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tacomaboywa
Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 194
Location: The Magic Kingdom
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 Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Stephen Jones wrote: |
| I'm sorry Kalima, but if you wish to retain credibility you need to tell us the university you were working at. Your experience doesn't correlate with the majority of direct hires on work permits in the Kingdom. |
I reviewed some of her posts here. Her very first one says:
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:31 pm
I also signed with ISM/EDEX (for KAU in Jeddah). Having worked in Saudi Arabia (and other areas of the Gulf), I've come to find out that delays and communication issues are all part of the M.E. package, I'm afraid. |
I've also seen these posted by her:
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:06 pm
I was never told anything about a 'temporary work visa.' I was told 'business visa.' We discussed this at length. I have no problem with this procedure. In fact, I prefer it and with very good reason too!
We may need to leave the country to apply for our work visas. I'm told that this expense will (if necessary) be covered by our employer along with the medical. Typically, we have to get the medical outside of Saudi and another one once we get into Saudi on work visas and need to apply for Iqamas. Maybe we only need to have the medical done once IN Saudi. I certainly hope so. It would be nice. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:37 pm
Maybe you don't know this but we (ISM/EDEX new hires) are coming in on business visas. Yes, you need a medical for a work visa, but you don't need one for a business visa. ISM specifically told me that we will be required to have the medical done after we start and it will be arranged by our employer at thier expense. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:00 am
Everything was written in my ten-page contract (both in English and in Arabic)! Not only that, but I also had emails and pictures of the apartments they supposedly were going to put us in. Perhaps I was unlucky, but it wasn't just me who was unlucky. There were hundreds of teachers before and after me who were also just as unlucky as I was. My point is that employers do NOT have to honor their own employment contracts in Saudi Arabia and you have very little recourse if they don't. Just talk to a few maids in Saudi and they should be able to fill you in on truth.
I am not sure, but I think Edex is also placing teachers at the university where I worked. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:40 am
I am no longer in the KSA. ALL OF US WERE PRETTY MUCH TREATED THE SAME WHERE I WORKED! |
So despite her experience previously in Saudi the M.E. She knowingly entered Saudi on a Business Visa thinking she'll get it changed to an Employment Visa. Then she comes back later and says she is not longer in KSA and that contracts are meaningless in KSA. So when she said she was there on a legit contract it wasn't. It was misleading.
It has been discussed in length about how recruiters/agencies get people in on Business Visit Visas (now Government Visit Visas) and scr*w them over. People, pay attention!! Do not go to KSA on a Business/Government Visit Visa to work or in the hopes of it being changed to an Employment Visa. It just isn't going to work out! (at least 99.9% of the time).
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Avoid M-Trading!
http://www.tulbah.org/
Last edited by tacomaboywa on Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:51 am; edited 3 times in total |
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craig49
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:22 am Post subject: |
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lizziebiznet
you make qassim sound really good which is really, really hard to believe. i have known teachers there and they paint a very different picture from the one you paint. regardless of what your arab friends or teachers said about your gov visa being legit, the fact of the matter is that you really do not have ANY job security. At least with an iqama and work visa, the school has leverage and so does the employee should you both fall out of favor. they are forced to pay the bonuses, pay, ect, cause you have to get an exit visa which takes some time and effort on your part as well. with the visa you have, they can simply not renew after every 3 months if they want or do not want you.
you sound so optimistic which is great, but at the same time, you really sound like you have NO IDEA what is going on. as i mentioned before, what about summer pay? for most teachers in ksa, that summer payout is very, very nice. you might not see that at all if your 3 months are up. how do you know come june, after the term is done, the company will let you all go. this would save them a lot of money if they don't have to pay all the teachers for the 2-3 month summer holiday. also, what about the contract with your company and the university itself. KSU in riyadh we all know had a contract with bell, and i have no idea how long that contract is, but do you even know how anything about the contract your company has with qassim university? will there be anything for you should you decide to stay on for a 2nd year? i don't want to be a killjoy, but being gullible in a place like ksa might not turn out the best for you, especially if you intend to stay here longer than 1 year. think about the summer situation though, because if nothing else, that would be a lot of money that should be yours that you never get. for me, i always try to stick it out till summer JUST for that really handsome summer payout becasue it is usually so large! |
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Kalima Shahada
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 198
Location: I live in a house, but my home is in the stable.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:21 am Post subject: |
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| tacomaboywa wrote: |
| Stephen Jones wrote: |
| I'm sorry Kalima, but if you wish to retain credibility you need to tell us the university you were working at. Your experience doesn't correlate with the majority of direct hires on work permits in the Kingdom. |
I reviewed some of her posts here. Her very first one says:
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:31 pm
I also signed with ISM/EDEX (for KAU in Jeddah). Having worked in Saudi Arabia (and other areas of the Gulf), I've come to find out that delays and communication issues are all part of the M.E. package, I'm afraid. |
I've also seen these posted by her:
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:06 pm
I was never told anything about a 'temporary work visa.' I was told 'business visa.' We discussed this at length. I have no problem with this procedure. In fact, I prefer it and with very good reason too!
