Job Discussion Forums

[LPKSA]

I resigned, upon successfully completing my contract with these people. I am under no obligation to renew a contract for them, to make it easier for them to retain teachers. None of this matters, except for when I was handed my release letter, I noticed the reason they wrote for my departure.

They worded it as "contract non-renewal."

I think they did this to avoid acknowledging any lack of management on their behalf, which would pinpoint the reasons why I resigned.

What are the chances of this being corrected to state the actual reason why I left this place, and to be frank, is it even worth following through?

[nomad soul]

Your post is contradictory. Resigning your position means you terminated your current contract before its end date. Contract non-renewal refers to completion of the full contracted term; however, either you or the employer decided not to initiate a new contract.

[LPKSA]

[veiledsentiments]

[nomad soul]

Ditto that. You need to quit calling your situation a resignation since you decided not to renew upon contract end. There's also no reason to fuss over getting your release letter "corrected" because it's not in error. Moreover, the employer is not obligated to acknowledge in writing, their "lack of management on their behalf," which you also say pinpoints the reasons why you're not returning. That's your opinion, not theirs and it's not a realistic expectation.

In my case, I didn't email any advance notice that I wasn't going to renew my contract. The teachers were informed that we had up until a certain date to let HR know if we were interested in signing a new contract for the upcoming academic year. When that day hit, I stopped by the HR office and confirmed that I would not be returning. Done.

However, unlike you, I left on very good terms. I didn't get a release letter nor a no objection certificate (NOC)/letter of no objection (LONO). (These documents are no longer required anyway.) Of course, I had no intention of returning to KSA, so it was a nonissue. I only received an official, stamped employment certificate, signed by both the Dean and Vice Dean. It indicates my title and employment begin and end dates, and includes the following: "X University would like to take this opportunity to thank (my name) for her valuable contributions and wish all the best in her future endeavor."

Anyway, since you're still at that job, you should definitely follow up to ensure you'll be given an employment certificate near the end of your contract. As for interview questions about why you left, you'll have to figure out how to diplomatically respond.

[LPKSA]

[grahamb]

[veiledsentiments]

Are we debating semantics here? Is giving notice to "not renew" a resignation? I think it is a matter of opinion...

I would normally use the term 'resignation' to mean ending the contract early and leaving before its end.

VS

[grahamb]

There's the rub, VS: what goes on in the Middle East isn't normal.

[nomad soul]

[grahamb]

[nomad soul]

[grahamb]

I dare say the clerks who prepared the original employment contract and related documents - probably British military personnel - regarded their choice of terminology as appropriate.

Incidentally, the form I mentioned previously refers to an extension, as opposed to renewal of the contract, although I never heard the former term used in conversation.

Interestingly, the technical vocabulary I taught differentiated between replace and refit. Whereas a reader in a public library is requested to replace a book on a shelf after reading it, an aircraft technician is required to refit a component. If a component is replaced, a new component is installed in place of an old one.