Job Discussion Forums

fridgemagnet · Joined: 26 Jun 2014 Posts: 31

I often read that in order for direct hire employers to take your experience letters into consideration when calculating your actual salary, your letters must be authenticated. What exactly does that mean? Who authenticates your letters of experience?

Thanks in advance for your input.

MuscatGary · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:23 am Post subject:

It's the same procedure as for qualifications. You need a notary public to apostille the document and then the embassy of the country you're going to attestates it. It's a pain in the ar*e and expensive.

fridgemagnet · Joined: 26 Jun 2014 Posts: 31

So let me get this straight. Your degree doesn't need to be apostilled for Saudi, but your experience certificates do?

MuscatGary · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:35 am Post subject:

In the ME you just have to accept what they say they want you to do. The certs of experience often determine your salary level. Maybe they will ask you to attestate your degrees too, maybe not... Logic and common sense do not apply in the ME...

MuscatGary · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:41 am Post subject:

You may find this thread interesting: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=107963

The main thing is to take originals of EVERYTHING with you when you deploy.

The Fifth Column · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:01 pm Post subject:

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

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I was never asked for apostilled certificates either, by any of the four diverse employers that I had in KSA over a period of 4 decades ! All that was required was a letter from past employers stating when I worked for them.

SheikMilkShake · Joined: 02 Jul 2014 Posts: 84

Scot47, You were working inside KSA and those letters must have been from Saudi employers.
If you brought a letter from Taiwan school/university but you are an American, would you need to go back to Taiwan to get it attested, or will nearest Taiwan embassy do it for you in US or Saudi Arabia? ??

best to get a job with contractors who offer flat rate ( 14000 Rs + provided housing+ transport).
Direct hire employers only offer basic salary of 4080 Rs and they like adding up additional 100-150 Rs (?) per year of experience, basically most of you will receive more or less the same ( 10800-12000 Rs) range, including other allowances inclu. housing + furniture and transportation.
By adding 100 Rs per year experience with proper letters, you can get extra 1000- 1500 Rs ( 10 or 15 years of teaching experience)

Nomad soul, if the HR couldn't see the original letters, would the employer change the offered salary? That would be the beginning of the end..

MuscatGary · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:17 pm Post subject:

I can't speak for SA but Oman started to demand certificates of experience be both apostilled and attestated last year.

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

MuscatGary · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:12 pm Post subject:

I think many of the old ways are disappearing, partly because there has been a lot of talk and even progress this last year on the unified GCC visa system. Obviously this will also require some level of standardization of procedures.

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

Maybe we'll get an update from a few new direct hires about employment verification letters/certificates.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I worked in KSA for different employers
1970-1972
1990-1991
1996-2002
2003-2011

I also had extensive experience OUTSIDE KSA. When applying for jobs with the Airline and with KFUPM, I provided proof of employment in Zambia, Bulgaria, Germany and Nigeria. None of these documents were "certified" or apostilled.

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

I consider "the authenticated work experience certificates" to be another dirty trick perpetrated by Asian money makers onto people simply trying to find employment. With Saudi Arabia you have to rack it up to incompetence and laziness as well as just a dirty trick. After all, what lazy Saudi employee is going to email and ask someone for a sealed correspondence in an envelope with a letterhead? Other Asian money makers just of course want to save money by not having to have someone get paid to do that. Of course they have to keep up the appearances of being a real educational institution with a real program that only hires the most worthy employees, and this is one of their ways of doing this. It is because of these things that Westerners now have to contact previous managers, who are already busy doing other things, because its the west you know, and ask them weird things like please give me multiple sealed letters so I can send them out to employers. Getting the job now relies on cooperation from former employers who obviously might not want to be bothered by a previous employer over this stuff. This is similar to letters of recommendation in sealed envelopes, all in a time when Western companies are starting to rely less and less on recommendations because they often have really have nothing to do with how good the prospective employee is going to be. Capricious employers can use them as weapons. Favorite buddies get outstanding recommendations when they may be less than mediocre intellectually or in terms of skill.