Yanal's Work

As requested by a few people who are interested in what Yanal does for work...here are the answers to your questions.......

As you know, we moved here because Yanal found a job related to his education here in Jordan. He had been searching for a job back in the US since he graduated with his Bachelor's Degree in Economics May of 2007. Since he was unable to find a job at that time, he continued his education as he looked for a job. Well 2 years past by, no job was found and he obtained his Master's in Economics. We thought for sure he would be able to land a solid position now that he had his Master's degree....um, no, the economy took a dive as everyone knows and there was not many company's hiring. However, we continued to apply. We applied in every state in the US, in England and other European countries, Bahrain where his brother works and other gulf countries....no jobs to be found. I kept saying "It's okay, that job was no meant to be or you would have been offered that job". When I was on maternity leave with our second child, we visited my in-laws in Jordan. We went just to show off the kids and visit the family. As Yanal was venting his frustrations about finding a job and what to do next, his family told him to try applying in Jordan. Okay, we'll throw a few more resumes and applications in the pool of hundreds...by this time we were starting to make a joke of it all, not finding a job. Well needless to say, he interviewed and pretty much got the job just before our trip ended. When we arrived back to the USA, they negotiated the details and told him to come ASAP. I had so many emotions. I was happy for him, sad for me; angry with not finding a job in the US, jealous that he found a job in Jordan; didn't know what was best to keeping looking for work in the US or take the opportunity that arose in Jordan....I just kept reminding myself of the words I told him for years, "If it was the right job, you would have be offered that job". Then I tried to be strong as we packed our things. This must be the right job, because it's the job that was offered to him.

Yanal works at Jordan Investment Board in the Promotions department. His title is Investment Promotion Specialist/Research. He collaborates with other countries to get them to invest in Jordan. Since he started a few months ago and currently, he has been working on putting together a forum between Jordanian businessmen and Italian Investors and businessmen. This week he will be traveling to Milan, Italy for the Forum. His Majesty King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, the Jordanian King and Queen, will be at the Jordan-Italy Business Forum promoting Jordan.

http://www.promositaly.com/Initiatives/Promotional_Initatives/HRH_the_King_of_Jordan_makes_first_state_visit_to_Italy.kl

Another possible trip he has scheduled is in Cypress hosted by ANIMA Investment Network, where he will be giving a presentation.

Yanal is also responsible for all the world organizations including but not limited to OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), ANIMA Investment Network, and WAIPA (World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies). He also studies different business sectors in Jordan such as energy, agriculture, ICT, tourism, etc. Yanal analyzes foreign direct investments (FDI) to Jordan and the region. From these analysis, they decide what countries to target. He is also involved in other areas of the company (outside the promotion department) such as evaluating and choosing consultant services for CRM (Customer Service Relation Management), Investment Map for the southern governance of Jordan and other special projects. He is still learning lots and getting involved in new areas as he has only been working there for almost 3 months.

He works Sunday thru Thursday (the typical work week) from 800am-400pm. PTO-he gets 9 religious holidays in addition to the national holidays, 7 sick days and 30 vacation days per year and the vacation days roll over to the next year if unused the previous year. He is paid salary once a month for 14 months a year (2 additional months). He gets health insurance for the family, which is 0.5% of his pay per each person (2% of his pay for our family). He also has a retirement plan which includes a match by the company.

We thank God for this opportunity for Yanal to work at JIB. He is getting solid experience at this job in relation to his degree and he is also increasing his learning curve. Somedays are still a challenge to get use to living in another country, but the comforts of home are getting better and better. For instance, for the first time since we got our satelite tv hooked up in our own apartment, we will get to watch Brett Favre and the Vikings kicks some Baltimore bootie tomorrow! Go Vikes!