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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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 Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:49 am Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| 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. |
From the perspective of the potential employer, consider what requesting and obtaining documentation would entail given time zone and language differences as well as information turnaround time. (Think about teachers who have worked in various countries throughout the world; not every HR dept. has staff fluent in English.) Anyway, it's not efficient and frankly, not the Saudi employer's responsibility. If you state your teaching experience covers X number of years, then it's on you to provide verification.
| and wrote: |
| 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. |
Since you work(ed) for a contracting company and not as a direct hire, you weren't required to provide employment verification letters/certificates from your former employers.
Employment verification letters are quite basic and straight forward and generally aren't difficult to obtain unless the employee left any of his/her previous jobs without getting one. By the way, there's no requirement that the letters be in sealed envelopes; it's pointless because the documents have to be scanned and emailed to the HR rep anyway once the job candidate accepts the preliminary offer of employment. HR then reviews the employee's written proof of experience in order to calculate pay (i.e., give the employee credit for confirmed experience) and subsequently, present an official job offer with salary indicated. As such, the employee, and not the employer, benefits the most from having these letters. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Saudi institutions are just following the same procedures common in public institutions in Britain ! How do you establish that you have worked somewhere and were not., for that period of time, an inmate of the State Penitentiary or Madhouse ? With a letter of experience ! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:06 am Post subject: |
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In the US, no one has ever heard of them and they have no idea what you want when you ask for one. Here we use the resume and references... normally 3... and they call them and the previous employer even if they aren't a referee.
VS |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:29 am Post subject: |
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| In the US, no one has ever heard of them and they have no idea what you want when you ask for one. Here we use the resume and references... normally 3... and they call them and the previous employer even if they aren't a referee. |
After explaining exactly what I needed and why, there were no hiccups in getting verification letters from my US former employers. But most were government entities and were used to producing a variety of written verifications. By the way, nowadays in the US, job applicants may be required to sign an authorization for background and reference check allowing the potential employer access to the applicant's employment history, driving record, criminal record, credit history, and/or academic records. |
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The Fifth Column
Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 331
Location: His habitude with lexical items protrudes not unlike a damaged pollex!!!
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:31 am Post subject: |
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I collected my Gulf Letters of Employment as well as my Saudi NOCs/LONOs, but really don't see their value or usefulness, especially referees.
Gulf employment tends to be transient and "managers" usually reap the seeds that they sow. Not one of my former "managers" are at their perches, all having choked on their 40 pieces of silver...and I'm only four years out of Gulf servitude.
So... |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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That is likely why few Gulf employers seem to bother to check in with the referees and just accept the letters along with the "letters of employment"...
VS |
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ardith
Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 5
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:49 am Post subject: employment verification letters/certificates |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Maybe we'll get an update from a few new direct hires about employment verification letters/certificates. |
Hey - new direct hire - that's me! I just arrived to teach at KAU / ELI. The "originals" of my four employment verification letters were all in the form of signed, scanned .pdfs. That is the form in which my previous employers delivered them to me. (Notarized printouts of them went into my work visa application package.) Once arrived in SA, when the human resources person in charge of processing my paperwork asked me for the originals, I simply emailed her the electronic versions & that seems to have been OK. |
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fridgemagnet
Joined: 26 Jun 2014
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 1:09 am Post subject: |
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| Is there anyone who has arrived in the kingdom recently who can comment on this topic? |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| I have never needed them so far (two previous employers in Saudi and I am a new direct hire at a university in Saudi this year). |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| fridgemagnet wrote: |
| Is there anyone who has arrived in the kingdom recently who can comment on this topic? |
Your particular employer would have required you to scan/email your employment verification letters at the time they extended their offer (in order to calculate your salary). If that wasn't the case, then this situation likely doesn't apply to you. |
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fridgemagnet
Joined: 26 Jun 2014
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:19 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| fridgemagnet wrote: |
| Is there anyone who has arrived in the kingdom recently who can comment on this topic? |
Your particular employer would have required you to scan/email your employment verification letters at the time they extended their offer (in order to calculate your salary). If that wasn't the case, then this situation likely doesn't apply to you. |
They asked for them when they calculated my salary, but I've heard that some employers ask for them again once you arrive with your visa. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| fridgemagnet wrote: |
| nomad soul wrote: |
| Your particular employer would have required you to scan/email your employment verification letters at the time they extended their offer (in order to calculate your salary). If that wasn't the case, then this situation likely doesn't apply to you. |
They asked for them when they calculated my salary, but I've heard that some employers ask for them again once you arrive with your visa. |
That's typical; whatever you sent the recruiter/hiring manager months ago via email, you'll also need to present to HR as originals (for photocopying) when you arrive. That's standard operating procedure for many jobs---nothing unusual about it.
It's been nearly a year since you asked if employment letters need to be attested regardless of the employer. I suspect there would have been more threads created about the topic if that were the case. |
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Justcuz
Joined: 29 Jun 2015
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:10 am Post subject: |
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I did create a thread based on this topic but I was sent a link to this topic where most responses seem to indicate this is not an actual request employers are making.
At least for me, that is not the case. I am being asked to have all of my Letters of Employment for previous employers verified.
So far, what I am finding out about this process is that first I need to have each letter Apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country of origin. Once this is done, I can send these letters to the SACM office in the respective country.
For me, this process will need to happen in two countries, South Korea and Malaysia.
It was very difficult for me to speak with someone at the MOFA office in Korea who spoke English. I speak enough Korean that after several attempts and navigating several automated systems, I stumbled across someone who was able to give me a bit of advice.
What he had to say was more disheartening than helpful.
He didn't know what, if any, supporting documents would need to be provided. However, he did say that this process is usually done in person. When I explained that I hadn't worked there in many year, I asked if I could mail in documents. He said I could but he doubted any requested that weren't made in person would be receive a response.
Being asked to produce Apostilled Letters of Employment is a request that at least some employers are requiring to determine pay. They are not accepting Letters of Employment that aren't verified with SACM even with letterhead and current contact information.
Im continuing to explore options. If anyone else if going through this process and also worked in Korea, any suggestions or help is much appreciated. |
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