We may need to leave the country to apply for our work visas. I'm told that this expense will (if necessary) be covered by our employer along with the medical. Typically, we have to get the medical outside of Saudi and another one once we get into Saudi on work visas and need to apply for Iqamas. Maybe we only need to have the medical done once IN Saudi. I certainly hope so. It would be nice. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:37 pm
Maybe you don't know this but we (ISM/EDEX new hires) are coming in on business visas. Yes, you need a medical for a work visa, but you don't need one for a business visa. ISM specifically told me that we will be required to have the medical done after we start and it will be arranged by our employer at thier expense. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:00 am
Everything was written in my ten-page contract (both in English and in Arabic)! Not only that, but I also had emails and pictures of the apartments they supposedly were going to put us in. Perhaps I was unlucky, but it wasn't just me who was unlucky. There were hundreds of teachers before and after me who were also just as unlucky as I was. My point is that employers do NOT have to honor their own employment contracts in Saudi Arabia and you have very little recourse if they don't. Just talk to a few maids in Saudi and they should be able to fill you in on truth.
I am not sure, but I think Edex is also placing teachers at the university where I worked. |
| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:40 am
I am no longer in the KSA. ALL OF US WERE PRETTY MUCH TREATED THE SAME WHERE I WORKED! |
So despite her experience previously in Saudi the M.E. She knowingly entered Saudi on a Business Visa thinking she'll get it changed to an Employment Visa. Then she comes back later and says she is not longer in KSA and that contracts are meaningless in KSA. So when she said she was there on a legit contract it wasn't. It was misleading.
It has been discussed in length about how recruiters/agencies get people in on Business Visit Visas (now Government Visit Visas) and scr*w them over. People, pay attention!! Do not go to KSA on a Business/Government Visit Visa to work or in the hopes of it being changed to an Employment Visa. It just isn't going to work out! (at least 99.9% of the time). |
tacomaboywa, you are the one who needs to pay attention. You have taken what I have wrote way out of context here. FYI, I signed a contract with EDEX, but I later refused to go because they changed the terms of the contract. They couldn't guarantee what area I would be placed and I didn't like that.
I was working in Saudi at a university long before EDEX ever came along. That university had nothing to do with EDEX at that time. MY VISA WAS A WORK VISA, NOT A BUSINESS VISA! Do not get the two different employers confused again! Next time, try harder to get the facts straight. |
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tacomaboywa
Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 194
Location: The Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| Kalima Shahada wrote: |
| tacomaboywa wrote: |
So despite her experience previously in Saudi the M.E. She knowingly entered Saudi on a Business Visa thinking she'll get it changed to an Employment Visa. Then she comes back later and says she is not longer in KSA and that contracts are meaningless in KSA. So when she said she was there on a legit contract it wasn't. It was misleading.
It has been discussed in length about how recruiters/agencies get people in on Business Visit Visas (now Government Visit Visas) and scr*w them over. People, pay attention!! Do not go to KSA on a Business/Government Visit Visa to work or in the hopes of it being changed to an Employment Visa. It just isn't going to work out! (at least 99.9% of the time). |
tacomaboywa, you are the one who needs to pay attention. You have taken what I have wrote way out of context here. FYI, I signed a contract with EDEX, but I later refused to go because they changed the terms of the contract. They couldn't guarantee what area I would be placed and I didn't like that.
I was working in Saudi at a university long before EDEX ever came along. That university had nothing to do with EDEX at that time. MY VISA WAS A WORK VISA, NOT A BUSINESS VISA! Do not get the two different employers confused again! Next time, try harder to get the facts straight. |
If there was a mistake then I apologize. However, this mistake is easily made based on what you have posted over the past 3 months. I don't believe you made any noticeable posts that show there where two employers you were talking about. When asked to give us a little more info you often do not. So it seemed as though you were talking about the same job through ISM/EDEX.
-------------
Avoid M-Trading!
http://www.tulbah.org/ |
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BillCowher
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 131
Location: Up in the air!!!
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| Posted: Sun Dec | | |
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