Job Discussion Forums

[Le Petit Prince]

All I am saying is that...and, please.. don't shoot the messenger....is that a lot of the people who contribute to this page pontificate endlessly on various issues, institutions, social mores etc. in the Gulf...then you find out....none of them have actually lived or worked here in..at least... ten years or longer.
Things do change amigos. Dubious Dub is a wreck

[veiledsentiments]

Mr Prince... please do point out one detail in this thread that has anything to do with your... input. Or did you just show up to attempt to insult other posters while giving the questioner nothing.

What in heaven's name is "dubious dub"? Is that supposed to be Dubai? I see no mention of that city in this thread.

VS

[15yearsinQ8]

DOD schools are like ARAMCO
only the best are hired and they never leave

i've known very expereinced teachers only a blow off reply like 'thanks for applying but....'

good luck, tell us how it goes

yes, DOD teachers pay taxes (federal and fica)

[Sheikh N Bake]

But are they also permanent civil service workers, entitled to gov't pensions upon retirement?

[veiledsentiments]

There are no "government pensions" now... they are all on social security.

VS

[johnslat]

Dear veiledsentiments,

"There are no "government pensions" now . . ."

Well, unless you're a politician, of course.

Regards,
John

[veiledsentiments]

Well yes... but doesn't that go without saying?

I actually thought of that as I hit submit, but didn't bother to go back and edit it in...

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

I don't understand. I thought federal civil servants always got a pension after 20 years. That's gone?

[johnslat]

Dear Sheik,

Well, it's complicated (what a surprise, seeing as it's the government):

If you were employed before January 1, 1984, you are on the original Civil Service Retirement System. Your benefits become vested with five years of service. This is a defined-benefit qualified plan that requires you to share the cost of the benefit by contributing 7 percent of your pay. Your employer contributes an additional 7 percent.

You may retire with 30 years of service at age 55 with a pension that replaces 56 percent of the average of your highest salaries during three years of employment. If you leave government service before age 62, you may withdraw your contributions or leave them on deposit in the system to receive a deferred annuity at age 62. Remember, benefit levels may change in the future because Civil Service benefits are funded from current contributions, and these benefits are subject to the will of Congress.

If you were employed after December 31, 1983, you became a member of the new Federal Retirement System (FERS) on January 1, 1987. In the FERS plan, your benefits become vested with five years of service. The plan will provide benefits from a combination of Social Security, a defined-benefit basic plan, and a thrift plan. To receive benefits from the FERS plan, you must make contributions to it. Your Social Security benefits will be funded through your payment of the full old age survivors and disability insurance (OASDI) tax. Contributions to the basic plan are 8 percent, and you may elect to contribute to the thrift plan.

Regardless of your contributions, the government will contribute one percent of basic pay on your behalf. You may contribute up to 10 percent on your base pay, which will be tax-deferred. The government will match your contributions at the rate of 100 percent on the first 3 percent contributed, and 50 percent of the next two percent.

Just as you will want to check on your Social Security benefits every three years, it's a good idea to check with your company benefits office for an estimate of your pension benefits every two years. It is a good idea to obtain a benefit statement from your current employer and all past employers every few years. This is a report that tells:

whether you have vested or earned the right to a pension
when vesting will occur, if it has not yet occurred
how much you will receive if you retired now, at age 62 or age 65.
Be sure to request this information from your spouse's employer. You should also have a survivor's benefit statement, which is provided to survivors before pension benefits are paid. Information about pre-retirement survivor's benefits are to be given to a married participant by age 35, or within a year of becoming a plan participant if hired at an older age."

Easier to become a Senator/ Representative instead.


http://urbanext.illinois.edu/ww1/09-16.html

Regards,
John

[Sheikh N Bake]

Thanks John. Wikianswers says: Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) has three components, 1) Social Security like everyone else, 2) Thrift Saving Plan (TSP), which is basically 401K, usually matched at maximum of 4%, and 3) the Basic Annuity, which is the pension you are referring to.

The Basic Annuity is calculated as

1% of your high-3-average pay X your number of eligible years in service

High-3-average pay is the your highest three consecutive years pay averaged.
Eligible years include any military service.

There are also age requirements (~60) and years of service requirements (~20) before you are eligible to receive a pension.

[Le Petit Prince]

Ok...all that I am trying to say is that some people who have not been in the Gulf for a decade or so..may not be in the position to give advice to somebody who is honestly looking for work...or may be dealing with a difficult situation in a job he/she already has.

Life is a little different here in Dubai/The UAE/Saudi etc. than it was back in the '80's '90's or whatever.

I am sure you can all appreciate that.

[johnslat]

Dear Le Petite Price,

I'm not aiming to shoot the messenger, but I do think you could have chosen a far more appropriate thread to have made your comment on than this one (which hardly deals with current conditions in Dubai/the UAE/Saudi.)

Regards,
John

[With Malice Toward None]

Dear Happy Prince( I would like to call you that after Wilde's nice story),

Dubious Dub is a wreck


Don't you think the sentence itself is a wreck?

In a flat where I lived long back some previous occupant's kid had written on a wall, 'Johnny's Dad is a dunker' alongside a matchstick caricature. Perfectly honest, simple and almost poetic. Even reflecting a British flair for alliteration. But you should be able to do better.

Regards,
WMTN.

[Sheikh N Bake]

[Le Petit Prince]

My simple hope and view is that older former expats ...as much as appreciate and honor their wisdom ....should restain from advising us on employment issues... it really is tough at the moment..and your contribution does not make matters a lot better.