Amman - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
I think it's large, the U.S. embassy is HUGE. - Aug 2023
Massive embassy with many other countries’ embassies present in Jordan. Morale among those with young kids is high. Singles and those without kids don’t have much to do and, in my opinion, are left out of the embassy community with lower morale. - Aug 2023
Huge. Lots of expats but not American. - Jul 2023
Large. Morale is pretty good. - Mar 2023
There seems to be a decent number of expats here. I would say morale is medium here. Life here is pretty easy but there are relatively few things to do out and around Jordan once you do Petra, Wadi Rum and a few hikes. People with younger kids LOVE it here. The embassy compound has playgrounds, a pool, soccer field, tennis court, basketball, etc. so it is a real kid heaven. Lots of ways for families to connect. - Jul 2022
It's probably small relative to the population, but that's just a feeling. Morale is generally high for most. I rarely heard an expat say a negative thing about the country, and we all really enjoyed being there. - Oct 2021
Covid changed the morale, so hard to say. - Feb 2021
There is a large Expat community based here serving the wider region. Lots of embassies and NGOs. I think the moral is good... - Jan 2021
It's very large. COVID has obviously shot morale but it is what you make of it. We have WhatsApp groups for moms, neighborhood WhatsApp groups, a Facebook group, and a 3 person run CLO Team. Things obviously change out every few years but for now its pretty great. Just having the Facebook alone gives one the opportunity to create a community. The CLO does a ton of trips, trivia night, margarita night. The Embassy is beautiful and super nice so they can throw lots of community activities like ice cream socials and movie nights. - Dec 2020
Large expat community but not close-knit. - Sep 2020
It was large, but I don’t know the number. I felt like I didn’t know anyone who had been there over a year that wasn’t ready to leave. I feel strongly that this should not be longer than a two year post. - Sep 2018
US Embassy Amman is a very large embassy (our Facebook group alone is huge) and has just recently expanded to accommodate the growing number of US employees. I would say that morale among expatriates is good. It can always be better, but part of that is on us. We need to host more events, etc. I think it's good considering where we are ("the eye of the hurricane"). The work load can be a lot on the staff, but that's understood considering the location and the times we are in. If we ever need an escape, I have to say that travel is easy to Europe. Many people were thrilled when Ryan Air announced more direct flights from Amman. - Sep 2018
Quite large with a broad mix. Interestingly, a lot of "Gulfies" (Arabs from the Gulf States) maintain residences here so that makes up a broad swath of the expats. Also, many international organizations are based here.
Morale seems quite good. There are many who have lived here for years. Compared to other places we've been living , Amman is quite comfortable and convenient so it is hard to find things to complain about (although some do, of course!). - Mar 2017
There is a big expat community and moral is pretty good. The Embassy is a very fast-paced mission, and some folks complain about the pace and burnout. The Embassy pool was lost to new building construction, and I am not sure what is planned for replacing that area --which was a great place to meet friends, have pizza and a beer, and let the kids play. - Jul 2016
Massive and growing. Morale is ok. Again, for many it's a sprinting marathon and it impacts morale. - Mar 2016
The size of the Embassy has exploded the past 2 years--we've outgrown the Embassy. Morale is not that great right now, perhaps due to the size, what's going on in the region, and the lack of work-life balance. - Mar 2016
Large and good. - Nov 2015
The U.S. Embassy community is large, tight-knit and friendly. There are very few private sector expats in Amman. Educators that I know that work at ACS, ICS or Kings Academy are happy. Those working at any other schools in Jordan have horrible experiences and many leave within a few months. - May 2015
Huge - the U.S. embassy has something like 300 families here and most other countries have a fair sized presence. Morale varies - as mentioned above, singles and people without kids can get bored. I find that I need to leave the country every 6-8 weeks or I start getting twitchy. Luckily Tel Aviv is an easy 4-hour drive! - Mar 2015
The U.S. Embassy community is roughly 800. Morale is generally high with pockets of those who are not happy at post. The refugee population is about 1 million. - Jul 2014
Huge, and I'd say pretty good. Lots of families with small kids end up in Jordan, so if that's you, there is a big community here. - Mar 2014
The Embassy community is large and fairly impersonal. - Dec 2013
Medium. - Aug 2013
Medium-large. - Jul 2013
Not that big - you will see each other over and over. - May 2013
Large. - Mar 2013
There is a decent sized expat community. - Apr 2012
Large. The US Embassy community is huge, and there are lots of western expats with the other embassies, NGOs, and business community. - Mar 2012
Very large. There are expats from all over the world, between the embassies, the UN, and other foreign workers there's a huge English-speaking expat community. - Mar 2012
Fairly large and also many naturalized Jordanian-Americans. - Aug 2011
Pretty big. It's easy to meet Australians, British, French, etc., and the American Embassy community is quite large. - Aug 2011
