Qatar

[imadoofus]

Right then. Who knows anything about living in Qatar?

I have a couple of possible opportunities there for a year or two, and I know nothing about the country.

TIA

PJ

 

[pammy]

My God-daughter spent about 4 - 5 years working out there doing IT and English as a teacher and loved it. Would quite happily have stayed longer but other demands pulled her back.

 

[verytalldave]

One of the better arab countries. Never ever had bad feedback from any of my friends who have lived out in the middle east over many years.
Good infrastructure and they seem to like ex-pats OK. Very, very little hostility from the locals who are quite westernised but still within the remit of Islam.
Go for it.

 

[imadoofus]

Go for it.

Hmm.. Need to get that message across to Mrs Doofus, who doesn't relish the thought of being clapped in irons by anybody (other than me)

 

[verytalldave]

Hmm.. Need to get that message across to Mrs Doofus, who doesn't relish the thought of being clapped in irons by anybody (other than me)

All you have to remember is abide by their local rules. Like, for example, there are certain places where women cant go unaccompanied and of course the no alcohol rule anywhere except "on camp" or in 5 star hotels and the like. I wouldnt recommend driving out there. Take cabs everywhere. If you do drive and are involved in an "incident" with a local, then the chances of you getting the blame are almost 100% despite the prevailing conditions. But thats not really too much of a hardship. Health services and education are amongst the best in the world.
And, because its a Muslim country, there is almost no crime at all. You can leave valuables out and they wont be touched. At least not by a local. And then of course theres the weather.
Providing you like the sun, then its the best.

Useful info here............
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar

 

[manalishi]

What's said above is fair.

But if you're at all bothered by racism, think twice (though my opinion is based on 2.5yrs in the more 'liberal' Dubai, and I only went to Qatar on visa renewal hops)

I'm pretty sure there are expat forums where you can get advice from guys/girls living there now.

 

[verytalldave]

Heres a couple................

http://www.alloexpat.com/qatar_expat_forum/

http://www.expat-blog.com/en/directory/middle-east/qatar/

 

[Mr E]

My previous exec (female) was based there for 10 years and only returned to the UK for career reasons. She said it was by far and away the best country in that reason to live and do business in.

 

[ShinyF1]

I have a friend who has been working there since the early 90s and loves it. He married an ex-pat out there and never wants to come back.

My wife was recently there on business and found it very annoying. She was on a project to do with the ruling family and was constantly kept waiting/being moved around for no reason [location to location].....this experience was definitely about the individuals she came into contact with rather than the country itself..

 

[scumbag]

I always go against the grain don't i?

My last boss used to work out there, and can back here to reinvigorate his career here in this line of work.

He was promoted to top boss here in April, and I got the vacant slot beneath him. He was offered a job in Qatar again, big money too, and lft us in June. I ahem, rolled into his vacant position, and he asked for his job back in August, and started here again in September, in his old job, the one I had vacated to fill the position he had when he left.

And to make matters better, he said if he was ever to move here, he would want a flat in a particular building over looking the sea.......and imagine his surprise at the home I bought, while he was away.

Anyhow, I think things had changed for him there, and over the last 18months, he must have developed rose tinted spec over it, as he seemed happy to come back after just a couple of weeks.

I can't offer any advice, as I just move about at will. If I want to go, I am off. If I don't, I stay doing what I enjoy.

 

[imadoofus]

For me it offers an opportunity to put some tax-free earnigns away for a couple of years, always with my early retirement plan in view.

However, I'm not going to do it if it's a horrible place to live or work, and it certainly sounds ok, so I'll look into it further.

PJ

And if I could understand what Scumbag was dribbling on about, that might have been useful too...

 

[Ade B]

Make sure you take a suitcase full of bacon and brown/red sauce over..

I lived abroad for a year, great fun, but it was Germany not the Middle East... I know nothing about Qatar but I'd say if there is nothing really tying you here, you've nothing to lose and lots to gain.

Just don't go shoplifting.

Ade

 

[imadoofus]

But I don't really like bacon, and I hate sauce of any colour...

I split my time equally between Germany and England for a year or so until recently, and I've lived in France as well, and I think that's a valid point: I like the French diet, but not German. I don't know what the Qatary diet is.

I do have a few things tying me here. Not least my clients. But that's not insurmountable. Mrs D has a job here too, so we need to tie up a number of loose ends before deciding if it's a goer.

It could lead to something much longer term, which I don't really think I want...

