Do expats mix with locals?
Hi all,
I have some questions...I hope I'm not boring you, 'cause you've had them more often I think...still hope any of you would like to help out ;)
My husband is applying for a job in the middle-east, currently in Qatar. So I'm gaining as much info as I can about life, costs etc.
Like housing...Do you HAVE to live on a compound? 'Cause I understand that there's not much privacy etc. So is it possible to find a decent 3 bedroom house/flat for an affordable price? (I have 3 kids)
And schools..do you have to attend international schools, or can you send your kids to a local school? I would like my children to speak and learn arabic and we're muslims, and I don't what the international schools are like in that manner.
And the salaries...what is a reasonable salary you can live by in Qatar (or the middle-east in general)?
And I assume there are activities for women only, is this the case? Like sports or whatever?
I have loads of other questions, but I'll start with this...;)
Thanks in advance....:)
Speedy-Niqaabi
Hello everyone
Thanx for answering my questions. It's very usefull.
See ya'll around...;)
Speedy...
We live in a compound. It's pretty private. I don't even know some of the other families here and we all work for the same company.
As far as 'mixing' with locals. My wife said she would talk to Qatari women at the beauty salons(she speaks a bit of Arabic) but for the most part they spoke English back.
We live in a 3 bedroom villa...not on a compound (same reason for privacy) and you can expect to pay about 4-5k USD/ 3-5k Euro??? at least (14-16k QR)...and we rent from someone we know!
Flats are cheaper...but not cheap. Many companies provide the housing, so in that aspect you may not have a choice. There are so many different kinds of schools here, but there are not any public schools per se as in none are free for expats as far as I know.
And there are certainly Islamic schools that teach in English and Arabic ( as I have friends whose children attend them, from US and UK...and I have been to a very nice one where the headmistress had asked some Muslimas from the West to come have a chat with the girls...) In fact if you have girls, I would recommed that school ( Al Maha school for girls)
Hi Speedy. There is no such thing as affordable housing in Qatar.
As for schools, I would recommend the international schools, as I believe only Qataris can attend the local schools. The international schools have both Arabic classes and religion classes for your kids.
There are activities and places just for women.
As for salary...I don't know. Maybe someone with 3 kids can help you there. :)
"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco