Landed in Doha
#16
Re: Landed in Doha
Correct , it is a vicious circle but don't forget , the first and foremost reason you're here is to work . If you get here and get the job sorted within 3 months and get yourself settled the rest will be a lot easier to handle . Any company worth it's salt would understand a delay in bringing you're family here so you can get yourself sorted .
#17
Re: Landed in Doha
Thanks Alexa, you already gave me this advice and, following it, we applied in March. Our daughter is the 13th in their waiting list, I don't know if it is the waiting list for the grade or for the entire school. I fear it is for the grade :-((.
I can't rock up there, being we still in Italy, but we will call them and write
thanks again
I can't rock up there, being we still in Italy, but we will call them and write
thanks again
#18
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 277
Re: Landed in Doha
Try Compass, they are expensive, but you might have more luck there. Thing is, from what I hear, I am out of the loop because my son went to boarding school 2 years ago, is to go there with your kids. not to wait for an appointment, just rock up there, tell your story and hope for the best.
#19
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 277
Re: Landed in Doha
Now I have been almost 3 weeks in Doha and started getting my way around. I got my RP, driver license and been driving for 2 days now. Driving is a bit frustrating, especially at roundabouts where many drivers don't respect them or don't know how to use them. You should be very careful as many idiots can cross you from right to left and vice versa. Some go to outer lane of roundabout when they are turning left or from inner to turn right. It is not enough to be an experienced driver, but you need to adopt yourself to the bad driving habits here such as sounding the horn every now and then, no patience at lights, pushing in (which is very annoying) especially the locals. They drive big 4x4, don't stay in the queue at lights but go to the empty lane in the right to the front and then push in in the front of the traffic!
My work is only 6 km from where I live but it takes 30 minutes in the morning or afternoon because of traffic!
I think this is enough about driving. Now for schools it is a big headache. I managed to get only my eldest child into a school for this term but for the rest until now nothing is secured. We had assessment done at Doha College and waiting for answer, which will be a waiting list. I went also to Cardiff school and the people there are nice. However, there don't have a school per se but rather a few houses in a compound with very few kids and no facilities. ISL gave me no answer whatsoever and I feel they are stinky robbers.
Last week I went to what is called Supreme Education Council to ask about the new requirements for enrolling kids from abroad. The guys there are ignorant and know nothing about education or whatsoever. They need the shool reports to be attested by Qatar Embassy in my country (which implies attestation by Foreign affairs), and then by the Qatar Foreign Ministry and then the Supreme Education Council (SEC) needs to make assessment! I felt like I want to enroll my little kids in NASA Aerospace programme and not in a primary school.
That is all for the new fellows to digest and will keep you updated.
My work is only 6 km from where I live but it takes 30 minutes in the morning or afternoon because of traffic!
I think this is enough about driving. Now for schools it is a big headache. I managed to get only my eldest child into a school for this term but for the rest until now nothing is secured. We had assessment done at Doha College and waiting for answer, which will be a waiting list. I went also to Cardiff school and the people there are nice. However, there don't have a school per se but rather a few houses in a compound with very few kids and no facilities. ISL gave me no answer whatsoever and I feel they are stinky robbers.
Last week I went to what is called Supreme Education Council to ask about the new requirements for enrolling kids from abroad. The guys there are ignorant and know nothing about education or whatsoever. They need the shool reports to be attested by Qatar Embassy in my country (which implies attestation by Foreign affairs), and then by the Qatar Foreign Ministry and then the Supreme Education Council (SEC) needs to make assessment! I felt like I want to enroll my little kids in NASA Aerospace programme and not in a primary school.
That is all for the new fellows to digest and will keep you updated.
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Manly, NSW
Posts: 313
Re: Landed in Doha
Great update EastWest,
good to hear you are settling in.
In relation to schooling, what is plan B for your other children if they dont have a school in september? is there a "home schooling" option? if the schools are private and you have to pay anyway then it might be possible to get teachers to come to your home?
I am arriving in the middle of august, no school sorted yet for an 8 yr old boy.
keep smiling!!
Russ
good to hear you are settling in.
In relation to schooling, what is plan B for your other children if they dont have a school in september? is there a "home schooling" option? if the schools are private and you have to pay anyway then it might be possible to get teachers to come to your home?
I am arriving in the middle of august, no school sorted yet for an 8 yr old boy.
keep smiling!!
Russ
#21
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 277
Re: Landed in Doha
Great update EastWest,
good to hear you are settling in.
In relation to schooling, what is plan B for your other children if they dont have a school in september? is there a "home schooling" option? if the schools are private and you have to pay anyway then it might be possible to get teachers to come to your home?