 

[A-AvantGarde]

If you do drive and are involved in an "incident" with a local, then the chances of you getting the blame are almost 100% despite the prevailing conditions.

That applies to almost all Arab states unfrotunately, the 'foreigner' always gets the blame.

Not sure exactly what Manalishi meant about racisim. The only thing I can think about is that if you're British and you're not white, e.g. Pakistani, Indian, Chinese or Afro Caribbean you may face some prejudice. I've heared of British Indian & Pakistani's having some trouble / discrimination with the locals as Indian's & Pakistanis are typically labourers e.g. they're not seen as British.

 

[manalishi]

That applies to almost all Arab states unfrotunately, the 'foreigner' always gets the blame.

Not sure exactly what Manalishi meant about racisim. The only thing I can think about is that if you're British and you're not white, e.g. Pakistani, Indian, Chinese or Afro Caribbean you may face some prejudice. I've heared of British Indian & Pakistani's having some trouble / discrimination with the locals as Indian's & Pakistanis are typically labourers e.g. they're not seen as British.

"Some prejudice"? Well aside from the accident thing mentioned above, how about a few examples:
* Indian/Philippino/etc doing the exact same job as an English bod but getting a fraction of the pay (typically <50%)
* or, the different ways non-marital sex (technically illegal in all Gulf states) is treated for Pakistanis vs Westerners
* different level of 'courtesy' extended to Pakistani labourer and Westerner when having to deal with Arab officialdom (esp cops)
* housing policies operated by estate agents

It's insidious and affects everything. Most Westerners turn a blind eye to it, unless they're actively exploiting it. As part of my job, I went to Manilla to recruit. For the same job, same responsibility, same hours, waaay lower pay.

What scumbag said above sounds very familiar, too. Like most ex-pats I happily drank, partied and sunbathed my way through it in a tax-free daze. But I could only stick it for 2.5yrs full-time. Went back frequently as a consultant and never wished I was back there. These Gulf states are all family dictatorships, after all.

Just go into it with your eyes open. Do look into the tax-free bit, too, as I was sure that some Gulf states are about to impose taxes for the first time.

 

[wemorgan]

My sister works in Dubia (I appreciate not the same as Qatar) and she concurs everything you've said manalishi.

I'd also add, that she says many westerners then feel it is acceptable to be racist towards the asian migrants, as this is how the arabs behave.

But as an opportunity to earn some tax free income working in the middle east is a good plan for a few years.

 

[Dryce]

Not sure exactly what Manalishi meant about racisim.

In Britain we fret a bit about concepts such as 'institutionalised racism'.

In other places there is a 'natural order' assumed about these things and there is a well understood and implemented pecking order based on religion and colour.

 

[Ade B]

In Britain we fret a bit about concepts such as 'institutionalised racism'.

In other places there is a 'natural order' assumed about these things and there is a well understood and implemented pecking order based on religion and colour.

One of the more unpleasant aspects of the region - that and Sharia law..

Ade

 

[AMGeed]

I have stayed in Qatar ( Doha only) on several occasions and find it a great place with very hospitable people.
But if I knew nothing of the country, and was offered the chance to work and live there, I'd make it my first priority to visit the place for a couple of weeks and find out more for myself.
There will plenty of advices offered here, but ultimately it is your life that will be affected by moving there.

For what it's worth, I'd jump at the opportunity like a shot

 

[manalishi]

On the tax-free thing, this might explain why so many expats LOVE the Gulf states:

When you get your first monthly pay cheque it is 100% of your gross salary. Even though you knew it was coming, it feels great - you grin like an idiot and feel sorry for all those poor saps back in Blighty who see big NI, tax, etc deductions. So you're already much better off, perhaps 30%.

Then you go shopping and realise that because there is no VAT and it's the land of deals and haggling, there are deals everywhere. Housing and decent education (in Dubai at least, and I suspect Qatar is the same) is spendy, but the rest - cars, home electronics, semi-glam lifestyle, etc - is cheap as chips.

Want to save money instead of spend? Good news again - put it into a bank/shares/etc and pay no tax on the interest/dividends/etc. Tax on interest is compounded of course, so this makes a significant difference, too. It's all gravy...

People forget that the total tax burden here is perhaps 45%. So like-for-like salary, in the tax-free Gulf you have almost 2x as much money to play with. (FYI, for some expats, this is what makes it impossible to contemplate returning to Blighty and taking an effective 50% net salary reduction.)

I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I came back before I became too expat-y, so do your research and - if it works out - go for it.