If all goes well, my life of leisure will soon come to an end. I've been offered the position of Manager - Leadership Development at Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. It's a great role that will allow me to use my experience and training and I think challenge me in new ways. And I can't wait!
Job hunting and all that goes with it has been quite an education, and after almost 8 very long months of pounding the pavement, I finally have a job offer and now move on to the next adventure ... completing the security clearance. Like most companies, there are forms to fill out and paperwork to complete, but there are a few unique things either specific to UAE or because I'm a foreigner trying to work outside her home country.
One such step is document attestation, most of which we had to do to get our resident visas. This included our marriage certificate, birth certificates and college transcripts. Basically, the process is to attest that these documents are authentic and we are who we say we are. In the case of the transcripts, it's attested proof of your education credentials. The process is time consuming and requires you get certified copies of the docs, then you have to get it attested by the Wisconsin State Department, then to the US Department of State, and then to the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. That process alone took almost 4 months for me (Brian's took less time as he had legal help through Epic to facilitate the process). THEN, we had to get them attested here in UAE! The good news is that Etihad was expecting me to have to START this process now, so were thrilled to hear that I was one step ahead of things.
Another step was to get a Good Conduct Certificate from the Dubai Police department. I'm not exactly sure what this is all about, but my guess is that it might be because my resident visa was issued in Dubai and I'll be working in Abu Dhabi. I tried to simply tell the Etihad recruiter that I'm not a crook (I even offered to pinky swear), but unfortunately, that wasn't acceptable procedure. So, after Etihad provided me with a letter requesting the certificate, I was off to the Dubai Police headquarters and the Criminal Investigation Department.
And the trip there was yet more evidence that I get lost EVERY TIME I try to go somewhere new. I had a map of sorts and kind of knew the area a bit since it was near where we went to get our driver's licenses, but I didn't have turn by turn directions. After an hour and 15 minutes of driving around, stopping at other police facilities, asking for directions, and finally stumbling on it by taking the only route I hadn't yet tried, I found the building. Once there, it was a relatively painless 20 minutes later and I had my application for my good conduct certification filed (including finger prints!). I was then asked to return in 5 days to pick up my certificate. (Thank goodness I now know where the place is!)
I'll head back to Dubai on Tuesday to pick up the certificate and then hand it in to Etihad. Hopefully, once I'm able to prove I haven't done anything 'crook-like' in Dubai, I'll be able to start work. And I've got my fingers crossed that they don't require a "Good Sense of Direction Certificate".
Job hunting and all that goes with it has been quite an education, and after almost 8 very long months of pounding the pavement, I finally have a job offer and now move on to the next adventure ... completing the security clearance. Like most companies, there are forms to fill out and paperwork to complete, but there are a few unique things either specific to UAE or because I'm a foreigner trying to work outside her home country.
One such step is document attestation, most of which we had to do to get our resident visas. This included our marriage certificate, birth certificates and college transcripts. Basically, the process is to attest that these documents are authentic and we are who we say we are. In the case of the transcripts, it's attested proof of your education credentials. The process is time consuming and requires you get certified copies of the docs, then you have to get it attested by the Wisconsin State Department, then to the US Department of State, and then to the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. That process alone took almost 4 months for me (Brian's took less time as he had legal help through Epic to facilitate the process). THEN, we had to get them attested here in UAE! The good news is that Etihad was expecting me to have to START this process now, so were thrilled to hear that I was one step ahead of things.
Another step was to get a Good Conduct Certificate from the Dubai Police department. I'm not exactly sure what this is all about, but my guess is that it might be because my resident visa was issued in Dubai and I'll be working in Abu Dhabi. I tried to simply tell the Etihad recruiter that I'm not a crook (I even offered to pinky swear), but unfortunately, that wasn't acceptable procedure. So, after Etihad provided me with a letter requesting the certificate, I was off to the Dubai Police headquarters and the Criminal Investigation Department.
And the trip there was yet more evidence that I get lost EVERY TIME I try to go somewhere new. I had a map of sorts and kind of knew the area a bit since it was near where we went to get our driver's licenses, but I didn't have turn by turn directions. After an hour and 15 minutes of driving around, stopping at other police facilities, asking for directions, and finally stumbling on it by taking the only route I hadn't yet tried, I found the building. Once there, it was a relatively painless 20 minutes later and I had my application for my good conduct certification filed (including finger prints!). I was then asked to return in 5 days to pick up my certificate. (Thank goodness I now know where the place is!)
I'll head back to Dubai on Tuesday to pick up the certificate and then hand it in to Etihad. Hopefully, once I'm able to prove I haven't done anything 'crook-like' in Dubai, I'll be able to start work. And I've got my fingers crossed that they don't require a "Good Sense of Direction Certificate".
Congratulations Renee! So much for the wine with the ladies in the morning--you have work to do! :) I hope it's a great job.
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