Job Discussion Forums

[winterwawa]

I have just received an offer for employment from Shinas College of Technology . It is the standard contract from the MoM starting at 1385 a month.

I am in Korea now (been here almost 13 years) and am ready to get out, but they want me to be there by the 15th of January, which gives me 9 days to do everything I need to do before leaving Korea. It may be doable, but it is going to be a challenge.

Anyone have any experience with this particular college or the MoM in general. I have 7 days to either accept or decline, so if possible, I would like to get some feedback before giving them my decision.

Thanks in advance.

[elmoro]

it depends on what type of person you are. shinas is a "you blinked, you missed it" town on the omani border with the uae east coast. it is a VERY traditional arab town. however, you will probably live in sohar, which is bigger than shinas and has shopping options. that means you will commute to work.

omanis are generally nice people and oman itself is laid back and can be enjoyable. once you have a car, you will be able to travel to muscat (about an hour and a half), fujairah, uae (30 mnutes), or dubai, uae (about an hour and a half).

if you are adventurous and like remote areas, you will like the shinas/sohar area.

elmoro

[winterwawa]

[veiledsentiments]

[RobertinOman]

Once you have your resident I.D. and bank account, getting a car and insurance is no problem. You must exit Oman and enter the UAE at the Hata border crossing. There is a fee to exit and to enter.

[elmoro]

there is a border crossing at the shinas-sharjah area also. this is the one you take if you want to explore the uae east coast. if you have an omani residence visa, i don't think that there are any fees. i may be wrong, but i don't remember paying anything going from oman to the uae with an omani visa. i know that if you have a uae visa and go to oman, there is a fee for the omani visa.

i think the road pass has something to do with the buraimi-al ain area. as long as you have insurance, you can go from oman to the uae with no problems. i was in oman a year ago and things may have changed since then.

elmoro

[winterwawa]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Sounds like this is going to be an adventure. I have been to just about every part of the world except the mid-east and am looking forward to the experience.

A few more questions regarding driving in Oman.

My American driver's license expired a few years ago, but I still have a Korean driver's license that is good for 5 years. Can I use that license or would it be better to get an international driver's license? Also is it possible to get an Omani driver's license? If so what are the hoops you have to jump through to get one?

[veiledsentiments]

The Korean license will not be recognized (you are not Korean). Once you have a legal work visa, you can't use the international license, you must have an Omani license. What you really need to do is get back home and renew your US license. When you have that, you just go to the DMV with the proper bit of paper from your employer, take a vision test, and pay for your new Omani license. Better than a trip to the average US DMV.

BUT... since you don't have a current license, that means that you will have to take driving lessons and take the whole driving test. You don't want to do that if you can avoid it.

VS

[winterwawa]

[ETG]

You'll most likely have to get an Omani licence which will mean driver training and testing since you don't have a valid US licence. Just bite the bullet and do it as soon as you can.

The IDP is a permit, not a licence and to be valid has to be accompanied by a licence from your country of origin, and is only valid for 1 year.
Check this:
Essentially, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is proof that you hold a valid driver's license in your own country. And it provides a translation into almost a dozen languages, mainly so that police and other authorities in other countries can read your license in their own language. It may not be absolutely necessary to have it, since many countries recognize each other's licenses, but traveling with an IDP has many advantages.

The permit is intended to overcome the difficulties drivers might have while traveling in other countries that may have widely varying licensing requirements. The IDP is a special license for tourists authorized by United Nations conventions on road safety in 1923, 1943, 1949, and 1968. Nearly 180 countries are signatories.

The IDP is printed in several languages-the five official UN languages (English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese) plus German, Arabic, Italian, the Scandinavian languages, and Portuguese. It is valid in all the signatory countries. In addition, many other countries that did not sign the treaty recognize the permit and accept it in their territories.

An IDP is easy to obtain if you know where to apply (more on that later), does not require a driving test, and is available for a small fee. It is, in fact, an official translation of your domestic driver's license.

Requirements
Applicants for an IDP must:

�be 18 or older,
�have a recognized driver's license,
�submit two passport-type photos, and
�make their application on an official form provided by the issuing authority.
An IDP cannot be post-dated, extended, or renewed, and is valid for only one year from the date of issue. Each time a new IDP is required, the driver must repeat the entire application procedure. The IDP must be applied for in the country of origin and cannot be used there in place of a regular driver's license.

Importance
Why is the IDP so valuable? Well, local traffic police (whether it be Dnipropetrovsk or Ulan Bator) may not be able to understand the language on your normal driving license while chances are they may be familiar with at least one of the languages on the IDP. For driving in Europe, travel officials say the IDP is more necessary in some countries than others, but is advised for most. And in more than 40 countries worldwide you cannot rent a car at all unless you have an IDP.

Countries where English is the spoken language, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, do not require an IDP. However, insurance companies in many other jurisdictions often require IDPs to cover drivers of vehicles driven there.

E.

[winterwawa]

ETG, I don't want to start a war of words, but I know that an International License is more than just a permit and can be issued to you even if you don't have a driver's license from your home country.

I have had two international driver's licenses, both issued to me while in Korea on the strength of my Korean license. My American license had expired and I used the international license to rent a car in Hawaii while on vacation.

The fact that I have a working VISA should not affect whether an international license is issued from my home country or the country from where I hold a valid driver's license.

As you stated, the requirements are that applicants for an IDP must:

�be 18 or older,
�have a recognized driver's license, (is a Korean license not recognized. I may not be Korean, but the license is just as valid as my US license was.)
�submit two passport-type photos, and
�make their application on an official form provided by the issuing authority.

Like I said, I don't want to get into a war of words and I certainly don't want to offend those who are trying to help, I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the stated facts concerning my ability to drive in Oman.

[WiseSheikh]

...... and then the silence.

I do not think you will receive any more comments/inputs about this issue. Take it from me, VS is absolutely spot on.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit "An International Driving Permit (IDP) allows an individual to drive a private motor vehicle in another nation when accompanied by a valid license from their home country." The key phrases are, private motor vehicle and home country.

I believe you can drive (a rental car) in Oman with the IDP for about 3 months. See http://rop.gov.om/english/dg_traffic_newlicense "A foreign tourist can use his own country's driving licence or an international driving licence for 3 months."

[usa_in_gulf]

International driving permits/licenses help you in Oman if you are a visit visa and want to rent a car. (Don't really need one if you have a US/UK or GCC license.)
BUT once you have a work visa, you need to have an Omani license. If you hold a license from certain countries, such as US, UK, and GCC, the process is very simple. You fill out some forms, take an eye test, and you get an Omani license. If you license is from a country that is not on this list, you must take driving lessons, test, etc�..
Must countries have similar laws, nothing unusual here��.
You can rent as soon as you enter Oman using your IDP. But once you have your residence/work visa you need to get an Omani license. You will have a problem if you are stopped by the police and you have your labor card but not an Omani license.

[winterwawa]

Okay. I guess I better bone up on the driving test the first three months in Oman. It shouldn't be that difficult to pass the test. Thanks. Sorry if I offended anyone.

[veiledsentiments]

Don't worry... whenever you go to a new country, some (many?) of its laws may seem illogical. But, it is pretty standard in the Gulf that once you have that official residence/work visa in your passport, you must use the local driving license. ... their ball, their court...

It's a breeze with a current US license, but now you will have to jump through some extra hoops. In the past, people had to take the driving lessons before they could even take the test... you couldn't just pop in and take the test. (Is that still the procedure?) This adds time and cost for you. When this policy first started, they were (in)famous for failing everyone the first time(s) through the course.

VS