ESL Teacher Questions
Hello all,
I am a 36 year-old single American male considering a move to Qatar after living 6 years in Europe. I am an ESL teacher and want to travel for a couple of years seeing other parts of the world. I'm seriously considering Qatar because I have a great respect and curiosity regarding the Middle East and Gulf Region, and as I am American, I figure Qatar is my best bet for getting a taste of Arabic/Muslim culture because safety is obviously a massive concern of mine. So I have a few questions that I hope someone in a similar situation (single expat ESL teacher)will take the time to respond to.
I do not want to live in Qatar or the Gulf Region forever, just for a year, max. My idea is to SAVE some money while living in the country and move on, maybe after 6 months. I am a simple man who lives a humble lifestyle. I do not want to acquire any more possessions (clothes, accessories, whatever) than what I already have. I will be in the country only for the experience of the people and culture, take some pictures, make some friends and move on. Is saving money easy to do under the above mentioned lifestyle choices?
Of course the ability to save depends on salary earned, I realize this. So, what is the typical salary I can expect? From what I've seen advertised, an average salary is $2,000USD monthly. Correct?
I've seen some schools offer housing to their teachers, this to me is a great benefit as I DO NOT CARE about the poshness of the flat, if it's clean and safe I'm happy. I don't care about size or noise. If I take a position that offers housing I should be able to save the majority of my salary, correct?
Am I naive to think that, with housing provided and a monthly salary at $2,000, I can save $1,000USD monthly?
Apart from food, I enjoy recreational sport, so a gym membership will be in order, maybe some weekend excursions, I enjoy kayaking and other water sports...are these things costly?
Is a car necessary? I'm a great fan of public transport but only if effective.
So that's me, a simple guy far removed from extravagant notions looking to experience a little of the Middle East while saving for his next travelling adventure. Possible?
Thanking you in advance for your opinions
Dave
What are your qualifications? Those will dictate to a large degree what salary you can expect. Contracts are normally for at least 2 and usually 3 years.
Opportunities for contact with the local population are limited at best. 90% of the population here are expats and most of them are from Asia. Annual gym memberships can cost upwards of $2000USD for the 5* hotels. These gyms are the best equipped and usually allow access to the hotel pools and beaches. There may be a waiting list especially as you're a single guy.
The sailing club costs about USD700 to join - you would have to buy your own kayak and choices are pretty limited here.
Housing being provided along with utilities and furnishings are a great bonus - quality and state of contruction for housing and furnishings can vary widely.
Food, if you buy the local produce is fairly reasonable. Imported stuff costs a lot more of course. There are literally 1000s of small Indian, Pakistani, and other restaurants where you can buy a large meal (rice, some veg, chicken or fish) for under USD5. So I would think you should be able to save at least half of 2000 quite comfortably.
Transportation - there are public buses, as a man, you would probably feel fairly comfortable using them. Someone else will have to speak to the reliability of the timings. The big problem is that it's hot here for much of the year - standing around in the sun waiting for a bus in 45 - 50C weather is not pleasant - there are few bus shelters. Taxis are relatively inexpensive but they are scarce at the busier times of day and hard to find the rest of the time.
Hope that helps.
ESL Teachers need MA
pay over 13,000 QR + flat
they like you to sign a three year contract
they will be mighty annoyed if you go after 6 months
because of the cost of hiring
there are other places that pay less....
unless you teach Gulf students you may not necessarily have that much contact with them.
the majority population here is Indian.
LIVING IN QATAR
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