Living in Bahrain
 

What is it like living in Bahrain for expats with
families. Good and bad points please.

I grew up in Bahrain from the age of 2 to 11 and really loved it. People ask what my childhood was like, and I can only wish they had a childhood like mine. I'm now 20 and am hoping to get back to Bahrain to fly. I would have no troubles with raising a family up in Bahrain, although I have heard that it has changed since I was there 10 years ago.

good to live, schools for kids expensive, no major complaints really..

Lived there with young family just prior to the Gulf War and would be back there in a flash inspite of current changes.

Bahrain is fantastic compared to other Gulf States, people are real nice too. Schools and house rentals are expensive. Still I enjoy it here.

What about the guys who fly as FO's on the Metro's ?? for DHL Express Bahrain , Do they still get enough $$$$ to live reasonably well and have some fun??....how about night life and girls, whats the scene like??
Thanks Bengwa.

yes bengwa pilot..they do indeed.plenty of entertainment here as well..

MMMM....yes yes...any hints any tips....on getting me in???.... I like beer night clubs women and beaches...should I put that on the resume???
Cheers Bengwa.

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"dreaming of Cathay"

Bahrain's an aquired taste like anywhere in the middle east. You are after all forgoing any normal human and legal rights if it all goes wrong. i.e. car accident with the wrong person.

It does still have some civil unrest, however is relativly safe. If you like living on a small island with a 3rd world set of rules then it can be OK.

Good Luck

Also used to live there, many friends still there....

As a single bloke, with some spare $$, as long as you like going to same bars all the time, and can get off the island regularly for dose of reality, then it is absolutely fantastic. Lots of hosties, although varied in quality (both looks & brains), and some who are only after Arabian $$$$$.

As a married guy w/kids, then yeah I guess it's good too, although differently : you gotta like "private country club" scene, as they form centre of social scene.

Weather is mixed - can be great in winter, albeit windy and even cold, and b!!!!y hot in summer.

Driving, shops and that stuff all OK, but of course not quite what you get in UK,USA or Aust etc.

And if you are married, then mind those GF girls...they could spoil your marriage if you're tempted by the cookie jar!

Don't know what it's like to be a woman in BAH! So excuse male oriented view.

Hi im ec55,
Im just new to the forum. Was wondering if anyone can give me some advice? I am soon to be leaving the UK to head to Bahrain to live and work as a Beauty Therapist with my partner. I have already visited the country once and although i enjoyed the holiday, was a bit skeptical about making such a drastic move. But since coming back to the UK my partner has told me he wants to permenantly move over there to live and work as his family emigrated over there a few years ago and he has lived there most of his life being brought up in Saudi Arabia. It is a huge life changing decision and please if anybody can give me some advice i would be very grateful.

:confused: :confused: Thanx

Well, I'm a fan.

Married with kids. Not in to clubbing, but never was anyway. Nice people, no tax. Get into windsurfing/get a boat. Enough good restaurants to keep you going.

I always apply the perspective: what is the alternative? M25 in the freezing rain/train commuting/ community charge/ASBOS/ tax/more tax/hoodies. I always considered London a great place to visit, but not live. I now hold that view for the UK as a whole.

It's not for everyone, and families and friends are important to some. Bahrain is a 6 hour flight. It used to take me that to get from Yorkshire to London. In this internet age the distance has shrunk - how many people do you know write letters abroad today?

Go for it. And if you don't like it - it's not a life sentence. You just go home again. I miss the tv though.

Yes, a wonderful place! I had a great time there but sadly (or happily?) I was tempted by that cookie jar! I joined Emirates a couple of years ago. Not as nice in Dubai, but the cookie jar is much bigger! :E

Monty77 says I add :bored:

it is about work, i am going alone, how much the salary should be for a good living.?

Depends on if you have to pay rent or you get a housing allowance. Rent prices are really high here, figure 600-900BD/month for a decent place.

If that's paid for by the company and you don't have to eat a ridiculous exchange rate by sending any money home, than you can get by nicely on anything over 1000BD a month.

if you have kids in school, have to pay rent, or have debts back home then it takes an ever increasing amount above that.

...how long is a rope??
...how high is the sky??

A "good living" is pretty open-ended. What are your standards? How much dosh do you want to put away? etc etc etc etc...

I haven't lived there for a while but it's a tolerable place to call home for a while, all things considered. Just give a few more details in your questions, and you'll get detailed answers from those in the know. :p

Cheers.

You are married, right? Technically, if not, then 'shacking up' is against the law in all Gulf states....it's done, however like everything else over here everything is fine until something happens or goes wrong, much like the situation on the roads etc. as mentioned in previous posts.:rolleyes:

Overall not a bad place to be at all once you recognize where you stand and come to terms with it.

Good luck

+ friendly
+ safe
+ no dog****
+ getting help (cleaning lady etc) is easy
+ big culture of eating out

- disciminatory against non-Bahrainis (law cases, family law, immigration, religion)
- rulers and trading families all fighting against each other...no sense of working together to produce a Monte Carlo of the Gulf
- traffic and general organisaiton is appaling
- little planning
- expats whinge a lot and you fall prey to that too
- cultual desert except for strolling players from abroad
- lost the plot commercially and been overtaken
- costs are now increasing substantially

I do not know what culture permits some people to say bad things about a country that hosted you. Consolidation of standing Bahrain in the eyes of others is a national duty. This is sometime hard to believe by many of you, but ask those who have come for a job and ended up living for years. Like the thousands of foreigners, you will be a dear guest of our beloved Bahrain. This is how this country treats its guests. Believe me you will not think of going back home, ask those who have spent their lives here.

All the country and locals ask for in return is some respect.

Cheers