gabby123

hey,

im 25 and single and been offered a teaching job in doha, seems like a pretty nice school to work for. I just have some concerns about actually living in there

im really active and enjoy running, spinning, circuits etc on a daily basis, is there anywhere i can do all these things? also prices would be good if anyone has any information

Also nightlife? .....obviously im going to be working all week so that isnt an issue, but on the weekends is there any decent places to go out? drink? meet people? any nice beaches to visit in the west bay area? i wont have a car at first so the closer the better

All the reviews iv'e read seem to be from couples and families its a long way from the uk so i want to make sure i know as much as possible before i make my decision!

ANY information would be much appreciated xx

DOHDUBMAN

Search for some of my posts as i go on about being young and living in Doha quite a bit

Which school have you applied for will mean quite a bit out here regards accom and quality of life as they differ a fair bit

Im friends with a couple of female teachers who i will put you in contact with if you choose to come out here. They love it out here and much prefer it to the UK

There are some great beaches and pool clubs to hit at the weekend

Dont worry too much about cars. Taxis are very cheap and fairly easy to come bye

Loads and loads of running and sports clubs. Failing that the corniche is rammed with people doing sports at nights and its usually free

Nightlife can be great if you have a good group of mates and dont mind spending a bit of cash. Some higher class bars and also some cheaper alternatives. There are bars in Doha that cater to all though. This weekend i was at a beach party on thurs then spent the afternoon drinking poolside on friday at the ritz followed by a quiet night at the rugby club. Come saturday i went to the intercon pool to shake off my hangover with a burger and some heiniken.....The alternative of course is too sit in all weekend and moan about how shit Doha is. Which many will choose to do

Also keep an open mind on here before you head out. You will know what i mean in the next few replies to follow

gabby123

ah thanks for the reply i'll have a nosey through your comments now, after reading peoples reviews was thinking id be the only yound single person out there ha!

yeh dont mind spending money out there to have a good time, just aslong as im not sitting in at night twiddling my thumbs!

how long have u been out there?

ive had my contract this morning and been staring at it all day trying to decide, if i sign, and it all go's smoothly i'll be out there after the half term . Be good if your friends could get in touch, im new to this so how do you go about it? on here or facebook or something?? x

Fossildog

So basically if your idea of a good time is drinking alcohol all the time then it is a super place?

gabby123

not at all, if you read my first comment then you'll see i have wrote im into my fitness (everyday) but at the weekends i wanted to know if there are any places to go out, socialize and meet new people!

DOHDUBMAN

Ive been out here for just over 2 months so im still relatively new

Being a teacher im sure you will be put in a half decent compound with a gym and things which will cost you no extra

Loads to do here that doesnt involve spending a penny or even drinking

Theres water sports, Dune blasting, An abundance of malls, Loads of sights to see etc etc

The expat community is pretty decent out here and its really not hard to find friends. More than likely you will meet people through your school then branch out and meet more and more groups that way

There is also get togethers organised on here from time to time.

Ive never sat in twiddling my thumbs yet. Even if its just going to a souk for Sheesha or meeting in a mall for some food,cinema,go karting. You would be very very hard pressed to be bored here. I allways smile when people say that "Doha is boring with nothing to do"

Add a few pages on facebook such as "whats going on qatar" "qatar happening" "Global DJS". These are pretty good and up to date with goings on

If you do like going out mid week theres allmost allways a ladies night on somewhere. This gives you free entry and normally a free drink or 3. Some places are free drink for a few hours

Fossildog

Was not replying to you. One thing you will find out here is that socialising in the main revolves around alcohol. Which is fine if you like a good drink. You tend to meet a lot of long in the tooth expats out here whose main focus in life seems to be to drink to excess whenever they can. Pretty sad.

Reminds me of the old adage about people out here failing into one of the five expat types, drunk, skunk, monk, chunk or hunk. Drunk and chunk seem to be the most popular choices by far.

gabby123

thanks for your help guys! im going to do it, worst that could happen... i dont like it - ill come home! i'll check out those FB pages too
and ryanC.... be grateful if you could get in touch with your female teacher friends out there and give them the link to my facebook (i think its on here on my profile, again im new to this so dont have a clue :s) just so i can get a womans perspective on the place before i seal the deal!

thanks again x

DOHDUBMAN

No probs ill forward your details on to them and im sure they wouldnt mind contacting you. Im offshore at the moment and facebook is outlawed but when i get back to Doha on Weds ill remember to forward it on

Sav123

im 27 and single and plan to move to Doha next month (if the client ever decide to sign my CV off!) This site has been great to get a perspective of what its like - although some posts you have to take with a pinch of salt... but youve made the right call, do it - its a one off experience and like you said, if you dont like it, you can plan to move back!

Also, i found this website that i gave to a female friend thats moving out in April... http://www.expatwoman.com/qatar/foru...ult.aspx?sid=4
its geared towards women with families, but it may help with regards to women groups/meetups etc.

Kix

Ah yes, EW, full of women with too much time on their hands cos they do nothing all day except complain about their maids wanting a lock on their door.

This is the real world, EW is not.

colt129

I have been wondering the same thing as well. I'm a 25 year old single male from the US and have been working with a recruiter concerning a finance position in Doha. If I end up taking the position, I hope there's a good amount of young expats out there.

Crewegirl

Good luck with it all.
Ryan is right, it's a great place if you want it to be a great place. We arrived 3 months ago and haven't looked back so far. We are enjoying every minute of it.
I don't work but I don't moan about my washing powder and I don't have a maid to moan about.
You will meet lots of really nice people out here who are also in the same boat as yourself. You'll be fine I'm sure.
Good luck

DOHDUBMAN

Loads of us mate. Ranging from Expat brats to recent arrivals. Theres a fair few yanks as well

DOHDUBMAN

Theres a lot of truth in this post also