Rascal

Novita/Malteser?
When are the school terms in Doha?

Thanks.

Mellie66

Rascal

school terms are roughly the same as the UK. Summer/Christmas/Easter with half terms.

The kids normally break up for Summer round about now (end of June) and go back the first week in September. Although this year because of the Asian Games, my son is going back the 20th of August and getting a whole month off for xmas.

Its usually 2 to 2 and a half months off for summer, 2 to 3 weeks for Xmas. My daughter is at Doha College so gets better 'time off' than my son who is at Qatar Academy. If there's a specific school you want to know about I can find a copy of the school year for you (if I know someone there...lol)

Rascal

Thanks for that, kids will be glad to hear they have until Sept off!
In NZ they get 2 weeks in July as summer is of course Dec onwards, they will be very happy to know there will be no school for a while.
Not decided on schools yet, hubby has rang 2 or 3.
Thanks
x

shawarma

Rascal,
Sorry to hijack your thread but I am interested to know your opinion as a Brit living in NZ. I read elsewhere that you consider moving to NZ a mistake and I was wondering why? My husband wants to settle in NZ but I am very dubious about it. No offence to any kiwis out there but I have visited a couple of times and just found it a bit parochial. And it's so far away!
Would be interested to hear your opinions.

Rascal

Well, like you had visited NZ as a tourist complete with rose specs.lol
holidays & living here are two VERY different things.
In Uk, you earn good salaries, have areasonable standard of living ,warm homes, holidays etc.
You think the grass is greener. Not so.
NZ salariues are VERY low, taxes are VERY high, so makes earnings not go very far at all.
Cost if Living is as expensive as the Uk if not in some cases more, but with wages being much less, it makes it difficult to survive.
interest rates are high too (vary between say 7% and 9.55%)
It has no decent road network or rail network, so travel to anywhere is a ordeal in itself.
We have found ourselves struggling here to make ends meet and knew within a year it was not for us, circumstances kept us here until now. But have been wanting to 'escape' for about 3 years now.
You may like it, but it is not for us.

Rascalmate

Yea so I came up with the 'Plan B escape plan' which led us here to Doha.

So far so good I have to say. Had some of the downs so far (the residency red tape;the crazy drivers on the roads;the detours which send you miles out of your way etc etc ... but as far as comparisons go:

Doha is CHEAPER than New Zealand. Average tank of fuel in New Zealand is now around $80 (30 quid) whereas a full tank of fuel here is maximum QR40 for the same size of vehicle which is $16 or 6 quid!! Conversion is divide QR by 2.5 for NZD or 6.5 for UK .... So it is a big difference.

I did a biggish shop for myself at LULU on D Ring road last week and bought ready meals, orange juice, crisps, breakfast cereal, meal and the like and it came to QR155 which is about $60. I worked it out the other night and it would have been about $200 easily ...

Indeed in my NZ incarnation we would spend around $400 (Qr1000) per week for a family of five including toiletries etc. I reckon the same would be about QR550 which is a significant saving plus here are decent products with plentry choice and plenty options to shop around.

I think if I'd ventured here from the UK and not from NZ my opinion would be slightly different! NZ is expensive with limited choice (fact not fiction based on 4 years of slog)

Rascal

No more ready meals love when I get there lol
Be making my famous Thai curries for ya!

Looking forward to seeing some familiar goodies again, but watch my waistline expand.