“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• I have to choose between two job offers, what do you recommend?
• What  are my social insurance obligations during maternity unpaid leave?
• I have  dreams that seem difficult to fulfill, any advice?

All reasonable questions related to careers, skill development or employment related issues – sent to advisor@skill-link.com - would be addressed in this section every week.

Q1: I have to choose between two job offers, what do you recommend?

I have been working as a sales manager for the last 6 years in the field of I.T.; in a company offering enabled E-Business web solutions. My basic salary there was 4,000 L.E per month.

Recently I received two job offers; and I can't really choose between them. The first offer is a Sales Representative job in a multinational IT company (name withheld), which is considered one of the largest companies around the world in its specialization. The product is not easy to sell, as it is expensive . The second offer is a Sales Manager in a local private sector IT company (name withheld), for double the salary (4000 L.E.). The company's product is not expensive and is easier to sell.

So what factors should I consider in selecting one of the two offers ? and what is your advice for my situation ?

A. O. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Mr. O.

It is a difficult decision to make... all other things being equal.... we would be inclined to go for the multinational IT company's offer... this is for two main reasons:

1. The company's corporate environment / name;
2. The quality of candidates / turnover of staff we see at the second company.

Unless you have pressing financial obligations; favoring the second offer, we would not be terribly excited about it... However it is a bit strange that there is such a wide gap between both offers... it is not normal, specially that according to you the multinational company's product is more difficult to sell and is more expensive...

With regards to the job the title; this is not a major issue, on your CV a few years with this multinational company would have a better impact.

Regardless of the above dry facts, you must check for yourself the following:

• Have you met in each company with your "potential" future boss and "potential" future colleagues ? do you feel more comfortable with one team versus the other ? which of the two teams seem more stable, would add value and you would be more proud to join ?
• Is one of the companies committing to more formal training ? or financing a certification program for you for example ?
• Did you get written offers from each side ? or is it only verbal ?
• Does one company have a clearer / better documented sales incentive policy while the other is "bel tasaheel" ?

Consider the above, and feel free to share with us your decision...
Good Luck

Q2: What are my social insurance obligations during maternity unpaid leave?

I graduated from the Sadat Academy for Management Sciences in 1995, and have been working for the last few years as an executive secretary. First in a trading company then in a large industrial joint venture company.

I have two questions for you:
First: one year ago I took a maternity leave, the first three months were paid (as per the law) and the rest of the year was an unpaid leave. After returning to work, I need to know if I have to pay my share of the social insurance or both my share in addition to the employer's contribution (share) also?

Second: In light of what I have been doing (my job experience) should I change careers ? and what kind of courses should I take to increase my skills in order to obtain a better post ?

R. S. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Ms. S.

Well congratulations on your newly born (or rather one year old) baby J.

Regarding your first question, the Egyptian Labor Law (Law 137) in article 156 stipulates that: "In entities employing 50 workers or more, female workers have the right to get up to one year of unpaid leave for child care. The female worker has the right in such unpaid leaves for a maximum of three times throughout her career. During such unpaid leaves, the worker (ie. YOU) should pay both your share and the employer's share of your social insurance payments".

As per the above, it seems you will have to pay the full amount. In a way it is fair, since the company (your employer) did not benefit from your services during the above mentioned period.

Your second question is very vague, we cannot really provide you with sound advice unless you are more specific. Thus we need to know if you like what you are currently doing or not ? also, what sort of other roles/functions you are interested in ? and why ? Based on this feedback we can make a few recommendations.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q3: I have dreams that seem difficult to fulfill, any advice?

I am a single Egyptian in my mid twenties, with a BA from Helwan University and an MBA from an American University in London (with a high GPA). Before that I finished my high school in the United States.

On the employment front, I joined a multinational company, in a marketing function. However I feel I am not gaining the experience I thought I would get. I need people who will be willing to invest in me, something I can not find up till now.

I cannot find in Egypt a place that really satisfies me. I stayed in London for a year and before that lived in the USA for another year; therefore I really like the idea of living abroad.

Now.. I need your help, I have the chance to work abroad in a private business and I really like the idea of living abroad (USA) but the point is that I want to build a career and you know finding job in USA is not an easy thing. I also thought of doing an MA in Marketing while working in this private company just to finance my living expenses and my education. Is this the right thing to do? Shall I leave Egypt and go abroad for further education until I find there what suits me? How could I find a job in the US ?

I am lost and I do not know what to do; all I can say is that am not satisfied and I feel I am not doing anything useful. I have a lot of dreams which are hard to be accomplished in such an atmosphere... Any advice ?

D. K. (Egypt).

Replying:

Dear Miss. K.

Living and studying abroad, in two advanced nations, has made you - justifiably - even more sensitive to the corporate environment in Egypt. It is a sad fact, that in a large number of organizations in Egypt and the Arab world, the professionalism and the sound corporate cultures, one can take for granted in the West, are just not there !

Some people adjust more easily than others. It should be mentioned however, that there are still decent places to work for where a nice professional environment prevails. These are not necessarily very large companies or multinational entities. Sometimes, small organizations could more easily have control over the environment. So you should not lose hope on that front. Such places hire at different experience levels, it is not true that you must be an experienced professional to join them. Whether they are hiring now or not is another issue. Recruitment is driven by organizational needs, market conditions etc…

Going abroad could be an option, we are not very clear on how you can legally arrange for that (do you have a dual nationality ?) also, on the family front, would you manage to live on your own in the US for an indefinite period of time ? If your plan is to be there for a few years and return back to Egypt, then you have to choose an industry (and a corporate name) that could make you attractive to employers when you are back (eg. Telecoms, Financial Services etc..). Otherwise, you will have the handicap of limited exposure to the Egyptian market, compare to those who have been around. Specially that you are not planning to be in a technical position (eg. IT or manufacturing) but rather in business development / marketing type of jobs. It is really your call.

With regards to continuing your studies by pursuing a Masters degree in the US while working, we believe with an undergraduate degree in management and an MBA from the UK, you have done enough on that front. The effort and cost of another masters degree in the same broad field is not justifiable. On the other hand, you may consider professional certifications. In North America, if you end up deciding to go there after all, there are a number of Marketing associations, you may consider joining and enrolling in their certification programs.

We know we have not really solved a problem or given you definite answers, what we tried to do is give you some more perspective on the matter. Going abroad is usually not the permanent solution. This is witnessed by numerous Egyptians who have spent any where from five to thirty years in Europe and North America, and are currently actively seeking to relocate back in Egypt.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Note from the editor: 
Employer names and inquiry sender names were withheld for confidentiality

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