Job Discussion Forums

[tacomaboywa]

[craig49]

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!

[Kalima Shahada]

[tacomaboywa]

[BillCowher]

LB: My husband and I went alone to a bank and they sent our money without an igama. We then went the next month to telemoney and did not require an igama. I really have no idea where tyour info comes from when every one of our teachers (about 40) have been able to send money at a number of different banking institutions without help from our company or an igama.

BILL: It is illegal to transfer money in this country without an iqama. I have only been in 2 cities on opposite ends of this country and the banks, Western Union & yes, Telemoney, all required an iqama to transfer money. Of course (tongue is in cheek) maybe the law is different when one is either on the border of Yemen or the border of Kuwait but still in the Magic Kingdom.

Several of us one day decided to rent a car for the weekend (not in Najran) but all the rental agencies told us we needed the following things to rent a car: Iqama, Saudi Driver License (NOT an International like I had) and a letter from our employer. One guy had an iqama, I had an Int. DL but nobody had such a letter from the boss. Even if we had known of THAT particular requirement, they do not seem to honor a fax transmission of such letters and the boss would have had to hand deliver the letter 4 hours away to our job site. Fat chance THAT happening!!!

PS: That employer is not EdEx, worse than EdEx but at least he paid, not on time, but always early.

[007]

[Kalima Shahada]

[Kalima Shahada]

[veiledsentiments]

[Stephen Jones]

Kalima, you're talking about a university that according to you mistreated 'hundreds of teachers' before you, and has been mistreating 'hundreds of teachers' after you, yet you persistently refuse to let us know what university it is, which also prevents anybody working there who disagrees with you from replying.

You also stated that people waited months for the iqama, yet here you are saying that you left within the probationary period. There's a clear lack of consistency here.

As for the other party being able to terminate the contract with four weeks notice after the probationary period, that would be standard for an indefinite contract but I would doubt it would stand up legally for a fixed-term contract.

[Stephen Jones]

[Citizenkane]

Kalima,

You are being a little aggressive in your last posts, and I don't really understand why. We understand you had a bad experience on a proper work visa, but that doesn't mean that going on a business visa is a valid choice. So far as I can see the disadvantages of a buz visa are:

- You are in the country on an illegal basis and therefore have NO rights;
- You cannot get a bank account;
- You cannot (in theory) get a SIM card;
- You cannot (in theory) hire a car;
- If you want to live outside your employer's housing, you cannot rent.

(Yes yes, I know, people will tell us they managed to do some or all of these things without an igama, but they are the exception not the rule).

The disadvantage of being on a full work visa is just one:
- If things become intolerable, you need an exit visa and your passport from your employer, who may refuse to provide them (but in practice this is rare).

My own view is that the disadvantages of being on a biz visa far outweigh the disadvantages of having a work visa. Like other posters, I genuinely don't see how being in the country on an illegal basis is something you can advocate.

[Cleopatra]

[scot47]

Wetbacks have a tough time - whether in the USA or KSA !

Do it legally - with a proper, legitimate employer who provides legal documentation and decent accommodation.

[scot47]

.....and the advice from the oldtimers is still valid. If you doubt me, then trawl through some of the recent posts from those who were unlucky enough to come here with contractors.

Get a "halal" job or none at all !