Advice please!

and I find the life here safe, affordable and family oriented. My opinion, give it a shot if you are open-minded as it may be a bit of a cultural shock coming from the UK.

KATIE EVEN ANTARTICA IS NOT SAFE AND EVEN THE POWERFUL COUNTRY HAS TERRORIST.

SAFE PLACE AHH NEVER MIND... FOR ME THE SAFEST PLACE WAS 6 FEET UNDER... COME ON AS OF NOW ALL COUNTRIES HAS THERE OWN TERRORIST....IF YOU KNOW ONE TELL AND PROVE IT

Katie - come and join us. Its a great place to bring up children. We came here in 1985 and never left. My kids, now 20 and 27, consider this "home", as do many other young people raised here by expat parents.

Quite honestly, I am more afraid when I am travelling away from this country - locking doors, checking windows, keeping tight hold of my handbag, etc. This place is refreshingly safe on a personal level. And there are lots of opportunties for family activities and for your children to learn extra curricula things such as swimming, sailing, skiing, tennis, etc. (and you'll have the money available to let them do it!!!)

i am from uk.lived here 3 years,yes there are things u miss,but i woudnt go back uk, bomb threat, dont worry,safer here,its all been said in other comments,were u from? how old kids? pm me good luck

Yes, Qatar is a peaceful and safe place. Most of us probably feel safer than wherever we came from, but it's NOT utopia.

No matter where you live, I think you need to take precautions to protect your personal safety, including Doha.

I know people who have been the victims of burglaries, both in compounds and in private villas; items have been stolen from cars; American and Canadian teens have been arrested for possessing and selling hashish; British kids have ended up in the hospital after huffing;Western teens are served alcohol in the hotels; a teenaged girl was killed when hit by a speeding SUV as she was leaving the Oasis with her friends; and yes there have been reports of child molestation, mostly of young boys, especially in the restrooms in the malls.

I am NOT an alarmist-- these things happen everywhere. But here, they are generally kept quiet.

But if you stick your head in the sand and assume there is no crime here, you're setting yourself up to be a victim.

So yes, enjoy the peace and quiet, the slow pace of life, and all the opportunites of experiencing a new culture, but be sensible and be aware. Hold on to your purse, don't leave it sitting in your shopping cart. Don't keep valuables in your car. Lock your car. Know where your kids are, know who their friends are.

Personally, these are things I would do no matter where I lived.

We spent 15 years there the first time, raised two kids (one of whom stayed after we left) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even without any UK shops being present in those days.

I think Katie just read the terrorist warnings about Qatar from various western governments. They make pretty scary reading.

People also think Dubai is a country, and have never heard of UAE!

ppl do think that Qatar is part of UAE as they have never heard or seen much from Qatar.thats why Katie be might be thinking that Qatar is a part of UAE and scared. where as it is not.

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qatar is one of the safest place in the world

you're the man.

Katie B., most of us here living in qatar find peace. Away from rude people and yet they are friendly. As i can tell to myself you will feel fine here. Never worry about those terrorist. As far as i know, Living in Qatar is like Living in your hometown.

Nothing more to say but I am very happy and most of all i enjoyed a lot living here.

Hope you will not change your mind. You'll get used to it later and when you're here in qatar tell us how you feel.

Don't forget to drop by Qatar Living site, surely you will find so many kind and great people who will help and guide you how to be a law abiding resident here in qatar.

good luck and god bless you and your family

My daughter lives in a mainly muslim neighbourhood in which you can find a house used as a bomb factory and in which a terrorist suspect was arrested, the street which experiences more burglaries than any other in the nation and an ice-cream van which reputedly sells drugs.

In my immediate neighbourhood the families are mainly French and American. The children play safely in the street, even after dark, there is no fear of burglary and alcohol isn't readily available, never mind drugs.

I'm in Doha and my daughter is in Leeds.

Well, they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they target Villagio, CC etc. Whenever I queue in M and S, Mothercare etc, most of the customers are Qatari. What a shame that people are given this impression of Qatar, no wonder Katie B was asking questions!

And in defence of KH, sometimes it does feel like people only have a negative view of Qatar, I sometimes feel defensive, but I don't think in this case it was necessary, the lady was only stating what she had heard on official websites.

I do agree with the statement that the systems at the Hamad may be difficult, I don't work there so I can't comment. I have been a patient, both outpatient and inpatient and have been astounded by the clean hospitals, highly competent nurses and caring and well qualified doctors. And not having to wait more than 10 minutes in the ED was a huge bonus!

You really don't have to worry about being safe here in Qatar. I come from the UK and I feel safer here with my kids than I did back home. Kids can ride their bikes and play with friends outside and am not there to watch 27/7. If you want to come, then come. Your kids will love it here. I have 4 kids and it's the best place for them. As for childcare, it depends if you are a full time housewife or will go to work. If you are home with the kids, then just get a housemaid to help with the cleaning. But you look after your kids.

KellysHeroes, perhaps you should have verified the information through the proper channels before having a go at Katie B.

