JOB VICTIM...

too bad for you... anyway, u said u get 1000k usd. thats better than those skilled workers like masons and the like who recieved only 400k usd or less. you should just f--king finish your contract and be content with that. i supposed your food and accomodation is free. sending your hard earned money in the pinas for ur family is of great help. wag ka na muna balik sa pinas... la kang trabaho na makita dito na ganon kalaki ang sahod. to think your not even licensed. am an architect and i feel your frustration...just be humble in everything you do...

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Chat you tomorrow!

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig 2 graves...

see you around;)

Abble not Abbol! (joke only) Apple good night!

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig 2 graves...

Good night too, i'm sleepy na din, i'm just doin some research on net. Night night!:))

I want apple ok? sounds sweet and cute:D

That really suits. apple no more,

Gudnite everybody.

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ah ok :-) why u are still awake?...lol signing off now

good night!

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Apple NOT Abbol!

:))

get ready for the next get together, ano ka ba?Lol!

what do u mean get ready? you are making me nervous lol

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So lets plan for the next gathering, get ready Karin!

Everyone, bring your agenda....

;)

Apple I understand it will be mostly information for our countrymen but we are not the only Asians here so I guess others may also get a rough idea of how is it and may also be a guide to them. Anyway what is important is we get the information available to them.

I'm affraid we can mostly help our countrymen on this. Coz we will be talking about the Pinoys cost of living here? What i mean is for a single man Filipino QR3k house allowance is good enough for him BUT it is another issue for a western bachelors. Get my point?

But make sure you return it;)

Yes, Apple we can do that. I think it will be of great service not only to our countrymen but to everyone who have plans to work here.

good idea apple...can i have a photocopy ng Labor Law

like the idea apple...count me in as contributor..

The Do's & Dont's living in mid-east!

Btw, I got a Labour law booklet here (old & new).

Treysdad & all pinoy Qlers!

Why dont we discuss in our next get together on how to create an informative page in QL to all Filipinos wants to come here for work? "Cost of Living in Qatar"

We can give them correct information re standard/cost of living, so they can have a better idea to bargain their salary packages w/ the employer. We will take it based on our personal experiences.

Example, cost of living for

bachelors:

1-bedroom rent, monthly food expenses, transportation, social expenses, miscellaneous etc. etc.

Family: and so on........

What you think?

I did all the home work I could before I signed my contract. I wrote inquiries to almost every OFW (overseas filipino worker) I know who are either here in Qatar, GCC and Saudi. I tried to compute what will be my basic expenses here and how much I can send home and how much I can keep as savings each month. Yes, I did factor in that my wife will not have any means to augment our income since she would have to resign and may not be able to work here as she will take care of our son.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that I did my research before I signed my contract. We had to be ready emotionally and mentally to be here. Same as you I came to know after a few months here that I could have bargained for more if I knew how much another nationality was getting for the same skill set I have. But the fact is this is how all companies here scale the salary, it first considers your nationality and then your skills. We have to move heaven and earth to change it.

The way I go about it now is that if they ask me to do something beyond what is in the contract I signed, I respectfully tell my boss that it was not the work I signed up for and if he wants me to do it then he should change my contract and increase my salary. I can do this because I know what I signed up for and they know it. I asked them to specifically state my job role and my responsibility in my contract. I think not all of us have done this. I learned this through others who were here before.

Yes you are right we are just a number they can easily replace. Remember how long the lines were back home of people desperately trying to be here? But I think that is where we can make the difference. That is what we can change. We can be a number they can't take off their minds because that number represents hard work, diligence and initiative. It is the number of the OFW.

Other people see this issue as mere greed by comparing your salary with others. For me what being contested is the company's HR dept, is their salary scale justifiable and should your passport be considered to make an offer? thats it!

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e.i. Filipinos workers

When we got the job offer in Phils. before coming here, we converted the salary into our currency(pesos), then it comes out like Wow! What a big amount!

We dont have any idea how life expensive it could be in Qatar, i mean the cost of living, the housing rents & etc. etc.

The moment we arrived here and start the job, we found out that we are hardly to save w/ that big amount of Pesos. What happened next, either we resign, pack our things and leave and face another hardship of losing some properties backhome....OR, resign and look for another better job offers and take the risk of being deported.

Any choices?

"The offer is always in consideration of the standard of living in your country of origin as stated in your passport."

just a thought:

soon your wife and kids would be migrating in Qatar because no package is worth it to be away from your wife and kids right? so has it still bearing if you wouldnt get the same package had you stayed home? could you get discounts from schools, groceries etc. here in Qatar by showing your passport? no right because we all get absolute value of money here meaning it is no longer relative based on your country of origin. it's doesnt make any sense for me.

Junarch: i doubt it if they would notice your hard work. im not trying to be pessimistic but speaking from my own experience, we're just a number they could easily replace.

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It's ultimately the sensitivity of the company to their workers plight. Early this year we had resignations of older or veteran workers. Now the company has announced that they are looking into the effect of the rent increase in employee morale and will adjust our benefits because of this. They have already adjusted some.

