Qatar.. Anyone lived/living there ?

[mousemole]

Dh is interviewing for a job in Doha. We have 3dc, 2 would be at school ( 7 and 5) and the 2 year old home with me. I've lived in Jordan during university holidays as my parents were expats there and loved it. Qatar seems a lot smaller with a lot less culture! Compound living seems the option most prefer but I think that would drive me nuts. I've visions of a multi cultural Wisteria Lane and the houses look rammed together really tightly with no greenery. Does anyone have any experience of living there ? I hear the schools are a nightmare to get into as well, with long waiting lists.

Anyone ?

We moved here 8 weeks ago.

Don't move in the height of summer! Haven't been able to get out too much because it's just so flaming hot!

Schools, yes, tricky. I'm probably not the best person to talk to about them at the moment.

Having come from small town in West Yorkshire with no culture, I'm quite impressed! The Museum of Islamic Art is lovely, Katara (cultural village thing) is so far impressive and there's quite a lot of stuff I haven't managed to do yet.

We're in apartments near to the centre at the moment. We will eventually move to a compound I think a) for the DC and b) if you want to be near schools you probably need to be in a compound.

Hi robino, wow you are brave moving in the height of summer.. Well done! How old are your children? Sounds like the school situation has been less than ideal for you ? Have you decided on an area to live in ? Al waab seems to be near some decent schools. How are your children finding it so far ? Is everything quiet because it's Ramadam ? Sorry, so many questions

The DDs are 5, 4 and 1. In September DD1 should be starting year 1 and DD2 Reception.

They won't be just yet. It's a bit of a long story involving DH being too busy to organise or make decisions on school while he was out here for three months before we came out, me wanting to take a couple of weeks to acclimatise and meet people before trying to organise schools and the unfortunate situation of DH losing his job just two weeks after we arrived. So right now they're not on any waiting lists at all and having a very extended summer holiday/ vague home schooling session!

Al waab is where a lot of people end up in order to avoid horrendous school commutes; the flip side being if you're in Al Waab you're likely to be in a compound...

Ramadan is making things quiet and a wee bit tricky in terms of entertainment. And a Lot of expats have gone back home for the summer so there are fewer people about.

Children absolutely fine, they're still just about at that age where if they're with mum and dad then they are happy. It has been relatively easy to meet people though so they are making friends, even without school.

Having whined about all that - I think that when (if) we resolve the job situation and get out of high summer so that people are back and we can go outside, we'll have quite a dandy time of it!

Wow you've had a lot on your plate, I hope everything gets sorted for you soon. Have you seen round many compounds ? Do they look O.K ? A friend told me that West Bay is nice, but a longer drive to the schools. We are due out end of August for a recce.. Looking forward to it !

We've been to a few. All in Al Waab. We'd actually reserved a villa in a small one the day before the job went wrong. So cancelled it! Some are huge, some are small. Depends what you like really; we'd decided on a smaller one so the DDs could have more freedom. There are some nice ones in Al Waab with quite large gardens thus avoiding the squashed together, no greenery feel. You pay for it though!

West Bay is nice but yes, far away from most schools.

We hope things get sorted out soon too. Otherwise we'll be moving before we've got our stuff out of storage...

How long will your recce be?

We are due to go out aug bank holiday for 3 nights without children but we are being messed about a bit with dates do who knows ! Why are these things never straightforward ?!

There are 5 desirable/ acceptable British curriculum schools for UK expats , Doha college , DESS , Sherbourne , British montessori school and Parkhouse . Only Doha College is in Al Waab which is popular area for expats as it also houses the very large Americian School .
Almost everyone ( unless your company has pull) struggles getting places especially for the younger children .
Waiting a year is not uncommon . you can bide time with a tutor centre or less desirable school - Newton British School is a popular waiting room .
Everyone complains about the commuting but coming from Dubai and before that London IMO it isn't too bad .
Most westen expat families live in compounds for ease . Renting a standalone house would be very lonely and won't have pools or nearby facilities that children would enjoy . Rents are expensive , maintainance and finishes poor but on first impressions some new compounds look very swanky .
Qatar is frustrating at first and since I've been here is got worse for newcomers .
Now expats working for non goverment organisations must be here 6 months before they can sponsor their family and get them residents permits . This means you have to be separated for 6 months or come in as a visitor and do monthly visa runs . Trouble is children need a residents permit to attend school .
Qatar rates at the bottom of the pile of the places I've lived but people coming from posts in Kuwait or Saudi think its ok because at least ( with a means tested alcohol license or in hotels ) you can buy wine . :)

IMO Qatar has 3 plus points

1. cheap petrol - you can drive out of the dust and construction of Doha and see .... sand ...without worrying about the cost .
2. Little rain , no welly boots needed .
3. Jobs , it bets DH being unemployed in the UK . A really good forum to join is expatwoman Qatar for advice and opinions .

