Zandre: Welcome to Qatar. Welcome to a new world where you will get many new experiences with your employer and also get to hear many stories of other employers. Qatar is full of them. Reason: Such employers know of all the loopholes in the system and thus play with employees. You are one of the many. Furthermore, if the employer has a Sheikh as a sponsor, then he acts like a mini ruler of the land. That's because no authority can touch him. Period. I am saying this from first-hand experiences when I came across one Amjath who works for BEMCCO. Possibly, he is the cruelest person in Qatar. He plays with people without the slightest fear, even of God. When people suffer from his cruelty, he laughs on their faces!
Coming to your queries: You are in the trap of one such unscrupulous employer. If the employer is a good one, then they would pay for your ticket and also for the number of days you were away. But since your employer is not willing to do so, it is evident she is playing dirty.
Having said that, since you are working on a visit visa, you are not covered by the Labour Laws of Qatar. The Labour Laws give protection on worker's rights only when the employee is on a work visa. A visit visa is not an employment visa and as such does not fall in the purview of Labour Laws of Qatar. As such, there is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing you can do to your employer. Lastly, with regards to your the profession on your work visa, usually that does not make much of a difference as there are many people here with different profession on their work visa from what is their actual profession. It is very common here. But, the important thing you need to check now if a visa for a "babysitter" is entitled to gratuity and End of Service benefits. I am saying this because people working under "maidservant" visa are not entitled to such benefits under the Labour Laws.
Please make sure that you sign a contract with your employer where everything should be spelled out in black and white. The contract must be attested by the Labour Office and you must be given a copy. This should be done by your employers.
You state in your post, "This is all very alarming to me." Ha! Ha! Just stay a bit longer here and you will get to see or hear things that are more ALARMING.
Zandre: Welcome to Qatar. Welcome to a new world where you will get many new experiences with your employer and also get to hear many stories of other employers. Qatar is full of them. Reason: Such employers know of all the loopholes in the system and thus play with employees. You are one of the many. Furthermore, if the employer has a Sheikh as a sponsor, then he acts like a mini ruler of the land. That's because no authority can touch him. Period. I am saying this from first-hand experiences when I came across one Amjath who works for BEMCCO. Possibly, he is the cruelest person in Qatar. He plays with people without the slightest fear, even of God. When people suffer from his cruelty, he laughs on their faces!
Coming to your queries: You are in the trap of one such unscrupulous employer. If the employer is a good one, then they would pay for your ticket and also for the number of days you were away. But since your employer is not willing to do so, it is evident she is playing dirty.
Having said that, since you are working on a visit visa, you are not covered by the Labour Laws of Qatar. The Labour Laws give protection on worker's rights only when the employee is on a work visa. A visit visa is not an employment visa and as such does not fall in the purview of Labour Laws of Qatar. As such, there is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing you can do to your employer. Lastly, with regards to your the profession on your work visa, usually that does not make much of a difference as there are many people here with different profession on their work visa from what is their actual profession. It is very common here. But, the important thing you need to check now if a visa for a "babysitter" is entitled to gratuity and End of Service benefits. I am saying this because people working under "maidservant" visa are not entitled to such benefits under the Labour Laws.
Please make sure that you sign a contract with your employer where everything should be spelled out in black and white. The contract must be attested by the Labour Office and you must be given a copy. This should be done by your employers.
You state in your post, "This is all very alarming to me." Ha! Ha! Just stay a bit longer here and you will get to see or hear things that are more ALARMING.