Relocating and petrified!!!!

Read through all the comments, there should be a forum for British Men with Irish Wives LOL!!! I am British (Parents Irish) My wife is Irish and we are trying to find work in Qatar.

Just a thought, probably too late but are you worried because your Irish not being able to get your Children into the British Schooling System.

You could always apply for British Citizenship through your husband. Your not giving up your Irish Citizenship you just will have dual Irish and British Citizenship.

Good luck with your move and I hope everything works out.

If you have any tips on finding work in Qatar I would appreciate it, if you have time.

Best wishes,

Mick in Monaghan

The school has Arabic classes, my son entered in year 3 and has taken to these classes enthusiastically, although I'm not sure how much he absorbs! All the teachers are English speaking and majority are from the UK. The pupils are predominantly local children or from this general region, obviously Arabic is first language for many of these children but all are fluent in English and speak this during lessons,etc. Ex-pat children are joining the school almost weekly, the school has good capacity to expand from what I see. I agree the website is not good and this has been raised several times to the head teacher but to be honest the school is expanding nicely without the publicity. I will look through what photos I have and send to you if appropriate, although I don't think I have much of the campus itself.

"..... a nice up-todate website...", yeah, that's what one expects from a decent school. But: you are in Qatar. Things are not they way they could be. Expect Amazing!

Thank you Jim ,

Do you happen to have any pictures of the new campus....and I find it a bit strange for a new school not to have a nice up-todate website.....would it be a problem for children not to know any Arabic ....are the majority of pupils and teachers English speaking.

Appreciate your feedback

The website is out of date and shows the West Bay campus, the new school is at Aziziya. They tend to do P.E. lessons in the school hall rather than a swimming pool. Facilities are limited on the sports front though as they have been running less than a year and no, they don't have a swimming pool. As I said earlier, the standard of teaching is excellent and compensates somewhat for the lack of facilities, we have found swimming classes outside of school so not a major concern to us but appreciate this would be an issue where sports including swimming is a high priority to parents.

Hi

Does loydence academy have a purpose built campus and a proper swimming pool for P.E lessons? The picture on their website looks like it'S an old villa turned into school!!

Thnx

Join doha mums immediately.

dohamums dot com

Newton International Schools will have places. Try the British one if you want your child to follow the British Curriculum with the most English speaking children.

Hi, I am British and my Irish wife joined me here in January. We got our names onto DBS DESS lists for our year 3 son and are still waiting. He has attended Loydence Academy since arriving, this is a little known School teaching the English curriculum to a very high standard. As the new campus near Aspire opened last September class sizes are very small but word is spreading with new pupils arriving weekly. Good luck!

I am moving over in August, husband already there. Our daughter is doing her GCSE's hence our delay in moving. I have been anxious about schools for months, however on our last visit at Easter we received an email for our daughter to be interviewed at Park House, she fortunately has been given a provisional place based on predicted exam results. Schools are a nightmare and their admissions process is a money making scam, however we have to do it. Most schools wont let you visit unless you have a place. My son is 30 something on DESS wating list, I know this is an excellent school, however he would only have a place for two years then we would be back to square one so I think I will settle for him to go to Park House so we dont have to travel between schools which is an absolute nightmare on the roads in Doha. Our son would be starting in year 5 which I know is in demand in Doha, he started on the list at Park House as 25th and now due to his older sister having this provisional place has now moved to 10th. If our son does not get a place for September I will home school him until a place arises. As a parent I think to accept a place at a school you are not confident with and then move them to another school when a place arises is not a good idea. I know children adapt well to a big move, however some do not. I cannot stress enough that the whole school thing had me stressed for several months but as a previous post mentioned, people leave on a weekly basis so bide your time and that list will def get smaller. Also some places will be available August/July as parents considering leaving will not have paid the upfront fees for September.

Are you in Doha yet? Im expecting to arrive in June and have the same worries as you! Just wondered if its easier once you arrive. x

I am moving out later this year, and have been over a few times to visit and sort out a few of the practical bits, I think a visit is essential really.

I was very impressed, and although there are a few bits that seem complicated, there are a lot of folks on here and the expat site that are really helpful.

Can we get marhaba book here in the uk?

when you land here in Qatar. It contains all you need to know about Qatar and I could assure you, it'll be a good read as all the contact details of every school, airlines, relocation companies, taxi and malls are in there.

Also, you have expatwoman.com and facebook as companies (most of them) has business page with the contact details , etc.

You could always ask questions here on QL...you just need to be patient reading/nitpicking all the comments for the right information.

