Clothes for a woman thinking of moving to Doha?

will be working for QP but not in environment, I am an energy economist Engineer. Keep in touch

Hi... i'm just new here and somehow interested to work in Qatar. I dont know how to post my new topic therefore i used this to know that i exist, :).

Would it be possible for women to work inside the industrial area (Ras Laffan), in plant construction for administrative works?

Hoping to get feedback from you!

Thanks a lot!

i am doing neither at the moment, and yes i would like to keep in touch with you once you are here.finished studying some time back, but am interested in PhD, stopped working after i had my baby 3years back.i am quite keen on marine environment, but no sound base on that topic right now, not in touch with any subject, but i worked in the environment field.

i shall send a short email to your id.

where are you going to be working here, is it going to be in the field of environment.

Han 19:what are your educational interests? are you studying or working. I would like to keep in touch if you want to. i will be arriving to doha second week of November. my email is [email protected].

I've written you a letter to your Hotmail adress. Keep in touch!

SINCERELY!

Katrin

We live and we learn...

Han19! I will arrive at 9th of november and will be staying 8 months, until 30 th of june 2007. I will be helped during the first days by people from the German company. After that, Im on my own and I REALLY appreciate your offer of keeping the contact between us also in Qatar!

My yahoo adress is [email protected] and I will try to look in my mailbox at least once a week. I have been warned that the internet is not up and running yet at the school I'm going to.

But I will keep up the contact with you in one way or another even if it might take a while after I have reached Qatar.

Sincerely!

Katrin

We live and we learn...

sorry. yes coming to Doha to work

Yes doing PhD. I am a fan of linear programming and got interested when Katrin mentioned that she knows about the subject. My thesis deals with the carbon emissions, using dynamic linear programming. I appreciate if you or Katrin share your taught.

kartin drop me an email when ever you can.

milou: would you like to hear from katrin or han.

what exactly is your thesis about, are you doing your PhD?

finally i get to hear from people sharing my educational interests.are you coming here for work??????

katrin:how long are you going to be here?

I am moving to Qatar soon and presently developing thesis on environment and linear programming. I would appreciate to hear from you. My email is [email protected]

its nice to see that you are much better now, and you will be absolutely fine once you are here..if you still feel edgy while u are here, just post me a line and i will try to get in touch with you to help you out.

insha'allah you will land here safe and i do wish and pray that you have a lovely stay here.until i hear from you....take care..

Hi Han19

Yes we share the same interests and I sincerely hope that you also will be able to realise your dream and become a PhD. Regarding teaching... I believe that a teacher do NOT have to know everything. Nobody can be an expert in everything. I have worked as a teacher for many years (8) both in primary school and at the University and when I didn't know the answer to a question I always answered truthfully, that I didn't know. I then proceeded to find the correct answer and usually being able to find one. If not, I contacted experts in the field and got the right answer from them. So, do not hesitate to become a University teacher, with energy and fantasy and imagination no question is un-answerable.

I have talked with my employer today for 1.5 hours and are more calmer today regarding the situation in Qatar. I will get a lot of help during the first month, even with transportation. I feel much more secure now, and you Han19 have also contributed to that. So, next wednesday (hopefully) I'll land in Doha...

Exciting!

We live and we learn...

we share interest in the same subject, i have done engineering in metallurgy and then masters in technology in industrail pollution control under chemical engineering.someday, shall do PhD too.

i already long to go back to university, if not teaching, then atleast in research.i have always felt, in teaching you need to keep yourself a step ahead of your students if you have to answer their query and their query can be anything, so sky is the limit.

big size clothes, there is Evans which specialises in it, then there are various shops in malls, where sizes vary,most usually carry a 16 or 18, so it wont be too much of an ordeal.trousers with formal shirts or smart casual tops will be fine.when you are here, if you have the time, take a trip to the city centre, landmark, mall, hyatt plaza and the villagio, which is right next to hyatt plaza. start with landmark and then city centre.

take care.

To Han19

Thank's for your long and detailed answer. Regarding my pay, I'm not "over the moon" as it is in the region of salaries in Sweden. Of course I will have to pay tax in Sweden on the money as I will not be abroad longer than a year, I will only be away for ca. 7 months. And the tax will be approximately 35%, I think.

Thanks also for your long and detailed description of clothes. I will wear comfortable trousers (I could never wear a skirt) and try to find nice, long tops with long sleeves. Do you have any tips for department stores that have sizes for larger females? I'm a size 16-22 depending on the clothes and the maker... NOT funny after several hours of searching for clothes that fits, I can tell you.

