Finalizing Employment In India

Monday June 6th will mark the end of my employment hiatus and have me reporting to the office. In the past month since I've worked, I've certainly taken boredom to new levels and I'm looking forward to working and getting into a routine not to mention having some money coming in.

As per the eight page employment contract I was required to sign upon accepting my position, there is a long list of items I need to arrive with the first day I report to the office. I thought I'd share this with you, as well as a few comments on what is being requested.

Highest Degree Certificate     

      Easy Enough. I had to provide a copy of my college diploma and transcripts in order to be considered for this position, so although they've already been provided to HR, there's no problem providing them again on my first day of work.

Document Showing Date of Birth/Passport

      I have copies of both my Passport and Birth Certificate so this is no problem, and completely reasonable.

Class X Certificate

      I have no clue what this is. If anyone can clue me in, please feel free.

Photocopy of PAN ID

      I equate this to a Social Security Card. I have applied for a PAN card online, but need to submit my Resident Registration and copies of my Passport in order to complete the application process, except no one can tell me where to send these documents. Even on the website I filled out my PAN application form, there are no instructions on where to send the remaining documents.

2 Passport Sized Photographs

      Indian society is so big on having a photo in order to make any document legal. I've had to provide photos for my apartment lease, my cell phone, and Internet service. Any legal contract or service requires this. There are photo shops everywhere that can do this for you, and once I realized how often I'd need to produce these photographs, I just went and had several printed up and carry them with me every where I go. It seems to be an expectation that you'll be able to produce one any where at any time.

2 Copies of Relieving Letter/Experience Certificate From All The Previous Organizations

      That's right. India requires that you produce a letter showing that every former organization you list on your resume has accepted your resignation. Thankfully I only listed two on my resume, however with as young as we start working in The States and the number of jobs most Americans have in their lifetime, can you imagine having to produce a letter showing that each organization accepted your resignation?! My thought is, the fact that I no longer show up to work there is proof enough of their acceptance.

      Additionally, they want a letter detailing your experience at each of your past employers. They won't simply take your word for what you have listed on your resume. I've been told that if you leave an Indian company without putting in the proper notice period, they will refuse you the Experience Certificate/Letter basically nullifying your time spent at that company. I've heard it's virtually impossible to get hired on anyplace without having these certificates/letters from your former employers.

Copy of Latest Salary Slip From All The Previous Organizations

      Since the dawn of direct deposit, I have never printed a pay stub unless I was applying for a loan. I don't have a single one of these from my most recent employer, and certainly not from past employers.

Copies of Requisite Approvals and Work Permits/Visas for Continued Residence and Employment in India

      This makes sense. Of course you only want to hire people legally allowed to work in your country.

So I'll be able to show up my first day with a few things, but will have to talk to them about the other items they are requesting that I might have trouble getting. The company I worked for prior to this one no longer even exists so hopefully they'll go easy on me over some of these items.

The Price of Familiarity

Following up on my last post in which I stated the grocery stores sell what, to an American, appear to be very mismatched items, I wanted to share the result of my recent shopping trip to the "white neighborhood" as I call it. It's Banjara Hills, located just five kilometers from where I live, and home to a large population of expatriates. It is where everyone recommended I live due to the posher area and stores selling items more familiar to me. Driving through it though, it appears to be a total bore, as there are lots of high walls and gates, a lack of fruit stands and street vendors, and you never see anyone out just loitering, no kids playing in the streets, and no auto rickshaw drivers shouting at you.

Banjara Hills, however, is home to Q-Mart. It's a grocery-type store I can find those missing puzzle pieces like sliced cheese, Prego pasta sauce, ground coffee without chicory in it, and some ready made food items (ie: heat and serve). I've made stopping there a weekly affair, at least for now, until I get settled in a bit more and my things arrive from the states such as microwave safe cooking dishes and kitchen utensils.

This weeks visit to Q-Mart can be classified as both a success and a failure. I picked up a bread pan, a cake pan, and a casserole dish all microwave/convection oven safe. I also picked up a few other items out of sheer excitement for seeing them on a store shelf but should have checked the prices first. Here is a sample of what I purchased and what I paid:

24 oz Prego Traditional Flavored Pasta Sauce - Rs210/$4.64 USD

500g Light Brown Sugar - Rs149/$3.30 USD

17.5 oz Betty Crocker cookie dough mix - Rs205/$4.53 USD

1 pack of Orbit Gum - Rs120/$2.65 USD

And the most ridiculously inflated item of all

5 oz can of PAM cooking spray, butter flavored - Rs415/$9.18 USD

Not everything is cheaper in India and convenience certainly comes at a price. A price I don't think I'll be paying in the future. And yes, Q-Mart prints your credit card number, minus the last digit on your receipt.

The Comforts of Home

The past 13 days have gone by both at a snails pace and like greased lightning. I've mainly spent my time foraging around for creature comforts such as coffee, styling products, and liquid soap. These are things I previously considered essential to my survival. They are things I took for granted. Not any more.

Compared to US meal planning mentalities, the grocery store would appear to sell very mismatched items. I found pasta noodles but no tomato sauce, pancake mix but no maple syrup, coffee grounds for an automatic coffee maker but no filters, and fruit jam/jelly but no peanut butter. I've since taken a trip to a posher neighborhood and shopped at Q-Mart, who's slogan should be "Where white people shop" and found everything from sliced cheese to jarred Alfredo sauce. I had to hold myself back considering I took an auto-rickshaw to get there which has limited "trunk space" for such items.

This past weekend I also got to the mall to restock my make-up supply. I found my brand, but not the entire line, and of course it wasn't in my shade. Still I was unable to find any styling products for women. Not even leave in conditioner. The heat and humidity have me looking like Medusa and I can't find a drop of smoothing serum anywhere yet I see Indian women everywhere I look with shiny, frizz free hair. I can't say the same for the Caucasians I saw shopping at Q-Mart though so perhaps women's hair products really don't exist in India.

All of the items I once considered "basic essentials" have been replaced by what is true necessity. Namely, water and electricity. These things can no longer be taken for granted. Daily we experience power cuts, which can be grueling in 100+ F temperatures. During these dry summer months we also go for hours daily without running water. Our apartment building which consists of 5-6 units share a relatively small water tank, about the size of 5 standard US home hot water heaters, and we take turns paying to have it filled once per day. The cost to have it filled runs approx $12 USD. When the water is gone, you wait.

Let the foraging continue, and let us never take anything for granted.