21K QAR Monthly Salary; Is it enough

u allready know the answer so why even asking?

peace :)

Depends on which school your son will attend.
My friend sons: 9 year-old son about 17,000 dollar/year. 15 year-old son about 23,000$/year.

Rent is high here. You may spned a lot for a decent house for your family.

Car/gas CHEAP!

Here lots of houses/villa/apt are fully equiped, so no need to ship your posessions.

excluding schooling and housing! if it means that the company will pay your son's education , fully furnished accommodation and you have a basic salary of 21k! you don't need to bring your stuff... only your personal things like clothes, laptop etc...

21K as a basic salary would be more than enough for MANY...as you said...you guys dont go out so often...I believe you can save a lot. No need to bring in furniture and other belongings...you may have a furnished residence...or if not...better buy it here

Is any amount of money ever enough?

**** Aal Izz Well****

Salary Package is workable and you need not to ship your furniture stuff here, they are in plenty here & cheap too.
It's good time to be here as house rents are really down.

21k very less.. you should negotiate for 25k .. unless it will be hard for your to survive in Doha by 21k .. :P

_______________________

'' Live for Nothing or Die for Something ''
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I don't think your 12-year-old son will to go school by bus! You will see the situation by yourself when you will be here. So your spouse needs one car. Children can play freely only inside walled/fenced gated community. That means you need to rent an apartment/villa inside compund....Normally there are pool/gym and service, and rental is more expensive than single apartment. Check the website of american/international school, then you will have an idea of tuition....COSTS!! If your target is to have your son play safely with other kids, then the only way is gated community!

Put all together, if you have to pay rent and school and to keep the life decent, 21K is far from enough. Forget about saving something from 21K..

Gated (compound) villa, the cheapest one will be 6-7 thousand semi furnished. That is unless you can find a subdivided villas inside a compound.

International schools is 40 K plus per year.

I don't think the public bus system here is suitable for a 12 yr old to go by himself daily. You may need to put him in a school bus, get a taxi service or take him in and out of school yourself. In any case you will want to get a car to have a 'normal' family life.

Cheers
SK

I would carefully check out the costs of your chosen schools and to be aware of the "extras" that are often charged on top of regular school fees.

If you just need a 2 bed apartment it could cost as much as 10k or as little as 3k per month depending on whether you need something that is actually livable.

I gather you're from the UK originally so be aware that some of what may be acceptable living conditions to one ethnic/cultural background may not be acceptable to another (just not what they are used to or are expecting).

You will need a car - there are plenty of used ones but even those are more expensive, relatively speaking, to say the UAE. Not outrageously so, but not cheap either. Check the ads here and be aware that for used cars it can be difficult to get a loan especially when you first arrive.

Don't know your lifestyle, so can't comment on how much you might spend on food, entertainment, utilities, etc. If you package doesn't cover annual tickets home - that's another expense you'd have to consider.
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

Hi Mary,

Well, I have been living in Cyprus for 8 years now and in the beginning had some pretty dire accommodation as it was all I could afford. I am not concerned for myself as I know I am adaptable, but for my son, accommodation close to other children is important. We live very quietly and dont spend a great deal on goign out (normally stay in and watch TV). We are hoping to have enough to buy a cheap car outright when we arrive and until I see a contract I dont know if it includes a ticket out of the country or not, I would have thought so.

You won't get a contract until you get here and pass the medical/police checks (you and your husband and child if he is old enough). You should get a letter of offer that outlines exactly what is included in your package - I would ask them to forward one to me so that I can make an informed decision.

I would strongly advise you not to come before you see something in writing or if the something in writing is contradicted orally. There are some unscrupulous employers who will promise a great deal but be reluctant to back it up with the written word.
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

I do not have children, however, if you visit expatwoman.com and go into the qatar section you will find lots of Moms. They will be better able to tell you about schools and such. But the biggest issue is location as in, how close are you to the school. I see children being picked up by school bus as early as 0530 hrs. Another big issue is can you get your child enrolled in the school of your choice - there are long waiting lists for most of the best schools.
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"