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Diabolo
14th Apr 2005, 10:55
Hello,

What are the possibilities to move to Qatar alone and my familly remain in northern Eu where we live.
Is it possible to schuttle back home time to times ??

Is it an option? is their are anybodie out there who moved to Doha alone??

Doha, Is it nice place to live?

THX

Hajj Man
14th Apr 2005, 11:32
Diabolo,

You can move to Doha and leave your family anywhere you want to but I am sorry to tell you that the way the schedules are written it would be close to impossible to see your family regularly.

Many people do it here but the time back home for you with your family might be a 3 days off a month with the first and last of those three days as travel days. I can only go by what others have told me with the commuting to a home and family and tell you it would be HARD.

Doha is not a bad place to live in, there is worst out there but it is no luxury either. It seems to be harder with people who come here without there family as it can get very boring from time to time.

Summers are HOT and winters are warm to cool, with the cool night evert now and again. lots of beach here to drive your 4x4 and night life is very limited. you have internet to keep you busy and thats it.

This is just my opinion as Hajj Man who lives here with his family. You will get many variations on this subject but most of them will be negative I am afraid.

The one thing I can tell you for sure is that you use to be able to get 8 days off every few months, then they changed it to 4 days off in a row every few months and now "HALLAS" (Finish) you will be lucky to get 3 days off in a row.

Ohh Yeah and you will only get 8 days off total a month, sometimes you get a 9th day due to some legal flight time scheduling thing.

HM:ok:

Diabolo
14th Apr 2005, 11:49
Thank you very much Haj Man :)
Highly appreciate

I will take on cosideration what you ve told me.

I think that moving alone is not an option, my son is only 1 year old I want to see him a lot...

Take care and wish you some happy contrails,,,,

oryxbollocks
14th Apr 2005, 15:31
Just to confirm what Hajj Man has said.

DO NOT come here thinking you can commute to anywhere. The rosters are deliberately written to stop it and don't ask why. There seems to be no logical reason?

For example, a block of 5 days will have a standby right in the middle of the days off. Swapping, dependent upon which fleet you join, can be next to impossible due to crew shortages brought on by, you guessed it, people resigning because of the rosters! Go figure?

Also, your contract only guarantees 7 days off per month.

As many of us have said in other topics on QR, this could be a good airline to work for. Sadly, at the moment, it is not.

GB

popay
15th Apr 2005, 18:10
Hi there,
Fully concur with the statement about the possible live without your family here. Wouldn’t recommend it anyone, unless you want to escape from your wife. There are also such people.
Slightly off topic, but still regarding the life in Doha. Just received the letter from the land lord, stating the increment in rent up to 9500 QR for my villa 3 bed rooms fully furnished.
Hard to accept if you think, that you get 5600 as allowances. Well will probably have to look after another accommodation. Anybody having any information about available accommodation 2-3 bed rooms villa or apartment fully furnished up to 7000 QR highly appreciated.
Cheers.:uhoh:

fractional
15th Apr 2005, 20:54
Ironically, here is the solution........ Inshallah! Next century...
I'm sorry to hear the news. It seems to be everywhere. Salaries stall and cost of living rockets to new heights.
Chk this out:

By Bassam Za'za', GULF NEWS Staff Reporter

Dubai: It is the Arab governments' responsibility to prohibit greedy landlords from setting irrational and unaffordable rises in rents, said a group of Muslim scholars.

Speaking about the unreasonable rise in rents in the Arab world, a cross-section of the scholars, participating in the 16th session of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council that concluded in Dubai yesterday, told Gulf News about the religion's viewpoint regarding the rise in rents.

"In Islam, a government should help secure housing for people. Thus when there is enough housing, there will be a marginal increase in rents.

"However, when the population increases and the demand for housing increases, landlords will illogically start increasing rents. This burdens residents," said Dr Ekrima Saeed Sabri, Orator of Al Aqsa Mosque, Grand Mufti of Occupied Jerus-alem and the Holy Land and Chief of the Scholars and Preachers Organisation.