From the Australian government website;

* We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Qatar because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including

places frequented by Westerners.

The equivalent UK site is down at the moment.

KH, are you having a bad day today? ;)

You have to make the decision alone, however, Qatar has a lot to offer.

Terrorism is not in Qatar but there are countries surrounding the Gulf States where there is unrest but it does not affect Qatar.

If you are joining one of the hospitals here you will have to understand that processes and standards are not anywhere near UK standards but they are improving and getting policies and procedures into place.

Sometimes it is better not to know other peoples' opinions and just go for the jump in cold water and let the country surprise you. If you come with high expectation they might not be fulfilled, if you come with moderate expectations you will be pleasantly surprised.

Qatar has a lot to offer, I myself enjoy living here, I don't have kids but there are plenty of expats with kids and there are activities going on all around Qatar even during the day. The Summer months are very hot so people tend to stay indoors.

I am sure if you decide to come out here you will enjoy it.

Best of luck.

and see the beauty of this place in terms of what you want with your babies and career opportunities. With my one year stay here, I befriended a lot of other nationalities including British who I only heard good words for this place. You won't regret it. But of course, don't expect that there will be no discomfort on adjustment specifically the hot season here, but you'll go along with it, I'm pretty sure.

"dgoodrebel will always be the rebellious good one"

My husband and i have been approached because of our healthcare expertise not our ability to correctly recognise fruit and veg! The advice re terrorism is posted on the Foreign office website (uk) as well as Australia/ France etc etc which is concerning when you are considering relocation hence contacting people who already live in Qatar for a real insight into life as it is....and so far i'm very reassured

It's precisely my attention to detail but ability to see the wider picture that means i'm researching lots of different routes both formal and informal to help us make an informed decision!

but thanks for taking the time to respond

She heard or read the news about the terrorist threat in UAE and thought Qatar is UAE. There is no other interpretation.

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We still use camels for our transportation and live inside tents. We do not have electriccity. No roads. No telephones. We do not have hospitals or clinics. Still follow the Arabic medical treatment protocol.

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Kellyheroes, maybe I'm missing something. Why are you saying she's confusing UAE and Qatar?

Qatar is a good place for the family.. Easy going and you get lots of time for the kids..

Go for it..

AM afraid this country had enough professionals who cannot distinguish between cucumbers and carrots.

Noticed that you are a project manager. So you are expected to be very precise and accurate. If you cannot distinguish between Qatar and UAE, i.e. you consider them the same place, then better stay in UK.

You could have verified the information through the proper UK channels (ministry of exterior/foreign affairs I think)

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Katie, there are a lot of good things about Qatar. There are some bad ones but, hey, which country doesn't?!

Bottom line is, if the money is good, if the career opportunity is good, what the heck, why not? It's not like the UK will run away anyway, after a few years you can go back and pick up from where you left, but with some money in your pocket and a lot of experiences to tell others :)

And you will have most UK shops here. We have Marks and Spencer, BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Next, Gap, Mothercare,Boots,etc etc. MegaMart sells Waitrose own food. QMart sells Tesco own and UK import brands. Carrefour has newspapers 24 hours old and increasingly UK imported food. Although cottage cheese is 2 pounds!!!

Also, up to date soaps on BBC Prime and Showseries.

These little things are very helpful when settling in.

am ex NHS too, hence my enthusiasm for the care here. I had an Op recently and was so impressed by the good old fashioned nursing care. After I came back from surgery, a night nurse sat by my bed so if I woke up in pain I wouldn't feel scared!

"Qatar is rated as a high terrorist threat to Westerners visiting the country"

Who in the hell told you that. go crack his balls and break his jaw.

Qatar is one of the safest country in Gulf region for any nation.

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Thanks for this - it has been helpful- we are really fed up with a lot about living in the uk and both work in the health service...say no more!! We aren't considering Qatar just for the money - we really do want a better quality of life for us as a family so certainly haven't been put off by your comments.

which country is not on terrorist list. belive me this place is peaceful country. peace peace and peace.

You will get more answers from expatwoman/mums websites.

Way to welcome a newbie to QL, stealth. Very helpful.

katie - I don't have kids so can't really comment on that, other than to say that there are lots of ex-pat families here. From a terrorism point of view, you're probably safer living in Doha than in London.

I came from the UK 2 years ago and have never felt safer. Qatar is a great place to live but if you worry about every detail, you won't like it. Life moves at a different pace, there's not much you can do about it. Sometimes it isn't fair and you will not have the same rights you had in the UK. You will have a safe place to live where kids can play outside and not be abducted or shot, tax free salary and a laid back lifestyle with plenty of money and an excellent health service with unlimited budget that has never even heard of MRSA.

The last terrorist incident was years ago and was one man with a grudge, not international politics. Not exactly the same scale as 7/7.

I am not being unfriendly, but i know it can be very stressful if you have expectations of it just being a tax free country. It is an Islamic Middle Eastern country. Frankly, I wouldn't go back to the UK now, I like the law and order here too much.

if you are so worried about the situation in Qatar, remain where you are.thats better for your health and mind.