Need help to understand life in Qatar

Hi,

I am a Malaysian researcher currently working in the US and have recently been offered a position in Qatar. The details are as listed below.

Salary: QR36000/mo
Housing Allowance: QR10000/mo
Transportation Allowance: QR3400/mo
Misc: 1 ticket home every year

I hope you will not mind fielding questions from me, but i have several concerns:

1. My wife will be following me if i take up this job. How is life there as far as shopping and other entertainment? I am concerned that she will not be happy there.

2. Is it easy to find Malaysian food there?

3. How easy it is to travel in and out of Qatar?

4. Is it safe there? How is driving there?

5. Is it easy to leave my position and Qatar should my family feel uncomfortable there?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Congrats for the offer!

Coming to your concerns though, dude, kalu dah duduk kat State la ni, then Qatar ni amatlah berbezanya.

Most people yang datang keja sini focus on the monetary target je, with all those things being 'sacrificed', kecuali utk safety kot.

If possible, datang lah melawat member dulu kat sini, then you will have a better idea. Tak de site interview before offer?

fixcxer wrote:Congrats for the offer!

Coming to your concerns though, dude, kalu dah duduk kat State la ni, then Qatar ni amatlah berbezanya.

Most people yang datang keja sini focus on the monetary target je, with all those things being 'sacrificed', kecuali utk safety kot.

If possible, datang lah melawat member dulu kat sini, then you will have a better idea. Tak de site interview before offer?

Amat bersetuju dgn Fixcxer.

If you have the opportunities, it will be much better for you to come and visit this place first before making any big decision.

Lain orang lain pengalamannya..

wow that is an extremely good offer. congrats. God has chosen you for awesome opportunity to be given.

yep, the lifestyle in US will not match with lifestyle in any country in Middle East. But it goes back to your career objective & what you are looking for.

rezeki, rezeki, rezeki..

hope i can get ANY opportunity in Middle East...

Digimushu,

Salary wise, quite good already compared to most us here. However, your kindself may want to benchmark against your peers in the same discipline, elsewhere.

Housing allowance offered is ..... perhaps 'medium'. You may find a decent one with the amount, however, not that easy. Try to browse through www.qatarliving.com for feel of house prices in Doha. Hopefully it would give you a better idea to negotiate for a higher housing allowance.

Transport allowance is quite overwhelming. You can buy a very good car with 4 yrs repayment with that amount.

1 ticket home ? ........ Will they buy you a ticket or they would give you a ticket equivalent amount ? If they pay you some kind of allowance, try to ask for them to use IATA as a yardstisk in coming out with the reimbursement/ allowance amount. Generally, IATA rate is higher/fair.

How about children's education ? It is very expensive here. You need to get them to cover this too.

Shopping & entertainment : Not many ...... subjective I guess. Anyhow, there're many non-working housewives who always click together everyday for a morning coffee etc.

Malaysian food .... There are. Not at every corner of Doha though. For eg, there are house made nasi lemak seller every weekend, Msian & Indonesian restaurants, a kind of 'mamak' restaurants (2 that I know) and few thai & chinese restaurants. Again .... try to refer to www.qatarliving.com .

Travel in/out of Qatar. Need to get an exit permit. You may want to negotiate for a multiple exit permit with your prospective employer if you really need to frequently travel out.

Safe ........ highly safe. Driving .... quite challenging.

Is it easy to leave ....... ? I heard that there are few funny stories involving some companies here. However, I believe that as long as it is a reputable company, there would honour their contract.

Hope the above helps.

Hi All,

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, we feel blessed and are seriously considering this offer as the monetary amount is rather substantial. As far as career objectives is concerned, it is in the direction that i would like to go. However, I am just worried that my family will not be used to it.

The company is one of a new startups in the technology park in Doha. Currently I am still working out the details of the offer. They did say that they will cover the cost of schooling when we have kids.

How is healthcare there? Is it affordable? They say they will have medical insurance but i don't know how good is the service there.

is the life similar to Malaysia, or more relaxed?

As suggested, I will try to negotiate better allowances once i get a ballpark number form qatarliving. If the conditions are good, we will be joining you guys soon!

Hi Digimushu

If the company is looking for technology resources, please let me know.
I have been looking for opportunities in Middle East. I am open to any industry including financial / banking industry. I am willing to relocate.       

