Bahrain is best for expats in Middle East ...
Bahrain has been voted one of the best locations in the world to live and the top choice in the Middle East and Africa in the world's largest global survey of expats. The 2009 results of the independent Expat Experience poll, commissioned by HSBC Bank International, reveal the Kingdom is one of the friendliest expat locations with the fifth best quality of life worldwide and the very best social life.
In the overall rankings, Bahrain (5) is placed ahead of the likes of the United Sates (8), Hong Kong (10), Malaysia (11), Japan (16), China (22), the United Kingdom (23) and India (25). The United Arab Emirates (UAE) came 18th and Qatar 26th.
And while the report revealed the general downside of expat life to be the social scene, Bahrain topped the global league table for 'social life'. The Kingdom also leads the world in offering improved working hours; ease of organising healthcare; and the number of expats who have joined local community groups.
Andrew Trevis, plant director of Kraft Foods Bahrain, added:
"The lifestyle in Bahrain is very good. This is a free country that is not at all restrictive. The fact that you can enjoy a high quality of family life is a strong selling point."
To see the full article, check out this link
http://www.ameinfo.com/217653.html
The reason I thought this was interesting today of all days is that once again I am having problems in finding staff here, simply because of the protectionism that exists in Qatar with the inability of people to move freely between employers. I wonder if the powers that be will ever realise what a stagnating effect these archaic immigration and labor laws are having on the development of their country?
The problem, of course, is that the powers that be are also the main beneficiaries of those same laws, where they never have to compete in an open and free market.
Another day in Paradise, anyone?
really, I did not know Bahrain ranked this high
ingles por favor.
somos lo que hablamos...
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somos lo que hablamos...
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@ bleu,true that!...we're as far from real world as is humanly possible in this town eh?!...
comprehende?
@Gardene, we're not in the real world, we're in la-la land as @DohaSteve says ... #qatar ....
(This seems more and more like twitter)
I CON_FREAKING_CUR...
Have been in Kuwait, Abu Dhai, Dubai and Doha. Now, Bahrain. (all for minimum 1.5 years)
My top 5
1 Bahrain
2 Abu Dhabi
3 Doha
4 Dubai
5 Kuwait
Well... Congrats,,,,, Bahrain is Open City
Well... Congrats,,,,, Bahrain is Open City
I think Bleu is Marvin :O)
i know couple of sales managers coming from bahrain to doha, they all have the same impression about bahrain, the Locals are down to earth, friendly and easy going, open minded with expats.
IMHO, this what would give Qatar higher ranking.
Yalla!
@ bleu,so people moving from one company to another in the rest of the real world don't have "historical knowledge of not only his own company but his customers"???...come on,get real my friend...
blue ... I fully understand it. I just don't agree with it.
And these people want to host what next? Olympics is it? Or World Cup? Both are such ludicrous notions that I find it hard to remember which part of la-la land the locals are occupying this month.
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"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places". - Henny Youngman
I have a colleague who lives in Bahrain and works in Saudi. He pays a lot more for his apartment and travel costs, but likes the lifestyle..
DohaSteve,
"historical knowledge of not only his own company, but his customers" : That's the MAIN reason for the 2-year ban.
i agree with you as well britexpat but the survey in question here is based on quality of life,however as you rightly pointed out,for most,the monetary factor would be the most important & if this survey were based on earnings,surely Bahrain would probably rate @ no: 26 to Qatar's no: 1...but most isn't all of us which is why i took objection to bestheartman's generalization & pointed out that we all didn't feel that way...
Valid points and I agree with you. However, in the majority of cases expats tend to go for salary rather than quality of life, especially those on single status. Therefore, for most, Qatar would be preferential to Bahrain.
@ dannyqatar,real countries around the world have real problems my friend & that includes political ones,it's called freedom of expression mate...lots of poor bahrainis eh? again,the hallmark of a real country,where you have not just rich people...there's no country in the world without crime,how much of it gets reported is a different story...the survey is based on quality of life NOT on "wasta",that's not a factor for better quality of life ANYWHERE in the world...