"Such greedy and unaffordable rent increases are considered to be exploitation of the tenants. That's where the government should intervene and set a reasonable and affordable price that brings the landlord a moderate profit and doesn't burden the tenant," he said.

Dr Sabri said Islamic Sharia called for people to be treated equally.

"Knowing many residents are complaining against the imbalanced rise in rents, we hope the Arab countries will look into this matter seriously and set convenient rents. The authorities should treat the matter justly and equally," he said.

"God has ordered us to cooperate with each other. Therefore, people should collaborate in all matters, especially business contracts, including rents," said Shaikh Sharif Abdullah Sharif, a Dubai-based Islamic scholar.

"A landlord should be understanding and take into account the tenant's circumstances. It has become hard to believe how the rents are increasing.

"This is considered a lack of coordination between the tenant and landlord and doesn't correspond to God's orders," he said.

"Many landlords have reasoned the increase in rents to the rise in prices of construction materials. To those landlords I say, what about the old buildings why are the owners of old buildings increasing the rent?"

The scholar said landlords should not be greedy or materialistic but should be God-fearing.

He also called for a salary increase for private sector employees so they could afford the rise in daily living expenses, including rents.

Shaikh Wahba Al Zuhaili, chairman of the Islamic Jurisprudence Section, College of Sharia at Damascus University, said: "Any type of lease contract is subject to the consent of the landlord and the tenant.

"The tenant has the right to occupy the place till the contract ends. According to the Sharia, the landlord is prohibited from raising the rent as long as the tenancy contract hasn't expired. God has ordered us to observe our own covenants."

"After a lease expires, the new one becomes subject to an amicable increase between the two parties. Thereafter, the tenant can either agree to renew the contract or vacate the place.

"The new rise should be affordable and not burdening to the tenant and reasonably profitable to the landlord," he said.

"Governments should not intervene randomly and set rent prices. If a landlord becomes greedy and irrationally raises the rent, it is only then the government should break in and control the prices," Dr Abdul Wahab Lutfallah Al Daylani, an Islamic Jurisprudence Cou-ncil expert from Yemen, told Gulf News.

Belowclouds
16th Apr 2005, 09:16
Is it possible for relatives to commute to Doha on regular basis? How difficult is to get a multy-entry visa for wive?

TAF Oscar
16th Apr 2005, 11:16
I'm living in Bahrain where we have outlets to buy beer, wine and spirits for home consumption, limited selection and expensive for sure but at least it's there. I've been told there are no such places in Qatar and you can only get alcohol in hotel restaurants.

Is that true? Not that it would put me off, I'm just curious how accurate this info is. It may be a small factor in deciding whether to leave the family in Bahrain and 'commute' to work, sort of the reverse of what Belowclouds is thinking of.

popay
16th Apr 2005, 13:36
Belowclouds,
its not difficult for the wife to get the residence permit. In order to get it, she needs to come here to complete the required procedures and once she got it, she can travel to and from Qatar without any restrictions, as long as the RP is valid.
TAF Oscar,
we do have a liquor shop, where you can purchase all the available alcohol products, but you need a licence, which costs you from 500 to 1000 QR. It’s a refundable deposit.
Cheers.
:8

Hajj Man
16th Apr 2005, 15:40
Yes but there is only ONE Alcohol depot called "Qatar Distribution Company" I have never tried to be a member as I don't drink spirits but I am told that if you are from the GCC countries you cannot be a member? I am not sure of this but I will save myself the embarrassment and not even try.

Also what OryxBollocks ( GB) said about the 5 days off with the SBY DAY, right smack on the third day off ( so two days off SBY and then two days off) happens ALL the time. I never thought it was a ploy to keep the crews here and unhappy but I think you are on to something there OryxBollocks.

