Job Discussion Forums

[laylow]

I was recently hired by a school in Saudi Arabia via a recruiter. The recruiter recently provided me with a contact number for an agency who is suppose to assist me in obtaining a visa. I contacted this visa agency and they have informed me that the Saudi embassy recently (a month ago) stopped approving 'employment visas' for teachers if the degree is not in English! Yet according to this agent they will provide a 'work visit visa' for such teachers who don't have a degree specifically in English. I asked if the work visit visa was the same as what many teachers refer to as a business visa and she said it wasn't. She also stated that a work visit visa doesn't require a physical which is why I asked if it was the same as a business visa. Finally she said that if granted a work visit visa, the embassy has the power to determine how long you can work in Saudi Arabia. In other words once the time for the work visit visa ends, it can't be renewed.

She also stated the embassy only processes visa apps that they receive via a visa agency and not ones which have been sent to them directly by the prospective teacher.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? If true, I am pretty bummed out not only because my degree is not in English, but also the fact that I may have paid for a physical that I didn't have to.

As always, feel free to PM me.

[rollingk]

There seems to be no uniformity of Saudi Embassies throughout the world, so it may depend upon the particular one in your home country.

About a month ago the American version was insisting that I go thru the authentication process with their cultural mission on my BA English degree, despite having had my Masters of TESL (from an in-the-classroom, accredited institution) authenticated. The Embassy refused 3 times before finally relenting and accepting the specialized graduate degree.

There was no sense in this; I assume they were just following instructions to a fault.

I think if I had not had a visa agent and if my prospective employer hadn't also been involved, then the first refusal would have been the end of the story.

[scot47]

Both have been reported here. Visa agents are now mandatory for most Saudi Embassies. The "Degree in English" seems to be a phenomenon in Canada and PERHAPS in the USA.

[veiledsentiments]

I do believe laylow is American. It sounds as though this phenomenon is spreading. Of course, once they find out how few hires they will be able to find, it will likely change, but for now, not much anyone can do.

VS

[plumpy nut]

[Deeman15]

I've heard the UK and every other country is to follow soon. It seems to be a very odd and badly thought out strategy. About 37 % of the population is below the age of 14, and those under 25 make up 51% !! The population is growing, more young people are entering university, more universities and colleges are being established... and at the same time they're tightening the criteria and making it more difficult for universities and recruiters to bring in teachers? They have a difficult enough time as it stands.

Once the established teachers with iqamas leave, others with similar credentials won't be able to replace them. Then the colleges and universities will be half empty and perhaps they'll realize what they did.

[Voyeur]

So this policy demands that a teacher have a BA and an MA, and that BOTH be in a relevant subject, not just the MA?

[scot47]

The classrooms will soon be manned by Pakistanis and Filipinos.