But if you want straighttforward answers: expatwoman.com would be the one :)

Hi, I will second DBS as a good School my children go there too and am very pleased with it, The staff are very dedicated and highly qualified therefore you know your children are receiving a good education. I have 4 at the school aged 6, two at 8 and 10 all are very happy.

Hi, my name is Craig, I'm MD of Mirage Properties here in Qatar.

I arrived here with my wife and 2 very young kids just over 3 yrs ago. After the initial culture shock, we have settled in very well here and have made a great life for ourselves. My 2 kids, now aged 6 & 4, are both at Doha British School (DBS), formerly 'Doha Montessori & British School'. The school itself has been around as a pre school and primary for a number of years, but moved to new larger premises just before we arrived here and opended up a secondary wing. For the pre school, and primary age kids, it is an excellent school with great facilities, that match if not surpass those offered by both DESS and Doha College. Both of which are great schools, but have been around longer and have rightly built up great reputations. For info or to register just go on dohabritishschool.com, and do it all online.

Additionally, if you're looking for home, take a look at our website, mirageproperty.com, it will give you a general idea of what's available within your price range and includes google maps and large view high res images. If you need further info after that, then feel free to contact us through the site and we'll be only too happy to help.

I look forward to us being of assistance and welcoming you to Qatar.

Kind regards

Craig at Mirage

I have a son at DESS in early years and we like it very much. I chose between this and the American school, and believed this to be the best choice for my son. It is a good school but as said above the waiting list can be long for some types of applicants. My understanding is that the lists at DESS and other schools are much longer for early years. Many give preference to siblings, so if you have a spot for and older child the others go to the front of the line. Different schools have different rules, so be sure to ask. Your husband's work might have connections with the school also.

UKENG - even taking that into account, they said their waiting list was so long. I have a colleague on list for another school, there are 70 in front of her and an anticipated 5 slots may become available. Even as you say people come and go, not to that extent. I just want the OP to be aware that in terms of relocation, this is the single biggest issue facing HR at the moment (ie complaints from those relocating and unable to get children into schools).

jj75, This is middleast, people come and go, so just hope they will some openings. There is always a big demand for the younger age kids than older kids.

Thank you so much, really useful reply, filled with all the information I need. I wasnt planning a visit but your post certainlymakes it seem like a good idea especially regarding schools. I will start making calls to schools you have listed to see if they will meet with me.

Truly kindest regards for all your help and time

Eliza--as said above housing won't be a problem to find, but schools are another matter.

Have you visited Doha? I know it's a pain but a six-hour flight will put you here for the weekend and the experience will likely alleviate many of your fears. I lot of companies offer this as part of their recruitment packages. You could also make appoints with the schools for tours--they're more likely to take the time to see you if you are visiting.

You may have to be in a less-than-ideal school next year, but try Compass, Sherborne, British Montessorie, and Park House. DESS is arguably the best for what you are looking for followed by Doha College, but both of these will be full. Call anyway, because for older years its sometimes easier to locate places. However, to get into these two find out the earliest day that they take applications for the following school year (some time in Oct./Nov.) and make sure you submit your application at the start of THAT DAY. We did this and had no trouble landing a preschool spot for our son--no older siblings in the school but he does have a British passport.

Also, Doha Moms is a good group to make initial contacts and friends.

Good luck!

UKENG - DESS is full, our son is 2 and we tried to get on the waiting list - they would not even put us on the list. They said to come back in 1 year and try again but no guarantess. Priority is given to siblings of British children already there and after that you might be lucky. They said they are full, full, full.

Irish/British no problem at DESS.

Please dont get petrified its not that bad. There are plenty of people just like you here. There is always a transition period after you will get used to the life here.

Good luck and see you in Doha soon

I consider myself reprimanded

TB sipping coffee in S/bucks is not every womans dream, in fact tht in itself would petrify me - with boredom.

The real issue here is schools. This is a significant problem, I work in HR and this is the biggest issue facing a number of migrating expats, they simply cannot get their children into schools and as a responsible parent you have no wish to uproot your children out of their schools to find you cannot get them in to schools here.

"Relocating and petrified!!!!"

It won't be that bad, and there is no need to be petrified. Once you have settled in, and you are relaxing in Starbucks sipping a lovely coffee with your friends, having just done some quality shopping, while you maid is doing your house work, you will look back and wonder what you were so afraid of.

Finding somewhere to live will not be a problem, finding schools is a different matte

My son is in Newton British school Al Wabb. Try the following link http://newtoninternationalschool.edu.qa/British_school

They are a british based school and very good with the children. Hope all goes well.

Wish you good luck in Doha! :)

Elizapeople, for good advice you should ask on www.expatwoman.com

the Qatar branch

Good luck!