FocusCanada Forums

Following Kona's move, but going the other way :)

Well i've been approched by my compnay with a real killer offer to look after facilities in Doha Qatar.

This offer came up 6 months ago and wife said no right away. End of story! well no. Now that wife has lost her job and last day of work is March31 she is open to the idea. Contracts go for 2yrs at a time and at the end of contract there would be a 10% bonus for completing. Salary is very good, but thats not the real part. You would get $1800 a month for expenses, 3 bedrom house, suv, private school for your kids(12K per kid)+ benefits.

Having talked to some ppl they usually spend about 1200 a month and groceries, rest goes into savings. This is on top of your tax free salary.

I like to go, but scared as well. I have been to Bosnia from work for 6 months, but i was single and it was hard. So i'm hoping with me taking my family it will make it a bit eaier for me to last. Hoping to to atleast one contract, maybe 2.

There is no danger in the country, like there is no war, but sometimes Arabic ppl don't like foreign ppl. So has anyone done anything similar to this? I like to know how the end result was.

Thanks, MoMo

I think this is an amazing opportunity! You should go for it!

A friend of our family has been doing this for years and it is very worth while!

The house they will put you up in will more than likely be in a compound with other "foreigners" so you should have no problems that way.

Also i believe he gets like 6 trips a year back home or to have family brought over also paid for, don't know if they would do that where you work but who knows

tax free salary?


you scored a nice job opportunity

make this your like experience

it's a good oppertunity for you, the down side is you'll be seen as an EX pat, and then asumed american first. Just remember it's your wife that would have to comply with the strick rules if they have them in place if she leaves the compound, and its possible she may be only alowed leave with you, depending on the laws, she even might be restricted from driving, but again this all depends on the laws. On the plus side is you'd get the oppertunity to see or have a E-spec Focus as they sell them in the middle east along side with the imported american versions.

I had a friend who just came back from 3 years in Iraq... she did pretty well by it.

The only thing about moving the whole family to Qatar is that you want to make sure that you've accounted for the local laws/customs, healthcare, etc. If you make sure you're well covered, in good and bad, I'd say go for it.

Yeah healthcare, rights, access to honest lawyers that will actually fight for you even though you're foreigners, etc.

The money is always the hook... the SUV and schooling, the paid housing is the clincher, but what happens when you violate an obscure law and end up jailed for days/weeks/months and you can't get them to see you?

Personally, and I have a lot of secondhand / anecdotal experience about places around the world because a LOT of people I work with get sent to various international locations (South Africa, Germany, Mongolia, China, Australia, Chile, etc.)... I'd get a lawyer's perspective about all this. What about your Canadian worldly goods? Any left-over legal obligations? Double-check the tax-free status, because their people over there may come after you for taxes or "payments" of some sort.

I do know that a lot of "distant" countries have obscure labour laws or completely a lack thereof and you could be walking a tightrope the entire time you're there.

Enjoy it if you can, Mo. Just make sure it's worth it for you and your fam in the end. :)

Good luck bud.

I think you'll be ok in Qatar... and so will your wife..

this might help you out...LINK

I say you go for it. One of the best things to happen to me while growing up was being in a military family. I got to travel the world with my family and learned a lot of things, and saw a lot of cool stuff. Also saw some stuff that really opened my eyes to how cruel this world really is, but it made me a better man today. Sure, I hated moving every 3 years while growing up, but once I was a young adult, I cherised those experiences...