The morning of June 22, 2012 I received a call from my brother Tom who is living in Abu Dhabi with his wife Danielle and son Eric. Tom had been told of a job that he thought would be a good fit for me. Tim and I had discussed visiting Tom, Danielle and Eric in Abu Dhabi ... when else would we ever go there, right?
Tom and I didn't chat long; if you're not using Skype the call is expensive, and I was beginning my work day.
At home that evening I told Tim that Tom had called, and that he had this hair-brained idea about me working in education in Abu Dhabi. I had thought about this idea for maybe a minute, thinking "well, it's fun idea, but in no way is it even close to reality." Tim saw it differently, said we shouldn't dismiss it and why not talk about it.
We began to wonder if there wasn't some reason we hadn't even thought of (like this opportunity), as to why I hadn't had any offers on the vice president jobs for which I had interviewed. We talked about it. A lot. Throughout the weekend. And together we came to the conclusion that I should test those waters and go ahead and send my resume. (Tom had cautioned me to not send my resume unless I was serious.)
Sometime that weekend I sent my resume off to Tom, who forwarded it to a friend of his (Bill), who works on UAE education projects and also helps recruit people to positions in the UAE. That Monday night (June 25th) Bill and I talked by phone. Bill discussed a particular Director position that was open, to which he thought my experience and knowledge would be a good match. And oh, could I interview in the next 10 days or so with someone who was in the States?
Now a side note to keep in mind ... it can often take 6 to 9 months from start to finish, in getting a contract and starting a job in the UAE. I had paid attention to my brother's and my sister-in-law's experience with their job search and contract negotiations, and that timeframe is no exaggeration.
I had a plane ticket by the morning of Thursday, June 28th -- to fly to Houston, Texas on Saturday, June 30th -- to interview on Sunday, July 1st and fly home that afternoon.
From the start, Tom and Danielle and Bill had offered guidance and advice and helpful hints about the employment process for the UAE. So it was not a complete shock when at the end of the meeting (my interviewers specifically stated that it was a meeting, not an interview) I was offered a three year contract and we had an initial discussion about salary.
By the following Wednesday (July 4th) I had both my pre-employment forms to fill out (lots of paperwork with the UAE) as well as an initial offer of employment. And if memory serves, on August 8th we had a final negotiated contract in place, with a start date of October 1st. (The original offer was to start August or September.)
Tom and I didn't chat long; if you're not using Skype the call is expensive, and I was beginning my work day.
At home that evening I told Tim that Tom had called, and that he had this hair-brained idea about me working in education in Abu Dhabi. I had thought about this idea for maybe a minute, thinking "well, it's fun idea, but in no way is it even close to reality." Tim saw it differently, said we shouldn't dismiss it and why not talk about it.
We began to wonder if there wasn't some reason we hadn't even thought of (like this opportunity), as to why I hadn't had any offers on the vice president jobs for which I had interviewed. We talked about it. A lot. Throughout the weekend. And together we came to the conclusion that I should test those waters and go ahead and send my resume. (Tom had cautioned me to not send my resume unless I was serious.)
Sometime that weekend I sent my resume off to Tom, who forwarded it to a friend of his (Bill), who works on UAE education projects and also helps recruit people to positions in the UAE. That Monday night (June 25th) Bill and I talked by phone. Bill discussed a particular Director position that was open, to which he thought my experience and knowledge would be a good match. And oh, could I interview in the next 10 days or so with someone who was in the States?
Now a side note to keep in mind ... it can often take 6 to 9 months from start to finish, in getting a contract and starting a job in the UAE. I had paid attention to my brother's and my sister-in-law's experience with their job search and contract negotiations, and that timeframe is no exaggeration.
I had a plane ticket by the morning of Thursday, June 28th -- to fly to Houston, Texas on Saturday, June 30th -- to interview on Sunday, July 1st and fly home that afternoon.
From the start, Tom and Danielle and Bill had offered guidance and advice and helpful hints about the employment process for the UAE. So it was not a complete shock when at the end of the meeting (my interviewers specifically stated that it was a meeting, not an interview) I was offered a three year contract and we had an initial discussion about salary.
By the following Wednesday (July 4th) I had both my pre-employment forms to fill out (lots of paperwork with the UAE) as well as an initial offer of employment. And if memory serves, on August 8th we had a final negotiated contract in place, with a start date of October 1st. (The original offer was to start August or September.)
LOVE THIS!!! I'm so glad you started a blog so I can stay in touch and hear about all the cool people you will meet.
ReplyDelete-Shawn Callahan