Job Discussion Forums

[Mari1219]

Hello, colleagues,

I will soon be interviewing for a teaching position at Qatar University Foundation (English program) and would very much appreciate any information regarding this institution and life in Qatar, in general.
I am a single female in my early 40's and I have never taught overseas.

What about salary ranges? I am an English teacher at an intensive English program in Florida, USA, with a Specialist degree in TESOL and about 8 years of ESL teaching experience.

Thank you, and warm regards!

Mari

[veiledsentiments]

[Mari1219]

Hello, VS,

Thanks for your response. An Ed.S. is a Specialist degree in Education, in my case, a PhD all but dissertation.

Have you ever been to Qatar? If so, are there a lot of foreigners there? What are some activities that one can do during the free time?

Regards,

Mari

[veiledsentiments]

I was going to say 'sweat' but I see that you are in Florida. The climate is very similar... only much hotter for half of the year in the Gulf. If you are into outdoor activities, there are the beaches and the desert. And of course, there is the usual shopping, gyms, reading, and surfing the web. (just like home)

I chose not to job search in Qatar as I preferred the UAE and Oman. I worked over the years with many people who had worked in Qatar and most people liked it well enough. I did note that those that liked it best were married. As to whether there are a lot of foreigners there... depends on what you mean. There are many more foreigners than Qataris. Most of your contacts outside of the classroom will be foreigners. But, the majority are neither Americans nor even Westerners. I found the international mix of the faculties in the Gulf to be a plus... many interesting people.

Those are general comments and hopefully a current woman teacher will show up if you want more specifics. One thing I would warn any "early 40s" female heading to the Gulf is to not have much hope of finding "Mr Right." If you think the market for desirable single men is bad in the US, it is multiples worse in the Gulf. I looked at the Gulf as a great place to save money and fund that retirement plan. And it worked very well doing that and allowing me many summers of travels to interesting countries.

VS

[Mari1219]

Dear VS,

Thanks again for your prompt (--and very helpful) response! I will definitely consider all of this information if I find myself with a job offer there. As to "Mr. Right".. no, I am not planning to look for him overseas..

Take care,

Mari in sunny/blue skies Florida

[millie18]

Qatar is what you make of it. There is very little to "see" - you can drive around the country in about 20 minutes (OK, that's an exageration but if it takes longer than 3 days to see all the sights, some of them twice, you're dawdling).

Like the rest of the GCC - opportunities to spend your money abound in the myriad of shopping centres available - with more to come. If you join one of the 5* hotels you can get access to good exercise facilities and the beaches/pools - however they are expensive. Yes there are public beaches, none within Doha and it can be uncomfortable because local and other Arabs as well as men from the subcontinent tend to stare and some even stalk women - especially if they are alone or without a male companion.

Traffic is horrible at peak hours and sometimes not much better at other times - drivers are worse than UAE and Oman.

However, there are any number of single women in your age bracket and they get along just fine for the most part - there are a number of social groups and clubs organized for various activities and tastes. VCU in education city offers continuing ed courses in various arts (photography, painting, interior design, computer design, etc)

Have friends at QU who I see infrequently - they've been there 3+ years, no real complaints that I'm aware of.

As for Mr. Right - I don't know how many women I've met who have deliberately come to the region in search of Mr. Right - more like Mr. Right Now whose wife is sitting obliviously back in their home country. In more than 10 years I've only known 2 people to meet and marry and are still with their spouse - and neither of them were looking. Just be aware there are a lot of middleaged men here who are less than honest about their true marital status.

[veiledsentiments]

Millie has filled in what I had left unsaid...

[millie18]

Which is why I limited my driving comments to the 3 countries Ive lived in - I will never be able to comment on Saudi and hope never to comment on Kuwait

[veiledsentiments]

Insha'Allah, Miss Millie...

VS

[Citizenkane]

Is getting a car really essential in Qatar?

I can drive, but usually don't bother. I'm one of the few male expats in Saudi who has never bought a car and I survived quite alright. Also, all my driving experience is on the left-hand side (as is the British system) so I'm wondering how I'd adapt to right side of the road driving, especially if the driving is as dangerous in Doha as it is in Riyadh.

[millie18]

There is a bus system, and you can use taxis (somewhat more available than in the past) or hire a driver on an as needed basis.

I know people who use the buses but they don't usually service the areas where the tertiary schools are - they also tend to take the longest round about routes and may or may not be reliable depending on traffic conditions - OK if you want to go to the shops with no real timetable but not so good if you have to be somewhere at a certain time.

Waiting for buses and taxis (if you are trying to find one in an area where they are scarce in 50+C and seems like 111% humidity gets old really fast.

There are lots of people who get by without cars, but they usually have the numbers of a couple of reliable drivers they can count on in a pinch.

[veiledsentiments]

[Citizenkane]

Thanks millie.

Doesn't sound all that different from Riyadh. Before I came here I was told there was no way I could survive without a car and yet I managed well enough for some years - through a mixture of taxis, shuttle buses (I know these aren't provided outside KSA) and yes, cadging lifts from friends with cars!

The bus system sounds pretty much like Riyadh or maybe a bit better. I did occassionally use the buses here but it was not a pleasant experience. Because they're almost only used by (male) expatriate labourers from Asia, the local authorites couldn't care less about maintaining or cleaning them and they are filthy, uncomfortable crocks with no AC. Not fun.

Veiled

Yeah, I'm sure I could do it if I could be bothered! It's just that I really don't much like driving at all, not even back in the UK.

[greenpeace]

16000 per month?
Is anyone else earning more?

[posh]