Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Hi, could u tell me how much are driving lessons? How many theory test do I need to take? I found myself a job in Doha and moving there before end of year. I need to learn how to drive. Been told that public transport there is almost non-existent and I cant rely too much on the taxis. I have some driving lessons here in Singapore but did not pass the test (extremely tough to pass here!) Have not been behind the wheels for a few years now.Since you don't have a license yet, you will have to enroll in a full driving course which costs QR1800 (25 hours) with 25 training days. The half course costs QR690 which gives you 12 hours of practice...

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There is a stigma of working in the Middle East among middle/higher class in the Philippines that if you are not a construction worker, truck driver, engineer or domestic helper, one would not go there to work. Is this a misconception?Yes it is a misconception that people who work in the Middle East either hold blue-collared jobs or on the other side of the spectrum, engineers. You’ll meet a lot Filipinos working in different industries holding different positions and not just limited to what is stated above. From the IT industry alone, you’ll find Filipinos who are technicians, system administrators, programmers, developers, web designers, systems analysts. If you go to hotels, you’ll find Filipinos working as managers, chefs, chambermaids, bellboys. Even in the airline industry...

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Are salaries for same position in Philippines so much more than how they are paid here?This depends on a lot of factors. You have to be specific as to what job one is applying for. For blue collared jobs, it’s not like in the US where they get paid more and what they actually deserve. They also get paid by the hour. Here, the situation is very different. They do get more than what they might get in the Philippines but not that much. At least here, their incomes are stable and they get paid every month. In terms of working in food chains, shops and hotels, they probably get twice the salary they’d be expecting while in the Philippines. However, not every company is...

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Are there Chinese in Qatar?I’m actually surprised that I see more Chinese people here than in Saudi and Bahrain but I’m sure that they don’t number more than the Filipinos. Most of them work for Qatar Airways as Ground crew or Cabin crew. I haven’t noticed a group with a family though....

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The offer I got is QR3,000 for the basic, QR5,000 for the housing allowance, QR2,000 as supplementary allowance (they say for the inflation), and QR600 for transportation allowance.  I am planning to have my family follow after I become regular (three months probationary period).  My first question is can I live a decent life and have some savings with the package that I have? The total package is then QR10,600. Let’s break this down to your actual expenses (cost of living expenses) so we could get a rough estimate of how much are you going to save. But before that, I’m not sure what your job position is but I do feel that your basic salary is on the low side especially if you...

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