few contract work related questions

Exit / Re-entry permits are peanuts. QR 10. In Saudi Arabia, multiple exit re-entry can be availed but then to my knowledge, most company do not allow it except to western expats, other nationalities, you have to haggle for it. Although I have a multiple exit re-entry when I was in the KSA. In Qatar, I am sure in Qatar, this is being applied too. It all boils down to the company and the management, if they will allow it.

@Molten Metal: thanks again for your comments. just one question - why do we work? the answer is to earn money. for whom is the next question? for me the answer is mainly for my family. so if i say that i am ready to bear the exit/re-entry permit cost and travel cost by myself, (i am assuming qatar has 5 working days and 2 days weekend of friday and saturday), what is the problem with the employer if on a weekend instead of being in qatar, i want to be with my family in india - i am not asking for leave and i have the sense of professional responsibility of the work i do that i will make sure that the employer should not suffer or the work should not suffer because of my absence from qatar - So then if i want to have the mental freedom that i can come back to my home-country whenever i have a need, what is wrong with this thing?

i agree i have attachment towards my family. but the thing is if i do not have attachment towards my family, then i would not be trying to earn more money for them by making myself go away to qatar. but along with professional responsibility, i have personal responsibility towards taking care of my family and to be with my family whenever they need me - so if i am asking for having my personal-professional life balance, what is wrong with it?

But , Your quest in this research was successful and fruitful ........... Cheers .. Sun ,18.05.2014 , 08.39 hrs

I think you have been convinced by yourself by now to cancel your plans which was already decided in your mind , a person who has too much false attachment to his family need not leave home ........... Sun ,18.05.2014 , 08.38 hrs

You are unfit to work away even from your door step ......................... Sun ,18.05.2014 , 08.35 hrs

Just think about the army men who are posted at the borders of your nation ! They too have old parents , wives and kids , they fear less than you even though they may get fired upon any time ....................................................................... ......................... Sun ,18.05.2014 , 08.33 hrs

Mis, You can open a Labour Supply Company / Agency in Mubai , you know all the points now ......... Sun ,18.05.2014 , 08.31 hrs

@gene_lv: thanks for your reply. much appreciated. you have cleared many doubts for me and this is a good advice that i need to clearly tell about my requirements to HR. most probably it will work against me, but this exit/re-entry permit requirement needs to be clearly stated in the contract - so that both the employer and me are on the same page. actually my requirement was not that i wanted 3 to 4 days leave, while i travel to india, but suppose if some holiday is coming up in qatar and it is followed by a weekend, so in a way 3 days holidays consecutively - then i go and come back from india after visiting my family, of course i will be ready to bear the travel costs by myself. i am even ready to pay for the exit/re-entry permit if needed. i just want some mental freedom that whenever i need i can travel to india to meet my family, and of course i will take care that the professional work does not get hampered due to my travelling (by arranging for travel when there is holiday at work location like every weekend involving friday and saturday and holidays at qatar), in a way meeting both personal and professional requirements.

i heard that in saudi arabia, except for labourers, other working people can get a work visa with multiple exit/re-entry permit option enabled on it, the validity of the visa was 1 year earlier, but now the validity of the visa has reduced to 6months - i do not know if this is correct, but i was wondering if there is such work permit option in qatar as well? any information about this thing, if somebody has, then please let me know. thanks.

It is illegal in Qatar for an employer to hold or keep your passport. YOU can raise HELL if they do so but, you still need them to get you an exit/re-entry anytime you go out of the country.

Probationary is irregardless of your contract duration.

I wonder if there is any employer who will allow you to go home at anytime as you wishes depending on your reasons.

An employment involves contractual obligation which will benefit both parties (this is the presumption of the contract) as I told you, your desire to go home should be discussed to HR so that when you ask for it, there will be no haggling to have it, but to me, it may work against you!

@gene_lv: you said - Probationary is between 3 to six months, during this period any party can terminate the contract subject to terms and conditions stipulated in the employment contract.

so a question - does in a contract job of 1.5 years, does probation comes into picture? i thought probation is only for full-time permanent employees. moreover, after 6 months what will be the case for ending of contract? any ideas, please. thanks.

Following a discipline is not like being a slave , do not trust the false news of propaganda and bundle of lies against your country of work ............................................. Sat , 17.05.2014 , 11.00 hrs

Mis , Take your employer like a caring father or mother , sometimes they also stop us from going to other towns at our wish , that is for our good , we know it later , in the long run , it's beneficial .......... ........ Sat , 17.05.2014 , 10.49 hrs

@gene_lv: just to clarify, my above post is in reply to ur post - You better not work but apply for a tourist visa in that case, you can come and go at anytime. I presume that the moment you come, you will look for another job.

