Job Discussion Forums

[Robinh66]

Salaam Alaikum,

I'm back at the job search thing, looking to head somewhere in the ME. I've been coming across job ads requiring "work experience certificates" or other words to that effect. Can someone fill me in on this arcana?

BTW, I have an MATESOL degree and many years of experience. I don't suppose I can document every place I've worked if that's what they want. How have others coped with this, if that's indeed what it means?

TIA!

[veiledsentiments]

This is an item that I had never heard of when I arrived in the ME. Apparently they expect you to have received some sort of letter - with appropriate signatures and fancy stamps preferred - explaining that you worked there for X amount of time for Y amount of pay and doing Z.

Needless to say, I could provide nothing from US employers as they don't provide them. The only option is to attempt to get past employers to send you one. If that is impossible, you must just proceed without them - there is no 'substitute.'

Employers who have a pay scale based on degree + X amount of money for each year of experience may not consider years that you don't have a letter for - for instance this was true of Kuwait University. It depends on the individual employer.

VS

[Robinh66]

Thanks for the info, VS. I thought that's what it was. I actually did work at KU for 2 years and had to do that to get experience pay. I thought perhaps there was some kind of specific form I was supposed to know about.

Sheesh! What a major pain! I can't remember if I kept those old letters or not!

[veiledsentiments]

I can relate... one gets tired of schlepping all this paperwork from country to country. I eventually got one of those plastic expandable briefcases with a handle... and made sure I kept everything employment related in it.

The good news is that not every employer actually uses them. Some places took the ones I had and never mentioned those that were missing... and it didn't affect salary.

VS

[ttxor1]

Hi VS and Robinh66

[veiledsentiments]

Yes, they are two completely different things. Letters or certificates of experience are just the bare bones of your employment history. It gives dates, position title, and perhaps pay.

Letters of reference are to tell them what a wonderful teacher, employee, and all around good human you are - preferably written by a supervisor.

Both are likely needed to get you hired, but the importance of the experience certificates is that they can affect your salary... along with your degrees.

VS
(I wonder if Robin66 is still around... considering that this thread is from 2006!! )

[MuscatGary]

In Oman they're insisting that letters/certificates of experience go through the whole apostille/attestation process......

[veiledsentiments]

That was how it was from 1988-2000, but in the past, you could put it all into one package - all of your certs and employment certs could be stapled into one batch of photocopies... with attached statement of being copies of the originals... and then collecting the proper stamps and signatures.

VS

[MuscatGary]

[veiledsentiments]

Interestingly, I have had friends who just did the process in DC in the last year and a half... and it was exactly the same as when I did it.

Expensive waste of time and money for nothing... IMHO...

VS