I graduated as a PhD, with my dissertation in december 2005, 46 years old. In environmental science (regarding persistant organic pollutants in the Baltic Sea biota) so I have experienced how it feels to finally reach the GOAL. After all years of bringing up 3 children (now 25, 23 and 19) it was great to go back to University. I sincerely hope that you will reach your goal to!

/Katrin

We live and we learn...

most women in the girls school would wear long skirts and its common even in offices.formal shirts, trousers,jackets, when in school u cant relax your dressing anyway, as so many pupils look up to you as an example.dont worry about offending anyone, like i said, the first day you attend school you will know what to do, it wont be difficult.

wakra is a short drive from doha city, 10 mins maybe..not much of s difference, just that for most shopping you may prefer to come to doha, but wakra is complete littel city,no sweat.

residence permit is like a permenant visa, valid for 2-5 years, renewable after that period of time, if you have this rp, then you can apply for health card, really its no issue.

i do feel for a single person coming here, you offer is alhamdullilah good.

i dont know links.high cost of living is something to be worried about if you have salary of 6-8000qrs, have kids going to school, car loans to pay and huge rents to pay, when the company would be paying only 2000-3000 but u have to shell out atleast 5000.this is sad, and most Indian suffer from it.

i love doha, born and brought up here, so i have an affinity for this place and have seen it change all this while.

how do i dress, casuals, jeans, tshirts, or long tops, something i am comfortable in, i do wear a scarf, but like richard said this place is not like saudi.out of respect you shouldnt wear revealing clothes like i had mentioned in my earlier post.no one will say anything, in that respect people are quite tolerant, but when you see women wear abbayas, you will feel what is right to wear or not.

like i said, work place dressing is formals, stylish ones, and for the women who prefer not to show their clothes, they wear abbayas, but no one will pinpoint on your clothes or dressing. you can be quite free.

local girsl are quite stylish too, they dont wear minis or tight frocks, they usually compliment individual dresses with something else to make it a full attire, like a sleeveless white short denim narrow frock, with black bell trousers, and some coloured full sleeved inner shirt, completed with a scarf, and they look nice.i always wonderd how to wear the short dress until i saw them.

i used to work with oil and gas, but gave it up when i had my son, always wanted to join teaching, btw, wanted to do PhD in environment,esp marine env.not getting the time.

I have just read your long and enlightening comment, Richard. Thanks! I will be a very defencive driver I can assure you after reading your text.

I have just been enlightened... I will not work in Doha but in Al Wakra. Is there a difference?

As I will be working with female teachers in a girl school I am a bit worried regarding my clothes. I do not want to offend! You write that in your office... but how about in a girls school?

I do not know anything in regard to my accomodation, the standard and so on. I have written questions regarding the accomodation but have not recieved any news. And no news is not nessesarily good news...

;o)

Anyway, I recieved a letter today asking if I could go to Qatar this saturday, 4 Nov... A little bit short notice I would say. So, now my brain is having some kind of overload and I can't spell any longer... Please forgive my spelling errors!

/Katrin

We live and we learn...

It is no coincidence that I have asked on this site if anyone knows of a good car bodywork repair service!

I have visited your country and I know for the most part that Swedes are courteous law abiding safe drivers. That is not the case here. Some of the behavior will shock you. Babies riding on their fathers laps with no selt belt on. Children hanging out of windows again no seat belts on. People in big cars shoving their way to the fronts of lines. Turn signal indicators are hardly ever used and when they are, please do not depend on them.

You will also see some very selfish and aggressive driving particularly by people in Land Cruisers and other large SUVs. It is very different from Sweden.

Having said all that, if you are good driver (you will be in the minority) and you drive defensively, you will be fine.

On the face of it, the offer you have received seems okay particularly if you are being offered a high standard of accommodation. Also, I think you will enjoy the experience and you should have a very enjoyable time. You are only here for 7 months so even if you don't like it, you won't have to wait too long to leave.

Personally, I like it here apart from the driving. I have bored people senseless with my rages over the driving. What really shocks me is the moronic disregard that some people have for their childrens safety and the safety of other people. Thats it. Rant now over.

Don't worry about the dress code. You can really have a very normal life here and you can dress as you normally would at home. Obviously, you shouldn't wear clothes that are too revealing unless you are on the beach.

In the office where I work, there are many Arab women. Some wear fashionable and sexy western wear while others wear abbayas. The western women dress exactly as they would in their home countries. Really there is nothing to worry about on that score.

People in Doha dress much the same as anywhere else in the world. Qataris and people from the sub continent often wear national dress but everyone else dresses in a very normal way. This is not Saudi Arabia and I think you will be very pleasantly surprised when you get here.

Can't think of where you can see pictures of people in Doha (they are all in their cars!) but trust me, it is all very normal and you won't have to buy any special clothes for here. Just leave your winter clothes at home. You won't need them.

