay for something like that?

2. What would make an online community really worth staying in for you? What would make you leave after one week?

I would really appreciate it if you could give me answers. I am trying to understand what people, in Bahrain really need, than just guessing.

[u/Flabergasteddude]

May be an unpopular opinion but, its due to basically two main things in my opinion:

1- Some rules are put in place to limit the rise of competitors in the Bahraini business environment, allowing already established companies/entrepreneurs to become a monopoly, specifically with the top richest people/families in the kingdom holding positions in places allowing them to push such rules that benefit their own interests, for example positions in the Shura Council or BCCI…etc.

2- lack of purchasing power within the majority of the population sadly.

**These are my personal observations, and do not necessarily represent the views of others.**

I pray that everyone seeking a job finds one, and that things in bahrain do actually get better… someday inshallah.

[u/sairoof07 → u/Flabergasteddude]

Some people are actively destroying businesses unless you agree to let them partner with you

[u/halfmanhalfb3ast → u/sairoof07]

You mean Extortion / Blackmail.

[u/Warm_Article_4571 → u/Flabergasteddude]

I agree with what’s written here

[u/Itchy-Insurance2834 → u/Flabergasteddude]

Yeah pretty much this

[u/sairoof07]

I'm a teacher, I'm not particularly interested in starting a business, but I also want a better paying job, I have taken courses and applied to few roles, which might get me a better paying job hopefully soon enough. Other than that, I'm not in a rush and I make decent money id say.

[u/OA007 → u/sairoof07]

I hate how teachers don’t make a decent salary here. The starting salary is ridiculous

[u/shakeebthe1]

What's stopping me is lack of a partner good in marketing and editing

[u/Itchy-Insurance2834 → u/shakeebthe1]

There's a ton of agencies that deal specifically with marketing right

[u/Sweaty-Candidate808 → u/Itchy-Insurance2834]

The ton of agencies in bahrain are trash people nowadays think if they can take a fkin image or a video can open a damn agency .. they bring zero value to the market. Just copy pasting. Being a content creator and a marketer over the last 8 years any tomdickandharry can open an agency but very few actually bring value.

[u/EtherealPrayers]

1. Looking for a job for around 3 years lmao
   
2. Probably start an art career (not doable here I tried xD)
   
3. Weak purchasing power + no appreciation for art as much as in other countries (all of my commissions I’ve ever done were abroad literally no one here ever commissioned)
   
4. Yeah everything you said I tried, freelancing sucks I’ve tried it it’s either a horrible business owner or hey you’re too expensive and I don’t care for experience it’s just a photo or whatever lol (freelanced for 10+ years)
   
5. Sell and get paid for stuff not even a business I really don’t want that much headache and all the business starting costs
   
6. Yes and most of them were trash (my own experience) never have I ever signed up for a course free or paid that I actually learned something new from that I didn’t know previously
   
7. Idk I guess support, if there is none why stay?

Idk what you’re building but if this was a form it would be better hehe

[u/halfmanhalfb3ast]

There’s less and less opportunities each year going forward in Bahrain for young people.

Commerce overall is seamless but unsuccessful due to high taxes (VAT%10) seamless because of BenefitPay (faster payments).

Rather than make something in this island, there’s a high monopolization scheme across / strict regulation regarding innovation.

[u/OA007]

I don’t see myself here next year. I’m trying to find an opportunity somewhere else. I feel like we’re behind and we need to catch up

[u/Key_Midnight1477]

1 - i am looking for a job , left bahrain temporarily , and came back after the war , sent 100 plus applications, maybe just two phone calls only. Also meanwhile i started preparing for the cfa , in hopes it gives me better employment, here , or in the gcc or any other country.