@bestheartman,what you mean to say is "Qatar is better for salary & that is main for YOU so Qatar is better for YOU."...different people have different priorities mate & believe it or not,money isn't always the ONLY priority for ALL of US...i want to be able to buy my beer from a supermarket & eat a nice fry-up when i feel like it,like one can do in the real world...THAT'S one of the reasons Bahrain rates 25 places over Qatar @ no:1,if money was the only consideration,Qatar is already @ no:1 (highest GDP in the world) BUT money alone does not equal quality of life...
@ Alexa,ignorance is bliss is usually the way i see things with a certain ermm bunch of people/person on here *wink*!!...one person,multiple id's now THAT'S boredom!!!...
@ rj_sniper007 "maybe"???...i would think more like definitely eh?! *wink*!!
Wow, that initial post of mine sparked off some very heated (and personal) debate. I only posted it because I was pi55ed off at having lost yet another excellently qualified candidate to the old NOC system.
Now this poor bugger will have to leave Qatar for a minimum of 2 years, and with him goes any historical knowledge of not only his own company, but his customers, which means that the customer now has to spend more time in getting to know somebody completely new (because very few people can get a release) and the man who is being hoiked out of the country (having done nothing worse than simply resign from a company who promised everything but delivered bugger all), has to uproot his family, pack his belongings, and schlep on to the next place.
It pi55ed me off then, and it's still pi55ing me off today.
But I'm in my 7th year here, so I know that the pi55ed off feeling will gradually abate, and all that will be left is the usual sour taste in my mouth until the next vacation (which could also be down to spicy food and pickles).
Still, can't have everything, can we?
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"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places". - Henny Youngman
Qatar is better for Salary ---- and that is main for us ----so qatar is better dears
jervis, It's actually the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
relax mate.. maybe they need to get errr... laid? LOL :O)
_______________________________________________________
"You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back."
QL mein koi Mundra chuchandar bhi nahi hai
you both resemble commentwise
gadarene knows everything about everything. This 'comprehende mate' is always right. He is good at provoking people and expert in getting insulted.
gade,.comprehende? In every other thread people (including your countrymen) either ignore you completely or insult you. Why you don't learn from the history. It keeps on repeating.
Miss Pakistan, ignore him. You have insulted him already.
mmm bacon sarnies!!...got my fill of pork in Dubai over the Eid hols...the fry-up @ the Irish Village with a pint @ noon,lovely weather ahhh life was bliss indeed!!...well we have the weather here...similarity ends there...sigh...
agree @ ukengqatar
I hear it is the Bacon Sarnies that got it to that ranking, allow pork in Qatar and see the ranking climbing...:)
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"HE WHO DARES WINS"
Derek Edward Trotter
@ DonRobert...ooh i'm scared,i might even be tortured for "answers" eh?! *wink*!!...she might smack me with that big belly of her's,ouch! that would hurt!!...
lol!!!, gadarene, you're in for questioning....:)
hey little miss pakistan,if the above replies are anything to go by,it seems like the only person people on QL have a problem with is YOU...but then again,that's just my opinion,being the opinionated fool that i am...*wink*!!...btw,another "opinion" from me,stick to the guzwhatever-e-khayal urdu forum that you're a part of instead of wasting time posting nasty replies to people & posts that you have no real concern for,like this one for instance,apart from trying to rile people up,you've contributed a sum total of zero to this post,even in terms of an opinion...another person posted this topic & another person asked me a couple of questions which i replied to,all you did was butt into the middle of that trying to prove some silly point & got chased off by me & a couple of others,from the replies i'm seeing,you have a history of pissing people of on QL so really shouldn't you be directing your ire elsewhere,go for a run or something...
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
42
hmmmmmmm I hope you guys have work tomorrow
Somebody take that belly dancer out of here please!
