Contract with AETG

Have patience   I know it's hard.  Don't bother them with emails.  They'll sort the visa paperwork and then send it to the broker they use in London.  Could be a couple of weeks right now judging by other offers made.  When you get the email from AETG that they've passed it on you can start getting excited.  As to how long that segment of the process takes, more patience required it appears

Thanks Beakersful

Did you get contact with the broker today then?

After signing my contract I had to wait three months until my company sent me over to Saudi. Others had to wait one or two months. A couple of weeks is probably the minimum!

Taha, it will be quick for them to issue the visa for you. The bit that delays most is the visa process from your side. It's painful! expect to be there anywhere up to two months from signing the contract. Maybe different companies work at different speeds, but Saudi has one constant speed and it's not very fast I can assure you :p

Many thanks guys for your feedback ...

Hello Tahal and everyone who has responded and given such helpful information:)I'm considering working for EATG but the comments I found, that dated in 2012, about the way they treated their employees were all negative. Can any of you tell me if their approach has changed and if you've had a positie experience? I'd really appreciate getting some feedback asap...Thank you:)

Myriam11 wrote:

I'm considering working for EATG but the comments I found, that dated in 2012, about the way they treated their employees were all negative. Can any of you tell me if their approach has changed and if you've had a positie experience? I'd really appreciate getting some feedback asap...Thank you:)

Your best bet for info about teaching via AETG will be on Dave's ESL Cafe's Saudi discussion forum.  You'll likely get responses from past and present AETG teachers.

Thanks Smurfette; I'll go see if I can find some information there

@Myriam, people tend to only go online and tell their grievances.  The ones who are happy, are happy beavering away and you won't hear from them.  When you read any negative reviews consider the source, and if you get the chance ask them some questions about who they are and why the workplace relationship broke down.  There are obvious factors beyond your control, accommodation conditions, timely visas, (mis)management style.  But there are other conditions to look over, including personal suitability, education pathway and culture shock.  Working in KSA is about CV packing and the money.  You have to give some things up to achieve that.

Thanks Beakersful; I appreciate the information. I've been teaching in South Korea for the past 3 years and I've felt privileged to be able to experience another culture from within. As you said, it has it's ups and downs. I've contacted a few people who are, or have, taught in Saudi Arabia and I'm looking forward to the possibility of teaching there for a full year or two. The money does have it's appeal, but it's not the only reason why I'd like to teach there Can you tell me what you mean by their education pathway?...Once I'm there, I'll be one of those beavering away: I prefer to give my 100% and make the journey as enjoyable as possible One last question; are there any recruiter(s) you would suggest? Thank you in advance:D

taha-tesol wrote:

Hi there,

I have recently got a job offer to work for AETG in Riyadh. I singed the contract and sent it back to them.

How long does it usually take for them to get back to me regarding the Visa?

Your comments are appreciated

Taha

Ok, so here is my AETG process. Signed contract Nov 25th. AETG got my application number from KSA (requesting a certain type of visa) then they sent the paperwork over to a agency here in US around Dec 15. I got my medical report, lab work, police documents, passport photos, degrees, etc. sent to the agency by Jan 1st. Then the agency processed my documents (took them way too long) and sent my Bachelors diploma to Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to be verified. It was taking longer than I wanted so I ended up traveling to the S.A.Cultural Mission and then to the embassy myself to handle my own visa (took me 3 days total, which is annoying bc the agency took over 6 weeks and I still had to make the trip to finish up the process myself). Anyway, I got my visa Feb 20th and I'm flying out in 10 days.
In summary:
Nov 25- signed contract
Dec 15- agency sent over paperwork for me to fill out
Jan 1- I sent over all required documents to agency
Feb 20- finally got visa stamped in passport
Mar 6- flying out to Riyadh (yay)!
TOTAL TIME: ~ 3 months
Note, that the process would've taken a lot shorter if I visited the S.A.Cultural Mission and embassy sooner. But this may be an isolated situation bc my agent was a lazy pessimist (met her) and she wasn't submitting my paperwork as quickly as she could have.

I wrote an essay (sorry lol) but I hope this helps!

It's also be a lot shorter if the local Saudisation policy to give locals x% of all created jobs didn't extend to native speaking English teachers.   That, and gaining block visas, is probably most of the wait you encounter unfortunately.   3 months is about average therefore coming in.  If you don't know what is going on with companies obtaining visas from the government then you sit there thinking it's solely the company at fault.

Is there income tax on income? I keep hearing that salary isn't taxed, but is there some tax, just minimal?

A quick google [search term "saudi arabia taxation"] produces this:

"There is no tax payable on salaries for foreign employees in Saudi Arabia, and self-employed foreigners are only taxed on overseas-earned income."

However, you need to check your taxation rules back home with regard to absence for full tax year, as to whether your country of origin will tax you as a resident.