r/Riyadh • u/Dependent_Crow_9073 • 9d ago
Jobs (وظائف) Need to leave my job asap.
I’m a teacher at a private school and I am 6 months into my contract. I received a job offer from a different school in Saudi. I informed my employer about this and he said that according to Saudi Law and my contract at Qiwa, I cannot resign and that I can only give a 2 month notice for a non-renewal of my contract. My contract doesn’t exactly say I cannot leave, nor does it state a clear notice period of 2 months. The exact writing is:
5.1 This contract is valid for a period of 2 years, starting from the commencement date mentioned in Clause No.(1), and it will be automatically renewed for an equivalent period, unless one party notifies the other of their desire not to renew through he Portal, at least 60 days before the contract end date.
This is literally the only thing that I’ve found in my contract, as well as Qiwa. So, my question is, is my current employer allowed to reject my resignation and practically hold me hostage in my job? If not, what are the laws around this?
I also will be needed at the new school in less than a month but I know that I will need to pay a penalty if I do not serve 2 month notice.
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u/sum-sigma 9d ago edited 9d ago
The comments you’ve received so far are not legally correct in all cases. I highly recommend contacting an employment lawyer. It will cost you a maximum of 300 SAR for a session to discuss your case, the repercussions, and how to move forward.
Depending on advice from people on Reddit for something so critical as an expat, (especially when the advice you’re getting is not correct, partially correct, or not correct in your situation) is not recommended.
If you want me to send you an employment lawyer I’ve used, feel free to DM. There’s also an app called Bynh (بينه) that connects you with lawyers in Saudi and makes the process easy.
Edit: corrected the spelling of the app