Cal_Hob | ExpatWoman.com
 

Cal_Hob

Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 December 2012 - 10:21
I called my insurance company and they said if the license expires and is not renewed for a period of time, then even the insurance goes back to "new driver" insurance. We used to pay a ridiculous amount when we first immigrated to Canada...so eeeeeks. It will go back up when we get back here if we don't renew our licenses. :(
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 December 2012 - 07:10
I see. Thanks MaryCatherine. So how are you able to keep your DL upto date? Is it because you travel back to Canada every year so are able to renew? Or is there a way to do it from Qatar (long shot, right?) ?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 December 2012 - 03:59
Great - thanks for all your inputs. Marycatherine - How did that conversation go? Did they ultimately use the passport?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 December 2012 - 03:52
Thanks Rachael
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 December 2012 - 21:57
Hi Crewegirl - do you have a number for mark you could share? thanks - my husband is getting there Jan 2nd - I can have him call Mark then. Thanks !
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 December 2012 - 21:55
Thanks for your note Parkclark - and good luck with finding a place
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 20:05
you guys are the best ! you are making me laugh at myself right now - i am currently stressing about every little thing. its a big deal in my head to let go of my perfectly smooth runnnig life where i know exactly what i will be doing at every time of the day to these unknown and unchartered waters with two little kids.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 06:53
Thanks Rachael. Just wondering if people use live out maids / part time maids for after school care. I am imagining myself getting the kids ready in the morning and doing the drop off before work and then the maid stepping in for pick up until i make it back home. and then leaving. workable? that way i may tide over the need for a maid room until the lease expires and we can find a property with a maid room.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 06:49
sorry - what does LS stand for? hi chizz - since you used an agent and not a property manager - did you pay agent commission? how much is that typically?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 06:15
Parkclark - Just inquisitive. What rent did they quote for 2 bed F/F? Were you able to negotiate anything? DH will be coming there soon so want to give him a few tips. :)
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 06:04
Hi Carlingtexas - thanks. are there any 2 bed F/f apartments with maid room? It sounds like the maid room comes only with 3 beds.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2012 - 22:50
Thanks Emma. Did you get your international license in Qatar? I suppose that is separate from the regular Qatar driver license, right?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2012 - 20:43
Thanks Marycatherine. That really helps. I suppose you had to give up your OHIP card though? (assuming you are from Ontario)
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2012 - 19:58
Thank you - you guys are amazing !!!
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2012 - 01:09
Hi CSH - thanks for your note. Wow - did you mean Feb 2011 application for start in 2012?!! Looks like this is typical of Qatar - too many people vying for a few good spots in schools/music/jobs, etc.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2012 - 01:06
I see. Looks like for 14 K I might get unfurnished 2 or 3 bedroom in the Pearl then? What would furnished there cost? Say 18 K?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 21:11
Stretch19 - thank you. It's such a relief to know that jobs are ok to come by for wives of expat husbands and the salary is comparable to what i will be giving up here, if not more, with good growth opps. i had actually spoken to reed when my husband first got his offer and the person there asked me not to worry, just land and i should be hopefully gainfully employed in 3-4 months. we could talk about the challenges - but i guess those are everywhere. not everyone is canadian "nice", eh? :) Marycatherine - thanks for your note and reality check. yes - it is great to know the pros and cons. Carlingtexas - i looked over sabban towers - it looks amazing !!!!! i was paying particular attention to the furniture after marycatherine's note - it looks fine ad modern to me. but then it may be rickety or something which one can't tell by just viewing. maybe i will shop at ikea too :) but for my first year there, just for the sake of simplicity i will go furnished. Do all appliances / kitchen pots, pans, dishes / bedding, towels come with the apartment? Also is there an option to go with say electricity costs inlcued? Thanks so much for your help. I can ask DH to just go reception and get something in one of the towers there as long as it meets our budget of 14 K per month. <em>edited by Cal_Hob on 18/12/2012</em>
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 18:06
Thank you ladies. I feel every time I turn on my computer and navigate to this website I will learn something new. May I also please ask what the typical difference in rent is between furnished and unfurnished? Looks like it is a hassle to furnish, especially if choice is so poor and furniture so ugly. When I looked at pictures of some of the furnished places - the furniture did not look that ugly. So just wondering if it makes sense to pocket the 75 K and save the hassle of furnishing. Also - someone here mentioned that zigzag tours in West Bay has dubious standards, with dubious people (!!). Just wondering if you can help me with names of towers in the Pearl area (the one with the private bach will be beautiful). Stretch 19 - Thank you for your insightful note. Yours is the life I want - full time work, kids in good schools, travel. :) May I ask if you worked in Canada before you went to Doha? How long do you think it took you to find something and was it comparable to what you had in Canada? Am getting super stressed about not finding comparable work....
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 13:39