It's good our company was sensitive enough to realize this. Because with more employees resigning, they will lose their competitive advantage in the market. It's just that it took several resignations. I just hope every company is sensistive enough to their workers' woes. I also hope that the government is also sensitive enough to arrest the unabated increases in rent.

i wish i can, in any way, help u... how about discussing this pare while having a brown bottle session? i know a lot havin the same problem but since they've signed for the contract before leavin the country...there's nothin we can do... i guess u just have to work harder and be competitive... eventually they will get to notice your hard work...who knows?

Why not the companies paid their employees based on:

"Nationalities + Standard of living in Qatar?"

What's happening is they ONLY consider the employees nationality and cost of living backhome. They dont realize that we are in Qatar?

You said you think you do same work with same education but the employers disagree. If they could employ cheaper staff with the same skills then they would.

Employers search for best practice, and the best practioners around the world to bring to Qatar.

Best practice is usually found in the most developed markets.

People working in these developed markets are already paid well.

These mature markets are in highly developed countries with many amenities.

To attract these workers, to entice them to Qatar, and to convince them to make significant lifestyle sacrifices/adjustments they must make the pay big enough.

For example, that is why they would usually pay more to someone from the UK than Australia.

anyways yes i agree with treysdad. But if you were treated with disrespect or a 2nd class citizen, that is a totally different issue.

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Good point, think demobilisation should have been something discussed prior to signing a contract - another lesson learnt. Pretty sure most will provide shiping of personal effects back to point of origin. If you have taken any loans (i.e. car loan, housing loan) out guess you would have to recover these before leaving, but sure you could sell up before shipping out to cover these.

Qatars best known Pirate - Yaarr!

thats true but you gotta remember professional expats too eg consultants, engineers, lawyers etc. they are not few i believe.

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for the insight. my only worry is if the company would ask me to pay them back for everything they incurred in getting me here. Although the contract is silent about it....do they have right to do so?

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I am thinking of how would Qatar be without expats.

No construction going on.

Empty and vacant flats

No nannies, no maids, no drivers

all shops closed

all malls closed

if you have more to contribute please do so...

That's unfortunate for us!

Well said..treysdad

This is one of the best comments I have read in this thread..

That is the best way forward!!

Bitter but true..

The current Laws says, 2 years banned IF your sponsor refused to give you release. :(

or shall i say Abbol? lol well, that kind of system doesnt make any sense at all. Dont they have any appreciation of what the expats contribute to this country? I couldnt imagine what this place would be like without us expats.

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If you do leave your employer make sure you get a letter of no objection - without this you wont get back into or a job in Qatar for a couple of years. I think they are changing this soon, does give employers a lot of power over employees and workers ability to move employers. If you do leave a contract early make sure its agreeable with the employer as if you leave on bad terms then they can make things very difficult if they want.

Qatars best known Pirate - Yaarr!

BTW i always thought of gettin a copy of the labor law here but never had the chance. Is there anyone who knows what are the implications if you were sponsored and signed a 2 yr contract and decided to quit your job before the contract ends? is it depending on what your contract says or the Qatar labor law? I dont mind paying my airfare back home really but how about the other implications?

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Also...these days, even if you found better job offers somewhere and got release from your current sponsor, still a worst problem arise....They will deport you!

Karin, totally. You have to do a bit of research on the costs out here and what employers will provide.

Even a singleton like me I had to learn about the costs out here- when I first came out I was living of credit card to get myself set-up and buy all the things I needed - like an ironing board, plates and stuff - have since learnt that most employers give an allowance if you request it - bit too late now but will know for next time I guess. Its a lesson learning time for us overseas working virgins. I thought I was pretty well prepped before coming out - I read up and found Qatar Living very useful (thanks to all) but still learnt a lot from experiencing it myself. Now I know where to shop and make savings and have recovered the debts I ran up from my initial move out. I wont get rich working here or have a huge pension or savings but I will have fun - and is that not what its all about.

Qatars best known Pirate - Yaarr!

Exactly K666 when i was offered my salary i said "thats very low" notheless i agreed because im not really after for the monies but to experience new environment and job. But swissgirl has a point if you are with family here with kids in school dahhh...i dont know how others make it with the high cost of living and education here.

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Hi walt, there's nothing to be done now.

You mentioned that your 2-year contract will end this year- that wld be a relief.

Just consider this stint as a steppin stone and learn from it.

Don't forget to ask for an employment certificate before leaving. Now that you know the rates of architects in Doha, you won't be duped next time.

Inhale, exhale, and pray.

see ya.

Swissgirl, yeah - true, I am single so just have to worry about me. Guess if you have a family its a different circumstance to consider. But is it right that a person with family should be paid more than a single person that does the same job? some companies provide funding for schooling for kids, but I've got no kids, so should I be paid more as I dont take this money from an employer - I appreciate what i have and accept that others will probably recive more and also some will perhaps receive less, but I dont feel cheated.

Every employee is unique and all factors and influences have to be considered; its when employees compare salary and allowances that everything gets complicated - as long as you agree a salary and benfits before commiting to signing the employment contract then its unfair to complain after comparing to other workers.

