Job Discussion Forums

benjpedro · Joined: 03 Jun 2012 Posts: 12

Hello good people of the emirates,

So I'm looking at the offered contract and it's 3 years long....my newbie question is..can one quit if things don't work out well (for any reason)? Also, I assume you can't get a pay raise in those 3 years....your salary stays more or less flat based on the initial offer?

And what if you get married in the middle of your contract? I'm single now but definitely looking to get hitched within these 3 years?

I have not signed yet....please help!

thanks so much.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

For many contracts in education you are on probation for 12 months (some are shorter perhaps). Either party can end the contract without reason or cause.

Most institutions require a full semester's notice in order to walk away during the contract - your contract should state exactly what the requirements are.

Be aware that if you receive any allowances - for example at HCT you get a furniture allowance that is pro-rated over the 3 year contract, so if you leave at the end of the second year - you will have to repay 1/3 of that allowance back to them.

Lots of people get married in the middle of their contracts - it's mostly a headache in terms of paperwork but if your employer has a decent fixer, it is relatively painless.

No you don't usually get a raise but that can vary from institution to institution, and even then you can't count your chickens. HCT is an example of that, they used to have annual raises, then they reduced the annual and put in a merit increase and most recently they've done away with the merit (and all of these were included in contracts - they just stopped it unilaterally).

benjpedro · Joined: 03 Jun 2012 Posts: 12

I hope the 'relocation allowance' is not pro rated...

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

They very well may be - and you probably won't be able to claim the repatriation allowance either if you break the contract.

benjpedro · Joined: 03 Jun 2012 Posts: 12

if it's not explicitly stated as 'pro-rated' on the contact?? i can't really find a line about pro-rating the relocation allowance... the termination clauses only involve the gratuity computed on the basic salary.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

The words may not be exactly pro-rated - if it is related in anyway to fully completing the contract they'll be able to claw back part of it.

If you are entering into a 3 year contract with a view to finding a way out of it for whatever reason, sounds like there are other issues than just the relocation allowance. If you're worried about them taking back a portion of it, budget that into your financial plan so it won't hurt.

baa_baa · Joined: 04 Dec 2011 Posts: 265

i heard there is a new law. If you quit early you get banned for 6 months. I am not sure if they will give you the NOC letter.

benjpedro · Joined: 03 Jun 2012 Posts: 12

what is an NOC?

I just wanted to know about resignation because that's just how work life is.

Sometimes things don't work out..sometimes they do...and sometimes it's best to leave rather than stick it out and be unhappy/miserable. (This is something we take for granted in Europe) And for most of us, we've never signed fixed term contracts, we get a job and we stay till we are happy or fired or a better opportunity comes along...notices are often only 30 days and I do accept that for an educational institution, it's fair that you finish off the term when you decide to quit.

bin There · Joined: 16 Jun 2012 Posts: 20

The NOC is a No Objection Certificate (from the employer you're leaving / have just left). You used to need it to change jobs if you hadn't completed your contract. It was particularly used by government institutions. However, things changed last year. See this Gulf News article:

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/employment/new-rule-marks-end-of-no-objection-certificates-1.732839