Is life in Doha full of struggle?

Conversation in an old thread?

congrats for yr job offer check out for the salary and reg yr accomadation to save monthly some amount in yr account

Hello!! I receive a job offer in Qatar duty free as sales assistant.. Is it worth it or not?

Life is hell...Look for a better work place..

hi everybody,

I am Canadian citizen, born in India. Last 10 years i worked for a cable company installing Internet, Telephone and Digital cable for a cable company. I am an electrical engineer from India and also Diploma in Network Engineering. I don't have much experience in engineering field. I am wondering about chances to get a job in Qatar.Presently i am doing project management from UBC Canada. what are the chances of getting job into project management?

just be ready for some sad and harsh reality as well...noo need to mention it..see for yourself...

remember, not all good things in life come in one package...never been..and never be...its reality..dont get too alarmed

http://www.qf.org.qa/output/Page17.asp

also check Qatar University

My son is in Class X in saudi and we are planning to move to Doha where I would look for Class XI and XII and professional education for him(in Engineering or medicine). can anyone guide me if such courses are available in Qatar and tips on affordability.

Thanks

hey TH....this is a very old post...how did you come across it? It was in 2006 that I was preparing to move to Qatar & lived there for more than an year. Not sure whether that 5+1K was for me...I never mentioned such amount as salary.

It's not that bad in Qatar nowadays. Infact when I moved to Canada I found things sold here are much inferior in quality. Roads here (in Canada) are worn out and so are the shopping malls. Over there everything is bright & shinny. Driving is bad there I do agree but the left turn concept in Canada, by giving an yield? ohhhh...that's crazy for sure.

Go to India, China, or Thailand and you'll see driving problems.

As for rent, it's CHEAPER than most capital cities! It's just that rent is increasing and is not as super cheap as it used to be.

To use the word 'struggle' is funny...

__________________________

I Love Qatar - http://www.iloveqatar.net

siddh, the apartments that are availale over here are much smaller than what you would find in Saudi.

hmmm.. if ur country is gud & having gud sal tere..better stay back in ur current job than comming to qatar now.....

be prepared for the struggles if one is coming...its a part of expact like in qatar..expecting next day things wil be better...

but never the rules changes..but might be tomorrow..for a better qatar..

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Come On lets hav fun !!!

sorry guys..ladies PM me if ur interested...Sorry if ur not..

Yup Mir83 and Knoxcollege are right about the inflation and things getting tougher! A lot of talk about it going - not much action or results yet on that front. Rents are high - but as of now - it does not seem to be climbing any higher. Its kind of Stagnant now.

But I guess the inflation thingy is hittin our neighbouring GCC countries also and the other day we were checking out the rental scene in AbuDhabi and its pretty much uglier than in Doha.

AR.

" Life is short - make the best of it while you are ALIVE!"

Rents have increased, interest rates on loans have increased, prices of commodities have increased, airfare has increased, school fees has increased,

The only thing that did not increase is the salary, wonder when will it increase

Its getting tough!

aloha folks ...

i am a KSA resident planning to move to doha very soon, insha allah.

thanks siddh for initiating this tread and thanks all you wonderful doha residents for your helpful comments and advises. i found it most useful.

Thanks Angelo. No, I don't have a Saudi license as I never intended to stay here long term, so didn't get much strings attached to this place (it creates room for confusion during exit visa).

Hope to get one in Qatar. Till then I will manage with my Indian IDP.

Hi Siddh,

Dont worry about the driving licence, if you have saudi driving licence, you can drive in Qatar (Having a licence from any of the GCC states allows you to drive in the other).

The driving test is not really hard here, you will pass it easily, but you cannot apply for a licence until you get your Local RP.

Regards,

Angelo

Hi getin....

Probably my Q amused you that why I am asking abt validity of Intnl driving license, when it is issued for that purpose.....well, I am currently residing in KSA. And it will seem funny to you that this country does not acknowledge such a license!!!! They have different set of laws for different nationals and at times they do not even approve licenses issued by other GCC countries.

Hoping to find Qatar different.

Siddh, as far as driving licenses are concerned, an international driving license is usually only valid as long as you are not a resident, as far as i know. Once you get a residence permit you are expected to obtain a local license. I am not familiar with qatari law that well so i cant tell you whether an indian license can be converted into a qatari one, if not, youll need to take a new test.

Respect

GIASI

Well HQ (helloqatar)...I did search the sites referred by VW & found the rents are within my reach. Well, I do not know whether the info is latest or not. I have sent mails to some of the advertisers, let's see what comes out. I do not have a scope to increase my salary as it is negotiated & closed. In the worst case I will have to forego some of the savings budget.

