Hi guys,

I know you've all probably been asked these questions a thousand times before but its scary not knowing - as I'm sure you'l all appreciate.

I've been offered a job in Doha and I cant turn a fantastic opportunity like this down. I was just wondering what everyone's Top 5 Tips for moving to Qatar where?

[note from Q: If we can get some great tips together we'll compile them into the long promised guide ;]

Good morning, there is an interesting news in 'The Peninsula'. Thought to share it.
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Web posted at: 7/14/2007 4:8:16
Source ::: The Peninsula

DOHA • Wasta (influence or connections) is a big part of life in the country. Knowing people in positions of power, real or imagined, can help one get quick service whether it be related to phone connections, electricity supply or even jobs.

The last-named has a lot of people upset and feel they are being deprived of their dues when it comes to employment. In some companies, where nepotism or near-nepotism is the name of the game, many applicants find themselves losing out seemingly because another candidate is related to the employer or is a friend of a friend.

Qatar University student Ibrahim Al Khajah said: "There are laws which make this illegal. Those who do not care about values use wasta. Deserving candidates do not get jobs because of wasta and in the end it is the public that loses out, especially if it is something like a government-related job."

Al Khajah said those who use wasta to get their way proudly flash the business cards of their contacts to show off to others that they know people in the right places.

Saud Abdullah Al Mushraf said that looking at wasta from a religious point of view shows that it is against Shariah principles. "What we see nowadays is that ill-equipped people are getting cushy jobs and once they sit on the chair, do absolutely no work at all."

Although Qatarisation is an issue nowadays, Al Mushraf said that even though the person is a Qatari national, that should not necessarily guarantee a job. "A person with the right qualifications should be given the job, whether he or she is Qatari or not. But jobs are given both in the public and private sectors on the sole basis that the applicant is a Qatari."

Particularly affected are the youth, most of them freshly out of college, who find themselves in the unemployment line because some ahead of them used contacts to get a job.

Saeed Jumaa, a recent graduate, said: "I have gone to many companies both in and out of government applying for a job. Even if I say so myself, I am qualified and was strong in academics, many times when I follow up on my applications, I am told that someone else has got the job. One employer even told me he was sorry but another person came with strong ‘references’."

The press reported two great stories yesterday:

• Qatar's first female pilot
• Over 900 female graduates from Qatar Uni

Well done. I have taught Qatari ladies for almost 4 years.
Clever, funny, kind and ambitious.... they are a very dynamic force
that are beginning to blossom and realise their potential.

Good on the Qatar Education System for encouraging them and giving them the facilities to realise their ambitions.

Yalla Binaat

Can anyone help me, I will be starting work in Doha in September my wife and daughter will follow after 1-2 months we are expecting our second child (due in February) and my wife and I are concerned about whether this will cause any delays in her obtaining a residency visa. Also we would like to know how good the medical services are and how expensive (private or local).