He got the job offer

their psych test can be very difficult. :-P

Mandi is right, "flexibility" is the key word they are looking for.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

Just keep smiling and repeating, "I'm a very flexible person," and you'll be fine on the psych test!

Mandi

Our company has psychological screening. They aren't spending all this money so that we go nuts and have to come home again.

I am concerned about the asthma, but my son's is pretty much cat induced. Keep your kitties away from him:)

Dang. I just had a shopping spree at Penzeys! Sigh.

I would avoid bringing in herbs but you can find everything here (at least I have).

Yes, you can bring in medicine as long as you have it in your labeled prescription bottles.

Asthma is a HUGE problem here because of the very bad dust.

Medical should be fine as long as you are not HIV, HCV, or TB positive.

There is not psychological screening. (there probably should be! lol)

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

Company has a great rep with employees who have been Expat, so I think it is good.

I am totally going to have a great time. I really look forward to meeting some of you. I am going to keep asking weird questions. Like-are there potatoes available? will I get in trouble if I carry my herbs and spices in my excess baggage? Can we bring in medicine? How much trouble with Asthma can we expect(mostly pet induced, but sometimes weather induced, and I hear stuff about dust there)?

Anyone have any experience with medical/psychological screenings that I might want to be aware of? I don't want them to reject us because our 9 year old isn't wildly enthusiastic about this(yet). Or because I have foot problems(that I have functioned just fine with for over 10 years.) I don't want anything to muck this up.

I'm sure even with the taxes, you'll have a great time..

to deal with the increase in taxes since 2005 for Americans living outside the US. I have yet to see one penny of this so-called equalization plan, nor has anyone I work with. I just hope he is not coming to work for my employer -- lol

Otherwise, I wish you all the best. :-)

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

His company does tax equalization and provides an accountant. They have a good support system. Paying for school, household goods, fully furnished home in al fardan gardens (there are 6 bathrooms, including the maids-which is why a maid would be necessary-who wants to clean 6 bathrooms??) He is excited about the vehicle, I am excited about a brand new house that is decorated and getting rid of all the stuff I have wanted to be rid of for years. I now have an excuse:)

I am definitely going to ask questions of the guy today(talking to me) to do with the taxes. We will have two rentals to deal with stateside also, so it's gonna be messy.

because you will be paying American taxes on all those great benefits in addition to your salary. Salary, housing, transportation, education costs all these air tickets, and every other benefit is taxable income after the exclusionary $85,000 (at the higher rate). So you will have to take from your salary to pay taxes which can easily run at the 50% rate and you are not allowed to deduct ll the things you would be able to if you were in the US. I suggest a good accountant because I paid more in taxes than I took home at the end of last year (because my "allowances" were priced at such a high value).

Let me give you an example: my work is supposed to provide Business Class airfare for me every year. But because my salary and huge cost of the housing allowance (my housing is valued at about $60,000/year) I had to pay the US government half the value of my air tickets in taxes. What was left wasn't enough to fly Business class.

Again, find a good accountant who knows the laws and can advise you about putting some money into your retirement (instead of savings) so you don't have to pay taxes on it. And plan to keep back enough money to live off of because Qatar is VERY EXPENSIVE.

Good luck.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

If it has 4 bedrooms, it has at LEAST 4 bathrooms! I'm in the US until Oct 18th but you should get to an expatwoman.com coffee and an AWA and Tuesday Ladies Group coffee as well as church (Fridays and Sundays) if those fit the schedule. It's exciting about the visit! I'm also a bit farther out, kinda on the way north of town (West Bay Lagoon) but that's OK, we Yanks are used to driving. I drop my husband off at Education City in the morning and hit Aspire for two classes and then Starbuck's with the "peeps." It's a good life if you make friends. Oh, and the Mums in Doha group is very nice as well.

Mandi

I have checked out expatwomanqatar, it looks great, I can't wait to go and have coffee there. I am actually going to try to arrange to go when we do our visit(whenever that is!).

How long will you be in the states?

I got info just a minute ago that Boeing has a brand new 4 unit(?) housing building and they will provide it, fully furnished with a SUV or something(happy hubby!) 4 bedrooms. My husband thinks one bathroom, but I think he heard wrong(he does alot!) since I have never seen anything with one bathroom if it had more than 2 bedrooms. It is 20 min. from his job. Being at the AFB, I don't know how far that would be from Doha proper. I am thinking alwaab, but I need to refamiliarize myself with the map. And wait for the relo guy to send his stuff tonight. Getting excited now. . .

I agree, it sounds great. Tell your sweetie that it's sunshine 365 days and absolute paradise for at least six months a year. Your 9 year-old will benefit tremendously from living in a different culture. Colleges LOVE kids with overseas experience. Doha is an urban environment so that will be different. I live in a very rural part of the US and I love the contrast. Have you looked at expatwomanqatar.com recently? There are some good posts on life in Doha.

Mandi

We are getting school fees in full, (they recommend ASD, still not sure how much power they have to get him admitted;). It turns out there was all kinds of info in his offer, he just doesn't use resources well:) I had fun looking up stuff last night. It is pretty sweet if my husband can get over the Doha part. He grew up in So. Cal. and has been complaining of the rain here in the seattle area since I met him 20 years ago, so I personally think he should put up and shut up about the desert/heat. I just told him to think of it as a really big beach.

The have one home visit and two R&R's in addition to regular vacation-which he has loads of already. They will pay for us to take a visit over there (nice too, not coach-yes, I am a total rube now). He has been with Boeing for 20+ years and they have always been good to him $$, so I don't see this as being a bad move, money wise, at all. Everyone there (that has gone expat) says they pay for so much that you can pretty much bank the salary part and live on the allowances. I think they may exaggerate a bit, but STILL. . .It could be good.

Husband is worried most about the 9 year old. I think he will have a great time and it will open up his world view enormously. We live in a rural area and the kids here hang out at the local MC'D's for entertainment. I think that the experience would be great for son, and my sis has already claimed him for very long summer visits with her. I think it will all work out great. If hubby agrees.

SJ, didn't realize you have a 9 year old. Are you getting school fees in your package? They are pretty pricey.

Mandi

Hi Shellyjean

Before we come over, we had pretty much the same deal as your husband, salary wasn't overly more than he was getting in the UK but with the other allowances it made it seem slightly better and that together with just wanting to try something different we went ahead with it and moved lock stock and barrel over here. My husband has been here since Jan and I have been here around three weeks and so far am loving it. At this moment in times, it seems like the right move. :-)

I hate to tell you, Nakamura-I'm in the states now. We haven't BEEN to Qatar yet. You are kind of being a buzz kill:) We are a family that hasn't traveled much as a family, though hubby and I have gotten around before marriage. We are looking forward to the adventure of a new part of the world and he would be traveling all over, and we have a good company. Right now we are having to bribe our 9 year old with Egypt, but my 18 yo is pretty excited. The 21 year old is still in shock. We'd be leaving him, but he is really excited for the offer-it would be great for hubby's career and he knows it.

Good luck and enjoy the states, no more hot and humid weather at last.....and make sure never to come back in this part of the planet....Good luck again.

Woo hoo! Exciting times!!! Hey, give me a PM sometime and I'll send you my phone number. I'm in the states right now.

Mandi