Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

The constant advice is to be sure that you arrive in the Gulf with access to enough cash to tide you over for a couple months. It used to be much worse. Hard to imagine that they used to be even less organized.

Part of the problem currently is that we have these major holidays hitting at the same time as the big influx of new teachers each year. Add to that the fact that Ministry doesn't care in the least about inconveniencing expats.

VS
(back in the late '90s at a job with the major university in one Gulf country, I had to cover my expenses from Aug until the end of December when they finally got around to getting us new teachers on the payroll. That included fronting for a flat, paying rent, furnishing it, taxis, and eating. Fortunately I had been warned by current teachers. When the pay was finally posted to my account, I went out and bought a new Toyota with my ATM card... LOL)

[Golden Beach]

VS

I don't have cash to tide me over for a couple of months, that's why I got a job here.....FOR SOME CASH.....pull your head out from where the sun don't shine will ya?

If we were all rolling in cash we wouldn't need to work in the first place...

I will say that I certainly had the recommended amount of money, but that quickly vanishes in car rental, a car rental deposit, food, and two weeks in a hotel paid at my own expense. Now I'm looking at laying out another grand which I don't have, for a month in advance at the hotel I'm staying at (which is nice and close to my school) but this wouldn't be a problem if I'd been paid on time as they said we would be.

There's no need to excuse sloppy work like this. Their teachers should be paid on time. I'm doing my job, I expect them to do theirs.

We shouldn't have to come here with the expectation that their systems will fail, they should work. There shouldn't be this sloppy expectation that nothing will work, that's why things don't work, because noone has any expectations of demands that they do.

They don't even bother to answer their mobiles for God's sake. How hard is it to take a call?

[nomad soul]

[veiledsentiments]

[RustyShackleford]

As someone who has been victim of late payment by unscrupulous employers, I feel for him. I was told I'd be leaving by well before now, but there was what I will charitably call a mix-up of paperwork. That essentially had my process delayed by a month so now I'm basically taking my modest stash of cash that I was hoping to be investing into my first month of UAE and now needing to spend it while I wait for a visa that may not even come.

Golden Beach came for a job to make some money and now the employer is a week late. I'm actually glad he's sounding this warning as it's good to inform each other (although, in that spirit, I will say that the other people I know were properly paid for the month of August....)

Also, there are people who would probably have personal social/ethical issues with moving to Saudi Arabia. That money comes with a price.

[nomad soul]

Some of us have worked in more than one country in the region as well as participated on the various ME forums; so we're quite familiar with employer practices. This situation isn't all that unusual, nor is Golden the only expat feeling some major angst. In fact, he/she might check to see if any of the other new arrivals would be willing to split the cost of a hotel stay (separate beds, of course).

Nowadays, it takes money to make money. Frankly, you pretty much need a fund for budgeting day-to-day expenses for a few months in addition to a separate emergency fund, in case things go sour and you need to return home. But again, the UAE isn't cheap, which is why Saudi is the go-to country for boosting one's savings.

Welcome to reality: the good, bad, and the oogly.

[dragonpiwo]

Just some advice for when you do rent a flat.

1.) Make sure the rental contract comes with 'tawtheek'. Ask for it.
2.) Unfurnished means an empty shell usually. You gotta buy everything from the curtains to the cutlery and big funrniture. This can be got chaply in Ikea or second hand on Facebook groups.
3.) Make sure your rental contract has a premature termination contract that is cast iron. I found out today that my 2 months notice has a rather important caveat in that it's 2 months ONLY if the landlord agrees. It's a big deal when you are shelling out 80k up front for 12 months in the current jobs climate. Dont want to lose your job in a month and wind up 73k down.
The up front housing risks are really worrying to tell you the truth and very unfair.

[Furrehm]

Everything seems to be so negative here! I'm not sure I want the job in middle East with MOE!!

[2buckets]

[manowur]

[nomad soul]

[manowur]

[Golden Beach]

[dragonpiwo]

Don't get into too much debt here as many do. Job security is an issue these days.

It's a lovely lifestyle while it lasts.

[RustyShackleford]

No one's been taken over yet?