The International Schools Review Forum

So, what is the difference in the quality of life in these 3 places ?

Everything in Qatar revolves around Doha. Just saying.

SJ is right.
Doha has restaurants, shopping, movies, leisure, sports, plenty to do.
The other "cities" have improved in recent years, but really don't measure up. If you want to lead a quiet life, they would do fine. But if you want to be out and about and active with lots of people, you'd just find yourself driving the 30-60 minutes to Doha every time.

SJ is pretty much spot on, and I agree with Sid. Doha is basically a mall, or any other commercial consumer complex. If you want to go to work, buy some groceries, download a movie and generally be a homebody the other locations will allow you to live. If you want to do anything close to or resembling fun your going to be going to Doha, and thats pretty much what people do on the weekends.
The benefit of living outside Doha is it makes it easier to save money, and keep your expenses low.

Al Khor is like one strip. Boom town if you will. Literally nothing around or anything to do. On the strip there is a bunch of fast-food places and thats it. They now have one little mall. No vegetation etc. And if you are thinking of teaching at QAAK, may god have mercy on your soul. Psycho ME admin and very undisciplined students who may hate you for being western. You also may die when driving. Literally. Education city you can survive. But just barely. American School of Doha is the one school in the country pretty much that is worth working at. There is also a London school as well thats supposed to be ok. Everything else, avoid like its an Ebola patient coming in for a hug.

I usually try to be positive on this forum, but I'm with chargerfan on this one. I would avoid all Qatar Foundation schools like the plague, unless you have no kids and are happy to take the money and let the crap just swirl around you. The Pre-University are systematically screwing up Qatar Academy and the other QF schools. Doha College and Sherborne are still decent schools if you like the British system, and that just about leaves the American School as the stand-out organisation. Anything that comes under the aegis of the Supreme Education Council is subject to idiocy on all levels.
OK, rant over. The thing is, as with any ME school, if you can deal with the day to day nonsense, you can make a good life and earn a lot of money but you need to be a suitable fit. By this I mean able to let things go and not angst about last minute changes, lax attitudes to things that many teachers hold dear and general disorganisation.
The Qatari students really do NEED good quality western teachers, even though it sometimes seem they are constantly rejecting and fighting everything you stand for. It's a knife edge - for them as well as you. You can make a difference, AND make a ton of money but it's not for everyone.

Well said, the ME is bad, and you have to be a mercenary and go for the money. Another poster in a related forum said it well "if the ME paid S.A. money, no one would go".

My first post. Can anyone then clarify what working for akis -Al khor international is like?