Job Discussion Forums

[bulgogiboy]

I've been in both positions, both working legally and illegally here. I arrived on a 'Work Visit' visa, and then later my employer gave me a trip abroad to get it changed into an iqama. This is probably quite uncommon though. I would imagine a lot of employers who bring you in on a work visit visa will have no intention of making you legal.

First of all, if you come into Saudi on the same 'Work Visit' visa that I did, you'll notice the statement in bold letters in the middle of the visa which says: "Not permitted to work". So, no matter what BS your employer feeds you, if you're working, according to your official paperwork, you're breaking the law.

The main downside for me, being without an iqama, was that I couldn't send money home by myself. I had to get a friend, with an iqama, to do it. If none of your co-workers have iqamas, and you don't know anyone else, you'll be stockpiling bundles of riyals in your apartment. Any financial commitments at home will not be reliably covered each month. You might, might, be able to use Western Union, with just your passport, but they charge exorbitant rates.

If you get sick and go to hospital then you may well run into difficulties too. If you don't have an iqama you'll be asked to pay for all medicine/treatment. I was lucky in that when I got sick I had just arrived, and had to tell them I hadn't yet received my iqama, so they let me off with paying. This example of kindness shown by medical staff is arbitrary and by no means guaranteed. If you feel you must go to Saudi, I recommend you take out international insurance with 'Seven Corners'. It's by no means perfect, but at least it's some type of coverage.

If your employer takes your passport, and you have no iqama, you'll be walking around Saudi Arabia, a police state, with no valid form of ID. You can get detained for this. It was never an issue for me, but I do know of one other teacher at my school who was detained. It was only temporary, of course, but still not a nice experience.

I agree that, in some ways, you become more restricted when you get an iqama. However, with an iqama you are, at least, working legally. You can open a bank account and send money home each month, and you don't have to feel paranoid about breaking the law in a country with harsh punishments for just about every offence, whether minor or not.

Having been in both positions, I would strongly advise against working here without an iqama.

[c_dange]

Of course, if my employer offers me the Iqama (as promised) I wouldn't turn it down. They've said it shouldn't take more than a month to acquire one. I'm just prepared to accept the fact that this may not happen...at least not for some time, from what I understand of Saudi bureaucracy.

As for now, the business visa seems to be the most efficient way for Canadians to enter the country. The round-trip home that I'm being offered for the Ramadan vacation will place me back in Toronto in July. So it may be possible to apply for the Iqama then, if this must be done out of state.

Besides, I'm not too interested in applying for the Iqama right away. I'd hate for any "banned substances" indicative of my wayward lifestyle to show up in that gruesome medical!

[It's Scary!]

It's "an" Iqama.

It's not something to be worshipped!

[c_dange]

...sure does seem indefinite

[It's Scary!]

[Mysterious]

Oh boy.. they've told you it will take no more than a month to get an iqama?! Mind you, this is EdEx you're talking about...

They are a bunch of liars. Everyone knows that you shouldn't guarantee that it takes no longer than a month. Some teachers at King Saud University are working under EdEx, and they haven't had an iqama and have been working there for over a year. One person said he hasn't seen his family in almost a year (I'm not sure if they took his passport, or if he's just made a decision to stay there due to financial reasons). Although saying that, I was also told that EdEx MOSTLY tend to hire teachers who don't have family to take out so that they don't have to worry about iqamas, where as ICEAT mostly have teachers with family, and therefore are slowly giving out the employment visas and iqamas (because they have no choice.. a lot of those teachers would create world war 3, which wouldn't be good for the company if they left, as the university would put tremendous pressure on them). King Saud have teachers from ICEAT.

My point is.. the teachers with ICEAT were guaranteed employment visas within 90 days. Their words were "it should only take about 2-3 weeks, but we say 90 days to cover our backs, although it won't take this long". Well, it's been over 2 months already. Most teachers don't have the employment visa yet, but some have gone through recently. From my understanding, once you get the employment visa, you then apply for the iqama. They both don't just magically happen together. So it can be a process. And saudi's like to work slowly. It's their forte.

I'd say it's worth going out there on the visit visa (or whatever one it is), but only if you don't have huge responsibilities. And only if you get to keep your passport.. that way you can leave at any point if they take the biscuit with the employment visa and iqama! If 3 months go by, for example and teachers at ICEAT don't have their iqamas, then a lot of them would walk out, because they have their passports.

But EdEx.. not sure if they would keep your passport... so that's a risk...

[c_dange]

The person who told me that was a recruiter from World Education Group, a small American outfit that's working on behalf of SBC. Ultimately, the contract would be with the Saudi British Centre and Almadina.

I mentioned the 3 month wait period to her and she assured me that it wouldn't take more than a month. Mind you, she may have also been misinformed as she constitutes a 3rd party in this whole set up. Hence, my lack of high expectation on this point.

I was offered a contract with EdEx but it had disaster written all over it. So needless to say, I declined. Moreover, I'm applying for a position at PNU and there are a number of different recruiters hiring for that university.

[It's Scary!]

[bulgogiboy]

[c_dange]

[quote="It's Scary!"]People with crappier contracts turn on those with marginally better ones out of jealousy and the ones with the better contracts become spiteful.[/quote]

That would all depend on how easily affected you are by other people's pettiness and how good you are at averting negativity. I tend not to buy into the kind of competitive attitude that so often appears in this forum. It doesn't bode well for me; at least not in the real world where I communicate face-to-face with people and can't conceal my identity.

I tend to treat my colleagues with kindness, compassion, and an eye towards cooperation. I find that those who values these qualities will reciprocate in turn. Those who don't, or can't, naturally fall by the wayside.

I'm just one of those people who believes that a great personality can get you far in life... even in the bizzaro world that is Saudi Arabia. I also believe that my people skills (along with my experience and credentials) is one of the reasons that I've repeatedly been offered more favourable contracts. I don't apologize for that. And anyone who displays 'jealousy' is welcome to emulate me.

Of course, it will be a challenge to deal with that many pent-up, pissed off, and sexually frustrated women on a daily basis. But then, why go to Saudi...if not for the challenge?

[bulgogiboy]

[Middle East Beast]

[johnslat]

When I sign a contract that specifies a specific wage, it'd been pretty petty
of me to envy someone who's getting more. It's also a great way to get ulcers.
No thanks - I'll pass on that.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, �You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.� So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, �Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?� �Because no one has hired us,� they answered. �He said to them, �You also go and work in my vineyard.�



When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, �Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.� The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. �These men who were hired last worked only one hour,� they said, �and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.� But he answered one of them, �Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn�t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don�t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?� So the last will be first, and the first will be last. (Matt. 20:1-16)"

Regards,
John

[It's Scary!]

Amen.

It's like what I told my grumbling co-workers, no one held a gun to your head to sign your contract. You're getting paid what you bargained for. I wasn't the most popular fella there!

[bulgogiboy]