Diabolo, you have no idea what this company will do and not do with you. I am experiencing new ways of doing things and not doing things to employees everyday to make them upset, NO IDEA what to think these days.

I think it is time for Hajj Man to maybe see about that grass on the other side of the river and see if it is greener, if not greener it might be less infected with bugs and might be a little bit softer on the soles of my family and my feet.

Hajj Man:ok:

Diabolo
16th Apr 2005, 16:56
Thanks for all this informations guys, I am sure of one thing now.
If I come there I take my familly with me :)

One more question please, do the compagnie take care of the relocation???

Happy contrails

Hajj Man
16th Apr 2005, 17:58
it all depends on what you mean by "take care of"???????

you will get 20 KGS of acompanied baggage

you will get 150 KGS of unaccompanied baggage (cargo) on the QR network. and only 75 KGS of unaccompanied baggage (cargo) on other airlines, you will have to do a lot of paperwork to get reimburst for the 75 KGS.

if you plan on bringing any books or old manuals with you, there is your KGS allocation gone.

once you get your RP (resident permit) you get 150 KGS for your wife and 50 KGS for each kid up to a max of three kids under the age of 18 years old.

Not sure if these figures have changed but this is what it was.

Also as Popay said earlier on in this post, the rents are going crazy.

I have friends that are going from 10,000 a month to 12,000
Another friend from 5000, to 8,000 a month.
Just heard of another guy going from 8,000 to 10,000
another 5,000 to 7,500

and the stories of rents going crazy are to many to mention.

Hajj Man:ok:

foreverboeing
18th Apr 2005, 15:23
For getting the liquare permit you have to give deposit of 1000 riyals and from the company only flightdeck crew has right to get it.The rest can continue smelling it or go to hotels and drink with high prices!
The cargo infos which hajmann gave are still same,no change.I currently used.Iwas able to take only 75 kgs because of using other airlines.(which they didn't told us at the interview like many things!)
The rents are getting crazy here,also my landlord increased the rent and I am looking for moving for a cheaper price place,a price like the company paying but it is mission impossible to find anything where you can live with your family in that flats if you pay 5000 riyals(which the company is giving as housing allowance)!Popay I think forget to find a villa for 7000 nowadays,i talked with couple of realestate agents and they told me the prices are not looking to go down even after asian games.They will continue increasing avarage 1000 riyals every year.So we will continue loosing money,because it looks like they are not gonna increase the allowances

UTRF
18th Apr 2005, 17:08
non gcc persons who earn over a certain amount can apply for a liquor permit.....returnable deposit of 1000 Rats.
it is not restricted to flight deck....i was technical and i had one whilst there
:cool:

TAF Oscar
23rd Apr 2005, 09:40
Thanks for all the answers! So getting booze should not be a problem. I had so many conflicting stories on that, thanks for clarifying it. And now for my next question...

Negotiations are progressing, so I'm looking at classifieds online (Gulf Times etc) to get an idea of available accomodation. Seems that there is plenty of choice available, but big differences per area - not knowing Qatar which area(s) should I be looking at?

We prefer somewhere not too far from the international school (Doha College?), where do all the other Europeans live? What sort of rent would we face for example for an unfurnished 4-BR villa?

And what would it cost approx to hire (long term) a Pajero 3.4 and an Echo?

This would give us a good idea to set levels in the negotiations - any info appreciated!

TAF:cool:

sajko
23rd Apr 2005, 10:31
you can't afford it with the QR salary.

popay
23rd Apr 2005, 15:28
TAF Oscar,
Regarding the accommodation it varies from 7000 up to 12000 QR, just as an example. All depends on the land lord, villa and your negotiation skills. The best way, from my point of view, come here and find out.
For the Pajero, last time when I was in Mitsubishi show room it was about 100 000 QR. You can go for a bank loan even for the full amount.
So far so good.
Cheers.

salamalikum2
9th May 2005, 09:29
By the way diabolo, if you decide to come to qatar, don´t forget to subscribe a good live insurance expecially when you are driving here on the road.

