Guys I have just received my contract of employment and I am a bit confused as to whether the terms of the contract is what one would expect in this country:


1. During the probationary period , I will have to give my employer One month notice whereas they dont have to give me any. I thought it is 1 week both sides.

2. If I leave within the probationary period, I would have to pay them all the recruitment fees that has been incurred in hiring me which means paying back agency fees, visa fees, medical fees and so on. Estimated cost AED 35,000.

I know that probationary period is a very short period and one can easily pass that period, but what I would like to know is, are these normal terms in UAE for a multinational.

Ty.

Typically the probationary period (outside of the freezones) can be up to 6 months.

It might be a good idea to familiarise yourself with the UAE Labour Law.

Sure , not concerned about the probationary period as it is only 3 months, more concerned about the terms of the contract.

yep pretty much, especially if it's a local company.

Be careful with the exact wording of that clause. "leaving" could include them getting rid of you...

I thought that was illegal in UAE. Anyone?

I'm just about to start a 1 year probation (on a 2 year contract). work that one out!

Gosh, this is way too much.... I bet your salary is good enough which makes you ignore this probationary period.

Another point which I have just noted on my contract is ' Any paymeny in lieu of notice shall consist solely of a sum equivalent to the employee's salary. Given that total cash remuneration is broken down between basis, transport and housing allowance, does this mean that I would only get my basis salary with no holiday pay or anything?

This Sucks..........

So I guess you are choosing to ignore all the advice you got on the thread where you asked whether Channel Islands or Dubai was the right choice for someone at an early stage in their career.....

Anyway, yes it is normal to have different notice periods for the parties. In fact it was one of the things I negotiated on when I first came to Saudi on a 6 month contract. They had no notice I had 3 months notice. I told them to forget it or make it an even 1 months, and they complied..

My initial contract had no such payback of recruitment costs clause, but my permanent contract (which came later) did. And the period ran for a full year..Anyway, I didn't care, it would cost me a lot more through taxes if I returned to the UK early. I wasn't leaving any time soon...

Good luck! I hope you've made the right choice..

holiday pay..

short answer. yes. i would expect it to be basic salary only.

A company may reclaim set up costs ONLY if the employee signs a contract with those terms in them. See 1st Q&A here:

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs....ate=columnists

The figure of AED 35,000 is very high too.
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Yeah, agree on the wording and it is def illegal to reclaim any costs from the employee for their visa.

Where is this specified- out of interest?

Interesting- certainly if it is a UAE based employer then this is in contravention of Article 37 of the Labour Law.

Think its article 18...

How about if you don't move all your stuff for the first few months?
See how it goes.

And make sure the salary is worthwhile otherwise you will be trying to jump ship within the first week.