Job Discussion Forums

[voyagerksa]

Like birds with heads up, staring eyes looking around

[scot47]

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

[SaabFanatic]

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.

[nomad soul]

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.

[In the heat of the moment]

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.

[scot47]

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 !

[SaabFanatic]

[nomad soul]

[sammysez]

Anyone know who's running the place now?
Class management?

[kenmortimer]

Any news of changes to management?