Mazzula

I've applied for a job and been told that I'm a strong contender at Bahrain Polytechnic, although as now, I know nothing about what I'll be offered in renumeration, etc etc. Its a gov funded job, so I thought there might be accommodation involved, perhaps on campus, but its sensible to assume not.

Im a bit concerned about a few things,

Firstly, I'd better let u know about myself. I don't drive, I can imagine this is a massive problem in Bahrain, probs more so when it gets hot. I'l be on my own, so could do with being in a community, without the costs of being in a compound. And I do enjoy a weekend beer or two.

So, for arguments sake, lets say the Poly offer me 1000bd, just how would I get along? The campus is in Isa Town, so I wondered if there is enough there to keep me amused, or is it gonna cost the earth in taxis to get back from Manama at 2am? Whats the crack with apartments n that, looking on line, they all say 'inclusive', but of what?

All advice appreciated. At least then I can sum up the viability of it all before I commit myself.

brightonguy

I arrived Bahrain about 2 months ago. I don't driver neither and having come to Bahrain from the UK, I had the stupidest assumption that there would at least be a public transport in Bahrain for regular town visits. The answer is no, there is very little to no public transport in Bahrain.

Taxis... Yes, there are taxis but they are a rip off. For a 15-20 minute journey, it costs about 5BD - which is equivalent to the cost of a full tank petrol here.

Driving license... I don't have a driving license but having seen the situation here, I decided to apply for a driving license in Bahrain. You go to Traffic Directorate, they check your eyes, you pay 35BD and they gave you a Learner's Driving License and a date for your Theory lessons. The date is around 1 to 2 months from the time you applied for a driving license. They also give you a traffic code book for bed time reading. After you have your theory lessons (I am told it lasts about an hour or so), they will give you a list of driving instructors who will charge around 5BD per hour and you will need to take minimum 18 hours. After that, you take your exam and get your license, that's it. However, if you have time to learn driving in the UK, I highly recommend that as you can convert your license to a British one in a day. It's just a paperwork, no lessons required.

Isa Town... It's not in the center of everything, but Bahrain being a small town on it's own, nowhere is far from anywhere. The main attractions are in Juffair and Adliya where you will lots of bars and restaurants, and Seef where you will see two big shopping malls.

1000BD. It is not much, It's 1700 quid for you and me. You certainly can live on that money here in Bahrain, but don't expect to save a lot of money and pay your mortgage off in the UK. Having said that, if your company offers accommodation, then it's a different situation. 2 bed flats are around 450-700BD depending on what you want and the location. All flats are decent as far as I've seen, all inclusive means fully furnished, electricity and water is paid as part of your rent, and more often than not the flat comes with a free internet access - some even include OSN (Sky equivalent satellite package in the Middle East).

Food is cheap, fast food is very, very cheap. Prepare to put on some weight if you are not careful and get into the habit of ordering food from Burger King, McDonald's, KFC and so on. A full super size McDonald's meal is around 2BD - so you make the calculation

You can drink alcohol in Bahrain, and there are licensed shops that you can buy alcohol too. But the prices are ridiculous for some drinks. Ensure you're stocked up at the airport when you arrive here in Bahrain to save some money.

Life is good in Bahrain. In 2 months, I am loving this country more and more. Yes, it can get repetitive sometimes and we all try to ignore the negative things of the country - but they aren't much. The only thing that annoys me the most (except Ramadan month when you are not allowed to eat and smoke and drink and chew in public between sunrise and sunset) is people don't walk here. There is no walking culture and the weather being like inferno you don't want to walk. Some roads even don't have pavements. And even if they did, there is nothing to see - no green, no scenery, nothing. Yes, some places like Amwaj Islands have a beach and a western community who tries to adopt their western lives in Bahrain but I don't think you will be living in Amwaj.

I talked too much, but that's all I wanted to say about your questions. Hope this helps