Lost in Qatar

Sorry for the delay. Its seems my absence in the blogging sphere has affected my presence. The reason for the delay, is my change in place and work. I was employed by a Company in Qatar. I should have realised the downfall in working in a Middle East company before i landed here.

I joined "A Company" on 15th of April, 2008 and since then it has been 5 months and 25 days that I have been working for the company. What I never realized is that the company has been underpaying its employees very recently, almost from the beginning time of my work. At present I am earning a total of $645 per month. This includes for my room allowance and my salary. I have to manage on my own for food.

I have been doing some talking arouind and found out that other companies are paying worker 3 times as much as they are paying me for the same job and experience.

What can i say I am a fool. I put my trust in the wrong people and end up in a virtual labour camp. I have to work for a round 13 hours for everyday except on Fridays where i work for around 8 hours. I have to work without any off-days.

Labour laws in Qatar is not very well practiced. Because everyone is doing it. They are doing it to their house maids and to their drivers.

They expect people to work more for less money. And I am stuck in such a company for another 1 year and 6 months. I a not going to fight this problem but I am taking this as experience to myself. And this is a lesson to me and everyone else work is seeking to get foriengn employement to :

1. Never trust the foregn employent agency you talk to. Cause the say things that seem sweet to the ear.

2. Always keep copies of the contract that the local agensy gives you and the employer gives you and compare these copies.

3. Never give your passport to the agency or the employer unless you are certain that its for applying employment visa and any important formality. Because some of these employers tend to confiscate the passport of the employers and demanding them to stay.

4. Always inquire about your accommodation and food. These are the things that tend to increase expenses. Example, 10 X 30 feet area of room costs around $600 ~ $1000. So don't think that u can manage this by your own. Its usually has to be provided by the company. and most of the time these are not private quarters. you usually have to share it with more than 5 people. The room i am in i have about 11 people with me.

Food is also an expense that has to be meet with carefully. You could go for Food Packages from Caffes and restaurants which would cast u around $ 80 a month. this is for a meal in the morning and a meal at night. If u try buying meals on your own might cast u about $160 ~ $200 a month so mind it.

5. If you already have friends in the place or area where you are about to work as them to find about the company that you might be joining.

6. Always have a copy of you friends and relatives number who are in their area. Make sure you have good contact with them and that they are reliable in case that you find that the company is a mess.

In my case I have to take the bull by the horn. I work for the time I am being paid for. I do extra work on my free time. I make sure I do the work that I am being paid for and never do a work that I never want to do. Besides so far I am doing ok with this company except for the fact that my salary is not enough for all my work. Only God can help me here no one else.

So hope that my endeavor is helpful to those who are planning to leave the country for employment. So Take Care until I have time to write another log.