Thanks BahrainB. So does that mean children can't joint school till they have a residency visa which takes 6 months to get ?

Yes effectively it does , you must have an RP be legally enrolled . I think some companies might be getting around the rule of sponsor ( usually but not always the husband ) working 6 months before family can be sponsored . In the main it is the case though . I know a lady who arrived pregnant and with another LO and she can't leave on monthly visa runs now because she is too far gone . It's a big headache for her and she will be fined and possibly have trouble registering the birth etc . The rules change alot and not every company helps you out . It's very burecratic in Qatar .

I think you would possibly be OK for nursery entry without an RP as I have just done my sons paperwork and I only needed a copy of my husbands one .
Schools are truly a nightmare to get into and what I'd worry the most about especially for the 5 year old . September places were allocated in February and whilst some pupils will pull out due to relocation - there could be 100 in the wait list for every year of junior school classes at the popular schools .
DESS and DC charge 10,000 rial deposit which is almost £2000 in real money .
Make sure you get a housing allowance of at least 15,000 - 20,000 a month , all school fees for your choice of school ( ours only covers curriculum of origin fees - so not the pricey US or Dutch one ) medicial , flights and SO IMPORTANT full PRO / mandoob service to fix everything for you .

Brilliant info Bahrain, especially the stuff to negotiate on. Is a mandoob a Mr Fix it type ? Used to have one in Jordan and couldn't have lived without him. What's your view on best places to live ? How long have you been there ?

We done 13 months and 2 days .
People tend to live near the children's schools or their work . Westbay lagoon is lovely but super expensive that would be my first choice . otherwise I prefer the older compounds which have gardens are leafy and have more privacy .Al Jazi gardens in Westbay , Al Messilah near DESS and Riveria Gardens . They are dated but have wide leafy streets and aren't so cramped dusty and oppressive . I like trees rather than swish clubhouses which in the main remain empty most of the time .
you can look at them all online - just google the names .The newer Al Fardan Group compounds ( orange !) and Beverley Hills group of compounds have good reputations and are dotted all over Doha . Maintainence is often a big issue so if you are told the maintence is good ( on big compounds it need to be on site ) it's a big plus .
A good company mandoob will help you with housing schools , doing visas , doing medicals , getting your license ( car and booze ) and maid hire .

I've got visions of you with your calendar ticking off the days
I like the sound of the older complexes. I googled a few new ones last week and found the orange one which looked truly dreadful ! We are due out early September so im looking forward to seeing the various areas. Are your children happy ? Is the heat unbearable at the moment ?

A bad company mandoob will be useless and you'll end up far further behind than you would have been had you done it yourself --not that
I'm bitter--!

The heat isn't unbearable as long as you stay inside...

LOL !
Actually I use a blackboard , mostly to annoy my DS as he promised we'd be out of the ME by the London Olympics . I also go crazy when he buys rolls of 1500 ft tinfoil or clingfilm !
My children are young and born in the gulf , the youngest arrived 3 weeks after we did ! My DH also owes me for that big time .
It's not all bad , they get in the pool 9mths of the year. We live in an oldie 70's compound and it's quiet , leafy and safe . I've help in the house . At the moment I can just about manage to push a double buggy to the pool in the heat. It is boiling but you adjust . I really miss London but never lived there with children so know it wouldn't be easy .
At Christmas my eldest tried taking his shoes and socks off at the playpark on Brook Green !

That meant to read 3 weeks after we arrived in Doha AND the same day as our container . DH dashed between work , hospital and house all day .

That's impressive BahrainB ! I moved from Scotland to England when ds3 was 6 weeks old and that was bad enough. I'm in Turkey for 6 weeks at the moment and the temperatures have ranged from 35-45 Celsius so good training ! Your complex sounds nice, have you made friends there, is it social ?

I met a lot of ladies on the mummy circuit ; swimming lessons , compound park , playgroups etc but we don't have many friends as a couple . It will be a cheap bash - our eventual leaving party !