Job Offer from Qatar

acchabaccha, to sum it all up you are just a twat to say the least holding grudges against us Brits and God knows who else.

ombangwa: Ha! Ha! I have been to that place of beauty you call Surrey Hills and stayed there. But you have not seen the beauty of the valleys of Himalayan ranges. The grass that grows in this region and the tall trees that line up the mountainsides, are described as "lush green" and not "more green" as an English of Great Britain bragged about the grass in his country. And the greenery here is "all natural" with no additions from anywhere. We get water from the melting glaciers that feed our rivers all year around --- and there is plenty of it.

Yes, the British were here for just over 200 years but why did they love this place of ours which required several weeks of sailing to reach from their homeland? There was more to it than territory. It was the loot they were interested in from this land they took back to Great Britain to live a life of luxury. That's all. And that went on 200 years!

But even after so many decades of having been sent back "home", you people have not lost your pride and still consider yourselves to be the mini-rulers of the world. Your statement "... and still have influence on every move you guys (guys?) make but that just us being Great, isn't it?" reflects and resonate the thinking of "greatness" you British still carry. Pray tell me why your "Great Britain" you term and consider as "Great" is unable to meet your financial requirements in your "Great" home country that you are compelled to seek employment in the Middle East?

Centuries back, the saying went "The sun never sets on the British Empire." The sun finally did set on the British Empire decades ago.

It's time you British people like you should stop walking around with your "nose up in the air" and live side by side, shoulder to shoulder with other people of the world and begin treating them at par with you. Walk side by side with them as there are many who are better than you in the world outside the boundaries of Great Britain.

The world has changed much since you people went home over 70 years back.You will learn of this when you get here.

yeah I hear you on the huge mortgage unfortunately we dont quite cover it with rent so constantly having to top up the bank account. budget at least 12 months until you start to feel 'benefits' of being in the gulf. maybe even 24 months. dont beat yourself up that after 6 months you're not saving loads. it's a common misconception from back home that you'll be super rich 5 minutes after you land. actually the few brits I do know have a common issue of attitudes of some people when they go home that they think they're rolling in it and should be paying for everyone's meals etc. I've heard the same from other eu countries. guess it's one way to work out your real friends.

as said, qatar is like 90% expat so we are treated ok, most people are away from home. passports/race is a bigger deal here. It's one of the hardest things for Europeans to learn to accept, there is a class system that doesnt exist back home. admittedly we are near the top of the tree. for example a lot of people here are banned from bringing their family or having a driving license because they dont earn enough or have a good enough job title. brits are (for now) one of the few countries that can directly swap their driving license to a Qatari one without any tests.

if you go to an unfurnished place I can recommend najma furniture market on a thursday evening for cheap furniture sets. make sure you haggle. you will find a driver/carpenter easily there (theyll come to you). they'll break it down, load up, deliver and rebuild.

Wow, wow, wow have i found myself and the rest of the Brits an english teacher in the form of acchabaccha or what ?

Mate, I have travelled further than your thoughts and yes I have been been to India and Pakistan and agree that there is grass there too but little water to drink let alone watering the grass to make it look "greener", guess you haven't been to 'United Kingdom of Great Britain' or have you to admire its beauty. May be you are not happy that we ruled you lot before and still have influence on every move you guys make but that's just us being Great, isnit it ?

Thank you for information regarding the schools and about Qatar as a whole.

Hope you have a nice weekend !!

P.S I will bring you some post cards from Surrey Hills coz you sound like an interesting chap and more like an English teacher.

ombangwa: Good to read your posts and your queries. While "aistu" is trying to help you out, possibly I may be to give you some additional information as he is a new comer to Qatar.

There are several British schools in Qatar, Newton British School, and Doha College being two of them. These schools are open to nationals of other countries also and are not just restricted to British nationals. You may face some problems in getting your children get admission as the school year has just begun and possibly enrollments may have stopped by now. But give a try by getting the list of the British schools in Doha through Google and writing to them to find out the status.

As for the weather of Qatar, it is hot most of the months of the year. The average daily temperature during summer is around 45 but on some days it may soar to 47 degrees. June, July and August are months that are hard as the humidity is very high and with the heat, it becomes very sweaty. It is during these months that schools go on vacation.

