Amazing Grace

Would be interested to hear good and not so good things please and please can we not do the snide remarks, this is a genuine question

Roadking

It's a really good way to get rid of a Q in Scrabble...

klaus3974

Not a lot of people from Qatar here. Try www.qatarliving.com.

Good things: have a lot of cash and they are lagging behind... so lot of work and projects.

Bad things: boring.

Amazing Grace

Klaus thank you, good to see there are some grown ups here will check out the site

klaus3974

Also, probably not your field but they are investing a lot of money in education (all levels). The wife of the ruler is in charge and she is doing an amazing job.

Meow

Depends on which rules you use....

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welshmum

Can't really help you but did a lot of research when I thought we were moving there and I found a lot of help from the expatwoman.com site. Good Luck and hope it works out for you.

Roadking

My rules!

Tockalosh

They have had their share of problems with islamists. There was a bomb at a Brit theatre a couple of years ago. Google it for more details.
As said seems to be loads of work and Qatar airways is better than Etihad

Bob

There were a few posts a while ago about the place, might get lucky if you search for posts by Novita...

twinmum

Erm, I think my response would vary depending on your circumstances. Do you mean as a single guy/couple/family???

I'm here with young kids and I think it's an okay place to live while they are small. It can be a bit boring. There isn't a great deal of things to do but we try and make our own entertainment.

Good schools can be hard to get in to but housing seems a little easier to get hold of than say a year or two ago. Qatar is a bit isolated. Once you drive out of Doha you've only got very small towns. You can get to some nice-ish little beaches and camping spots with a 4x4 but unless you want to drive through Saudi, that's it. It's changed a lot since we got here 3 years ago and there is a huge amount of construction going on. For me, I think the bad things would be similar to where you are now. I hate the weather in the summer, the crazy Arab drivers, the dust and not being near greenery, the lack in variety of things to do and places to go and basically the fact that it just isn't home. BUT, we have a good standard of living. I have made some good friends here and there are things going on when you build up your social network. It is a quiet, laid-back place really and we find it safe enough (one crazy Egyptian suicide bomber 4 years ago, and I feel a lot safer here than I would in London).

Like I said, to me it would vary a lot depending on who you were coming out here with?

Qataruser

Agree with the above. If you have a family with pre school kids then Qatar will be OK for you.

Single forget it.

IT is BORING more hotels are opening so there is slightly more variety of places to go out but to be frank most are over priced and dull.

I have lived here 3 years and while the Cityscape may have changed pretty mush nothing else has.

Also Qatar is expensive unlees your houding is covered forget it. And make sure the kids school is paid for. Oh and medical. Food aint cheap either.

My advice would be to avoid any job in construction or banking here, Qatar seems to be weathering the current financial crisis on the surface but on the microeconmic level it really is kicking in. You just won't read it in the papers.

Good luck a young family in a compound villa could really enjoy themselves, make some great friends as I have and you can almost forget about the Many bad parts and actually enjoy yourself.

Qatar living IS a great resource BUT with one caveat, most of it's members are Indian and Fillpino, so they are biased TOWARDS the Country, if you are a European ex-pat you will definitely find the place a major culture shock.

Also to answer some questions MINIMUM salary here I would come for WITH family 70-80K DOLLARS plus housing to be provided and medical. If you are offered less you may struggle to save and actually make the move worth it. Schooling MUST be included or heavily subsidized.

If your wife/husband and you both work you will need a live in maid cost 6000 rials to find and bring over 2000 a month salary.
CAR 4x4 minimum cost new (nissan xterra) 100K rials so about 2000 rials a month
My water and power is paid for but you may need to pay upto 1000 month for both
INTERNET 450 rials a month for 2 meg
mobile phone about 300 month
food and eating out skys the limit but I recently saw an organic cerial here for 62 rials or 12.50 pound

littlejimmy

It's fab. I'm coming back on Sunday. Read my blogs for more insight.

(It's got problems like everywhere, but at least it isn't full of shallow posers like Dubai )

blitster19

My DH has been in Qatar for 3 weeks now and he is really enjoying it and says that we (myself and our two sons aged 5 & 2) will love it. He says everything expat related is more expensive by 10-20% but you just need to find the local alternatives. He has been getting his laundry done (2 weeks worth) for 19qr and he is finding all the local places to eat and loves it.

We are actually looking forward to the slower, quieter pace of life that is Qatar. We desperately need to have the shift in lifestyle. My DH works for an Arab company and they have been nothing but wonderful to him, despite advise from Qataruser that no one should even consider working for an Arab company. His monthly salary does take into account everything (housing, transport, utilities, communications, schooling etc).

Best thing to do is go out and have a look around for yourself. As someone else already said Expat Woman Qatar is a great resource, everyone there has been really helpful with all of my questions in the run up to DH moving out. I am heading out for a long weekend in May and can't wait to see it all.

Consider it an adventure and spend lots of time finding out about everything and going everywhere when you get there. My DH met some Americans last week who had been living in Qatar for 18 months and had never been to a local restaurant or the souks or the corniche. They spend all of their free time at hotels and expat restaurants and the malls. DH could just not understand why live in another country and not make any effort to find out what it is really like. But each to their own.

Good luck

Bonny Boy

Blitster 19 - With your attitude I think you will enjoy Qatar. I lived there in the late 90's as a single guy and loved it - loads to do - hashing, dive club, rugby club, Doha players, camping at the inland sea. You don't have to run, dive, play rugby or act if you don't want, just enjoy the social side of these activities - it was a close knit and friendly expat community.

As you state, you've also got to spend time out of the expat bubble to fully appreciate living in a different environment.

I am currently in the big bad city - Dubai, but even here you can live 'off the map' and in the low priced economy if you want. eg laundry, food etc. I had to smile when I read your DH was doing likewise!

You'll be going out at the beginning of the worst time of the year for heat and humidity in May, so bear that in mind.

Good luck!