Thank you ladies - this does put things in perspective for me. Would it be reasonable to ask what the difference between furnished and unfurnished place is? My husband also gets a furniture allowance of 75,000 every 5 years but we were just planning to pocket that and rent furnished. Thank you MaryCatherine for pointing me to GulfTalent.com - gives me an idea of what jobs are out there. Unfortunately there is no mention of salaries there.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 06:56
Hi Rachael - Thank you so much for guiding me through this. I really, really appreciate it. How about coffee when I get there? :) Our intital calculations are based on saving 23 K a month. Guess we will just try our best to strvie towards this number. I get your point about being hired on a local salary being less lucrative than coming as an expat - that makes total sense. A headhunter that I spoke to a few months ago (may not be reliable) told me that I will make at least as much as I make here (about $80,000) - which means that since it is tax free in Doha my income increases by 30-40%. And also it is pure gravy. Anyway, this is all in my head right now and may not pan out this way. I am just wondering what I will do if I don't find employment - I have worked all my life, am qualified with a masters degree, and cannot imagine staying full time at home with kids. I will go stir crazy !!!!! Could you also maybe throw some light on maid costs? I saw 2500 riyal with annual flight home (which I assume is 1000 riyal or so) somewhere. Does that sound about right?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 04:17
Thanks Rachael. That helps - I hope I can get my kids into a "good" school there that I can actually afford. I agree about the exposure though. That definitely counts for a lot in itself. And coupled with good education - I am hoping my kids will doubly benefit. Thanks again :)
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 00:54
who / what is a PRO? and what about hiring locally?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 00:52
Thanks Rachael. Housing is within the 60 K - we are budgeting about 14 K for a two/three bedroom aparmtment in West Bay, Pearl area. I understand we may need to top off schooling over and above 75 K per annum - but we are still hoping to save a substantial chunk. Workable, right? Hopefully with me going back to work - it will not be too tall a task. For vacations, we have been offered 4 business class return tickets to Toronto. We were told that we could use the equivalent to travel elsewhere since we really don't see ourselves travelling back to Toronto every year. I am hoping to use that budget to go somewhere nice once a year - which is more than we can do here. Over here, we save little in the month and then have to dip into our annual bonus to go anywhere nice / buy big ticket items like furniture. Thanks for the tip on the local vs expat maid. I tend to be worrying abt every little thing right now. So getting local help is not an issue?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 December 2012 - 20:38
Hi memole - thank you for your reply. Just to put things in perspective for me, would you say the standard of schooling in ISL is comparable to back home (wherever back home may be for you)? For me it is Canada... Thanks again,
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 December 2012 - 20:32
Hi Carlingtexas - Thanks for your reply and for sharing. Eeeekks....$500 is how much I pay right now for my sons montessori to attend school everyday. That sounds steep (did you mean 500 riyal ? ) :) How often do you need to order supplies? And outside of the pure tutoring time, do you have a structured day? Or is it free flow? I have never home schooled, therefore all the questions. You sounds like you enjoy it and must be good at it too... The idea of the nursery sounds appealing too as long as there is some instructional value....
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 December 2012 - 20:22
Hi all - Just wondering if schools with British curriculum in Doha have comparable standards to schools back in UK? Or hoefully better standards? My 3 and 6 year olds hold Canadian passports, but am hoping to put them in British Curriculum once we get there - mainly because I like the rigour of the UK curriculum. Any pointers from ladies whose kids have studied back in the UK and go to British schools in Doha will be really helpful :) Thank you in advance
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 December 2012 - 19:42
thank you mary. i guess maids is the way to go.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 December 2012 - 22:43
Hi cagirlintexas - thank you so much. i looked up Compass and the fees are exorbitant !!!! Not sure if it is worth that much. So you homeschool? Where are you getting the materials from? Are there some good bookstores? How old are your kids? I guess I am asking because I may have to home school for a while before I get a place for my kids in schools I like. :)
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 December 2012 - 22:06
I get it now - thanks EnglishLady.
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 December 2012 - 19:45
Thank you for your replies. I am planning to use my kids as baits to make new friends :)
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 December 2012 - 18:53
Thank you for your replies. My kids hold Canadian passports. It is good to know the Canadian school is close to West Bay/Pearl. I have two questions - 1. Does anyone have first hand experience of the Canadian School? 2. Can I apply to schools sititing in Canada? Or do I need to get to Doha, wait to get a RP for my kids, and then apply?
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 December 2012 - 21:56
Thank you, thank you ShopGirl12 !!! Pretty much nobody gets it - Calvin and Hobbes is my favourite cartoon strip ever !
Cal_Hob
83
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 December 2012 - 21:02
Thank you so much for your replies. Wow - I am already feeling connected and part of a community. I will ship the toy then :) This leads me to my concern about quality and variety of toys in Doha - are there stores like Toys R us / other Toy stores ? I was also planning to get my kids walk in kitchen set. They both love to pretend cook. I guess what I am asking is if there is enough variety and choices ? Also we will not have the benefit of living within a compound - my husband's employer provides an allowance for housing - it is upto us where we live. We were kind of thinking of Pearl/West Bay - a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. I know it will be a big change from a 4 bedroom detached. Any suggestions there? Thanks again,
 
 
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