Qatar is a friendly country. The total population of the country is around 2.7 million with around 2 million being foreign workers. English commonly spoken and understood. Arabic is the national language. The country has workers from many countries of the world but the majority are from Asia. Qatar can also boast of a very low crime rate. Theft does not take place here but then one must always be careful and protect himself and his property. The only thing I have heard of that gets frequently stolen, is the mobile phone. That takes place due to the carelessness of owners and the ease with thieves can take away this item.

Lastly, it was interesting to read your statement in which you made a tall claim "I m coming down from where the grass is much more green that any part of the world. you guessed it right ya no kidding UK aka Great Britain". "Much more green" or "Greener"? "I m" or "I'm; I am"? I guess you have so far not had the opportunity to look over the boundaries of "Great Britain" into countries such as those in the South Asian belt. But then "Great Britain" is among the world powers and possibly you people also now control the laws of nature, making your grass grow taller, thicker, juicier and of course "greener".

I am not a "native speaker" of the English language but possibly I may be knowing a bit more of English grammar rules than many nationals of "Great Britain". You may be coming from a "Great" country that calls itself "Great Britain" but I too come from a great country with great people where the name of the country does need to be written down in capital letters to show its greatness.

Have a lovely day!

Hi Alstu, some very good points there. To be very honest with you we are not thinking about bringing anything apart from our clothes and a few valuables even though we have been offered relocation costs.

Regarding furniture, i think it is best to buy local stuff and move on once you are done with it.

I m used to travel an hour and a half door to door each way, pleasure of working in Central london eh.

Huge mortgage to pay off mate, so won't be spending like crazy. Good to have a long term plan nevertheless.

Last but not least, how are the expats treated out there ?

checklist? dont bring too much stuff you dont need half of it anyway. dont blow all your wages on a expensive car or expensive european style furniture, its worthless if you want to/have to try and move home quickly. rent a cheap car when you get here from a local firm, until you get your bearings and have the cash to buy something you have researched. dont get a bank account with ibq (international bank of Qatar) they're useless...lol. embrace the culture, throw yourself into it and enjoy it's a great experience out here. make the effort to make new friends, dont just sit at home. it's hard work and you probably havent made new friends on this level since university. join expat groups etc. they're also crucial because these people will help you everyday, finding a good doctor, a good mechanic, explaining the government systems. it makes life a lot easier having help.

yes its bloody boiling right now, the humidity is the killer rather than sunshine. I can cope in raw heat until the low 40s but when humidity is 60%+ you get so sweaty so quickly. you'll adjust before too long, I was freezing when I went back to the uk in March. good weather will come to Doha in late september. that's when you can start spending longer hours outside and all the bbq season starts

travel wise, you struggle to take much more than 1 hour to go from one side of the city to the other in traffic, so dont worry too much about distances, its probably a lot less than you're used to in the UK.

I know the oryx school is british curriculum. theres a couple of british partner ones like durham school for girls I've heard advertising. I'm not sure what you can do before you get here because you need to go see them. I dont think they have much of a formal report system like ofsted in doha so you cant check up on them. there are lots of British teachers out here

hey Alstu, good to hear from you buddy and thanks for the offer for answering the queries. I hear summer is pretty hot down there, not like our British summers where most of us moan if it gets anywhere near 30 degrees.

Really need to know the schooling options coz that will decide the area we will be renting in..

Any pointers or check list before coming to Doha !!

hey from fellow brit

good offer for doha, you can live nicely on that and send plenty home. remember you lose your pension so budget a good size chunk to top that up. that 14k is good for nice apartment in the pearl or a big villa outside of downtown. i pay 9k a month for a 3 double bed + maids room on a small compound away from downtown. unfurnished though so it takes a while to build up on cheap furniture.

plenty of british curriculum schools however I have no kids so cant really comment on schooling quality.

drop me a PM if you want to discuss more about Doha and I'll send you my mobile number for whatsapp/viber, I've been here less than a year from the uk, so the experience is fresh. happy to chat and answer questions.

List of school for Brits may be ?? How difficult is to get an admission ?

Wow, that was nice and quick fella. I m coming down from where the grass is much more green that any part of the world, you guessed it right ya no kidding UK aka Great Britain.

Got kids bud, what are the schools like out there ?? My two monsters are quite good at their studies, any tips ??

A very good offer. Just grab it without thinking twice. The only place where you will get to spend money will be for food and that would be around QR 1500. The rest will be in your pocket each month. You may also get to save some cash from Housing Allowance depending on the type of house you take on rent.