mathsteacher88

I've secured a job in a school in al khor and my employer have offered me the choice of accommodation in al khor or Doha. Seems like a no brainer but I have a daughter (3 years old) due to start school and the decent schools I have found is AKIS and Nord Anglia al khor.

1. Are these 2 schools decent?
2. Are there other decent schools in al khor?
3. Would it be better to live in Doha and send kids to school there

I'm not very fussed about American/British curriculum as I don't think it matters too much at a young age.

My other concern would be that I don't want my daughter to be the only English speaking student surrounded by arabs.

Any up to date information will be greatly appreciated.

nonthaburi

Why?

co durham boy

She might end up marrying her Uncle

co durham boy

Al Khor is a drab boring one horse town with very little to do . The links into Doha have improved a lot so the commute would be easier but would probably still be an ask dependent on work .


Cant answer on the schools but you'll probably get a better answer on a more Doha based forum somewhere relating to schools .

DXBtoDOH

The only Doha based forum of any merit that I've found is the What, Where and How Doha facebook group. Post the question there and let the feedback roll in. The caveat is that with 100K+ members you will get all sorts of people posting replies and you need to weigh their feedback against their presumed background (westerner versus Indian, for example, and yes, it makes a huge difference).

Al Khor is, as Co Durham said, a tumbleweed town but it has nice mangroves and beaches. Very quiet but there does seem to be a small western expat population living there (why? I don't know, the only westerners I hear of up there are teachers). If you have a decent set of friends with the other teachers and living in a compound life can be relaxed and enjoyable, with Doha and its offerings less than a hour away on weekends, and social life mainly around barbecues and beaches (when it's not blistering hot, which it is for six months).

But Doha will give you access to many more schools and many more amenities, which can be beneficial to the other half. The commute to Al Khor should be a reverse commute so the driving shouldn't be bad, but, and this is a big but too, schools tend to start very early in Qatar so you'd need to be up even earlier. I leave my apartment at 6 AM for the gym and I already see teachers and students waiting to be collected by their school buses.

With a three year old child, I'd try the schools in Al Khor for the first year. If they don't pass muster, then transfer to a Doha school and move to Doha.

ReesanDemha

I suppose you wouldn't mind your daughter being the only arab surrounded by loads of english kids

DXBtoDOH

I'm not Arab. I don't care what the Arabs think or do. I'm English and there's no way in heck I'd ever let a child go to a majority Arab school. In the first place, they tend to have terrible academics with far more focus on hocus pocus.

mathsteacher88

Thanks for this information and all your replies. I think I will try al khor first and have been hearing good things about nord anglia.

ReesanDemha

Same here but I was aiming the question at an Arab

nonthaburi

I have two boys, mixed race, so I can't really answer your question.

My children were the first non Muslims in their school in Riyadh though.

nonthaburi

If you meant me, I'm anglo Irish and about as unarab looking as possible. Although strangely enough, since I've grown a beard I've been taken for Turkish quite a few times.

ReesanDemha

I guess 'looking' Turkish is not good in Saudi nowadays, given the thing with Qatar ?

But like most UK expats (and EU expats I guess) the cultural challenges for the kids are much harder than the adults. Arab kids (in general) are totally unrestrained in their attitudes and what an Arab adult may be reluctant to say out loud, their kids will blurt out without a second thought -I've seen this first hand enough times now. This can be very hurtful for those on the receiving end, especially as most of us from the west bring our kids up to respect and be tolerant of all people, regardless.

napsyboy

What school is your job at?
AKIS will only be available to Qatargas employees kids, not to outsiders (unless you're Qatari)

scot47

They have a nice website

AKIS Home - AKIS

I do not know about the reality

mathsteacher88

Yes I Noticed that afterwards. I'm working in Qatar leadership academy which is a branch of Qatar foundation.

I'm Currently Looking At Qatar Academy Al khor 1 Reason Being that the holidays will match nicely. Unfortunately if I send them to a British school then I'll start my holiday 1 month before them!