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Updated information on IGIT GROUP please

 
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wavelength



Joined: 27 Jan 2015
Posts: 151
Location: The Feel Good River of a Celestial Rainbow
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 10:28 am    Post subject: Updated information on IGIT GROUP please Reply with quote
I just received initial contract from a Mr. KWA of IGITgroup. I've read the other post on eslcafe about IGIT, but I can't draw a comparison between them and what I'm getting now.

I've visited their site at igitgroup.org, and it looks pretty together. One of the things I look for is a phone number to call.

Is there a way to find out if a company is legally license to recruit in Saudi? A database or government phone number one can use to verify?

Thanks in advance all.
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wavelength



Joined: 27 Jan 2015
Posts: 151
Location: The Feel Good River of a Celestial Rainbow
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 12:05 pm    Post subject: Saudi Embassy Contact Reply with quote
I found this link to the Saudi Embassy in London: http://embassies.mofa.gov.sa/sites/uk/EN/Pages/default.aspx

They might answer some questions. I haven't called them yet as it's Sunday in England.

+442079173000

There is also the Suggestions and Complaints department for those of you who have been burnt: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/MainContactUs/Pages/SuggestionAndComplains.aspx

As strict as they are, they will probably look into illegal recruiting actions, for example: http://www.dawn.com/news/311729/saudi-arabia-asks-bd-to-check-illegal-recruiters.

From approximately 2009 to 2013 IGIT has received bad reviews on this board. It looks like they may have re-branded themselves, and I wonder if that also means a change in management...

I have also sent the embassy an email requesting a list of approved recruiters for ESL in Saudi Arabia. That list might contain the names of companies in other countries too... assuming such a list exists.

For now, there is also this list of recruiters, but how many deal in ESL contracts and whether they've been vetted is unknown: http://www.allsaudiarabiajobs.com/directory_recruiter.php

Will post results here (for better or worse).
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
wavelength wrote:
I just received initial contract from a Mr. KWA of IGITgroup. I've read the other post on eslcafe about IGIT, but I can't draw a comparison between them and what I'm getting now.

I've visited their site at igitgroup.org, and it looks pretty together. One of the things I look for is a phone number to call.

Is there a way to find out if a company is legally license to recruit in Saudi? A database or government phone number one can use to verify?

Sure, but all that info will be in Arabic. Moreover, it really won't be useful to you anyway.

and wrote:
I have also sent the embassy an email requesting a list of approved recruiters for ESL in Saudi Arabia. That list might contain the names of companies in other countries too... assuming such a list exists.

For now, there is also this list of recruiters, but how many deal in ESL contracts and whether they've been vetted is unknown: http://www.allsaudiarabiajobs.com/directory_recruiter.php

You're approaching this from the wrong perspective. You're no longer dealing with China, Cambodia, Thailand, etc., and can't apply those recruiting and hiring experiences and processes to how things are done in Saudi Arabia. Also, EFL recruiters specialize in recruiting expat teachers and not manual laborers, domestic help, or migrant workers from developing countries. Therefore, keep your focus on TEFL job sites versus general employment sites based out of countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, or the Philippines specializing in unskilled labor. Besides, recruitment processes for those types of positions are handled quite differently.

Unlike the China forum, if you scroll through this forum, you'll see the complaints tend to be about employers and not recruiters since the two are often separate entities. In fact, I've stated numerous times throughout the forum that the employer is what applicants need to be concerned about and not the recruiter because the Saudi employer will be one sponsoring the employee. In other words, every foreigner who enters KSA as a visitor or worker must be under the sponsorship of a Saudi national or Saudi company (AKA kafeel system---look it up), although a male expat under his Saudi sponsor can usually sponsor his wife and children.

The Saudi visa system is quite anal and long winded starting from the time the employer applies for an employment permit with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at their end until the time the applicant receives his/her visa.

Anyway, I can't comment on what it's like to be an employee under IGIT. They're a Saudi company that's been around for years and likely do their own recruiting.
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nickelgoat



Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 207
Location: Where in the world is nickelgoat?
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
.....

Last edited by nickelgoat on Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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fledex



Joined: 05 Jun 2011
Posts: 342
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
In Jeddah, most of the IGIT employees complain that the housing is terrible (lots of rats and roaches). The work conditions there are OK, but not great.

Guys coming to Jeddah from Dammam seem to say the reverse is true there. Bad work conditions, good housing.

From what I saw in Jeddah, your coworkers will be anything from totally sane to completely insane. In general, it seems IGIT is a mixed bag.
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wavelength



Joined: 27 Jan 2015
Posts: 151
Location: The Feel Good River of a Celestial Rainbow
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 6:33 pm    Post subject: Yikes Reply with quote
That sounds pretty bad.

Yet something seems amiss. There are only a handful of recruiters that advertise positions around here. Each one represents a handful of schools/organizations.

Yet according to this board, all of them deliver one into a living hell.

So what's the deal?
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fledex



Joined: 05 Jun 2011
Posts: 342
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Don't confuse recruiters and contractors. Ones like Edex, Al Kaleej, and IGIT are really contractors. They recruit as well, but they will be the ones sending you around to the handful of organizations and schools. They also will house you or give money for housing in some way. There are also many recruiters who just recruit. They'll send you to a contractor or to an organization/school directly. Generally, you don't have much contact with them after starting the job.
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wavelength



Joined: 27 Jan 2015
Posts: 151
Location: The Feel Good River of a Celestial Rainbow
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
OK. I see a lot of negative about either recruiters or contractor or schools.

Is there anyone that can be trusted?

Is IGIT that bad, or are people exaggerating. Unfortunately, I can't spend the next three months looking for the perfect angel...
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
wavelength wrote:
OK. I see a lot of negative about either recruiters or contractor or schools.

Reread my other post; there are hardly any complaints about recruiting agencies that solely recruit on the behalf of their clients. That's their only function. They're out of the picture once an offer is accepted, so they're not involved with their client's HR issues. Besides, not all recruiters are Saudi or even based in KSA. That said, there are Saudi contracting companies (employers), like IGIT, that do their own recruiting rather than contract those services to an outside recruiter. This is why applicants always need to ask the interviewer who the actual employer/sponsor is---the entity that will be listed on the employment agreement.

and wavelength wrote:
Is there anyone that can be trusted?

Is IGIT that bad, or are people exaggerating. Unfortunately, I can't spend the next three months looking for the perfect angel...

No, you won't find a "perfect angel," so lower your expectations. Contracting companies range from tolerable to downright miserable. Therefore, do your homework before deciding to sign on the dotted line.

It's not that hard to tell if a poster is exaggerating about his/her experience with a particular contracting company, especially if others aren't expressing the same level of frustration. Plus, everyone's perspective and personal experience can differ. When reading others' comments, look for details and not just generalities. Also, filter out the complaints about weird or backstabbing co-workers (which can occur in any job) and how hard it is to live in Saudi Arabia's restrictive culture (not everyone can handle it).
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