Major Leap

If you are considering applying for jobs in Saudi Arabia or Dubai, or any one of the Gulf States, you should be aware that once you start work it is not easy to change.  An employee is sponsored by an employer, who will have paid a great deal of money in visa and relocation fees to bring the worker to the country, so they will not be keen to allow anyone to terminate a contract early.  When taking Gulf jobs, the worker has an obligation to remain loyal to the employer.

It has been the case in the past that some workers whose contracts have ended have found a new job while they are still in the country.  This means that the employer has obtained the services of an experienced employee and has not had to pay out for visa and relocation fees.  There are now new procedures in place to prevent workers from doing this. 

Employment contracts are now worded so that they protect employers.  Open ended contracts are used rather than fixed term agreements and the worker has to agree to leave the country for six months after the end of the contract and before they can apply for a new job and visa. 

In order to transfer to another job a worker must have a ‘no objection certificate’ from the company they currently work for, but this does not mean that they will no longer be subject to rigorous checks.  The easiest way to change jobs is to leave at the end of the contract and reapply after the six month waiting period has elapsed.