Should we or Shouldn't we?

Thanks for that, I have been reading alot of others especially on the cost of living forum. I will be interested as will be my wife on your comments when you get there. I hope you enjoy it.

Hi Fearns, my husband has only been there for just over a week. he is staying in studio room with in a compound (i think).He has not started the search for a villa for us as of yet so have no figures to give you. we have just been working of the figures everyone else has given on other postings. He seems to be enjoying the place (probably enjoying the no kids and nagging wife more!!!) and remains quite positive about the place after the intial culture shock. This is what he says so far....nice to see sun and feel warmth on his skin, cooling down it was 36 degrees when i spoke to him this morning 10am there time.He sent photos from his office down by the Sheraton, there are cranes everywhere ( good for us, he is in construction), and food cheap, enjoyed a nice thai meal and a indian and a beer in a restaurant for $5 and very little greenery, very desert like (probably because it is in the desert i suppose!!!). If you look back over other postings you will find lots of questions similar to yours about the cost of living. good luck and if you want anymore info just PM me.

Hi kiwibird, I am also a kiwi looking at a job in Qatar. Like yourselves it will be my family (wife and 2 kids, 3 & 4) and I going and we too are looking at seeing the world while also saving some money. Do you or anyone else know roughly the monthly cost of living there, also roughly the wage bracket you would have to earn to save money aswell.

Hi, my husband has been in his new job in Doha for 3 days now and myself and our 3 kids aged 8,5 and 2 are planning to follow in around 7 weeks. We too have also been thru the schooling issues; we have applied to DESS, Doha College and Compass.We are from NZ so from my experience you already have a slight advantage of getting in to a school with a British passport. After much talk about waiting lists, assessments, repeating years and home schooling etc we are still going ahead....if we never go we'll never know!!in my husbands very first email to us his first words were "what a culture shock and man it's hot (cooling down now at 40 degrees!!!) however after 3-4 days there now he seems to be adjusting to what will become our new home for a while. He had stopped in Dubai for a few days and caught up with some old friends and of course had a fabulous time....maybe this was not such a good idea after all because from he said they are very different. He also says the place is a construction zone...great news I suppose as he is in the construction field. Anyway back to schools, we have applied, were offered a place at Compass whch we turned down (maybe in hindsight was a bad idea) and have now got the attitude that we will just worry about it when we get there. Before any place can be offered the kids need to be assessed and that can't happen until we get there. Of course we want to live near the school they end up attending so can't make any decisons about areas to live until we have school sorted.I have accepted that the kids may not be in a school for some time and yes they probably will drive me up the wall but education does not have to happen within 4 walls.I am an early childhood teacher and recently attended a 3 day conference for all of the education sector and I really came away thinking that this will be a wonderful learning opportuntiy for them.Yes, I agree social interactions with other children are the key to education; no good being an academic whizz with no friends. As we all know ....often it is not what we know but who we know. Our attitude now is ..lets go, give it a try, hopefully save some money, see the world with the kids a bit.If all else fails we can always come home, and we don't see this as failing ...what we see as failure is not even giving it a go.good luck in your decision

Pls come here first and have a look around. I been here 6 yrs ... and have spent some summers in Doha. I find it hard. Even though so far i surviving.

Most mums and their kids going home during summer hols ... you will have to do the same with your kids. Othewise they will drive you bonker. Not many things to do indoor during summer time.

Squarepeg - my dog is used to daily weeks on the beach and also comes out running with me, so it would be a great shock for him. It would kill me to leave him and also the children would be mortified. I am also used to a very outdoor life and going from one air conditioned place to another would be difficult. I am talking myself out of this nicely! However there must be positives, such as the salary we will be on will make a huge difference to us in later years, the cultural experience would be a positive for us all. I don't know which way this will go, I will not come out without securing school places and having a visit first. A friend has already volunteered to come with me for a few days!

Thanks again everyone for your posts. Much appreciated.

Don't come until you have confirmed places in a school you are happy with. Some schools require the children to pass an entrance examination and don't even think of coming here if your child has special educational needs.