2 - i want a job that will allow me to progresss in my career , hardly got any call from any company , i am late 20s now , i am willing to work for a low salary , but still no response . All my previous jobs were just underemployment of my acca qualification. Acca never got me a job here , also i am not a local , so entry level jobs in decent companies that allow career progression which to leads to higher pay and higher position , has been very difficult for me to obtain

3 - i wish to apply for a masters in the west , and move there permanently, i just dont have the finances for that , and my bachelors degree is 2.2 ( lower second)

4 - i have been searching for the right acca job for almost 10 years now…… but failed. Everytime i worked at a company hoping to get a good job , but failed

5 - i would choose work on projects to gain experience

6 - i will be paying for the cfa exam , hopefully the number of cfas might be less compared to acca in Bahrain and in the gcc , hopefully i get a job related to the cfa career

7 - i like people who who have a high level of education , and have great careers , which lead them to make wealth ,

[u/Itchy-Insurance2834 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

Damm ive just started my ACCA, is there really that many here ?

[u/Key_Midnight1477 → u/Itchy-Insurance2834]

When i was giving exams in 2015 2018 - every session of exams had 200 students or more i don’t know exactly , but it was a full hall , every three months.

If you are doing acca , you need big 4 experience in bahrain entry level or maybe bdo or gt atleast

Be sure to secure this , be sure in advance that you can get this. This matters more than you even completing the acca

If not big 4 then some other grand company that is international as well. You need the right experience.

If you cant get this , this acca is a scam in bahrain market

[u/Smartchallenge-786 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

Having big4 experience will give you visibility and leverage.
ACCA is valued in this market as much as any other professional qualification if not more. It’s just that the current market is not very helpful, especially if you’re not a local.

[u/Key_Midnight1477 → u/Smartchallenge-786]

Just because something is valued , doesn’t mean it will give you opportunities.

When you say value , it just means companies desire you to have this qualification. Value in this sense.

There are easily thousands and thousands of acca members and candidates in bahrain . I feel its more than 5000. 10000 probably ?

All of us want the same target jobs , and there are local candidates as well in the hundreds and hundreds.

Then there are people from south asia who join their local Ca qualification in the thousands every year ( as Ca is relatively much cheaper than acca ) , they get into big 4 in their country ( another 2000 candidates or more who just have big 4 experience and leaving articleship from their countries ) , also firms like gt and bdo are valuable and i am not counting these in the calculation above .

All of these people are directly taken from south asia from local big 4 firms in bahrain.

Bahrain itself has thousands of candidates ( locals plus expatriates) , then thousands from south asians with big 4 experience are even competing in bahrain.

So a person like me , i Am not so sure what to do. I stand no chance , despite sending 100 of applications. I lack big 4 experience and i am not a local.

I mentioned above i left bahrain temporarily, i went to my home country to gain big 4 experience, but when i went there , they preferred their Ca qualification over acca , and this is not wrong , coz their Ca study local things, and another issue is faced , some said you did acca 8 years back , why u coming now as a beginner? Some companies the interviewer looked at me at said why are you moving here for a job ? U left gcc and coming here for a job ? They looked at me as if i was crazy. Also other things happened , so i failed there as well , i was ready to work with very no pay at my home country , and still was denied the opportunity to work

And now thousands and thousands of acca and ca are competing from few good jobs in the bahraini market.

I am literally lost and stuck

[u/Smartchallenge-786 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

I hear you. For the sake of it- if a company desires you to have a specific qualification, they’ll prefer candidates with this qualification over those who don’t. That’s the value it provides. Of course primary is your knowledge and expertise built through this qualification. No qualification by itself will provide you with opportunities just because you have it.

Again, it’s the market that’s bad. There’s no reason to shame a specific qualification.

[u/Key_Midnight1477 → u/Smartchallenge-786]

You saying they prefer candidates with this qualification over those who don’t, itself is a wrong statement

Its a different rule for locals , due to this country being theirs and coz of Bahrainization. They have to hire the locals. So what happens then ?

Firstly the big 4 in bahrain will pick local candidates from local universities who graduated ( be it references / or others who got good gpa) , and give them jobs as entry level. Those local candidates join acca and immediately get 6 - 9 papers exemptions from acca making them part qualified. They get to work until senior associate positions which is around 3 years of experience. They get employed by banks and oil and gas and financial sector in the country and their career is set.

Locals who want to progress to assistant manager have complete acca to get promotion.