One thing good about Doha is all aptmts r brand new!

Can any Indian advise abt driving licenses.

Cheers

And what about the Emiri decree that rent cannot be increased more than 10% per year?

I am not sure about the apartment/housing cost, be very careful as prices are very high compared to what you are getting. Most landlords are raising the price on new rentals.

Thanks VW.....u really a noble person.....my best regards to you.

Here's som example rental agency websites for some pics, etc. These sites were helpful to me before moving here.

http://www.zukhrof.com/

http://www.homes2rent.biz/Serviced%20Apartments.htm

http://www.mirageproperty.com/

I think a FF 1-bed+hall would be well within your budget.

Work visas are sponsored by the employer who brings you in, so yes, you need to have a NOC (no objection certificate) or sponsorship transfer granted by current employer to change employers. Any reputable employer, especially companies not based in Qatar, always issue these, as long as the employee has performed well.

Here's some more guides with general info for you:

http://hr.web.cmu.edu/forms/benefits/qatar/practicalguide.pdf

http://www.qp.com.qa/qp.nsf/web/living?OpenDocument

Hey gents (& ladies if anyone has replied above!)

I am personally thankful to each one of you for giving me a better picture of Doha. At least one thing I am sure about the city is that there are helpful persons around. This is one of the impt. criteria for a new entrant.

Well, as Hello Qatar said, I do not know whether my salary is good or moderate as it is a relative matter. But I can afford something in the range of 5K (stretchable to 6K in worst case). I have a small family, just 3 of us & the kid is only 3 yrs old. Can I hope to get a 1BR with hall somewhere within the city limits?

VW – Thanks for yr comprehensive reply. I will check the Gulf-times classified. On the International driving permit (IDP) issue, are you sure that Indian IDP holders will be able to drive around as well? Well, in US & Canada they allow Indians….but Gulf stands to be different…lol

Great to know this place is catching up with Dubai but cheaper at the same time. All I need is a better life than Saudi…as you all have rightly pointed out.

I have another vital Q. What about switching jobs in Doha? Is it that a clearance is required from present employer like in UAE or Saudi?

Thanking all of you once again. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Well summed up VW, its true Sidh.

Life is actually quite good here and you will save a lot more money here than you would in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE. The price of gas and food in UAE is increasing everyday where the prices here are still quite cheap when comparing to the UAE.

Hello Siddh,

I also wanted to put my 2 bit in, however, everyone else seemed to answer your queries.

It is still a better place than Saudi and will take time to catch up to Dubai

Regards,

Angelo

Siddh,

Check Classifieds at www.gulf-times.com for up-to-date housing rentals and rental agents.

Drivers' license is easy as long as you have one in your home country. Also best to get an "International Driving Permit" so you can drive immediately when you arrive, then receive Qatar DL later when your residence permit is approved.

And yes, liquor is illegal to import but you can get a liquor permit here (if you drink), and buy liquor for consumption in your home. You can also get a drink at many local hotels, e.g. Ramada.

Doha's the next Dubai and they are trying to play mad catch up. You should see the construction going on here, it's wild.

Getting most paperwork(Drivers Lic) is do-able, it just takes time because the Govt agencies are not customer friendly. They are not well organized.

Prohibited items are liquor, pork, porn, and that is about it.

Make sure on your housing, finding a place to live is very very hard. Cost of living in Qatar has gone up 15% in last 2 years so it is not a great place to work if you don't have a good salary locked in.

Driving here is definately much better than Saudi...I can vouch for that.

The rent is a problem but there is a 10% cap and I've heard that many landlords are obeying it.

As a rule of thumb, whatever amenities you had in Saudi, they will be better in Qatar...

Can someone also advise about obtaining driving license (for Indian passport holders pls)?

Thanks helloqatar.

What are the most concerning issues in Doha pls? One I know is accomodation...what else in the list?

Also pls advise what articles are prohibited for entry in Qatar for 1st time entrants? Like I know about the country I live (KSA) is liquor, any religious articles which are not Islamic, etc etc. Are there any such bans in Qatar?

(a) Medical & Hospital facilities

Not real great, available not only as a last resort.

(b) Basic civil amenities like water, electricity

No Problem

(c) Availability of provisions like shops, veggies, non-vegs etc.

No Problem, most everything available

(d) Education & Indian schools around

Yes, good Indian schools I believe

(e) Entartainments, weekend spots, eating joints

Fair amount of things to do, lots of places to eat, etc

(f) Security & life of women

No problem, women drive, etc