Job Discussion Forums

astrickland · Joined: 16 Dec 2012 Posts: 11

Through sifting through old threads it has come to my attention that to work in KSA I need a clean criminal background history. However, I have a DUI on my record from about five years ago. Can someone confirm that this will surely prohibit me from teaching in KSA? And how about the ME in general, the other countries in the region? It likely doesn't matter, but I don't even drink at all anymore.

astrickland · Joined: 16 Dec 2012 Posts: 11

VS, nomad soul, anyone??

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Sorry, but I can't answer this one for sure one way or the other.

This is a question that has come up in the past. Did you do a search? As I recall, there were some people who were denied a work visa because of this... but I don't recall the country(s) involved.

VS

SENTINEL33 · Joined: 19 Jan 2014 Posts: 112 Location: Bahrain

There are too many possibilities involved to give a "blanket" statement addressing your situation.

1. Was your DUI considered a felony or a misdemeanor? Needless to say, a felony is a much more serious offence and would tend to be publicized much more. Did you serve any "time"?

2. What is the policy of your state with regards making criminal records available to the general public? Some keep it private....others happily publish them on the internet with lurid pictures, chains, black eyes, etc.

3. Do you currently live in the same state or community where the DUI was committed? If so, the offence is going to appear on the local police books (I imagine).

4. To what extent will your prospective employer investigate your background (which means, how much is he willing to fork over for a full-field investigation? Probably not much).

My point is, if the DUI was committed, say, in California 5 years ago but you now live in Vermont, chances are a "foreign" employer will never find out about that DUI because usually, all they ask for is a "police report" from your local police dept. which is unlikely to have your "record" of your time in California.

Bottom line: it all depends on a lot of unknown factors out of your control. I would just apply and see what happens is all you can do.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

M1K1 · Joined: 17 Oct 2012 Posts: 11

I wanted to bump this thread to see if there is anyone out there with some real experience/answers to this.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Apply and see is the only thing you can do. Are US citizens the only ones who need a criminal record check ? I was never asked for one. I could be a serial killer on the run from the State Lunatic Asylum. I met some teachers in KSA who certainly behaved as if they were !

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It is some employers Scot... I never had to provide one in Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, or the UAE. But, I always worked for universities. These seem to come up for some military and oil business jobs in some countries.

VS

Gulezar · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 483

Once upon a time in KSA, US citizens had to provide a "Police Record".
Oh, I don't have a police record.
Then go to the local police station and get a letter saying that you don't have a record.
That is the first sign that KSA is not Kansas.
You might consider moving to a different state.
How far do DUI convictions travel? Across state-lines?

Some Gulf states are getting very particular about Arabs coming in from "Arab Spring" countries. In fact, in the UAE the entire security staff community had a shake down when the Egyptian visas were canceled.

I would not be surprised if we started to see more and more hoops for the visa to work in the Gulf.

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

They accept city police checks. That's at least true for the KSA. In fact KSA prefers them because they are faster. Maybe your DUI will not show up if you're in a different city. Something tells me that it might, but it's worth a try.