Boudi...
is its miss pakistani or miss lebani, pic look like lebani
What's that supposed to mean?
Boudi...
I went to Bahrain a couple of months ago and actually seen Bahraini girls working as cashiers in malls and even as sales representatives...
have you seen Qataris working in similar positions here? :)
Boudi...
@ nomansland,here we go again eh?! *wink*!!...i need a break from some of the room temperature IQ on display here...over & out...
Miss Pakistan, get out of the cadre!
Boudi...
hmm mama n papa story again
salary wise qatar is good compare to bahrain but night life is marvellous full of fun, I use to go bahrain evry weekend when i was working in saudi
only God has all the answers little girl...you,me & the rest of us humans only have opinions...there's your lesson for the day...now go to bed like a good girl & leave the debating to the adults...
we're all looking for answers luv,when you grow up,you'll realize that there isn't always an answer to every question...btw,i was being sarcastic when i offered to translate & when i said English only in the main forums but quite clearly,you didn't get either of those inferences...so sorry,all you,me & the rest of us have are in fact merely opinions...NOT answers...now go on,i think i hear your mama calling you,isn't it way past your bedtime?...no school tomorrow?...have you finished your homework?...
& anyways,i'm merely replying to the topic posted,it wasn't me that rated Bahrain @ 1 or Qatar @ 26,if it's bothering you as much as it obviously is,shouldn't you be taking it up with the people that conducted the survey rather than losing your temper with me?...
i would translate but don't you know the rules little girl,English only in the main forums so sorry,can't help you there...
at least i have an opinion!!...
@ Miss Pakistan,1st off,you didn't ask the question but to repeat myself since you didn't get my earlier post
Answer to question no: 1)-the list is too long to mention here because there are too many things to list,they're little things but they all add up.
Answer to question 2)-my parents live here,i've lived away from them for over a decade prior to coming here so felt i should spend some time with them.
Answer to question 3)-i'm staying here to spend some time with my parents & am in the process of moving away.
have i now ACTUALLY answered the question or are you still too thick to get it?...translation in Urdu maybe?...
@ Khawaga,the list of what i had to give up is too long to list here,it's mostly little things but as the saying goes,God is in the details...i came back here because my parents are here & i was living away from them for a decade prior to coming back...i'm in the process of leaving but starting life anew takes time,it doesn't happen overnight...you obviously love this town,you're more than welcome to stay but everyone doesn't see things the same way...hopefully your questions have been answered,any more personal questions you want to ask me on a public forum?...
A lot of codswallop by HSBC
/ at / gadarene: what did you have to give up in order to come here? And if it wasn't worth it, why did you come and why do you stay?
Qatar is ranked 26th???...surprising,wouldn't think they even deserved to be in the top 50 to be honest...sure salaries are lower in Bahrain BUT the people are a LOT more real & down to earth & willing to interact with the expat community...Bahrainis are a LOT more educated than Qataris even though they have a LOT less oil & no gas & hence MUCH less in terms of wealth...& as for nightlife,Qatar has none to speak of except for some lame bars in the 5 stars that are stuck in the 80's...but i guess for a lot of people here,money is everything,fortunately that's NOT how the world thinks & hence the results of the above survey...& for the nay sayers,in case you didn't realize,the big bucks on offer here are offered specifically to counter the fact that one has to give up so much to come here...if life here was actually so good,expats would be flocking here anyways & companies wouldn't need to offer the huge "expat packages" they offer to get people move here now would they?...ponder that...
hi h.r.u.iam olso like nigtlife.pls send masage
Spent a few months in bahrain. Loved it. people are very down to earth and easy going. Not much to do though - apart from Seef mall and the Cinema :O)
But the cabs are so bloody expensive, the people are very nice though, everybody minds their own business.
so are you going to book your tickets?
"Think 100 times before you take a decision, But once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man" - Muhammad Ali Jinnah