I left my dog in the UK. It broke my heart but it was the right decision for the dog. Yes, there are plenty of expat dogs around but my dog was used to running free in woods and fields for about an hour a day. None of that here. Also, I return to the UK for 6 - 8 weeks in the summer and 2 weeks at Christmas. If the dog had been with us she would have been in kennels for this time. Can you leave your dog behind for a while while you make a more informed decision about bringing him?

I was bored to tears after a couple of months here because I found it difficult to meet people but you have children so you'll probably have fewer problems in this respect. I now have an interesting job so I'm no longer bored.

I don't like the heat. This was a big concern before for me I came but I was assured that this wouldn't be a problem, you go from your air-conditioned house, get into your air-conditioned car and drive to the air-conditioned mall. Right, and then you realise that you're indoors 24/7 for half the year (and I was used to walking the dog for an hour a day, every day).

The families I meet seem to be happy and the children in my compound play safely in the street, play areas and swimming pool. Try to come for a visit first but you absolutely must sort out your children's school before you arrive.

The subject of school places (or rather the lack of them) is a perennial topic on "Qatar Living". Having said that, SOME parents DO somehow manage to find school places for their children and some schools, like Newton International, are expanding and taking on more teaching staff. New schools open, from time to time, so these may be able to offer places. Of course, forward planning, determination and a good slice of luck may all be required.

The more research you do, the less likely you are to have nasty surprises when you arrive. Of course QL is a great source of first-hand information about Qatar, but you might also like to try www.virtualtourist.com and of course www.lonelyplanet.com as well.

Insist on a visit. Told my DH I wouldn't consider it unless I got to visit the schools and have a look around personally.

Louise

Wow, quite a lot to think about. I am not sure I would be at all happy with the home schooling option. I think social interaction is one of the most important developmental areas in primary school life. Oh and of course, I think I might go insane! I wonder if it is worth getting their names down now. The job starts early in 2008, if he accepts it.

It is a huge decision and I have just asked my husband if I can go out for a look before hand, all I got was a 'you are joking' sideways glance! I am not sure I could go to live somewhere for 5 years without seeing the place. My husband has worked there already so he has a good idea but still ...

Thanks so much for all your replies, I really appreciate them, keep them coming!

do not uprooting your kid/s to Qatar if the school not sorted.

I dont work ... i shop and drink copious amount of coffee (when it start open again after Ramadan). Go out with friend. Visiting each other houses for ladies lunch or breakfast. Attending ladies social gathering around Doha.

In the mean time i juggle become a taxi driver around Doha for my 6 yrs old. School, playdate, birthday parties, and after school activities.

Have a look at this site :

www.tuesdayladies.piczo.com

Some ladies in expatwoman.com now and again go out for ladies dinner. Have you check on that site by the way?

If you are outgoing ... it is easy to find friend in Doha.

About the dog ... there is Qatar animal pet group on this forum. Xena and the gang took the dogs to the beach regularly. Mind you kennel here wont be cheap ... especially if you going away for annual summer hols it might break your pocket :D

The main thing is get the school sorted before you uprooting the kid from wherever you are come from.

Good luck with the decision.

All School Places Full.

That will possibly sway your decision.

I know British and American families who are schooling their children at home by online study groups, or home schooling as there are NO places in the schools.

Even the Tutoring centres are full here for afternoon places too.

Schooling is a nightmare.

Alternative bring your own teacher with you.

We raised our kids in Qatar from 82 to 97 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I know it's changed a little (a lot in fact) since then. Some things for the better and some (in my opinion) for the worse.

We wouldn't have missed it for the world.

As others have said, schooling now appears to be problematic.

Depending who your husband is working for they may be able to assist with that issue.

Hi Milli, I reallly think you ought to look into school places on their websites. I have heard from many people that the British/International schools are full to capacity with waiting lists.

Of course Qatar is not the UK, it's a completely different culture here so one should not expect it to be the same as I think sometimes people do after they arrive here. However we have so many expats (80%) that it is a melting pot. There seem to be quite a lot of activities for those who do not work outside the home. Two people I know on this site who may be able to help in this regard: Jauntie and Novita77 (for schools also)

We Qataris are friendly people BTW ;)_______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

Decision is upto u but Qatar is also a lovely country!

Ramadan kareem.