Job Discussion Forums

[helenl]

In my experience you will not get a contract to sign until and unless you pass the various medical and police barriers. The former will not take place until you are in country. The latter you send along with your qualification certificates etc.

You will get a letter of offer. That should include all the salient points of your contract (to follow) and with the reputable employers, very few, if any, startling surpises.

[huriyyahsmum]

[/quote] What medical tests aside from TB, hep B, & HIV are they conducting?

[april81]

[johnslat]

Dear huriyyahsmum,
From the looks of this, the medical tests take place after entry:

After entering the UAE
Once you join the company, your employer will apply for the following necessary documents for you - Health Card, Residence Visa, Labor Card

Health Card
Health card includes a medical test (children under 18 do not have to undergo this test) that consists of a blood test (for AIDS, Hepatitis, etc.) and chest X-ray (for TB, etc). This card entitles residents to free medical treatment at public hospitals.

http://propdubai.com/articles/25/index.php

"As of 1/1/09, all residency medical checks in AD have to be done by the Abu Dhabi Health Authority. These are done at Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in AD. My work colleague went for his tests yesterday and waited for around 3 hours for a number. Tried his luck this morning at 5:30am and there was around 100 people waiting. Think Emirates ID but worse..."

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=563109&page=4

Hope this helps.

Regards,
John

"The medical tests have to be done in Dubai at an approved clinic, else the results will not be accepted. You have to do a blood test, where they test for HIV and also have a chest x-ray to make sure that you do not have TB! If you do a medical test in London, it will just be for your own peace of mind - the results will not be accepted here and you will have to it again once you get to Dubai - the results are sent directly to the freezone that issues your visa for them to proces your residence visa! I suspect that the company wants you to do this to ensure that you are healthy and that they won't be wasting their money by recruiting you."

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/9691-medical-tests-required-visa.html

And this from about 10 months ago:
"Confusion surrounds the new procedures for mandatory visa medical tests in Dubai, with many companies still sending employees to municipality health centres only to have their certificates rejected by the labour ministry.

From July 1 all medical tests for residence and labour visas must be carried out at facilities run by the health ministry, Dubai Health Authority and Abu Dhabi Health Authority rather than municipality centres."

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/527869-confusion-surrounds-visa-medical-tests

And, from last July:

"DUBAI � Effective today, expatriates will have to undergo a new set of medical fitness screening tests before acquiring their residency or employment visas.
According to the new Government Federal Law No 7/2008, people renewing/applying for a residence or employment visa will have to undergo a number of medical fitness screenings for diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B & C, Tuberculosis and Syphilis. Two more tests �Hepatitis C and Syphilis � have been added to the existing three for which expatriates were already being screened before being granted a residency or employment visa.

Though the X-ray and blood tests were already being conducted, two more screening methods have also been added that include the urine and stool tests. Vaccination for Hepatitis B has also been made compulsory.

However, if a person is found unfit and suffering from any of these diseases, he/she is likely to be deported. The decision applies to the Ministry of Health, and the health authorities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Maitha Al Bustani, Head of the Medical Fitness Centre at the Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms), said that the new rules come into effect starting July 1. "According to the decision taken by the Minister of Health Humaid Al Quttami, the rules are being implemented on a trial basis for three months, and may be subject to change in the coming months," she explained.

A group of professionals who are especially under the scanner include food handlers, nannies, housemaids, educators/teachers, and people who work in restaurants and heath fields due to the sensitivity of their profession."

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/July/theuae_July28.xml&section=theuae

[Mojoski]

I have a touch of psychosis that keeps recurring...that won't show up in the screening, will it?

[johnslat]

Dear Mojoski,
Yup, it will, but that's good. All employers in the Middle East know that prospective employees MUST have at least a touch of psychosis to apply there in the first place.
Regards,
John

[sciencegirl]

Uh-oh, my secret is out!

[veiledsentiments]

These medical tests are when it is good if your employer has a good 'fixer.' When I went to the madhouse of the public hospital to get my blood test... the fixer, who was a young Egyptian fellow, left and came back with the head of nursing, who took us to the front of the line and did our tests personally. I don't know if it was because we were the only two females or just his wasta with the nurse - who was also Egyptian - and I got to impress her with my Arabi Masri.

Also in Oman, the very efficient young Omani fixer, took me to the front of the line for each medical test and at the police for the finger prints. There are benefits to being female in the Gulf.

VS

[lorientravel]

I was told that the contact I signed was not a provisional contract but the real deal with to which no further changes can be made.

I may be naive but I like to think that the contract will be honored and that they will do their best to meet the requests I included in the contract and keep me happy. They seem to be doing everything they can to make the process as stress free and easy as possible. The addition of a three week orientation sure is nice, plus the hike in the salary.

Why would they hire hundreds if people only to screw them over? It sure would not create the great learning environment they are looking to develop.

Lorien

[veiledsentiments]

Oh Lorien... you must get rid of this idea that logic should rule any of this. It is a different world with different logic. That said... I never saw a contract before I arrived at a new job in the Gulf and I didn't worry about it all that much. Contracts were something that appeared awhile after you arrived and you then signed it. All I ever received was a "letter of intent" which listed dates, pay and benefits - and whatever it said was what happened. I must confess that I rarely even bothered to read the contract... even the English half.

Lower those expectations!! Pack your patience and a sense of humor. Focus on the positives and try to never say "this isn't how we do this back home" because it will only lead to frustration. Remember that you won't and can't change this world, but you can add something positive to the particular students you teach and other local teachers you will work with... it's all about baby steps IMHO.

VS

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

An' Lorien, always 'memper dis, the way things happened to you will be repeated without variation to others in the future...that's a virtual guarantee.

ala Johnslat...IRONY ALERT!!!!!!

P.s.- VS, I DID enter Saudi Arabia (a Gulf state) twice with a signed contract...however, I must say, as you know, the first was with the King Faisal Foundation and the second a major defense contractor. So, both of these employers had the wasta not to be told "No". And, I had all of my blood work and x-rays done stateside.

That being said, I have never heard of anyone entering the U.A.E. with an enforceable contract in hand, but as I'm out of the military game now, they still might get in with one.

NCTBA

[Zoot]

Lorien, it's unlikely you have a contract at this point. You may have a conditional contract or an agreement to sign a contract, both of which mean nothing until you have the real contract signed off by the MoL, which you don't get until after you've had your blood tests and x-rays in country. Nothing over here works like it does 'at home' wherever 'home' is if it's not in the ME.

[april81]

Lorien, sciencegirl, huriyyahsmum, have any of you heard what the "next step" is?

Since we are all in the same boat, it might be nice to keep in contact. Feel free to send me an email (email address in profile) and we can keep in touch.

[carlen]

edit

[mr fawlty]

I understand that recruiters such as teachaway are offering a salary of 11,000 to 16,000 dirhams. I was wondering if any of you who have been offered a position would be willing to say exactly how much you were offered in the end?