Job Discussion Forums

[sirius black]

Do I need to have my degrees apostilled or will they verify it themselves? I don't want to go through the time and expense if I dont' have to. Also, with the criminal background checks (I'm American). Needed? And if so, apostilled? Thanks in advance for your answers.

[veiledsentiments]

Who is "they"?

You will need to get your degrees and other papers that the employer requests "certified" on your time at your expense... and no, it won't be reimbursed.

If your new employer requests a criminal background check, you will need to provide it. Personally I never did one for any of my positions in the Gulf, nor was one ever requested. (my employers were always universities/colleges)

VS

[tjteachin]

In my experience I had to get my degree attested by the Omani consulate. They haven't requested a health check or police check. It's been a simple process for me.

[madrileno]

Americans don't need to get their degree/s apostilled before arrival. Bring the original degree/s with you to Oman which you will then need to get attested at the US Embassy in Muscat (no charge).

Also, no Americans I know here have needed a criminal background check.

[veiledsentiments]

[madrileno]

[veiledsentiments]

And I just got a PM from someone who did it the "traditional" way just last year... so there seems to be some inconsistency... nothing new about that. Another woman I know who started not long ago also was required to do the rounds of DC gov/State Dept/Oman embassy same as I did back in the 80's when SQU first opened. My advice to any new employee is to check with their employer as to what they require.

In my Gulf experience in the past, the US embassy wouldn't give you the time of day... no less free degree certification. Of course, I'm not clear as to what the embassy is "attesting" under this procedure.

VS

[MuscatGary]

I was told to attest my Masters and certificates of experience before coming. On arrival they then demanded that the Bachelors also be attested. This involved two trips to the British Council, the first to drop it off, the second after 5 week to collect it. (19.500 OMR) Thenit was off to the British Embassy who confirmed that the BC signature was genuine (15.500 OMR) then the Oman Foreign Ofice attestation Dept. for a final stamp (5 OMR)

Now they're asking for school certifcates and for them to be attested....

Time to leave methinks, it's becoming far too bureaucratic.

[veiledsentiments]

This is basically the procedure that was required for both of my positions in Oman in the mid 80's and late 90s. They required all documents (all education related certificates - and letters of employment) to first be "notarized copies." That required you to pay a notary... then you took the papers to your state government who had to stamp/sign/add ribbons and wax... certifying that the notary was a legal notary. Pay more fees. Then it was off to the State Department where they added a few more pages and stamps and ribbons which proved something... that your state was a state? That your college existed in some state? Pay more fees. Off to the Oman Embassy who slapped on another stamp or two and charged you a bit more. It cost me around $100 as I recall...

At the time it had to be done in your home country before you arrived. If you weren't living in your home country, you had to send it to one of those companies to do it for you at about triple the price. Fortunately I was in the DC area both times, so I did it in two half days.

As I recall, both Americans and Brits had to do it back then, so perhaps they are just starting to enforce it again?

Not to mention, as I pointed out to both of my employers, all these fancy stamps and ribbons and wax don't prove anything but the fact that I can run a copy machine. Nothing in that process even questioned whether I had actually attended the universities whose certificates I had. I could have made them on a fancy computer or paid someone at KINKOs to do them.

VS

[MuscatGary]

[veiledsentiments]

The process did allow a number of fake certificates through the system, so there may have expanded the system with a check on the university. BUT, I can't imagine that the US embassy would take this step and consult with one of the thousands of colleges and universities in the US. Certainly not for free... Performing any procedure that involved actual work for some average US citizen without a major corporate or political connection would be unheard of...

VS

[MuscatGary]

[veiledsentiments]

The first big catch with fake papers was an Egyptian science professor at SQU. Then there were quite a few with fake creds hired by the recruiters over the last few years... of various nationalities.

That said, IMHO it is the fault of the universities for being too lazy to require the simple procedure of getting a sealed transcript. It is cheap and easy in the US and guarantees that the applicant completed the degree. There are employers who do this in the Gulf. HCT in the UAE did it back in the early 90s. I signed a form, HCT mailed it to the university, the university mailed back the transcript. It cost me $5 each.

VS
(I will ignore your typical anti-American remark... guess you are just lucky to come from such a small country with so few institutions of higher learning...)

[MuscatGary]

[johnslat]

Dear MuscatGary,

So, you're from the Faroe Islands, I take it - or would it be Saint Lucia?

List of countries by Nobel laureates per capita

Faroe Islands 1 49,469 202.147
1 Saint Lucia 2 182,273 109.726

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Nobel_laureates_per_capita

Regards,
John