Arriving and Settling-in Information
|
Airport Pickup
The Welcome Kit EMS Key Contact numbers Housing Health Care Transportation Reimbursement of Relocation Expenses Money Exchange and Transfer Internet Connection and School Email PO Box Residence Permit Residence Permit procedures in Qatar After the Residence permit procedures:
|
Airport Pickup
You will be greeted at the airport by an English Modern School staff member. He/she will accompany you to your accommodation and will present you with the "English Modern School Welcome Kit". Please look for your name on welcome boards as soon as you are in the arrival waiting area after you pass immigra-tion, retrieve your baggage, and clear customs. In the event your flight is early or late, and you can’t find your name on a greeting board, please find the Al Muftah Rental Car booth (located next to Costa coffee shop), who can contact someone from the school for assistance and follow-up. |
The Welcome Kit
A welcome pack will be available for your comfort (Water, milk, cereal, coffee, tea, sugar, bread, jam, butter and basic toiletries) Reading material: Staff will be provided with the local shopping guide (Marhaba Guide) and a printed copy of this handbook. We advise all staff to thoroughly go through both documents as they contain invaluable information about living in Qatar. Settling-in allowance: A settling-in allowance of QR 500 will be given to new staff upon arrival. |
We advise you to carry the EMS key contact telephone numbers with you in case of an emergency.
Housing
Joining staff will be assigned their accommodation. All faculty accommodation is furnished with basic furniture and bed linen. The kitchen is equipped with a fridge, stove, basic cutlery, crockery and utensils. Electronics are not provided. The accommodation is also furnished with air conditioning units and a washing machine. Health Care Joining staff can go to Hamad Medical Emergency Centre before their RP is done - passport copy needed. Patients not holding a Health Card will be charged as a visitor. Transportation A school bus will be made available for staff to visit malls and the city during the orientation weeks. After the first 2 weeks, staff will be expected to arrange for their own transportation; the school Facilities De-partment will provide guidance and support as needed. After the first 2 weeks, some teachers hire a driver and form groups of 4; cost per person is around QR75 per week which is QAR 300 a month. Hired drivers charge around QAR 1200 a month, so if there are less than 4 in a car the charge per person will increase accordingly. Reimbursement of Relocation Expenses
The school’s contribution to relocation baggage and any expenses incurred in obtaining document attes-tation will be reimbursed within the amount stated in your offer letter. Please note that any reimburse-ment will be made only against the submission of receipts. |
Money Exchange and Transfer
Money exchange (rate QAR 3.65 to US$ 1) can be done in the airport, at any shopping mall and in West-ern Union exchange shops, located in various areas of the city. Money transfer can be done (at a relatively low rate) through your bank account or any Western Union outlet, located in various areas of the city and major shopping malls. Internet Connection and School Email An email address will be open to each joining staff member; it is EMS policy that staff use their EMS email for all internal and work related communication. Staff will be informed about their username, password and email address during the orientation week. Joining teachers will be able to use the school internet connection in the computer labs; Mr. Salim Awad, the IT System Administrator, will provide each joining staff a username and password. High speed internet services (ISDN and ADSL) are available from Qtel. Please note that you can’t apply for any of these services prior to obtaining your Residence Permit and installing a landline. However, broadband connection can be purchased without a Residence Permit and landline. For more information, please contact QTel. You can access their website at www.qtel.com.qa PO Box
You will be able to use the school’s mailing address to receive mail. The address is: The English Modern School [The name of your Department] PO box 875 Messila Doha, Qatar Please note that a personal Post Office Box can also be rented for a nominal fee from Q-Post, the postal service provider for Qatar. You can access their website at http://www.qpost.com.qa |
Residence Permit
The process for your residence visa will be started upon your arrival - provided you have submitted all required documents, attested and certified . The process will take up to 8 weeks. You should plan to stay in the country during this entire time. Otherwise, you will have to start the pro-cess of the medical and finger printing all over again. The Human Resources Department requires your marriage license (if applicable), diplomas, passport, as well as a record of your blood type (done in Qatar) to complete your residency permit application. |
Residence Permit procedures in Qatar
The process starts once you arrive in Qatar. All citizens residing in Qatar require a Residence Permit. The school HR department will walk all staff through all steps; transportation, guidance, escorts and all other assistance needed will be provided. The Residence Permit consists of three steps:
|
After the Residence permit procedures
Once you are issued a Residence Permit you can apply for the following:
- HEALTH CARD
- PERMANENT DRIVER’S LICENSE
- LANDLINE, HIGH SPEED INTERNET AND CABLE TV SERVICES (IF YOU WISH)
- LIQUOR LICENSE (IF YOU WISH)
Health Card
Once your RP is done, you need to complete the Health Card application (available in the Administration) and the school will then complete the needed procedures to obtain your Health Card. Bank Account The school will help you establish a saving account with a local bank that the school uses to transfer your salary. Car purchase In accordance with Qatari Traffic regulations, you can purchase a vehicle only after obtaining your Residence Permit and a permanent Qatari driver’s license. Qatar has many car dealerships selling new and used cars. Car Leasing and Purchasing For details, please check the Marhaba Guide. Car Insurance Car insurance is compulsory. There are many companies with different plans for various types of coverage. All insurers are mandated to issue what is called the Unified Motor Policy document. This policy sets out terms and conditions for both full comprehensive and third-party insurance. However, wider coverage is available now through insurance brokers and some selected insurers, extending the scope of the terms of cover under the Unified Motor Policy. |
Driving Licence
Upon your arrival, you can apply for a temporary Driving Licence. When you become a resident you are required to change your temporary License to a permanent Qatari Driver’s License. Currently, anyone who holds either a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Ara-bia and UAE) licence, or a licence from any of the following countries, is permitted to obtain a full Qatar driving licence without having to pass a test: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Den-mark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Drivers who do not hold a licence from one of these countries, or who have no licence at all, are required to take a driving test. The driving test includes an Oral test, Reverse parking, Straight parking, Road test. Where to apply for a licence: To apply for a licence, either temporary or permanent, go to the Madinat Khalifa Traffic Department (Khalifa Street, Tel: 4489 0666). The offices are open from 07:00 to 11:00 and 16:00 to 19:00. The process: To obtain a driving licence (replacement or new), staff have to place a request at the admin-istration office at the school and the Human Resources department will assist in preparing the applica-tion; the following documents must be presented at the Madinat Khalifa Traffic Department:
|