I speak more Arabic in one day in Jordan than I speak in a year in Qatar. Yakhsara! Even Qataris won't speak much Arabic to me. I have to be in a group of Arabic speakers before I can hear Arabic! That said, it's not easy to learn. I speak Arabic but cannot read very much. Fanar is a bust. After 5 levels you have a speaking vocabulary of a whopping 300 words. In the US when people grumble about immigrants not learning English (fast enough) I always point out how gracious Qatar is about welcoming expats who cannot speak the language. I even show them a rial note. But, honestly, is it going to be worth the considerable effort to learn written and spoken Arabic for a 1-3 year stint? You will weed out a lot of good talent.
Mandi
I speak more Arabic in one day in Jordan than I speak in a year in Qatar. Yakhsara! Even Qataris won't speak much Arabic to me. I have to be in a group of Arabic speakers before I can hear Arabic! That said, it's not easy to learn. I speak Arabic but cannot read very much. Fanar is a bust. After 5 levels you have a speaking vocabulary of a whopping 300 words. In the US when people grumble about immigrants not learning English (fast enough) I always point out how gracious Qatar is about welcoming expats who cannot speak the language. I even show them a rial note. But, honestly, is it going to be worth the considerable effort to learn written and spoken Arabic for a 1-3 year stint? You will weed out a lot of good talent.
Mandi