To Han19

Resedence permit? Is that the same as a health card?

What do I need to get a health card?

How do you like Doha? And how do you dress? Do you have any suggestions of links where I could go to and look at photos of what people wear in Doha?

It feels good that you think the offer is OK. Im a bit worried over the high cost of living everybody is writing about...

What do you work with?

/Katrin

Richard123

Hm, bump into my back... Thanks for your answer, renting a car sounds better than buying one if it will be bumped into... I did live and drive in Marseille (France) for one year and concider myself to be a very good car driver. Almost 30 years of long and hard driving (I love to drive!) without one single accident.

Do you have any further comment regarding the offer I recieved?

I have tried to find pictures of Doha with people in them but the ones I've found are curiously empty.

/Katrin

esp if you are coming alone, it is a good offer, atleast in my opinion.

it wud be better for u to rent a car, if u are here only for a short period,else getting about here is a pain,getting a taxi can take ages, it was better a few years ago, but the taxi situation is pathetic now.

with a rented car u are free to move by yourself, and dont get scared by the crazy stories of mad fools driving the roads of qatar, you will be fine, just be careful and pray the other car is careful too.

accomodation is done deal, so good for you.

will u be gettin your resident permit while u are here, not sure since its a small time frame.unless its serious ilness, the private hospitals and clinics are fine, usually charge 100-200qrs for consultation and medicines are charged seperately.

what else????cant think of anything else.....

Katrin,

If you are only here for 7 months there is no point in buying a car. It is better to rent one for that period of time. It will cost approx QR2200 per month for something decent.

Will you need a car? This place has no public transport to speak of and you would be crazy or suicidal to ride a bike. You could use a driver which would cost about the same as renting a car. Doha is a very cae centric place and it is impossible to get around any other way than by car.

If you could stand to drive here (and it is not like Sweden) I would recommend renting a car. At least you would have full insurance and a replacement for the time someone inevitably drives into the back of you!

Thank you han19 for your interesting reply. So, you really think that the offer is OK?

No, my family will stay at home in Sweden and I would be going alone. What do I need for a healt card? Do I need a car? I have read horrendous stories regarding the traffic in Doha...

Im only in Doha for 7 months (short term contract) and wonder if I have to buy a car? What do I do with it after my term has come up? Will I be able to sell it? Even after all the bumps added after 7 months of driving in Doha?

The accomodation would be fully furnished. Anything else that you think I should know about?

Katrin

ok dear, the basic salary looks pretty good, mind you, asians wont be paid as much, it wont come even distantly close.accomodation is provided is very good, bcos rents are sky high here.so all you need to do is spend on your self.are u coming by yourself or your family going to be with you. if u take a good car, on loan keep 2000qrs per month for it, payable over whatever duration you feel is fine.keep 500qrs per week for grocereis(higher figure), mine with family comes upto 300per week.health insurance...not sure.

but once you have your residence permit of this place, then you can get your health card for 100qrs, and use the services of the hospital and health centres for a small fee...no hassles there,.. except getting doctors you want.alternatively you can go for an health insurance that allows u treatments at various private clinics and hospitals, and its a small premium you got to pay, nothing u need to sweat about right now.

if ur house isnt furnished, then keep 2000qrs per month for furnishing over a period of time, little bit each time.

have i answered all your questions, anything else you want to know.

work place dressing is usually formals, and outside is casuals.

My salary that is being offered is 4007 Euro per month (18,525 QAR). In addition to that the employer will provide accomodation for free and social insurence for 500 Euro per month (2,311 QAR). Health insurance, transportation, food and other costs I would have to pay for myself.

Katrin

what is the offer given to you for your position?based on the random salary figures i know, i can tell you if its ok or not.

yup i will try answering your questions once i know the kind of package they are offering you, and it should be a good package since you are a PhD.

i wont be able to help you with the first part, but regarding clothes, this being an islamic country its advisable to dress in modest clothes, not to the point you would choke to death, minis, spagetti straps, midriff revealing tops n trouser, tops through which you can see the make of your bra, or the hipsters which when you bend down reveals your g string kind...such clothes are not looked at nicely by the locals, bcos all locals wear the abbaya, the story behind the abbaya can differ.but the truth stands that many ladies are seen wearing revealing clothes, and other such type of attire, when you are here, you will get a feel of the kind of clothes worn around this place, and you wear that makes you feel comfortable.

you do get large size clothes, not like in france.here women are big.

the ac will take care of the heat wherever you go except if walking in corniche.

You can wear pretty much what ever you want; there are a couple of shops for sizes above 14. They have really nice cloth. In the city you would find a large variety of people. The heat is not so bad there is AC everywhere you go and the hot months are of course during summer. Most people travel during this time.