Qatars best known Pirate - Yaarr!

It is not your fault that you accepted the offer and you came to this country. I know many people who got jobs in States, Canada and Europe, they went there started working and quit after a few months when they got better offers.

The problem here is the system. You cannot leave your company and join another company without the consent of the employer. Even if get his approval, sometimes the system fails you down. You might not be able to work for the new employer because he cannot get a Residence Permit for you. So for the expatriates there are hurdles, obstacles, ditches, deserts, dangerous snakes and insects in their way as well as the dirty bureaucracy. The Western and the Europeans have changed their system thats why they are now called developed countries.

Just remember If you are not part of the system you are part of the problem

yes sweet girl it is true

sad to say yes. ive been working for 16 yrs now and only here i experienced a company who didnt give the same fringe benefits to all employees eg some were given tel allowance for personal use what the heck is that! Dont all of us need telephone?. Needless to say my salary was only 30% of similar level. I dont mind really what others receive as long as i am happy with mine. However sometimes it gets to our nerve but this is reality of life here. we are treated as cheap laborers because maybe of the value or equivalent of money back home. The irony of it we are spending it here not there :-) unless of course the company provides everything as in everything like accomm, food, clothing, utility bills etc. Anyway, it's either you take it or leave it!

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But if you have a family,maybe childrens you need a min.amount to survive in Doha.To get experience would be ok if you are alone and have to care only for yourself.

If you are comparing your package with other nationalities then you are just going to leave yourself frustrated and unhappy with your job. The offer is always in consideration of the standard of living in your country of origin as stated in your passport. (That's right swissgirl39, Europeans and Americans get better offer for the same job!)

Walterdane, when you signed up for your contract you thought you will get something which you will never get by working in your home country - and you did, isn't it? The problem is when you arrived here you came to know the package of other nationalities.

I went through the same frustration. I am one of only 8 persons here in Qatar with the IT certification I hold but when I learned of the package the others were getting due to this certification, I had the lowest total package of them all. But then I realized I will never get the same package if I stayed home. And since that realization I get to enjoy my job and my stay here.

My advise to you is, first, try not to compare too much with other nationalities. As I said this will bring only frustration. Second, if you are really not happy with your present contract, talk it over with your manager. If it does not change then just finish out the contract. It is a bitter pill but it is the safest, legal and most professional way to go through it.

Is it all about money? I came out here and dropped in pay, but was okay as its my first overseas job so was more interested in the experience and the future jobs I might be able to get with this experience on my resume/CV.

Plus life in the middle east is rather nice so Im liking it, yeah - would be nice if I had a ferrari to go around in, massive villa with a pool and job that gave me more money than i could spend but im happy to enjoy what i've got - plenty of time to be rich later.

Qatars best known Pirate - Yaarr!

at least on my first hand experience.

So it is really true that Europeans or Americans get better job offers and are payd better for the same job?I cant believe that.I think we do the same work with the same knowledge and with same graduation,so there must be the same offer for all.NO MATTER OF NATIONALITY.

Welcome to the world of racism Walterdane! the good news is no one could step on you unless you let them. At the end of the day it is still up to you, get a copy of the Qatar labor law i believe they cant force you if you dont like the job anymore but you have to give them 1 month notice. Know the consequences and decide.

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Recently someone posted here that his friend left for holiday and didn't come back to his previous employer. after 5 years he applies here again but couldn't get a working visa because they found out he has abandoned his previous employer and he was sent to jail etc. If you're planning to jump off the ship make sure you apply to a different country or put up with what you've got for now and move on later on to a better job. just stay safe for the meantime you can just charge it to experience.

Little angel

Yeah if I where you? You better go home and find another job if you believe you are qualified enough don’t waste your time to your so called F**K Company. You can just tell them I will resign or just go for a emergency leave or vacation with out coming back!

#IF YOUR RACE IS ASEAN, THE OFFER IS THE VERY LOW OFFER.

- That is not true! You can tell maybe you are from the 3rd country will less education or exposure :D well we can’t say if you are asian (not asean) you are paid less, all depends on the way you negotiate!

# PLUS F**K DRIVER SERVICE

- Then get your license if you don’t want your driver. You are lucky they provide you a driver.

# MY FAULT WAS, MY BEING AN INNOCENT.

- Then you should not open this topic here. ;) It’s your fault then admit it and stay on it else do something and think what is good (if you are qualified to think!)

And one more thing never writes using ALL CAPS! If you don’t know why, please read the Netiquete http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquete at Forum etiquette on the 10th. My eyes is swelling when reading all caps!

Hope that gives you some insights.

Cheers!

Yup... im afraid butterfly is right. If you signed a contract that you later on thought was unfair because you saw how much other expats were getting then im afraid its too late. If your contract is not being honoured by your employer, then you have a legal right to report this to the labour department. However, you always have the choice to pack your bags and leave.

I´m sorry I cannot help you. I don´t see you as a victim as long as the company has respected all terms in the contract. I would guess you agreed upon your salary and benefits before coming to Qatar? You are a victim (legally) when your employer breaches anything in the contract. And even so, if you put up with it, you are no longer a victim.