@gene_lv : no, your presumption is not correct. i do not have this thing in mind that i reach qatar for one job and then after reaching, i look for another job.

the only concern, which is bothering me, is that my passport will not be with me, rather my employer, so in a way i am totally at his mercy if i want to go back to india and visit my family.

i am 30 years old, have parents who are aging nearly 65 years, have a wife and a 2 year old daughter. i will come alone to qatar to work and my family will be staying in india only. so i am worried that if on one morning, i get a phone call that there is some medical emergency in my family or suppose after 1.5 or 2 or 3 months, i feel the need to meet my family, then how will i go to india to meet them.

if needed, i am ok to pay exit/re-entry permit money by myself, but if the process is only sponsor or employer can pay for exit/re-entry permit then that is another case. i do not know what is the cost of exit/re-entry permit, but if i want to meet my family then since it is my personal requirement, i am ok to bear its cost, but if as per qatar visa process, only employer can do it, then i am just at the mercy of my employer and can only beg to him to allow me to go to india - seems like i will make myself into a modern slave or a modern bonded labour without any freedom - so if this is the situation that is going to be, then is it worth for me to come to qatar and work there?

i was thinking about the above thing, so found this forum on google search and posted the above query, so that people actually currently working in qatar can tell me what is the actual condition there.

so now what you think, pls tell. thanks.

I am into recruitment and to be honest with YOU, I don't think any employer will allow his employee to go home at his own will at anytime he/she pleases unless of course you hold a senior level position. However, during the salary negotiation you should bring this case to the HR and should be stated in the contract so that it becomes your right and not just a privilege.

Probationary is between 3 to six months, during this period any party can terminate the contract subject to terms and conditions stipulated in the employment contract.

so if i reach the HR round for the job opening, then should i discuss these things in it - or the employer as you are saying above understands that the employee since he has not brought his family here, has normal requirements to meet his family and so will need to go to home town - or in the HR round, i should explicitly say that i will need to travel to india to meet my family once in every 2 months or whenever the need arises. The question is should i discuss these requirements in HR round or this requirement is taken as default requirement, so there is no point of discussing it explicitly.

i am a software engineer with 8 years experience - the job i am applying to is a contract job - so if on reaching there, i found the work is not as per my technical skill, and then if i want to end the contract - so in HR round should i also get the conditions clarified as to how the contract can be ended, so that neither the company faces any loss, nor i face any loss.

pls suggest. thanks for taking out time to reply to my queries.

You better not work but apply for a tourist visa in that case, you can come and go at anytime. I presume that the moment you come, you will look for another job.

Mis , If you have talent , you command respect ............. Pray hard , Good luck & joys ................. . ...... Sat , 17.05.2014 , 09.38 hrs

Mis, Think positive , At your age there won't be any chance of emergency if all your family members are equally responsible in their conduct at home . OK , even though , officials will hand over your passport = PP , you will be allowed to take the first avialable flight out to your town , your travel expenses will be born by your employer if you did not cheat by making a pleasure trip by telling lies to your employer .... Do not worry about the cost of privileges you are getting at work ............. There are millions of folks like you who are in gulf for the last 3 decades , that's enough proof that a system works here .... Sat , 17.05.2014 , 09.37 hrs

thanks for your reply @Molten Metal.

By PP you mean passport - right?

but the question is why will an employer want to pay for 6 times to me to go to india - why will he not want to save money and just say that he will not allow me to go back to india - he can give reasoning that since exit/re-entry permit is costing him money, he will allow me to back to india only once in a year or may be no going back to india - cant this situation arise? what will i do if such a situation will arise?

i am the only child of my parents and i am married and i have a daughter, but i will come go alone to qatar with my family staying back in india. moreover, if suppose (god forbid) if there is a medical emergency in my family and i get a phone call one morning in which my family asks me to come back to india, so then taking approval from employer, employer agreeing, getting back passport, applying exit/re-entry permit - this can take 4 to 5 working days, so it means on an emergency condition within 1 day it will never be possible for me to come to india? is this the case, or there is some way in which within 1 day (when i hear about the emergency), i can come to india to meet the emergency condition?

any thoughts, pls. thanks.

Yes , All the rules are in your favour here . It the sponsor who pays for your Exit Permits for you as many times as you need , There is one which is good for the full year , it 's not your bothration . Yes if you are ready to bear the major loss to your employer , you may fly out when you wish .

Why you doubt , if your employer keeps your PP safe in fire proof , Cctv , 24 hours security free of cost ? ........ ..................................................................... Sat , 17.05.2014 , 08.59 hrs