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Is it a good idea to bring my 16 year old to Doha to study the IB?

HobbitGirl80994

51

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 16 July 2013 - 18:50

If my 16 year old daughter moves with me, what would there be for her to do, where would the best area to live be, the best place to study, likely benefits or problems etc? If your teenager moved to Doha, did he/she like it? What did they like or dislike or find difficult? How did any problems get resolved or overcome? Were you pleased with the education they received? Any regrets? Anyone willing to share their experience please?

Sorry, should have said, she is very bright, loves learning, science, singing (soprano), playing piano and of course spending time with her close group of friends who she will be very sad to leave behind.
<em>edited by HobbitGirl on 16/07/2013</em>

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HobbitGirl80994

51

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 August 2013 - 22:52

she's my husband's biological daughter (and he is the sponsor)... so we didn't need to do anything special. it would have been different if she were my biological daughter -- sorry don't know the details. Ah I see! Thanks for replying anyway :)

445

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 01 August 2013 - 22:38

she's my husband's biological daughter (and he is the sponsor)... so we didn't need to do anything special. it would have been different if she were my biological daughter -- sorry don't know the details.

HobbitGirl80994

51

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 01 August 2013 - 13:09

JillMV - thanks for that useful info. What document(s) did you have to supply for your stepdaughter's visa? I think that my ex-husband will need to sign something confirming that he is happy for our daughter to move to Qatar. Do you know if that's right and what it would need to say? Or where I could find out?

445

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 28 July 2013 - 00:46

my stepdaughter moved in with us here when she was 16. It really was her decision (and actually her idea). She'd been here the previous two summers, so that probably made a difference. She went to ASD and loved the school. She liked living 10 minutes from school in Abu Hamour- so she could sleep later in the morning, but living in the Pearl or Westbay, it's easier to get around without a car (you can't drive until 18 here). Benefits -- great facilities, access to new technology, ASD is a good school- better than she was attending before. Also because people come and go so much here, it's easy to move in and make friends. Problems - i think there is a strange concept of money and spending here, and she got caught up in it when she was first in Doha, but we straightened it out. Difficult - Summer. there's not a lot to do in the summer. The Universities run 3-week summer programs for high school kids, which are really great, but otherwise, it's sort of rough, especially because so many of their friends leave for the summer.

HobbitGirl80994

51

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 27 July 2013 - 13:50

Very pleased to say that my daughter is very keen on the idea of moving to Qatar :) Alee - if I post my email address, would you be willing to expand on your comment please?

HobbitGirl80994

51

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 July 2013 - 20:44

All good information - many thanks to everyone :)

1326

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 16:55

Here is a link to the schools in Qatar which offer the IB Diploma. http://www.ibo.org/school/search/index.cfm?country=QA Of these, the three which in my opinion are worth considering are: American School of Doha International School of London Qatar Academy School spaces in Qatar are notoriously hard to come by -- but somewhat less so for secondary. If you are talking about possibly enrolling her for this September your first course of action should be to contact these schools to see if there is even a possibility for admissions. As the mother of a 16 year old, I would say that for teens in Qatar it's a mixed bag. Mine has an active social life but if given the chance would move to the US in a heartbeat.

197

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 12:32

NO, sorry I wouldn't probably for reasons not best discussed on this forum and not to do with her education.

616

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EW GURU

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 12:32

A few points to consider a) Doha isn't the life and soul of the party for teenagers but there's a lot more going on here then there was where I grew up (in rural Yorkshire) and I seemed to survive! b) depending on where you're from your daughter being educated in Qatar might impact on the cost of university. Certainly would do for English universities, it would normally hike the cost up enormously (the 9k people are complaining about is nothing compared to foreign student fees). c) would your daughter be doing the IB anyway? The IB diploma is a great course but isn't for anyone. It's tough and very tough on children who aren't natural allrounders. A lot of unis prefer it but for people who know they are going to want to specialise in the science routes, some major universities in England have commented that A-levels are a better foundation. d) if you want IB I think ISL is the only school offering it at the moment at this level but that's something to check on. e) at 16 this is really your daughter's choice - what does she want to do? f) as an aside - you keep mentioning 'OH' on here. Are you married? You will need to be married to move out and step-children can be more difficult to arrange sponsorship for

676

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EW GURU

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 10:47

Living in Doha is not one-size-fits-all, people have different expectations. My advise would be to come with an open mind. Love this!! Something else to consider - are you happy with the quality of her education at present? You might find it easier to make a decision once you have looked at the schools that offer IB to see if they suit your requirements - everyone has different standards and expectations. I know people that have finished school here and done very well - and others that have not - but that is the same everywhere. One other thing to consider - if you are from the UK, leaving your child in the UK to finish school may affect your husband's non-resident status and you should get good tax advice.

8

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 10:26

Life in Doha is what you make it. We have been here for 7 years. My son completed his A-Levels and is currently in 3rd year university back home. Although he did not want to move here (from Saudi!), he settled in quickly, made lots of friends and is still in contact with a good number who are all now living in all corners of the world. Having worked in schools, I have seen many teenagers come-and-go. MOST loved being in Doha, while some did not. There are lots to do, sometimes one has to go out and find it. If your daughter looks at a move as an opportunity to experience a whole different kind of life, she should be fine. If she compares Doha with wherever home is, she may be miserable. Living in Doha is not one-size-fits-all, people have different expectations. My advise would be to come with an open mind. Good luck with your decisions.

95

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 17 July 2013 - 10:00

Hi HobbitGirl, My first answer would have also been no. However, having recently listened to a girl who was here for just the last year of the IB programme I have changed my mind. My kids are younger (11, 6 and 4) and they have settled into the new school really well. They are going to the International School of London. We live in Gharaffa (near Landmark) and the school run is 15-20 mins. We moved them here at the start of april and even though it was late in the year both the teachers and the students made my kids very welcome and helped them settle in. My eldest now has friends from Malaysia, Korea, Qatar and Canada to name a few. My daughter keeps in touch with her friends using Skype and Viber and of course Facebook. Most schools have a music department and ISL have a great one. They also offer music classes after school. I also think that it depends on the person. My advice would be to check out the schools that offer the IB and go with your gut feeling. If I thought that she'd settle and view it as an experience I'd go for it. Are you planning on moving here soon? Hope this helps x

46

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 16 July 2013 - 21:56

Hi HobbitGirl, I am sorry but my first response would be no, I don't think this is a great place for teenagers for lots of different reasons that maybe is not for here to discuss, but mainly it is a quite boring place. That said there are of course other teenagers around and I know that a few of them are quite happy at ASD ( the American school) where there seems to be lots of stuff to do after school and they have proms and all that. But I don't have teenagers so hopefully the ones that do can give a better answer than me. All the best!

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