Most of the driver here have a four wheel drive, they are speeeding and they have absolutly no clues of what safety, discipline and rules mean!!!
(i think last week a whole indian family was killed when their car was hit by a speeding pick up!)
And something i can´t understand is that the police doesn´t do anything to stop those criminals!!


So i suggest you to buy if you can a second hand army tank...!
This could be a good investment here just to protect your family and yourself.cheers.:\

popay
9th May 2005, 13:34
salamalikum2,
yea that’s what I have heard too. I have been told there was a terrible accident on the C ring road. 3 big land cruisers collided with several casualties. There was unfortunately a family with small kids involved. So it’s a good idea to drive a tank.
Cheers.

salamalikum2
9th May 2005, 17:42
..By the way popay, let´s be optimist...
Soon they will be no accident anymore in doha, because soon there will be no circulation and movement on the road in doha...
the saturation point is near...expecially during certain period off the day...!:)

ExSimGuy
9th May 2005, 18:17
Usually, any chance of a "business trip" out of my base at RUH is a welcome prospect.

But last December/January I had a job to do in Doha, which involved a lot of "waiting" (hey! ain't that typical of the region!) and I'm afraid that Qatar just didn't "measure up".

Traffic - yes, heavy, with crazy drivers - not just locals but I had to be a pax in an Egyptian gent's car and we were constantly telling him to slow down, get on the right lane . . . 3 weeks into the job, I commented to my colleague that it was amazing his car was still the same shape :uhoh:

Taxis - They don't sem to know there's a meter, and most of the time they drive straight past anyway! (obviously they don't need the money to pay the rent ;) )

Hotels - in early December, a half-decent hotel (eg Novotel-Mercure) was QR525 ($150) a night, but by mid-Jan it had gone up to QR750 ($200) which is an extortionate rate for the region (DXB about $130 a night) - if you could find one with space! Yes, "Asian Games" and all that, but if they don't build some more hotels, the Asian Games is going to be a joke - like the problems Bahrain had with the first Formula One.

Lifestyle - Living in a hotel,with the hotel bar the only entertainment and booze prices that would make a UK publican smile; no fun at all. I ended up flying to BAH for weekends, or any other time I knew that I was not "on call" and the company saved a bomb on BAH hotel rates (I spend BD23 - $60 a night for a nice comfortable place there, just around the corner from an "A&E" (off-licence!) - Plug for "Diggers" at the Delmon ;)

Sorry, Doha, if you're gonna "make it", you have some serious shaping up to do:\:uhoh:

Just a thought - Is it feasible, with the size of the country, that you could live "well outside" Doha in a smaller community at a reasonable rent? Might be a solution for a family if hubby does not want to spend a lot of time "in the city" on the p1ss with his mates?? At least "Mrs" can drive there, unlike in RUH :)

PS - thanks for the villa rates - with more involvement coming up there, our company were thinking of "saving money" by taking a villa/flat, but looks like that ain't an answer either

salamalikum2
10th May 2005, 03:47
you are right exsimguy,good summary.., Qatar is probably one of the most expensive place in the gulf....and one the most boring place in the gulf.

willfly380
10th May 2005, 11:48
hey popay ,what happened . your posts are getting softer in defending qr and doha.the increase in house rent get to you. i know i am asking for trouble here.....but couldnt resist asking.

eazyflite
10th May 2005, 19:18
In the beginning,i think hajj man was telling something about 9 day off a months,
with 9-11 day off a month how many hours are you flying in one month,on a330 or a 320??and overtime is starting from 70h a month????

RGDS

M

ExSimGuy
10th May 2005, 19:57
Hey, what's this "overtime" that I'm hearing about?

start from home at 7 a.m. get back to the office at 7 p.m. and do another hour's work, then get dinner at home and do another hour on "orders/quotes" on the internet.

