Job Discussion Forums

[housecat]

Hi All,

I'm quite new here, but reading through many, many pages and threads on this forum, and having read many, many posts asking about what is required to teach in UAE, I'm wondering how these credentials are verified.

I mean, I would think that is isn't very hard to verify that a university diploma is real, or at the very least that the university is real, but how would a school in the UAE verify experience listed on a CV?

I know that in South Korea it's not uncommon for native speakers to be working there on purchased diplomas. The government doesn't really check anything out, as a rule, and "teachers" aren't really expected to know pedagogy from a pick-ax (as a rule).

How often does this kind of thing happen in the UAE?

[MGreen]

Usually you have to get everything notarized first (State Department...), then you have to send it to the UAE Embassy in your home country and they supposedly verify it again.

In terms of your work experience, the employer will usually contact the schools in question. This is my experience for working in a university in the UAE, it may be different depending on the school or institute you apply for.

If you are thinking about using a fake diploma, you'll probably get caught. If you're thinking about faking some of your work experience on your CV (as long as some of it checks out), you'll probably be OK.

[housecat]

Thanks for the reply. My credentials are real and I don't need to fake them. I was just struck by all the same questions asked over and over again. I know lots of other foreigners fake things in lots of other places and I was just wondering if the higher salaries don't attract much more of this kind of thing in UAE. Having a degree notarized I can see, but if a CV lists several schools in different nations, do they really call all of them?

[helenl]

The desireable employers (UAEU, HCT, AUS and ZU) will verify your education and your experience. If they can't they'll either request others or put your CV in the circular filing cabinet.

[housecat]

Well, that's good and it bodes well for working with other staff members who are actually qualified. I guess it really is a different world from the other asian cultures I've known.

[helenl]

Qualified on paper does not necessarily translate into quality in the classroom as we all know. The Gulf attracts its fair share of odd ducks (you and me excluded of course).

[housecat]

[quote="helenl"]Qualified on paper does not necessarily translate into quality in the classroom as we all know. The Gulf attracts its fair share of odd ducks (you and me excluded of course). [/quote]

Of course! I'm not odd at all. I'm generally thought of as "unique."

[kiefer]

Although letters of recommendation might be asked for, most employers will instead ask if they can contact your references directly. This happens on the interview/hiring end.

However, on the administration end, where you will have to have your credentials verified, letters of reference--even if they are secure, i.e. they go directly from your referrals to the new place of employment, by-passing you, mean nothing. This can complicate matters when salary is based on years of experience and all you may have to show for your experience are those reference letters accounting for dates and lengths of employment.

In this region, end-of-service comes with a certificate and that is what HR people ask for to verify your experience.

[housecat]

Hmm. That sounds difficult as I've never heard of any end of job certificate before. In other words, I don't have one. Does that mean that reguardelss of any experience I might have had I'd start at the bottom of the pay scale?

And most of my experience is in Taiwan. In Taiwan, the admin people, even in the English language programs, do not usually have very good English. Some will, but it's hit and miss and most can't handle a very noticable accent. Also, foreigners come and go with the wind, so how might a university in Taiwan even know who these people were asking about? Ministry of Education might know of me, maybe, after some digging through files that they wouldn't want to do, but the people at the Uni will almost certantly be new staff by now.

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Housecat,

The procedure for certification of your degrees depends on the country, so you can't do anything until you know your employer. They also vary in how far they check your references.

Letters or certificates of employment don't exist in the US, so I had never heard of them either. But, for the employers who base salary on experience, they can be crucial. While they may hire you based on your listed jobs, your salary will not reflect the experience. If possible, make contact with your previous employers - even write the certificate yourself and have them sign it - all it requires is the bare facts that you were employed from such and such date and did such and such... get them to sign it and if possible, put on some kind of rubber stamp... even an address stamp is fine. (they love stamps in the ME)

What they do want to see are references that they can contact by email or phone.

Personally I doubt that they do much checking of Asian employers for the reasons that you mention. There is the language barrier and I doubt that the Ministries there would even reply to a request.

VS

[golden teacher]

Yes, veiledsentiments is right - check with the employer because verification varies from one to the next within the same country. For example, when I moved from a university to a college, the new employer asked that my Masters degree be authenticated by my state. That meant sending the actual document to the governor's office to have it signed and imprinted with the state seal. That took some time, so start the process early.

[housecat]

So it sounds like maybe carrying a duplicate diploma or two might be advised, as sending an original is a bit risky. Do they also ask for undergrad degrees to be authenticated as well?

[MrScaramanga]

My diplomas are from the US aswell and all the places where I have worked in the Gulf requested official transcripts be sent to them directly and to see and photocopy the original of diplomas upon arrival. I never had to notarize a diploma -- I am assuming because the transcripts were sent from the university to the employer.
MrS

[veiledsentiments]

There is great variance here. One consistency is that it is for all degrees.

Never once have I had to send off an original to anyone, it was always notarized copies. As I mentioned before, ask what the employer wants and a step that I found helpful was to call the State Department in DC. They are a step in the process and you usually only need to be on the line for a few hours and a dozen transfers until you find the person who knows all. There is a person there that has a list by country and employer!! Of course, there is always the possibility that the Bush administration terminated that position since it might be helpful to the citizens.

When these papers are delivered to the employer, they usually want to see your original degrees. But never once have they left my sight.

Only one employer (HCT) ever requested a transcript.

It is not a bad idea to get duplicates from your universities and leave them in the US in a safe place that someone can get to. (ie... not in one of the unmarked boxes in the storage unit)

VS

[mishmumkin]