Qatar

No direct experience, but as I was born in Bahrain, and then worked in Kuwait and Saudi for a bit, I can tell you it will be HOT, DAMN hot!

Spooky - here I am enjoying a bit of insomnia and come across this in the paper...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/before ... n=ExpatTDs

The comments below add some colour to the main piece. Btw The Telegraph is paywalled these days after you read 25 articles, fyi.

Worked there for a short while before Xmas last year.

You'll probably be based in Doha, the capital, which was where I was.

A few points (positive and negative):
- The weather's hot most of the time - I was out in late November / early December and it was late 20s- early 30s most days - but in summer it's insanely hot - many ex-pats bail out and come home (often family move back for the summer, leaving the working person out there alone)
- The locals are friendly and very relaxed about foreigners compared to some other countries in the area (Saudi, for example); the business and general language is English, even in shops, etc. - but a few words of Arabic can be useful/polite
- there's a massive ex-pat British contingent there, whom I found to be exceptionally friendly
- Costs-wise, most things are comparable to the UK, with some exceptions: notably accommodation (pricey but not excessive), alcohol (unsurprisingly costly), petrol (ludicrously cheap). Some foods here cost a fortune there (eg apples!) but other things are much cheaper (eg dates, olives, etc)
- You'd need to account for the costs of schooling, etc. and weigh up the costs of foregone income back home eg if your other half worked here
- Your work package should include an allowance for flights, etc but you need to include an allowance for this
- It's only tax-free if you're living there permanently (ie all the time / 365 days)
- The whole thing about it being a Muslim country, different culture, etc needs to be recognised - this isn't a disadvantage, just a difference that needs to be thought about
- Terrain is very flat and there's not a lot of green, although there are some areas where at mahoosive cost they've put in grass!
- Driving a bit mixed, tends to be quite aggressive and accidents are common, but cars are relatively cheap to buy and run - if you're living there a car is pretty essential
- Cycling does happen - there are clubs, etc - but you'd probably need to take a bike out there. It's hot so many riders seem to get out there in the early morning, before the traffic picks up

Think that's all I can think of - there are plenty of websites with more info - hope this helps

Secret sam sums it up well.

I've been living in Qatar for 14 years and have always enjoyed it. I don't live in Doha so cant comment on life there, I live in a small community on the opposite coast from Doha. I have never struggled for things to do. As well as cycling on excellent roads (scenery can be a little monotonous) there is golf, sailing, football, in fact any sport you are involved in UK you can continue here. I have many friends in Doha and they all seem to have active social lives.

If you have a decent sponsor then the exit permit you need to leave the country is not an issue. It is hot just now but within a month the weather will cool enough for outside sports and I personally prefer Qatars climate to the UK, mind you this past summer in Scotland was glorious.

Hi Pross. I'm a teacher so luckily don't have to pay any school fees. I do know that there is a real shortage of places in quality schools in Doha which drives the price up a bit. I guess you just have to do your sums and make your choice. you don't say what line of work you are in, but if it is oil and gas or any kind of civil engineering, construction, then there's plenty of work out here.

You definitely will have to factor in accommodation, as it can be expensive for something decent, single accomm. is obviously cheaper. I don't have any accurate figures to hand as I don't stay in Doha , and I am given a house. Cars are a bit cheaper than UK and petrol less than 6p a liter (sorry couldn't resist it). One paid flight back a year if you are on family status is the norm.

A useful website is Qatarliving which will have up to date prices. Many ,many new projects on the go just now and it will only get busier in the lead up to the world cup.

Pross,

I can't speak directly of Qatar having only transited through it once, but I lived as an expat in Hong Kong for 14 years, so have some experience of living and working overseas.

The most successful expat relocations nearly always come with those people that want to experience a complete change of location. They throw themselves in to the local life, have a go and learning the language, and try to integrate themselves into the local culture as much as possible. It helps if they are keen to relocate to the particular place the job is offered. The least successful ones are those where they just go for the money, and try to maintain their pre relocation lifestyle to the greatest extent possible. That is not to say that the money isn't important, and it is very wise to do your homework. In HK, the costs of good accomodation and childrens' education is extortionate, and it is very easy to see a good headline salary dissapear very quickly.

