Expat Life as a petroleum engineer for Qatar Petroleum
Oct 15th 2014, 5:44 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1
Expat Life as a petroleum engineer for Qatar Petroleum
Hello Forum 
I'm new to this website and I have a few questions that I hope some experienced expats living in Qatar can answer. My husband and I are potentially considering living abroad in Qatar, while my husband works for Qatar Petroleum as a petroleum engineer (Master degree in Petroleum Engineering + 14 years of experience). We're a childless family from Texas, USA looking to see more of the world and it's wonders. We're eagerly reaching out to find a network of people who may be able help us with this life changing decision.
1) We obviously understand people move to hardship zones for the pay, but, at the end of the day it's a numbers game. My husband currently makes $185,000 USD base pay, + 401K match, annual bonus (20-35%) and the usual medical, dental, vacation, etc. In Texas, the cost of living is reasonable and the only hardship seems to come from some humidity a few months out of the year. Question is, what kind of pay should someone like my husband expect to receive in Qatar and is it worth "the hardship"?
2) Does anyone know how many vacation days are offered annually by QP, what their office work hours are and what is the risk of being laid off for someone in his line of work?
3) I've read abit about this town called Dukhan, apparently it's an housing area for QP staff. Is this where all expat staff reside or are there QP provided housing facilities in Doha were he'd be working?
4) A. An abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables are a must in our daily diet. Is the cost for perishable items outrageous or is it subsidized by the government like in the USA or Saudi Arabia? B. Lastly, what is the freshness quality and availability of organic, non-genetically modified food?
5) Has anyone had any experience working for Saudi Aramco living in Saudi Arabia and who has also worked/lived in Qatar that can provide us with some comparable insight? Which company/place is better?
Any help on the matter will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help in advance.
L
I'm new to this website and I have a few questions that I hope some experienced expats living in Qatar can answer. My husband and I are potentially considering living abroad in Qatar, while my husband works for Qatar Petroleum as a petroleum engineer (Master degree in Petroleum Engineering + 14 years of experience). We're a childless family from Texas, USA looking to see more of the world and it's wonders. We're eagerly reaching out to find a network of people who may be able help us with this life changing decision.
1) We obviously understand people move to hardship zones for the pay, but, at the end of the day it's a numbers game. My husband currently makes $185,000 USD base pay, + 401K match, annual bonus (20-35%) and the usual medical, dental, vacation, etc. In Texas, the cost of living is reasonable and the only hardship seems to come from some humidity a few months out of the year. Question is, what kind of pay should someone like my husband expect to receive in Qatar and is it worth "the hardship"?
2) Does anyone know how many vacation days are offered annually by QP, what their office work hours are and what is the risk of being laid off for someone in his line of work?
3) I've read abit about this town called Dukhan, apparently it's an housing area for QP staff. Is this where all expat staff reside or are there QP provided housing facilities in Doha were he'd be working?
4) A. An abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables are a must in our daily diet. Is the cost for perishable items outrageous or is it subsidized by the government like in the USA or Saudi Arabia? B. Lastly, what is the freshness quality and availability of organic, non-genetically modified food?
5) Has anyone had any experience working for Saudi Aramco living in Saudi Arabia and who has also worked/lived in Qatar that can provide us with some comparable insight? Which company/place is better?
Any help on the matter will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help in advance.
L
Oct 20th 2014, 5:35 am
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 182
Re: Expat Life as a petroleum engineer for Qatar Petroleum
Looking at your current financial situation and location, I'm finding it hard to come up with any reason for you to move here.
Oct 20th 2014, 12:36 pm
#3
womble
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,675
Re: Expat Life as a petroleum engineer for Qatar Petroleum
Stop at point 1. QP probably will not be able to match that plus a top up.
