Job Discussion Forums

[Ahmed_ONLINE]

Having got through the selection procedure, I got the contract copy from Bell through Obekan. The main features of the contract, which may also be of some interest to you, are as follows:

Salary : SR 12000 ( Though they agreed on 13000)

Visa: Business visa

(They promised to get the work visa later)

" You can't get IQAMA"residential permit' if you are on business visa and WITHOUT IQAMA you can't do anything, can't go anywhere, because you are NOWHERE without IQAMA"

Shared accomodation, the only source of transport is company's bus as you can't have your own car without IQAMA.

In short, it was all at sixes and sevens. Bell also sent a letter, along with the job contract, which says 'BELL won't take the responsibity for anything once the teachers are in Saudi Arabia. A saudi person, I forgot the name, from the Obekan was the sponsor who signed the contract as First Party."

As I'm a bit hard pressed for time at the moment, I can't write the details of the contract. I hope the info given above would do....

[scot47]

So Bell is merely the recruiter ? The sharp end is run by Obeikan ?

[Paul in Saudi]

I just (July '08 ) had a nice telephone interview with Bell. It seems they are staffing KFU with a freakishly large number (did he say 400?) teachers. At the time of the interview, they were looking for staff accommodation.

It is an 11-month contract for a 12-month salary. I think they were trying to say 'no vacation until the end of the academic year."

All in all, they seemed nice, but almost as if it was a new start-up.

[Ahmed_ONLINE]

Initially, they seem very nice (from afar) and you start painting a pretty picture of them. But once you GET INTO THE PICTURE, you come across the real features, which are not, by any means or manner, worth a second look.
It was only after I received the 12th email from them when I could see what I was heading to.
Distant drums are always sweeter. Try to be a bit closer to them and the sweet musical sound would change into a deafening noise.
Hands over you ear. One, Two, Three....Runnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[EFLUndercover]

Ahmad,

Could you please be specific as to what changed your opinion of the company? I too, applied for a position on the KSU project and would be interested to know what 'red flags' cropped up after your initial interview.

Thanks.

[Longton]

I worked for Bell Educational Trust in Libya in 2007. I found them to be very professional and well organised. I enjoyed my time in Libya with a tax free salary of $4,000 a month, free accommodation, food and laundry. I was in Libya's second city, Benghazi. Lots of historical sites to visit, everything is cheap and the people incredibly friendly. Life there beats life in Saudi in every respect.

[Ahmed_ONLINE]

There is nothing wrong with Bell Educational Trust itself. They are, no doubt, vey professional. All what I talked about was their hiring for KSU under the umbrella of Obeikan (as the real sponsor).

Two things made me turn down their job offer:

1. They didn't arrange proper work visas for the teacher as they advised us to show ourselves as consultants going to KSA for a few weeks.

They arranged Business visas for the teachers. Business visas don't entitle you to apply for IQAMA (resident permit) and, literally, there is no 'LIFE' without IQAMA in Saudi Arabia.

2. Secondly, the contract they offered stated the Obeikan as the main sponsors for these teachers. We were asked to sign the contract as employees to an individual, a saudi person.
Moreover, BELL sent a letter, along with the contract, to inform us that they wouldn't be responsibel for anything once the teachers get into the Kingdom. The teachers would then have to deal directly with their sponsor for everything.

Coming to the Kingdom for work on a business visa is illegal and being the employee of an individual is tentamount to risking the very freedom of yours as a human being.

It was all what I learned through that experience. Others may have different sorts of expriences to tell.

[mouse5]

Don't be fooled. Bell in Libya are a separate set-up. The had a good reputation. But they're nothing to do with Riyadh.

[also in saudi]

From personal experience, I know it is possible to enter KSA with a business visa and receive an iqama within three weeks of arrival.

But, from what I have read on this forum and elsewhere, and from what I subsequently learned about the company (see long thread about its sister company - DIFA) and its military customer, I would not enter the kingdom under that situation again.

[desert_traveller]

(continued from the 'Bell Centres' thread)

a poster says Bell really disturbs me, because it is a UK company and should have trained staff at senior levels (NOT cowboys with Phds) and should use the business ethics that one could associate with the UK.

well in my experience it is a common trick applied by saudi companies. as they know that people would be concerned to be sponsored by an unknown saudi employer, they very often outsource recruitment to a third company, more often than not to a western organization

this is only for recruitment (shipping in the sheep). the saudi party will only use the LOGO of the western company, totally ignoring the moral, ethical and professional standards that the logo is supposed to represent, knowing very well that once in the country, they can pretty much do whatever they want with their employees (or assets, as they see them, not very different from office furniture), and the western company will not be in a position to change anything. the name of the western company will almost certainly not even appear in the contract. apart from recruiting, they only have a nominal function in the running of the show (they are practically speaking observers or even outsiders, not more). this is a very common scheme and indeed you will find if you nose around a little bit that it is the case with many of the setups that borrow (or rather hire) their names from 'western' language schools (berlitz, international house, bell, direct english, european centres etc etc)

as one poster says here, bell at least sends out a memo to all their recruitees that they WON'T (as they say, but actually CAN'T) take any responsibilty for them once they are in the ksa. this explains everything in very clear terms. although i sort of appreciate that they tell you this, i would not be very surprised if they soon got a directive from Obeikan to drop this line from their correspondence, as it goes against the very purpose of hiring bell to recruit (which is to give prospective teachers the impression that they are going to work for a western company). wanna bet?