Vfenext----“ just go and find accommodation and GF will pay for it”???..... not quite.
Most GF crew accomo. Is in a designated appt building ( wonder why!!) and these appts are mainly in Juffair away from the expat family hub of Saar where the required schools are.
I know of at least 4 pilots who, when requested that the lease on their villas be taken over due to exorbitant rent increases( bd480), were flatly refused. 2 were told to look at designated appts in Juffair ( 600BD) the others tried in vain to see the relevant manager but when they turned up for arranged meetings the boss was out of town on a flight!! No explanations were given nor emails answered.
In saying that I also know GF pilots whose leases were taken over by the company but they are few and far between. There is no set rule, I suppose it depends on the mood of the relevant manager on the day, so don’t take it as a guarantee that GF will find you decent accommodation.
A FO housing allowance is BD350, I dare you to find a decent 3 bed villa in Saar for less that BD500 per month.
Regarding the school fees, if you have 2 or more children in school here then you will not save a penny. For example, if you have a 7yr old and an 9 yr old your school fees per term will be BD 1439. Your GF school fee allowance will be BD 230 per child per term. That means you need to hold back about BD250 per month to pay for school.
I know of 2 FO’s who will be sending their families back home this year, (one to Canada), as they just cant keep their heads above the water. So go figure ....