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peripatetic_soul
Joined: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 303
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 Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:52 pm Post subject: Married Woman Teacher - Permission Letter from Husband? |
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Hello,
I'm writing on behalf of a colleague (seriously, I've finished my stint in ME and she doesn't want to subscribe on the forum in order to maintain her anonymity) who has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and teaches ESL at a college and local university in the US. She is married and has a teenage daughter. She has been accepted for a teaching position at King Faisal University but her spouse and daughter will not accompany her. She is currently awaiting her visa to begin a contract in February. One of her university students in the states who is from KSA advised her that she must obtain a permission letter from her husband to work in KSA. However, in spite of all her concerted efforts to contact the appropriate authorities, as you can appreciate, she has not been able to obtain the answer to this question. Can anyone advise if she needs such a permission letter? Thank you. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Such a letter only applies to Saudi women. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| Good God! If she already has an ESL teaching position in the USA, why is she thinking about going to Saudi Arabia to teach there? Suggest a Psychiatrist. |
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Mysterious
Joined: 24 Sep 2011
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| Good God! If she already has an ESL teaching position in the USA, why is she thinking about going to Saudi Arabia to teach there? Suggest a Psychiatrist. |
Here's hoping it's 'cause she has tolerance for Islaam and can handle calls to prayer, etc.. and that she isn't coming here just for the money and will moan and groan about it like most (not all) people do..  |
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Gerund
Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 80
Location: Amerika
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| Good God! If she already has an ESL teaching position in the USA, why is she thinking about going to Saudi Arabia to teach there? Suggest a Psychiatrist. |
What a stupid question. Isn't it a pretty good bet she's coming here for the money? Isn't that why most of us are here? And no shame in that. I once had a full-time position at a university in the states. I also had a family that I could barely support who had no health insurance. Maybe she wants some financial security. Maybe she has tuition loans or a mortgage or a family she needs to support. Maybe you're the one who should see a psychiatrist. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| Not a stupid question and I don't need a psychiatrist nor did I particularly infer that the OP's needed one. The statement was tongue in cheek. If here job is a relatively stable one it might be a good idea not to leave her country and come here. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:41 am Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| If here job is a relatively stable one it might be a good idea not to leave her country and come here. |
I doubt her decision was made frivolously and without her husband's and daughter's input. She's not present on this forum to give an explanation nor would she be obligated to. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
| Not a stupid question and I don't need a psychiatrist nor did I particularly infer that the OP's needed one. The statement was tongue in cheek. If here job is a relatively stable one it might be a good idea not to leave her country and come here. |
I think the question is self-explanatory. She has a PhD and is teaching ESL in a college and university. That means that she is completely unable to get an academic job related to her PhD and is making a crap hourly pay... no benefits... no sick pay... no vacation pay... no insurance... commuting between two institutions who knows how far apart. It is very likely that she has big education loans to pay off and/or they would like to save up the deposit to buy a home.
If she were single, she would likely have to be living with her parents because she wouldn't be able to afford to rent a place AND have a car to get between those two jobs. This is the typical adjunct ESL teaching position in the US... 90+% of university level jobs end up with crap conditiions like this which is why so many head overseas unless they have a spouse with a real job.
With her PhD, she should take this job and then look around at the rest of the Gulf for a better position using that PhD in the various Applied Linguistics departments... countries where it is easier for her family to come and visit - and she can avoid abayas and the other restrictions on women in Saudi.
VS |
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Mushkilla
Joined: 17 Apr 2014
Posts: 320
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: Married Woman Teacher - Permission Letter from Husband? |
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| peripatetic_soul wrote: |
Hello,
I'm writing on behalf of a colleague (seriously, I've finished my stint in ME and she doesn't want to subscribe on the forum in order to maintain her anonymity) who has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and teaches ESL at a college and local university in the US. She is married and has a teenage daughter. She has been accepted for a teaching position at King Faisal University but her spouse and daughter will not accompany her. She is currently awaiting her visa to begin a contract in February. One of her university students in the states who is from KSA advised her that she must obtain a permission letter from her husband to work in KSA. However, in spite of all her concerted efforts to contact the appropriate authorities, as you can appreciate, she has not been able to obtain the answer to this question. Can anyone advise if she needs such a permission letter? Thank you. |
Your colleague does not require a permission letter from her husband to work in the Magic Kingdom., but when she arrives at the Saudi airport, her sponsor needs to receive her, if not, then she might face problems.
Also make sure to check her contract that she can bring her husband and daughter for a visit or residence.
If the woman was a Muslim and from some Arab/Muslim countries, then there are cases where the woman cannot travel to the Magic Kingdom only with a Mahreem (Husband, son, father, brother). |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:16 pm Post subject: Re: Married Woman Teacher - Permission Letter from Husband? |
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| Mushkilla wrote: |
| But when she arrives at the Saudi airport, her sponsor needs to receive her, if not, then she might face problems. |
That's definitely a professional courtesy. However, it was never an issue for me. I first arrived in KSA (to Jeddah) with just the instructions on where to go---there was no sponsor waiting for me. I went directly from the airport to my hotel. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:48 am Post subject: |
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| Ministry of Interior expects all Saudi sponsors to meet female employees on arrival at airport. |
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peripatetic_soul
Joined: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 303
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| Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:10 pm Post subject: Married Woman Teacher - Permission Letter from Husband |
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Hello,
VS' comments are spot on. My colleague is not Muslim. She is a non-native speaker of English but married to an American. She is adjuncting -- as VS accurately conjectured -- no benefits, lousy pay, running at a frenetic pace from one tertiary institution to another. True, 70% or more of faculty these days are adjuncts. I can't recall all the particulars but I do know she will be teaching in a degree program. Hopefully, the students will be more motivated and proficient than what most teachers have experienced in Foundations. No wisecracks from the peanut gallery, please.
Thank you again for addressing the question. I have relayed the info to my colleague and also strongly advised her to read threads here so as to make an "informed" decision. As VS wrote, since this individual is not a poster on Dave's, there is no point in continuing this thread. I'm just the intermediary and not my place to judge her decision.
Regards,
PS |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, she should certainly come here and read all over the Saudi branch... learn the good, the bad, and the ugly. Since she isn't Muslim, the learning curve can be difficult for new expats. She should also search the net for the many expat boards and blogs on life in the Kingdom.
Anyway, wish her luck from us...
VS |
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