Although I'm now living just up the road from you in Monmouthshire, I have absolutely no regrets at all about my time overseas. It was a fantastic experience, and the memories are far more valuable than the benefits I personally had to my finances. I married a girl from HK while I was there, so I'm lucky enough to get back there regularly on family visits, and I'll probably move back there at some point in my life to see out my days as the winters are so much gentler than they are here. That said, Monmouthshire is a wonderful county, and the quality of life and the cycling here are great as I'm sure you would agree.

In respect of families, the dislocation is usually far greater for the spouse than for the person working. It would be wise to not underestimate how much strain it puts on a relationship for one partner to live in the UK whilst the other works abroad. It is also wise not to underestimate how hard it might be for your wife if she does relocate with you. While you are busy working, she will be sitting around away from family and friends, and that can be very tough. It takes quite some time to assimilate a new life. When I first moved out to HK I was told the first 5 years would be the worst, and there was a lot of truth in that. Particularly, life for an unemployed wife in the middle east can be challenging, as others have commented. A lot of expat relocations I knew of failed because the spouse was unhappy.

Kids education is always a critical issue. Overseas international schools can be very expensive, and there are often limited places in the best ones. Having the kids educated back home while you are living overseas can be a painful process for both kids and parents.

You also need to consider the length of time you expect to be overseas, and the implications on pensions and re-employment prospects should you return. Don't think the life is for everyone - a lot of people end up going back early because they hate the changed lifestyle. Other, like me, find they love it, and in my case a 2 year initial contract ended up in a 14 year stay.

You've mentioned you are not a risk taker a few times. My thoughts on that are that you only get one life. The bigger risk can be in not taking the opportunites in life that come your way, as it can be even worse to think what if than it can be to face the realities of the move not working out.

So, overall, it might well be the best thing you ever did. But, equally, it might be one of the worst. It is certainly a decision not to be taken, or dismissed, lightly. And you really shouldn't focus too much on the financial rewards, except to make sure you won't get any expensive shocks. It is much more of a life experience thing.

I'm just up in Usk if you ever fancy a beer and a chat. I've had a few colleagues spend time in the middle east. Some hated it and some loved it. And some loved some locations there and hated others.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Paul

ddraver wrote:

Hmmm, Interesting thread for someone with an interview at Saudi Aramco next week....

Really? I visited them in Saudi when I was working in oil, and found it all a bit sinister and hierarchical. Wasn't for me. But hey, if they're paying a good enough salary.....!

Pross wrote:

Yep, I'm in Civil Engineering (Highways). I guess supply may be decreasing and salaries increasing due to the industry picking back up over here. I'm going to investigate it a bit more to get an idea of what a good rate would be for my experience / qualifications. The job I was initially approached about was for £64k all inclusive which at face value seemed huge but having looked at job sites it is actually probably at the low end as many others include accomadation, car and flights.

I don't know how that compares to your potential UK salary, but personally I'd tell them to shove it.

I'd be looking for at least a 50% hike on your UK salary, with (say) 2-3 flights per year thrown in, a month in a hotel (etc) when you first arrive to help you settle in and get accommodation, etc etc etc.

Absolute mountains of work over there, they are building like there's no tomorrow and the road infrastructure will need to follow. The pick up in activity back here should, in fact, drive up wages as fewer people will be considering working abroad if they have full time employment back home.

If you think wages are going to rise soon then you probably are best holding off just now. A higher salary than a UK teachers is a major factor keeping me here.

Don't let the exit permit situation put you off. I honestly don't give it a thought, book flight tickets, apply for exit permit, it just becomes part of the routine. I work for a big company who can get me a permit 24 hours a day, that may not be the case with a smaller company.

Oman is a lovely country, it has mountains, the cycling looks a bit more challenging than here in Qatar. I would consider a move to Oman, but not Dubai, it's great to visit for a weekend, in fact I drove to Dubai from Qatar last year. It's a bit too big a city for me.

Good luck anyway Pross,