# Your opinion on this hiring situation?



## wha (Nov 30, 2016)

Hi,

I'm in a process of being hired by a company in Abu Dhabi and I'm a bit confused about few things regarding my situation.. I would very much appreciate your view on it..

It began with a head hunting company contacting me.

After a few interviews with the actual company in October and November 2016 and some negotiations, I received email with a letter of intent (LOI) in December. The LOI however did not contain any signature from the company's side, only some name of the CFO / VP etc. I provided my signature as an indication that I agree and sent it back to them. 

After that there was security clearance and background check going on, which took over 2 months.

Recently I've been told I've passed all the checks and they sent me actual employment contract - unlimited term. Again there is no signature from the company's side. Also the starting date is in a few days, but I was told by the head hunter that it doesn't really apply etc. So again I provided my signature and sent it back to them.

Now they asked me to send them various documents, some attested etc, so they can submit it to get me an employment visa. I'm told this can take another 1-2 months.

What do you think about the process and the fact that I don't have any actual document signed by the company? If something goes south, there's no legal binding whatsoever, correct? It's like nothing ever happened, right?

You know, I've been congratulated so many times by the head hunters and told to celebrate, while not hearing a word from them or the company for weeks (ignoring my questions), that I can't help it but think of it as one big deceit of some kind. Sure, I've done my research on the company, it's seems legit etc., but still the thing is that I've seen and read stories of people who got hired like almost immediately, in a matter of weeks (not this company though) and here's me feeling like I'm being string along for months, like a bull being lured into a slaugher house.

Can for example something like this happen?
My employment visa gets issued, my air ticker and everything gets issued. I arrive to UAE and I'm presented with a labour contract that is totaly not what we settled on? After I turn my life upside down from the grounds (moving to another country), is there something I can do if I end up being conned in the end?

Thank you for your input!


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Make sure they issue you with a return ticket and ask them to confirm the contract has already been lodged with the Ministry of Labour as they are supposed to do that as part of getting your work permit. 

Ask for a copy of the Work permit itself as thats proof they have approval from the MoL to employ you.

Security clearance could easily take two months with someone from your country which isnt a mainstream source for the UAE.

Check out the VP on LinkedIn and see if they have a substantial background and decent contact base. Try connecting to them and see who their contacts are. Copy their LinkedIn photo and do a google reverse image search and see if its a stock photo used by multiple 'profiles'. Check out their company website and see if the website looks real and substantial and kept up to date.

Look up the company on LinkedIn and see how many people are registered with the same company and whether you have contacts in common who could vouch for them.

But as a gut feel, I'd say its flaky. Head hunters dont really operate in the UAE, just agencies and if its taken them six months its desperation to get someone or flaky. 

Employment visa if your degree is attested is four week absolute maximum, if they have a Work permit. If they havent got a work permit, invite them to get it first.

Presumably they have already told you the hotel they are putting you up in for the first month ? Ask the name, ring the hotel and ask if there's a booking in your name with them paying for it.

Don't mention the name of the company here but what market are they in and what is the job title ?

If its Real Estate of any similar market, then its most likely a bit dodgy and if they ask you to pay for anything at all, then run a mile.


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## wha (Nov 30, 2016)

twowheelsgood said:


> Make sure they issue you with a return ticket and ask them to confirm the contract has already been lodged with the Ministry of Labour as they are supposed to do that as part of getting your work permit.
> 
> Ask for a copy of the Work permit itself as thats proof they have approval from the MoL to employ you.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your reply!
Actually you're right on couple of points. First the head hunting company is in fact in the UK - they do the hunting for the company in UAE. The said company in UAE is in IT services business. They allegedly do a lot of business with the government. I would rather not disclose the title as it may be a bit revealing.

You're also correct about the Work permit - that's what they're actually planning to do now. I've messed it up a bit, sorry. They've sent me their onboarding document guide where it is described. It says something like this:

"The attested documents will require a counter-attestation at Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a Work permit. Attested documents along with the Work permit will be submitted to Ministry of Labor, where offer letter will be generated. A copy of the offer letter will be sent to employee via email for signature. The signed offer letter will then be submitted to Ministry of Labor to get their approval. Once approved, work permit will be issued, after which Ministry of Residency will issue the Employment Visa. This process should take no more than 1-2 months."

Anyway, I'm also quite puzzled how can this whole hiring process take so many months, especially when they say they want to expand and grow fast etc. It all just sounds cheesy to me. The thing is that after the LOI in December the head hunter told me the actual contract should arrive soon and then there was this period of almost total blackout. I didn't know what's going on - I was only told "background check". I even contacted the HR and they told me the same thing that the background check is going on and did not respond to me any more after that. No one was communicating me at all. After many weeks of silence I totally gave up on it and suddenly there's an employment contract in my inbox and everybody congratulating me again. I feel kinda like a deer being hunted.

Now the process seems to be going well, everyone talks with me again, but after I was doing some research I realized I still don't have any signed document from them, so I still have actually nothing, if I understand the UAE labor law correctly.

I will do those things you recommended. Thank you for your suggestions!


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## travelingScientist (Feb 27, 2017)

Hello,

From what I have read online, here is how the process works:

Company sends you a contract to sign (without their signature), you sign it and send it back to them. They sign it and with both parties' signatures, send it to the ministry for approval. In case of a legal dispute filed with the ministry, you are legally eligible to obtain a copy of the contract duly signed by both parties. 

See this link:
New UAE Labour Law: 7 points your employment contract must include - Emirates 24|7


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## travelingScientist (Feb 27, 2017)

Also, these head hunters or agencies do operate from UK/Ireland in UAE, so I don't think anything worth worrying about.

They may have messed up some documents while sending the packet to the ministry, and each trip to ministry costs at least a month of time or more so delays can add really fast. Although 5-6 months seems too long.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

This is Abu Dhabi. you will be surprised how short work days become when coffee breaks so long


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## wha (Nov 30, 2016)

Thank you all!


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