I am arriving in the middle of august, no school sorted yet for an 8 yr old boy.
keep smiling!!
Russ
good to hear you are settling in.
In relation to schooling, what is plan B for your other children if they dont have a school in september? is there a "home schooling" option? if the schools are private and you have to pay anyway then it might be possible to get teachers to come to your home?
I am arriving in the middle of august, no school sorted yet for an 8 yr old boy.
keep smiling!!
Russ
#22
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 356
Re: Landed in Doha
Our situation at the moment is the following - our daughter applied for grade 4.
- 8 applications done: ISL, Compass, DBS, ACS, Loydence, SEK, Canadian School, Cardiff.
- We didn't dare to apply to schools like DESS, Doha college, ASD, Sherborne because our daughter is not English mother tongue and it would have been hopeless.
ISL: no way - full
DBS: no way, full, they don't even keep a waiting list
Compass: waiting list that does not move
ACS: waiting list - definitive answer maybe in June.
SEK: waiting list that does not move - they don't even say in which position of the waiting list
Loydence: they receive the application only when you have the RP, so Eastwest you might try!!
Canadian school: silence. But of course they got the money!!
Cardiff: the only school who gave us an offer, yesterday. I am wondering why they do have places. Is it because it's new? Is it because they have a small school with no facility, or because it is a BAD school? I am worried because in the only email I received from them, in 4 lines and two sentences there were at least 4 very bad English mistakes.
Do you have any reference or impression from them?
have a nice we, and good luck, Primula
#23
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Manly, NSW
Posts: 313
Re: Landed in Doha
dear Eastwest, dear Sarah, any news about schools?
Our situation at the moment is the following - our daughter applied for grade 4.
- 8 applications done: ISL, Compass, DBS, ACS, Loydence, SEK, Canadian School, Cardiff.
- We didn't dare to apply to schools like DESS, Doha college, ASD, Sherborne because our daughter is not English mother tongue and it would have been hopeless.
ISL: no way - full
DBS: no way, full, they don't even keep a waiting list
Compass: waiting list that does not move
ACS: waiting list - definitive answer maybe in June.
SEK: waiting list that does not move - they don't even say in which position of the waiting list
Loydence: they receive the application only when you have the RP, so Eastwest you might try!!
Canadian school: silence. But of course they got the money!!
Cardiff: the only school who gave us an offer, yesterday. I am wondering why they do have places. Is it because it's new? Is it because they have a small school with no facility, or because it is a BAD school? I am worried because in the only email I received from them, in 4 lines and two sentences there were at least 4 very bad English mistakes.
Do you have any reference or impression from them?
have a nice we, and good luck, Primula
Our situation at the moment is the following - our daughter applied for grade 4.
- 8 applications done: ISL, Compass, DBS, ACS, Loydence, SEK, Canadian School, Cardiff.
- We didn't dare to apply to schools like DESS, Doha college, ASD, Sherborne because our daughter is not English mother tongue and it would have been hopeless.
ISL: no way - full
DBS: no way, full, they don't even keep a waiting list
Compass: waiting list that does not move
ACS: waiting list - definitive answer maybe in June.
SEK: waiting list that does not move - they don't even say in which position of the waiting list
Loydence: they receive the application only when you have the RP, so Eastwest you might try!!
Canadian school: silence. But of course they got the money!!
Cardiff: the only school who gave us an offer, yesterday. I am wondering why they do have places. Is it because it's new? Is it because they have a small school with no facility, or because it is a BAD school? I am worried because in the only email I received from them, in 4 lines and two sentences there were at least 4 very bad English mistakes.
Do you have any reference or impression from them?
have a nice we, and good luck, Primula
we havent even applied yet to any schools..i was not able to because until this week the offer i was made could not be formalised by the company that made it..finally finally on thurdsay it was.
so now i will begin to apply to get onto the waiting lists. our plan is for me to go out to doha in early august and for the family to come out a couple of months later.
i guess the best and only thing to do is chill, make sure you bring the school books for the next year your daughter would be going into in your home country and be prepared to do home schooling for a period of time.
in my opininon if any school sent an official email back to me and had lots of mistakes in it then i simply would not want my child to go there, especially if i was having to pay for it!!
i have been told there are lots of mums groups in doha so if we have to home school for a few months or more then my wife will have to go along to these groups and hopefully there will be some mums there with kids of a similar age so my boy can have some play dates.
its not ideal, but we may just have to deal with that situation for a few monhts…
let me know if you have any joy!
Russ