I don't think my degree is accredited??
Hi there,
I hope someone can help me. I have been offered a job in Qatar but the agency is now asking for a copy of my passport (British) and my degree for a visa. The problem is I don't think my degree is from an accredited university, as it's one of those that you get based on your life experience and your exams that you have already taken, and I have recently seen on Google quite a few bad things about them. I did go to University years ago, but I only stayed for 2 years and left before finishing the degree and started working due to Financial reasons. I now have this great opportunity to move to Qatar, but if I only get an entry visitor visa, what happens if the working visa is not approved due to this?? Do the employers check your visas out??
Taff.
there r some decent one around i am not advocating anything here...its just maybe he can look into if he wants.....
Taff, I have only just realised that you are a female with children.I don't wish to be nosy but are you married and will your husband be accompanying you?
It's unusual for any of the state oil companies to recruit "unattached women", certainly if they have children. I assume that it is one of the State oil companies that you are joining.
Most staff are employed on an initial 3 month probationary period. Dependents can accompany the employee from the outset but if the probationary period is failed the employee is charged for the tickets of the dependents.
Work permits are ordinarily applied for either before arrival or immediately upon arrival.
jbravo. What you are advocating (getting a degree "on-line") is exactly what the companies are guarding against.
They possess a volume of books that rates all universities. Many of the "on-line" ones don't even appear in them. Viz..."The University Without Walls" which credited "life" experience.....on condition you could pay the "fees".
If it's one of the oil companies, it WILL be checked.
The procedures were heavily modified in the 80's as too many individuals with "false" qualifications were being recruited.
The silly thing is that so many of the jobs state a degree as a minimum requirement that the degrees are devalued.
I remember a "very senior" Qatari invoved in Job Evaluation in a state oil company insisting that many Senior staff jobs even in the 80's could be performed with completion of Secondary Education and not the quoted degree.
Well another thing came to my mind that is ... if you are lacking confidence about your degree, you should present yourself and make your case stronger so much so that they will almost forget checking your degree....
Like your work experience letters, any certifications, awards etc etc...
Normally employers check your work references...so divert their attentions from the degree towards your strong points..
Cheers
Thanks for the vote of confidence guys, I will go tomorrow and get a copy notorized. I think you can do it at the post office or the police station here too.
Yeah, I will definitely think about getting a proper online degree if this falls through. I'm a working full time mum so I definately won't be able to go to classes in the evenings or week ends, so hopefully there is somewhere in Australia that does on line degrees in the Business Management subject.
I thought that you only got the working visa once you arrived in Qatar though!!!
Well it all depends, if its an oil gas company then most of the times there are euro, american expats working there. So maybe they are strict about such procedures. If its an qatari working then forget about it you are in safe heaven.
I think you can get working visa .. dont quit your job yet until everything is finalized. I think check you local directory to find notorary public, when I was in states i heard that such things can be done at post offices also...
Or what you can do in the mean while is get an online degree from a reputed university. They can give you credit for the experience you have and all so it would be only a year or so that you can have a good degree in your hand. It doesnt hurt to give it a shot. Cos lets say GOD forbid you dont get this one...just cos of this reason you dont want future oppurtunities to pass by...so get yourself a real degree or even if your in australia..u can do TAFE thing...
To be honest the less you tell these people the better..if they ask then tell..if they dont ask ... dont tell anything extra...
good luck
I agree with jbravo69 "sad but true"
go ahead and send those documents, they will never gonna check if it is accredited or not unless the in charge person knew about it.
Good luck,
Ayman
Thank you for your quick response. I'm now living in Australia but have a British passport.
The job is with one of the big oil companies, so I'm sure that they will check it out ...
Where would be the best place to get it notorized in Australia?? Can I get the working visa before I leave, I don't want to hand my notice with my current job and travel all the way to Qatar with my family, then a few weeks later they decline my working visa and we have to leave, it would be very embarassing!!!
Has that ever happened to anyone that you know of?? I now feel that my degree is a fake. I just wished now that I had gone back to University to finish my degree 20 years ago...
Sometime its better to keep quite...
Just send you attested degree(get a photocopy notorized from uk or where you are) to your company here. If you got through interview successfully then you know your stuff so maybe it wont matter to employer maybe.
I saw just tell them this is your degree, dont mention is not from accredited university etc etc. Your british passport will be enough I guess to get your working visa cos here in qatar passport means more then your degree or qualification.
There are lot of other nationalities who come here who fake or crappy degree they get jobs here....
hope that helps..