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Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
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voyagerksa
Joined: 29 Apr 2015 Posts: 140
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:44 am Post subject: |
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Like birds with heads up, staring eyes looking around |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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21 days annual vacation ? That is a recipe for very rapid burnout. Go to a university where you will teach for 30 weeks out of 52.
I expect "Sicklyman" will now post to tell us that he has a better deal |
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SaabFanatic
Joined: 27 Oct 2015 Posts: 28
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 2:57 am Post subject: |
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An update on what's happening with SESP, for any teachers who are about to start or considering signing a contract.
Four years ago, all SESP employees got Bupa Gold (VIP) health insurance. Three years ago, all Saudi employees got Bupa Gold insurance, while expat staff got Bupa Class A insurance. For the past two years, all Saudi employees have gotten Bupa Gold insurance while all expat employees have been given Bupa Class B insurance.
The difference is that the Saudi employees' insurance cards are accepted by the best medical facilities in the Kingdom, while the expat employees' cards are only accepted at the worst medical facilities in the Kingdom.
Any new teachers should know what they're getting into insurance-wise.
Aside from that, in regards to a case that an ex-employee of SESP opened against the company in September 2016 which is still in the court system, SESP literally lied to the Ministry of Labor in order to win that case. The ex-employee in question and his lawyer have continued with the case at the Court of Appeals. In that situation, SESP HR signed and approved the Vacation Request Form for the mandatory Ramadan/Eid Al-Fitr holiday for the employee after giving him an entry/exit visa which was not adequate for those mandatory vacation dates. While all other employees were given a six-month visa and the company had told all employees in writing that the entry/exit visa would be valid for six months, SESP then gave this employee a four-month visa, and then approved the vacation dates that the visa wouldn't cover. When the employee subsequently couldn't re-enter KSA after that vacation in order to complete his contract because the company-issued visa the company had given him had expired nine days earlier, HR left him stranded at Riyadh airport for half a day and then lied to that employee and said that if he leaves KSA and goes to Bahrain that the company would extend the visa. The employee bought a ticket to Bahrain, rented a car, checked into a hotel, and after a week SESP told him that they would not extend the visa, to go home, and that they would pay the End of Service Bonus plus final month's salary. The employee was permanently locked out of KSA with three weeks left on his contract. SESP didn't care that the employee's car and personal belongings were all left in Riyadh, even though SESP was still the employee's sponsor and his iqama was valid and the company had a responsibility to help him re-enter. The employee then opened a case against the company via his lawyer in Riyadh to seek damages for being sabotaged with an inadequate visa for the obligatory vacation and then being lied to about the visa's renewal. In retaliation, SESP HR lied to the Ministry of Labor court and claimed the employee had done a runner and failed to report back to work and that SESP had never approved his (obligatory) vacation request. SESP further claimed that this had caused the company damage and as such did not owe the employee anything at all. All this despite the signed Vacation Request Form, signed company Employee Exit Form, and signed Final Settlement Form/Offer that the employee submitted to the court via his lawyer. The employee tried to report the abuse by the company, and the company lied in response in order to deprive the employee of what he'd already been offered.
Beware. These are dangerous, unscrupulous people. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Something fishy about the details of the above. So much for third-hand info. Plus, SESP has never had a good reputation.
Regardless, it's the expat's responsibility to check visa expiration dates in his/her passport. |
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In the heat of the moment
Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:58 am Post subject: |
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Some things you must check when travelling;
* You have the correct visa/s
* Your passport is valid for more than six months and has a blank page available
* ??????????????
I can't think of anything else. If you forgot/lose your wallet it's a problem and inconvenient, but you're still going to be able to travel. Have someone wire money to you. If you forgot/lose medication you either get it replaced at the destination, or fly home early. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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If the case is still "sub-judice" why are you discussing it here ?
I guess that the authorities in KSA are not too interested in what the "Frenji" get up to outside the Kingdom ! |
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SaabFanatic
Joined: 27 Oct 2015 Posts: 28
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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nomad soul wrote: |
Something fishy about the details of the above. So much for third-hand info. |
That was first hand information. I'm crushed for time so posted it direct (i.e. in their words) for the person. It reads a bit windy, IMO, but it is first hand info...
The long and short of it is that SESP directed all employees to take vacation, approved the vacations, and then timed this particular employees' visa to expire just prior to their arriving back for their first day of work.
Quote: |
Regardless, it's the expat's responsibility to check visa expiration dates in his/her passport. |
It is a separate sheet of paper but point taken. That employee will likely never make that mistake again will they.
Hard lesson though- your company tells you to take vacation then intentionally locks you out of the Kingdom-you lose your car, most belongings, are deprived the ability to Final Exit properly (meaning you are barred for a number of years from working in Saudi), they damage your CV (incomplete contract, make it look like you pulled a runner, no Certificate of Employment), etc.
Seriously, what kind of company would pull such a ruthless and underhanded move....
*giggle*
SESP |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:31 am Post subject: |
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SaabFanatic wrote: |
SESP then gave this employee a four-month visa, and then approved the vacation dates that the visa wouldn't cover. When the employee subsequently couldn't re-enter KSA after that vacation in order to complete his contract because the company-issued visa the company had given him had expired nine days earlier...
....
The long and short of it is that SESP directed all employees to take vacation, approved the vacations, and then timed this particular employees' visa to expire just prior to their arriving back for their first day of work.
....
Your company tells you to take vacation then intentionally locks you out of the Kingdom-you lose your car, most belongings, are deprived the ability to Final Exit properly (meaning you are barred for a number of years from working in Saudi), they damage your CV (incomplete contract, make it look like you pulled a runner, no Certificate of Employment), etc. |
(The bolding is mine.)
The visa was to expire "just prior to their arriving back for their first day of work"? Regardless of HR's alleged intent, that employee has no one to blame but himself for not checking his visa expiration date; he was legally liable for adhering to it. There's a reason the court ruled in favor of the employer. |
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sammysez
Joined: 20 Nov 2016 Posts: 119
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2018 1:27 am Post subject: |
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Anyone know who's running the place now?
Class management? |
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kenmortimer
Joined: 25 Apr 2018 Posts: 1 Location: SPAIN
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 8:01 am Post subject: Any news? |
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Any news of changes to management? |
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