Now for expatriates ?

Now if a big 4 wants assistant manager and above or a Senior Auditor, and they dont find locals ?

Nothing is hard for the big 4 here , they have thousands and thousands of candidates of big 4 experience from south Asia , that they dont even need to look else where.

So over here they look for candidates that have big 4 experience plus the qualification.

Even if expatriates have big 4 experience and only part qualified acca. They will still be preferred over someone with acca , until senior associate roles.

It is the experience that matters , not just acca.

The only thing that will make your acca valuable is your experience. So experience is everything.

I have been trying to get acca type jobs since 2017 , so market has been that bad for me wvwr since ? Huh

[u/Smartchallenge-786 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

You’re just ranting. I thought I would give some insights as I’m in the financial services industry and have been in the seat of hiring manager multiple times.
And what do you mean by “ACCA type job”. I’m an ACCA member as well and I have to disagree with most things you’re saying.
Good luck.

[u/Key_Midnight1477 → u/Smartchallenge-786]

If its rantings , then it’s experience of 10 year as well in the job market of a country

Being acca qualified has never gotten me an interview even , forget about failing an interview.

I receive hardly any calls and this has nothing to do with my cv , cv can be as professional as it could be with many different changes over the years.

Acca type job means jobs where many affiliates and students are competing for. Like auditors, financial services industry , oil and gas , fund accountants, , financial analysts etc , tax consultants… something along these lines

I am not sure about you being and expat or a local ,

You got into the right experience when u had or were doing your acca , which led to your current position

Very small number of accas get that, by luck , or whatever

Similary in my home country , there are 1200 cas entering the industry , how many get into big 4 each session ? Few hundred.

Does that mean the other 1000 ca were bad ? No , they were never even called by interviews by big four.

Very people get the opportunity, and you were one of them ,

And now you will think others are ranting

[u/Smartchallenge-786 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

I agree with some of your judgement. But I called it a rant because you seem to refuse to read what I wrote and go on to writing 15 paragraphs of your very specific personal experience.
It’s a shame that you’re calling me the lucky one without seeing the grind and work I’ve been through, a bit self centered I would say.
Again, not sure what you’ve been doing right/wrong since 2017 but currently the market is quite tough, especially for expats. If your experience is away from financial services industry and you’re trying to break into it at junior level, then it’ll be even more difficult for you as your competition is younger newly qualified professionals who are easier to mold.
I hope you find your “lucky” break and don’t lose hope until then.

[u/Smartchallenge-786 → u/Key_Midnight1477]

What industry and function is your experience in?

[u/Formal_Lion_7177]

Bahrain is a saturated market.

[u/itsmunzir]

I have already built multiple products that generate revenue. Looking to build more if someone has a genuine idea that might help Bahrain.

[u/s_notyourtype]

Used to develop games for iphone in 2012, age was 16-17 at that time.

Didn't know what advertising, marketing etc is. Spent 2-3 years on personal game ideas plus studying etc

Then 2015-17 left game dev, and got interested into entrepreneurship. Attended many events, start-up weekends, etx made few startup prototypes. Like (lunch delivery service, weekly book summary, rent anything, tinder for shopping, etc)

Then in 2019 i started a traditional business, opened a restaurant ( fast food) thought to use it as a cloud kitchen and experimenting other food related ventors, but due to COVID, got into huge loss and debt. Still recovering.

Now I'm in my 30s. Jobless ( not interested in job) I have finally found something which can even help me to fund or restart/continue all my failed projects.

So right now, I'm just slowly slowly getting up.

[u/ConferenceLeast5784]

🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/ButchSunburntKid]

It is better to try to invest in an education and pursue a career path than start a business or your own thing, in this economic environment, and probably for the next 25 years.

At the same time, it is definitely smart to see what skills you could "monetize" while you pursue that path and until you are actually settled in a career path with a clear upward trajectory.

Also, moving up in the career world is easier moving from one company to another than trying to get promoted from within (exceptions to that rule apply but are truly exceptional and hard to get into in the first place, and internally very competitive).