moving to doha
Hi everyone, this is my first time on here and i looking for advice. My hubby is currently working in doha since september 2012 and myself and 3 kids are planning to make the move over to him in the next few months. I am quite nervous about the move and would love any info or advice on family life and schools etc, my kids are girl aged 11, boy aged 6 and girl aged 19 months. We are planning to move into a compound where we can make friends... thanks
There are often long waiting lists (i.e. years, not weeks or months) at the better schools for most grades. They are also the most expensive. Those mentioned in Craig's post are included.
Choosing where to live will be easier if you know which schools your children will attend and how much of a commute your DH can withstand.
Traffic is horrendous here especially during school run times.
Dear Elaine,
My names Craig, I'm MD of Mirage Properties, a local real estate company here in Qatar. I've been here just over 4 yrs, with my wife and 2 young children, so have a little idea of what you are going through.
As per previous QLers, I would strongly suggest you start looking at schools before you arrive, as places in good schools are in short supply here. Are you looking for English school curriculum or another, such as, US, French, German, etc.
Once you've looked at schools you then need to consider work location before deciding on housing, as rush hour traffic here in Qatar is pretty bad to say the least, your husband will probably back that up.
There are many western villa compounds in Doha so, depending on budget, you should be able to find something that suits, with most having basic facilities such as communal pool/clubhouse/gym and the larger ones having tennis/squash courts, minimarkets, kindergartens etc.
A few of the schools I can suggest to you are DESS, Doha College, Doha British School & Compass, all of which offer English curriculum. The American School of Doha (ASD) offers US curriculum, some of the above also offer the International Baccalaureate (IB).
If you want to get a basic idea of villa options, take a look on our site www.mirageproperty.com, which has a selection of properties updated daily. If you need further info then please feel free to contact us direct through our site or send me a private message with your email and we can contact you directly.
Another site you may want to look at is www.dohamums.com
I wish you luck with your move and hope we can be of assistance.
Kind regards
Craig at Mirage
thanks everyone for all the replys, ill get hubby onto it now can u recommend any schools that we should look at? and when does the school year start in doha?
(Apply to several NOW) then look for a compound close to it.
Plan ahead as everything takes time in Doha.
you should apply for school from now, otherwise you will not have any choice to pick good school, registration will start from 6Jan to the end of the month.
let your husband get application form and register early. then you can search for house near from the school.
Elaine, go here : www.expatwoman .com
the Qatar branch.
There you will find detailed info!
Good luck!