5-year Agreement With Rite Aid

[mayoo]

Please can anybody help me with explanations & consequences if one quits rite aid after 1 year internship despite an existing 5-year agreement to stay with them. I don't really like the agreement but cos of H1B desperation i have no choice having passed all my exams (FPGEE, TOEFL, TSE) since 2005. They compulsory this agreement for all their would-be interns. thanks.
Mayoo

[knok]

Hi, Mayoo

I don't know about your case but I know one of those who broke the contract. She signed the contract before accepting the job as an Intern for H-1 like you. Then, she did not like the job. She got another job in a pharmaceutical company. It was really good. The chain drugstore company paid about $3,000 for her H-1.

The consequence was harmful than what I thought. She was sued to pay higher than $20,000-$100,000 since the company claimed that it lost opportunity to hire others and it had to pay the costs of traning her. I cannot remember the exact number. I remember only that she was in high debt.

The work condition in chain pharmacy in general is unpredictable. Some stores are good but others are not. If you are a kind of person who can handle every situation, you should be okay. I am not commenting about Rite Aid since I don't know anything about Rite Aid.

In general, your co-workers (pharmacists) may be self-center and selfish, or, in some cases, technicians may be really lazy and ignore your command. If you can handle every situation and take life in stride during a tough time, you should be okay. That is only if the worst scenerio happens though. The example I gave was real. Many people work for the same company over ten years and are happy with their jobs at chain drugstores. I know one of American pharmacists who work for Walgreen and work there for 18 years. She is happy there. It depends on your location and your luck.

Good luck.

Knok

[mayoo]

thanks very much KNOK

mayoo

[rtk]

I think 5 year agreement is too much. I wonder if Rite aid told you about the 5 year agreement before sponsoring h1b visa? If they did and you had accepted it in then you should honor it. However, you should ask them for a competitive compensation for such 5 year agreement. I know that Walgreens ask for such agreement with there Pharmacy interns during internship and offer good salary and $ 20 K bonus in return of 5 year agreement.

[TOEFLIBT]

hello, i know what your talking about there is no written agrement so i dont think you are going to have any problem you may return attorney fee thats it .if there is agrrement there should be terms and conditions .like if you break how much you are accountable and its illegal to hire on H1b with contract.
once you are into it contact the lawyer he will help you its not going to be a big problem evryone does it

[mayoo]

No written or sign agreement yet but i guess they might compel us to sign an agreement based on this 4-5 year condition as soon as we start the internship.I am still confused, I have accepted the offer thru email. should i still continue or opt out of the H1B process. I cannot stay for 4-5years in one local area. Below is what rite aid sent via email:

Attached is an electronic copy of our benefits package. We offer a very competitive benefits and compensation package. The following are the details of the offer of employment:
-Initial pay rate is $20 per hour
-You are expected to work 40 hours a week
-When you finish the internship hours required by the state and obtain the Authorization to Test (ATT) for both the NAPLEX and MPJE, the rate will increase to $30 per hour
-You are expected to take the NAPLEX and MPJE as soon as you finish your internship and be licensed as a pharmacist before the end of the first year of employment
-We offer $2500 relocation allowance that will be paid about 3 weeks after you start working
-You are required to stay in the area where you complete your internship for 4 to 5 years
-Once you become licensed as a pharmacist, we will start the green card sponsorship if you request it

[drugstore]

hi mayoo,
if you do request for greencard sponsorship after your internship,you'll realize that you would have spent four years before you eventually get the GC.so you can stay and get the greencard and moveon.the only doubt i have about riteaid is the competiveness of their pay.

[visnaga]

what state are you in?
also why you dont want to stay 4 years in one place?

[knok]

Mayoo,

The truth is that any job that offers high job satisfaction will not need a contract. According to my experience, those who work in any job that obligates to a contact must be really patient and can work like a machine.

My friend who worked for Walgreen refused to request a Greencard because she could not stand her selfish co-worker (selfish pharmacist and hot temper store manager) and low quality technician (Work really slowly), and could not work under bad schedules (work 10 days straight sometimes and no weekend off sometimes) and bad conditions (no private office), and under time pressure. Fortunately, she did not sign the contract. After she worked only 3 months, she knew that she was going to quit. She did not care since she was sure that she could return to her home country without having difficulty in finding a new job.

It is up to you. We sometimes have to trade off. We may not get whatever we want at once. I hope you are lucky no matter what your decision is.

Good luck.

[SUDEEPA]

amazing!