Dear Casper


Yet another teacher has contacted me through the TES, asking me about teaching in Qatar. Well, it gives me an excuse to include lots of my old photos of Doha.

 Dear Casper,

To be brutally honest, the Gulf English School does not have a good reputation. Yes, I might consider teaching there, if the alternative were to be unemployment and starvation, but not otherwise. 
Yes, it is true that the ISR reviews I sent to you are quite old. If you want to read more recent ones, then you will have to pay your twenty dollars or however much it costs these days. Then you will be able to read the lousy new reviews for the Gulf English School, as well as the lousy old ones.

Yes, in theory it might perhaps be possible for the Gulf English School to improve, but in reality that is most unlikely. If the school has the same Qatari owner or owners, then my guess is that nothing is going to change. In addition, most of the students will be Qatari and that is seriously bad news. There is also something called the SEC, the Supreme Education Council.
As I understand it, Doha's airport is functioning properly and there are regular international flights to and from different places around the world. Of course airfares are often expensive.
You mentioned your "partner" in your e-mail. Well, your wife is legally allowed to live with you, if you have a marriage certificate, but under Qatari law you are not allowed to live together if you are not married. She could not act as your sponsor either, if you are not married. You can read more about this on www.qatarliving.com
Visas were not a major problem, when we were in Qatar, and I do not think the situation has changed much. (The Chinese Z visa, on the other hand, really is a nightmare.) However, this is a bad salary, given that prices have gone up quite a lot since we left Qatar. It is not the easiest place in which to live, so the salary on offer ought to reflect that. A proper school would have offered a good salary right at the start, rather than giving in to haggling. Again, this is a bad sign. 


My school in Bulgaria would probably give you a similar offer, but I think that living in Sofia is a lot easier than living in Doha.
Simon


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