B-family

Hello

I am in discussions with a recruitment consultant about an Architectural job on a large scale Hospital project in Qatar. The position is at project Director level and the salary is 50,000 dho a month. The recruitment consultant has said that this is a good salary and we will be able to have a very comfortable life style.

My personal circumstances are that I have a wife and two young sons who are 2 & 5 years old. My wife is expecting our next child and we would all be looking to move out there. By the time we move my wife would still be pregnant.

I would be grateful for any comments on the following:

Is the salary ok, or do you think there is room for manoeuvre?
Which is the best school for our 5 year old and what chance would we have of getting him in there?
What is the healthcare provision like for a pregnant woman?
How much does it cost to rent a 3/4 bedroom villa in a nice compound?

Thanks all for taking the time to read and respond to this.

Paracletus

Pardon my ignorance, but what is dho?

co durham boy

First of all i presume it's 50,000 QAR ? A couple of points which are relevant are.

Is the 50,000 an all in monthly payment that covers all your costs ? Remember the recruitment consultants view on a comfortable lifestyle could mean not waking up to vomit on the carpet. He will tell you almost anything to nail the deal , even more if it's your first overseas post .

Qatar is expensive , dull , boring and pain in the arse , you need to be very well compensated to live and work here , it is not Dubai and it's not a playground by any means.

A good standard 4 / 5 Bedroom Villa will cost you 13-20,000 QAR Per month with 1500 QAR on utilities including internet. You need to take into consideration transport , flights , schooling . Remember the average trip home will cost your family around 10-12,000QAR with Qatar Airways.

At Director level i would expect the deal to be broken down into the specifics as benefits would be a major plus at your level.
I suspect the consultant is throwing a figure in an expecting a quick bite.

It seems a bit light to me , tell him the deals on the conservative side as living costs in Qatar are some of the highest in The Gulf , schooling here is astronomical and it will swallow your money.

http://www.dohabritishschool.com/ will give you some advice and fee information , it's a good starting point.

Good luck and don't under sell yourself , remember your not moving to Vegas !

Mogs

Assuming 50,000 is "all-in" figure, for a director level position on a major project - definitely too low.

If Housing, schooling, flights, medical, etc on top then it is a good salary.

B-family

Thanks all for the useful advice. And yes, it was supposed to be QAR not dho… not sure where I got those three random letters from.

jackthehat

Sounds like Sidrah Hospital to me! - The one that has been redesigned at least six times during construction! - Good Luck!