Interview soon in Kuwait

Dear South,

I think it will be useful to read the string of different posts on this blog carefully.  As with you I spent some time checking the internet before I decided to go to Kuwait with my family but there was very little information available in June 2008 and the situation hasn't changed much in the intervening year.

The reason why I caution you to read the posts on this blog regarding employment in Kuwait is that my own case and several others that I know off were not happy experiences.  I have also had some feedback from other expats of decent treatment but these are in the minority and usually where the employment was with a large bank that already employs a lot of expatriates.

I will respond to your other post separately because it poses an interesting question which relates to the different ethnic origins of expatriates which also impacts on the benefits and contractual obligations and the way contracts are honoured in Kuwait.

The Kuwait government posts some interesting details of existing employment law, including types of contracts and so forth, and you would do well to check these details out.  The difference between an open ended and closed (defined term) contract can be quite major as I found out to my cost.  The existing law is outdated, and the provisions therein therefore not adequate regarding things like holidays and so forth.  So any contract that refers to the law in terms of other benefits will likely not be acceptable, as compared to Denmark.

I can only speak from personal experience, and have detailed this carefully in the posts on this blog.  The lesson I learnt is that each and every detail in the contract must be documented in that contract.  Verbal representations are not reliable.  So you need to make a list of different benefits that you would like to clarify and discuss these for inclusion.

My contract was all inclusive, and I assumed that this included certain standard coverage, such as fees for work permits and rsidence permits for the family.  This was not the case and for my family of 6 I ended up being liable for around US$ 6,000 for just that requirement because my company, Protiviti, claimed it was not in the contract and therefore to be paid by me.  Normally I would not have worried too much but as you can see, the costs of getting a visa and residence permit for a year are extremely high in comparison to other locations.

To a large extent the success of your move will depend on the company you work with in Kuwait and the relevant people you are dealing with.  Hence you will need to do some due diligence and ask pertinent questions when you go for your interview, as well as check out the company website and any comments on the internet, which you may have already done.

As I have described on our website on balfoort.com.my, business practices in Kuwait have become pretty warped (see the article on First Kuwait under News, as well as the Case for Equity and Fairness), possibly due to the close proximity to and reliance on American military contracts.  An interesting article on fraud in the US Military in Iraq is available on the UK Independent website, where an article claims billions of dollars were defrauded by US personnel and contractors, and also on CBS. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/ … 7378.shtml In this environment it is no wonder that employment and other contractual obligations are often the victims, as many contractors are based in Kuwait.  Monkey see, Monkey do?

Best regards and good luck.

Ferdinand
balfoort.com.my