I am certified in ITIL v3, UK StanChart Biz Analyst & British Council Biz Writing and I have about 13 years' experience in IT with a strong background in:       

(1) IT project management    
(2) IT service / performance management &    
(3) IT business analysis       

By the way about healthcare in Middle East, many Middle Eastern medical tourists who are seeking treatment in Malaysia are complaining about the quality. According to them, Middle East recruitment team for healthcare prefers to take resources from India; cheaper costs but lack of skills & experience.

So this results in the following:

1. Upper class Arabs will go to US/Europe for healthcare services
2. Middle class Arabs will go to Malaysia/Singapore for the same

Hiyas digimushu...

Career Objective ??? What is that? Haven't heard those word for quiet sometime now.

Coming to M.E, one should know only one thing... If you're not Arabic or a local, then forget about career objective.

No such thing for us expats. But we are lucky although there is no or lack the career "satisfaction" here, the void was filled by family quality time.

Parents have more Q time with kids.
Spouses spend more Q time with each other.
More time on oneself, spent by reading, learning, etc.

digimushu wrote:Hi All,

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, we feel blessed and are seriously considering this offer as the monetary amount is rather substantial. As far as career objectives is concerned, it is in the direction that i would like to go. However, I am just worried that my family will not be used to it.

The company is one of a new startups in the technology park in Doha. Currently I am still working out the details of the offer. They did say that they will cover the cost of schooling when we have kids.

How is healthcare there? Is it affordable? They say they will have medical insurance but i don't know how good is the service there.

is the life similar to Malaysia, or more relaxed?

As suggested, I will try to negotiate better allowances once i get a ballpark number form qatarliving. If the conditions are good, we will be joining you guys soon!

digimushu wrote:Hi All,

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, we feel blessed and are seriously considering this offer as the monetary amount is rather substantial. As far as career objectives is concerned, it is in the direction that i would like to go. However, I am just worried that my family will not be used to it.

The company is one of a new startups in the technology park in Doha. Currently I am still working out the details of the offer. They did say that they will cover the cost of schooling when we have kids.

How is healthcare there? Is it affordable? They say they will have medical insurance but i don't know how good is the service there.

is the life similar to Malaysia, or more relaxed?

As suggested, I will try to negotiate better allowances once i get a ballpark number form qatarliving. If the conditions are good, we will be joining you guys soon!

In my department within QP, there's a Malaysian family with almost similar background. Menetap di US selama 16 tahun beranak pinak 2 orang dan bersekolah disana - umur 6 dan 9 tahun. Sekarang di Qatar dan perlu masuk American syllabus schools, cuma ada 2 yang elok - American School Doha dan Qatar Academy. ASD adalah terbaik dan termahal dalam QAR70K setahun seorang....Qatar Academy saya dengar majority anak bangsawan orang tempatan yang kebanyakan 'spoilt brat'.Also there're gaps in syallabus between Britsh & American systems.

Masalah - parent masih memegang Passport Malaysia dan QP policy covers for Malaysian up to QAR 33,500. Most British schools within this range.Jadi, si parent terpaksa top-up the difference. So, in your case make sure the company adequately covers the school fees sebab ada big difference on fees from schools to schools.
Whether happy ke tak...very subjective. Kalau biasa dengan liberal social life, Doha is not the place, I'm sure u know that.

Also, the level of service dalam kebanyakan sector - banking, corporate dan terutamaya dealing dengan sector awam secara amnya lebih rendah daripada di Malaysia. kalau anda put high priority on efficency, anda akan kecewa disini. Kalau tak kisah, dan just go with the flow...you'll be alright.....

Secara amnya, situasi lebih 'laid back'....disebabkan ramai juga expat yang datang dari 'dunia ke tiga', maka expect that attitude when dealing - on the roads,service counters, public places....tapi ramai juga yang with good 'civic conciousness'....

Another factor worth considering is, if you want your family to grow up in 'more islamic' values or more "malaysian flavour'...Doha is a good compromise....Ramadahn months is 'celebrated' with less working hours and all are expected to observe the practise including the non-muslims, ....Halal food aplenty just like malaysia and I'm sure not the same in the US.....

