What;s it like working as an ex-pat in the Middle East?

In My Humble Opinion
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As some of you may know, I have completed my schooling and am now looking for work. It turns out that I have a cousin in Qatar, which has got me thinking. (My aunt says we also have cousins in New Zealand, which has also got me thinking… but that’s another thread.)

So, what’s it like as a skilled Westerner to work in Qatar or the other smaller Middle Eastern Arabic countries? Is this still a viable idea, given what’s going on in Iraq? Do Westerners still live in a compound, the way the husband of one of my co-workers did 15 years ago?

What kinds of jobs are typically offered? (I am imagining higher-level management and technical professionals; I suspect mechanical engineers and petroleum engineers would be in high demand, much like Alberta).

Do the employers take custody of one’s passport, and are there problems departing and/or collecting wages, as I have read occurs sometimes for lower-level jobs? What are the corporate cultures like? Do you need to speak Arabic?

This is a low-probability possibility, but it’s worth investigating. Until such time as I establish contact with my cousin (we have met before, over ten years ago), I turn to the members of the SDMB.

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Apparently if you get raped it is not a good idea to report it to the authorities:

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Are you male? I would think twice before going as a single female.

My experience is probably of limited relevance - I lived in Cairo from 2002-2007. But based on that experience: I wouldn’t worry about Iraq per se as much as I would look at the political stability of whatever country I was eyeing. Whether you live in a compound depends on the country. Egypt or Lebanon, no. Qatar or Saudi, yes. Lots of jobs are either in development (if you are in Egypt - not in UAE!) or oil. In some places there are jobs for English teachers as well.

Generally speaking, it would be inappropriate for an employer to hold on to your passport for any significant length of time. Here in Indonesia (where I live now) some of the less reputable language mills do pull stunts like withholding the last month’s wages; perhaps there are schools in the ME that do that too. If that is the sort of position you’d be looking at, search the net - there are almost certainly message boards filled with teachers that will tell you whatever you want to know. I’m not a teacher myself, but I know that Dave’s ESL cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com) is a very popular resource.

If you are flexible, adventurous, and not planning on a career where a few years’ diversion will put you far behind colleagues, I would look very seriously at living abroad for a while. It expands your perspective marvelously!

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I lived in Dubai 2005-2007 and nobody lives on a compound there. They definitely do in Saudi, but people I know who lived in Qatar did not live on a compound - not sure about the comment above in that regard. I rented an apartment attached to a villa in a normal residential neighborhood. The neighbor to one side was Iranian, the other side, Indian. Everybody speaks English and at least for Westerners, you’ll keep your own passport and get paid just fine. I enjoyed living there.

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My friend lived in a compound in Qatar, so perhaps one has a choice.

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If you’ve just finished your schooling you are in no way skilled.

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My wife and I were expats in Jordan for two years. It was wonderful. She was a trained registered nurse, with only two years of experience. Within a year on the job, she was promoted to be in charge of a new floor that was opened in the university teaching hospital. In two years in Jordan, she never had a single untoward social experience that could not be easily deflected or defused, although to be sure there was the occasional rude remark. She was well respected by all male workers, both above and beneath her in status, and was accepted in “girlhood” by her nursing colleagues from Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan. Most of our social acquaintances were Jordanians, as we were there independently, working for local wages, and could not afford socialization with expats (although the Swedes and Finns didn’t mind befriending us).

Altogether, we loved every minute of the experience, the Jordanians were great friends, treating us at all times with kindness, respect and hospitality.

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My sister and her family lived in Dubai for several years, and loved it to death. This was before the financial meltdown, so money was flowing much more freely then, but to read their emails, it was total paradise. They’d go back in a heartbeat if they could.

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My family and I lived in Beirut for six years, and have now lived in Doha (Qatar) for six years. It’s really apples and oranges; different Middle Eastern cities are radically different. Dubai is so different from Doha (I have often heard that Doha now is what Dubai was 20 years ago); Beirut and Cairo are different altogether. We loved Beirut; probably my biggest regret in life is that we didn’t go back after the 2006 war. I make a lot more money in Qatar, but frankly, it’s kind of boring here. (People warned me it would be before I came, but I thought I could handle boring. Apparently not.)

It’s against the law for an employer to hold your passport here. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t happen (particularly with construction workers and the like), but I haven’t heard of it happening with Western expats. Most Western expats here work in white collar jobs, skilled technical jobs or engineering; that’s the kind of stuff that is in demand.

There are compounds and stand alone villas. The compounds here aren’t mini-cities like in Saudi; a Doha compound is a number of villas (30-150), usually with a clubhouse, which will probably have a pool, maybe a restaurant, perhaps a small shop.

Are you married? Kids? Don’t take the word of just one person, but my impression is that single people are a bit happier here in Doha, as it is much easier for them to take advantage of what limited activities are on offer here. Check out Time Out Doha to see what there is:

http://www.timeoutdoha.com/

Our daughter, on the other hand, likes it here fine. Good school, good friends, etc.

My one bit of advice to you would be this: if you do come, come with a plan, a plan predicated on your exiting after a set time period. A lot of expats come, get excited to be earning good money, and act like idiots. They buy an expensive car, take expensive vacations, and 5 years on leave in debt. (We just said goodbye to a family who had been here for 10 years, and hadn’t paid off the mortgage for their home in the US, or the wife’s student loans. Don’t be those people.)

Anyhow, I’m happy to answer any question you have. I know we have a couple of other Dopers who have lived/do live in Qatar (including the inimitable Paul in Qatar).

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Another good source for this info is the boards at Dave’s ESL cafe.