"overtime" ? - yeah, can I get some of that! (paid :) )

("working" for Nigel - those were the days :) :) )

eazyflite
10th May 2005, 20:31
Sorry I thought this is a pilots forum? I could not be true that you have to work as a A330 line CPT in the office???in addition to your flights?

Hajj Man
11th May 2005, 05:13
you might get the 9 days off a month if the rest periods require it.

You can bet your money that if they can only give you the 8 days off a month then that is all you will get.

A-330 crews are flying from 85 to 100 hours a month and you are now starting to see your days off down line. You will also arrive in the morning in Doha and go back out that same night on another flight. So if you have your family in Doha you will see them less time than you see the ops agent in London or Manila.

YES YES YES!!!!!!! I said you will get a trip to Jakarta Indonesia and have two days off down there to do NOTHING. i also think that your insurance coverage and also your meal allowances are not applicable to you on your days off????.......... (Not sure of this)

Why does QR do this, you ask?............ because they are short of crews on the fleets and this is how it will be for the unforseeable future due to the fact of people leaving, planes coming, and not enough hiring going on to meet the demands of both of those two listed items above.

Whos fault is it that they are short of crews? ......... The finger is pointed in every direction possible. him, him, her, them, that, because, lack of, cannot find, not enough............etc etc etc.

You will get your roster and be scheduled 2 days off then a standby day and then one day off after that.
Go in and ask if you can change that standby day and see what you are told? .................................... GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

The good old days of getting 3 days off in a row are long gone so people who have families that live outside Doha will only see them on that short 24 hour layover in London, Munic. Rome, Frankfurt, Paris or where-ever they live. That is if your fleet flies to where your family are.?

You use to get 8 days off in a row some time ago every few months but due to the QCAA regulations now on rest periods etc etc, the company ( Qatar Airways) really have no choice but to schedule you this new way and make crews upset. Or do they have a choice????????....... Hmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Is something being done about it to fix these problems implemented by the QCAA ?..................... Yes, but S.LO.W.L.Y ...........O.H.H.H.H.H.H........... S.O.O.O.O.O.......SLOWLY.

Will Qatar Ever catch up or should I say WAKE UP!!!!! and start to put some things in place to make the workers ( all the crews, engineers, ticket agents, ground staff etc etc etc) happier and try to see if they will stay longer in Doha and more so with Qatar Airways?????????................ I don't think any EMERGENCY MEETING has been held or is going on right now to see how they can fix the problem. Maybe the meeting was held but as pilots here we have not had a meeting with the chief pilots or the CEO in over a year, perhaps a year and a half to see what the goals are and what direction we are heading in for planes,upgrades, fleet changes, new equiptment, parking problems at work, constuction of the new customs and immigration area, new routes, price increases on villas, deals we are afforded, etc etc etc....... If you want to know this stuff you will have to buy the morning news paper and turn to page two to see where Qatar Airways are flying to now and what is going on. You can also get some rumours here on PPRUNE or you can ask the down line stations what they have heard about flight cancellations, new routes and frequency added to the network.

You are treated like a "BUS DRIVER" ( which I guess you are really) and not a professional here at QR.

The management pilots are trying to make a difference and put things in place for us here in the flight department but it is not keeping up with the changing enviroment or changing world we live in here in Doha.............. Actually if they are doing something to make it better here, we will never know because all the fleets have not had a meeting to tell us whats up? Not even a news letter to shed some light on anything.

PICK UP THE PACE GUYS..................... IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
Make your crews and workers happy and you will get a happier and better product. One that is willing to work for you and WITH YOU.

HM:ok:

salamalikum2
11th May 2005, 05:56
....i´m not sure but it seems that having a day off on outstation is NOT allowed anymore by teh DCAM....!!! check it out guys..!!
It seems that the rooster knows it...but they still try to do it..!!
to be confirmed..
Anybody can confirm that...?
thanks;)

p.s.: at least for cockpit crew i heard ..