Does proximity of school distance matter?

those are great tips.. I am assuming I'd have to email or call the schools since I don't see that info readiily available on the websites. Will do that as I narrow schools down. Looks like we have to pay all the fees up front, and it is adding up to be a big chunk of change. Going to do one school at a time.

Speaking of after school activities.. Do you know if they offer fencing, archery and gymnastics? That's what my girls are enrolled in here...

during your school search:

1. Are they accredited and by whom? Basically to make sure your children's scores/records are accepted when you move back.

2. What after school activities do they offer?

3. Teacher accreditation. What % have 4 year teaching degrees and or masters degrees. You'd be surprised at who some schools will accept and pass off as teachers.

They've hired an American principal at the school, and let me tell you he's a no nonsense type of man. They also asked for a behavioral report, which I was not able to get in Canada. They don't tolerate bullying, disrespect, or any type of bad behavior. Good luck and hope your relocation runs smoothly.

you guys are a huge help, honestly i'm so glad to have found this place. will check out the expat site, ironically i was on expatwomen.com which is pretty useless .. not the same as expatwoman.com .. so thanks for that tip!

ok so I would prefer an American curriculum but that's not a priority. we *plan* on leaving in five years, and that would mean my eldest does high school back in the states which hopefully she can readjust to. as long as the teachers are good, i expect my kids will thrive.

i have a friend who says that british kids bully the american ones so that's my only real concern (since spelling and history can't really count ;)) i will also check out middle east intn'l school which i hadn't heard of, along with asd, acs, and compass intn'l. (am i missing anything?)

wish it were as simple as arriving, finding a school, and moving into a place.. but everything depends on the other, so it's a bit confusing right now.

It is a good idea to first check out the schools, then decide on where to live. Close proxinity is a good thing, but it all depends on the area and the traffic. You can only make this judgement after looking at alternatives.

I'm assuming you wan to send them to an American school, you can always try applying at the middle east international school, they follow American curriculm. There are lots of new big villas for rent right next to the school. Walking distance, was going to send mine to ASD but I refuse to pay ridiculous fees so they can pay off their campus.

Proximity matters enormously, because traffic is horrendous in the mornings.

Bus services are private and run in coordination with some of the schools, including the American School.

Some schools do have buses (for an extra fee), the problem is with the timings - I've seen kids out as early as 0530 hrs waiting for their bus (and school doesn't actually start until 0700 or 0730 hrs). However, they seem to be mainly Arab or Asian children - so I assume they are attending Arab or Asian schools.

You need to get your kids' on the waiting lists for your preferred schools now as the better schools that have the American and British Curriculum are very popular with those expat (and other) communities.

Try expatwoman dot com for some more contacts and ideas (they have a list of schools and various items of interest to people new to Qatar)

thanks mary!

from what i've read on here, it doesn't look like i'd be driving around right away anyway and i assume there are no school buses.. man, this is overwhelming!

Unless you enjoy the challenge of Doha traffic for at least 30 - 40 minutes both ways (drop off and pick up) depending on where you live. Or even longer if your home location is really out of whack.

Traffic during school run times here is atrocious, and that's when it is moving.