Is it worth leaving home?

Ummilee, no, $100,000 here isn't equal to $50,000 in the US. Most prices are comparable to a large city in the US except housing and tuition for children. If he is given family housing and you are willing to home school you should be just fine.Mandi

No doubt I am not oblivious the the possibility that there may be some difficulties in living in a new country.Personlly being from a 3rd world country  I think I could live just about anywhere.  My husband is a different story And being non American myself, have come to be use to outsider treatment.  After living here since childhood and attempting to repatriate myself to my home country after college was difficult.  Even the job prospect were difficult (I guess I was too Americanized at least thats how they treated me lol).  However I am sure that as with any country there are good people and bad and good Muslims and bad.My main concern was the cost of living though and what should one expect to pay for if we make such a move.  Is it sooo expensive that $100K is the same as $50K in the US? We will see what happens today I guess.

ditto marycatherine. and not being muslim myself (I am assuming you are based on your comments) what I have observed is that not just "any" muslim is embraced here.  This is directly from some muslim friends who are not Qatari.  Anyway, that aside, this is a difficult place to live (I have lived in five countries) so be prepared. It is very expensive, and I am guessing prices will soon rise as Qataris were just given an "unexpected" pay raise of at least 60%.  Expats did not get this raise.  On the other hand, if you can handle it, life as an expat is good as long as your company takes GOOD care of you.  Good luck in your decision :) 

Well things aren't so peachy for most americans right now anyway.  He is in a special place. For us religion is #1 not to say we can'practice it here in the US but there is more benifit in being in Qatar.  I agree with you we would really have to look at things like medical and do a lot more research and perhaps even consider he original offer which was for the family to stay put and for him to go.  The consultancy is based in the US but the project is in Qatar.

Why come here for no job security (and there isn't any for any expat in this part of the world), you don't mention schooling allowance (a big expense), or medical (also a big expense if you don't have insurance - especially if it's something that means you, the children, or your husband have to leave the country for treatment or is a long term disability).

You need to do a LOT more research - you mentioned something about religion being one of the deciding factors - IMHO, it should be one of the least - you can practice your religion nearly anywhere in the world (including the US) without the possible (and dire) financial risks you run as an expat.

Are the schools privatized there? My little ones are 3mts and 2.5 yrs the oldest is 9 and may not be coming. So I want the 2yo to be in a school where he can learn arabic. With regards to housing I think we could make do w/ a 2BR w/ a small extra room for office space.Also if the kids and I are there then flights home may be more rare.  I appriciate you all answering me so promptly. You've given us a lot to think about.

Something not mentioned is school fees which can run over $10,000 USD per child per year. You say you have three ... ! And a four-bedroom villa will cost you 12,000 to 18,000 QR per month. It is customary for employers to pay both school fees and housing, transportation and medical. If you're not getting any of these things, watch out!Mandi

A few questions to consider:How secure is his current job? If he's a new hire, he may be among the first to be let go if his current employer downsizes.How much tax will he have to pay if he's working outside the US? US expats are still liable for US taxes, but (iirc) the level of taxation depends on your home state.What other additional costs will you incur? Flights home? School fees? Medical?How secure do you think the job in Qatar is? If they're offering close to US$100k plus benefits, they should be willing to pay relocation, and maybe fly your husband out so that he can get a feel for the place. If they're not willing to invest up front, be skeptical.HTH.

Although you say that you'd rather stay put where the salary is half the amount, but at least it's a lifetime job, how certain are you that he will be in that job a lifetime? With the 2nd recession hitting the US, so many people are still losing jobs across the country and in all sectors of work.I think the offer is a decent one and you should think hard on that one. Why doesn't he look at the possibility of negotiating at 2-3 yr contract with the consultancy firm, with a penalty clause in case of termination of employment?

ummilee

for some reason, they place great emphasis on having a degree and not so much on experience. I think that it is because so many young qatari's go to college and get degrees and they don't understand why a company would want to hire someone from abroad who does not have a degree and potentially might be more senior to them - it causes problems within organisations and the immigration authorities don't like it either.

Wow insighful info. Thanks.  We have spoken about this as he does have an Associate's  of Arts.  We realize that here in the US companies are much more open to hireing based on skill alone rather than just having a piece of paper saying you completed the courses required.  Not so in other countries though someimes they want the certificate and the skills and if not at least the certificate.

Even with the cost of living, it is a much better deal than he is on now..

I would say that your husband is doing well if he has no degree (I know I work in recruitment). usually here, they do not like to allow visas for people who do not hav degrees

AND TB - this is the common misconception that 'white' people get more money, perhaps this was the case a long time ago but not so much now.don't forget when your work visa is applied for the immigration authorities require many things, amongst them:

Education certificates

CV

Job description of role applied for

proposed salary from the company

and if the salary is too high for the role/qualifications the visa will get rejected so there is a natural check and balance on this.

It’s not the skin color...its the color of the passport that makes a difference in your pay and benefits. There is no job security here....i think in the current scenario it’s the same everywhere...

Being white got nothing to do with it sorry for the confusion, I reposted from a comment I made on another post.  A BA is a Bachelor of Arts BS would be Bachelor of Science degree. 

What is BA and also what has being white got to do with it?

TY Tinkerbell and Chrerukkan. You are right money is not everything thats why im nervous about him taking a USD100,000 consultancy over a USD50,000 fulltime.  The benifit I see is in regards to our religion mostly.  But i wanted to know from the point of view of those living there because just scanning the housing rental market from this side the prices seem reallllyy high.

As mentioned by tinkerbell money is not everything. White or black does not matter. Make a simple calculation between your present and what the offer will fetch then decide yourselves.

LOL HAHAHA no someone made the comment in another post that its low pay (for an engineer w/18yrs experience) for a westerner (rolling eyes).  And no ashy from soapscum is not the same as white;)

hajmola, which one have u tried, kindly share the results