Also, there's a good 4000 strong and active Malaysian community in Qatar....you'll feel at home quickly(depends where you consider home is)....there's usrah sessions almost every fortnight, various tauhid & tafsir etc classes weekly, and so far ..Malays being Malays where 'kenduri' is an important social event, I will not be surprised if ther's a jemputan almost every 2 weeks....there's also pasar malam may be for every quarter of the year as well as pasar ramdahan....not to mention weekly futsal, volley ball, mountain biking etc or more official sporting events/tournaments.....

So, tepuk dada tanya selera....do a reality check on what's your objective to relocate?.....

digimushu wrote:Hi All,

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, we feel blessed and are seriously considering this offer as the monetary amount is rather substantial. As far as career objectives is concerned, it is in the direction that i would like to go. However, I am just worried that my family will not be used to it.

The company is one of a new startups in the technology park in Doha. Currently I am still working out the details of the offer. They did say that they will cover the cost of schooling when we have kids.

How is healthcare there? Is it affordable? They say they will have medical insurance but i don't know how good is the service there.

is the life similar to Malaysia, or more relaxed?

As suggested, I will try to negotiate better allowances once i get a ballpark number form qatarliving. If the conditions are good, we will be joining you guys soon!

Agreed with all that had been said, ecpecially on the Career Objective and the Healthcare Services.

Additional points to add :

1. If you're on Family status, the company should cover the annual airfare for the whole family, not just for 1 person. You may want to reconfirm this.

2. How about the Currency Protection Allowance ? Will you be paid any ? With RM expected to strengthen further you may want to ask if you're entitled to the allowance.

3. How about Annual Salary Increment ? Those who are on definite contracts normally do not receive any increment throughout the duration of their contracts. Are you on Definite or Indefinite contract ? With the 2022 coming, inflation will definitely be a big issue here and annual increment is the only way to partly protect your purchasing power.

Regards.

Digimushu
Many people have been wanting to 'hijrah' (migration for the cause of Allah) but never get the opportunity. And you are lucky to be blessed by Almighty Allah for this offer. God has chosen you for best reasons known to Him. I understand about concerns you have especially when you are already in US. But as many here said, you need to know your real objectives in life.

I have read many postings in Western expat blogs. They ridicule Moslem & our faith like nobody's business. They even condemn Middle Eastern local traditions. So I ask them - what is your objective coming to Middle East if you have all these issues? They answer me - MONEY.

If I were you, I will continue staying in US because everthing is affordable. I used to study in States & I returned home. That's my biggest mistake. It's been 13 years in MY & things are getting ridiculous in MY. Everything goes up. Mostly in MY, we don't even have disposable income. To make ends meet, most of us have to resort being tangled with CC, loans & many more. Qualiy time with family is non-existent. Too much politicking in MY does also contribute big issue in our life. Job hopping is not easy when companies prefer to take in fresh graduates. Porn, pre marital sex, booze, drugs, rudeness & many more have become a norm in MY nowadays. Well there are many, many things I can share but I just got tired of this. I have been applying for any suitable Middle East opening since 2004 but so far no luck.
If your spouse may not be happy with Middle East culture, there will be a challenge because there will be many issue cropping up unknowingly. Not everyone has high degree of flexibility to adapt host country culture.

So as I said earlier, if I were you, I'd stay put in US because everything is affordable there plus many things. But I'm just being me; I'm still looking for opportunities in Middle East to 'hijrah'. And I hope my family & I can become better Moslems with this chance (if any).

Hi Spectraguy,noble-man,tanjong,rizi,

Thank you for your unique perspective. I agree that I have to think this really carefully.

Money is not everything for me. There are other things I have in mind as well, such as safety and a happy family life. Hence, I will take my time to think about this opportunity. I appreciate the advice and the guidance. May Allah bless you and your families.

digimushu wrote:Hi Spectraguy,noble-man,tanjong,rizi,

Thank you for your unique perspective. I agree that I have to think this really carefully.

Money is not everything for me. There are other things I have in mind as well, such as safety and a happy family life. Hence, I will take my time to think about this opportunity. I appreciate the advice and the guidance. May Allah bless you and your families.

semoga allah swt ilhamkan yg baik2 kpd digimushu ...

SUSAH adalah dugaan dan ujian dari ALLAH & SENANG juga adalah ujian dari ALLAH

betul tu ...