The College of Technology (COT) is an agency of the State of Qatar. The COT is the State of Qatar’s link with CNA-Q. COT leases accommodations from various landlords and releases them to CNA-Q for assignment to employees. Employees are not tenants of the landlord but rather residents in the accommodations. COT is currently providing accommodation at eight living communities:
There are pros and cons to living in each community. Your living community is assigned to you by the College based largely on your family status. All families with children live in the compounds. There will always be perceived inequities in the benefits received by employees from their employer. These issues are very important to the College. CNA-Q is committed to finding solutions for these inequities whenever possible. Employees are encouraged to work in partnership with the Resident’s Committee of their living community to bring these issues to the attention of the Manager of Human Resources
Each living community is managed by the landord and any maintenance concerns should be brought to the attention of the appropriate person. Please see the Frequently Asked Question section for additional information regarding maintenance at the various living communities.
COT is an acronym which refers to the College of Technology Project. This was a group of very dedicated Qataris who were tasked by the Emir with finding a college system that would work for Qatar in vocational and technical areas, contracting with a specific College to implement it, and building a campus for it. Now that the contract has been signed with College of the North Atlantic (NL) and the campus has been built, this group has been superseded by the Executive Committee, also made up of Qataris, but now tasked with overseeing the contract with CNA. Dr. Latifa Al-Houty was the Project Director for CoT, is now the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee, and is the main contact for CNA-Q and CNA. She has an office and support personnel on campus in Duhail, represents the State as well as Qatar Authority, and interacts with College Executive (and a few others) at least weekly on a variety of issues. Rather than go into all this every time an interaction with our Qatari sponsors is mentioned, we refer to that interaction as being with CoT, for brevity.
Maintenance Contacts
C-Ring Road - Mr. Mouzzman at +974 423 1560
Sports Roundabout - Mr. Varghese at +974 556 0915
Flats at Immigration Roundabout - Mr. Thampi at +974 583 2813
Al Jazeeraland 1, 2 & 3 – Mr. Nisar 521-8670 or at ahmadnisarkhan@gmail.com
Al Dar 2 Compound - Mr. Yeakub at +974 575 5319
Al Mansoura - 1st - Mr. Nizam at +974 500 6017; 2nd - Mr. Muhammed at +974 523 6602
If after contacting the above service provider for your building, you are not satisfied with the service rendered, you may log onto our new help desk.
Go to the CNA-Q Intranet page, click on Facility Req., then New Service Call (at top left), then Call Classification - Accommodation.
There may be times when you need a hand cleaning your villa or apartment, hanging pictures, cleaning windows, carrying groceries, moving furniture and so on. Ask your neighbors to recommend someone you can hire to help with these activities. Also see the Hiring Workers, Nannies, etc. section.
Furnishings
All accommodations are furnished with at least the following, depending on the number of bedrooms:
Living Room:
Sofa Set
Coffee and End Tables
Side Lamps
TV with TV Stand
Dining Area:
Table
6 Chairs
Kitchen:
Electric Stove
Refrigerator
Washing Machine - Front Load
Dishwasher
Master Bedroom:
King-sized Bed
Chest of Drawers
Side Tables
Side Lamps
Wardrobes/closets
Second Bedroom:
Twin-sized Beds - 2
Chest of Drawers
Side Tables
Side Lamps
Wardrobes/closets
Note: The sizes of the mattresses vary greatly. You are encouraged to bring a tape measure with you when you first arrive in Doha so that you can purchase sheets that fit your mattress.
Some landlords also provide a microwave oven, electric kettle, iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner, and/or toaster. Once you see what is included in your accommodations you can purchase the remaining ones in Doha.
[top]Clothes Washer/Dryer
Important: Only detergent for a front load machine should be used in the clothes washer. The clothes washers require detergent designed specifically for front loading machines; failure to use the correct detergent will result in breakdown and a heck of a mess. Some of the washers have a built-in dryer; however most people prefer to hang their clothes to dry as it is much kinder to your clothes and won’t take as long to dry.
Hot Water Tanks
CAUTION: The water from your hot water tap may be extremely hot. Please contact maintenance staff to adjust the temperature. In the summer months, you may want to turn off the hot water tank and use the water from it, as cold water from the water storage tank on the roof will provide only warm to hot water.
Light Bulbs
Some light bulbs have been known to explode. Theories as to why include poor quality bulb, power supply, and extreme heat produced by the number of bulbs in the fixture. Whatever the cause, it does happen occasionally and it is not limited to CNA-Q living communities. Maintenance staff will assist with changing light bulbs in difficult-to-access areas due to high ceilings.
Electrical
The electricity supply is 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. Domestic electrical goods are widely available, although they can be more expensive than in Canada. Central heating is uncommon, but portable heaters are available for purchase for the few weeks a year should you require them.
Transformers are required to run North American appliances that operate on 110 volts, but these can also be purchased in Doha. New employees are discouraged from purchasing them in Canada before travelling to Qatar because they probably will not be compatible and they are very heavy to ship. An adaptor may not always work effectively with some items.
Power failures can occur occasionally, especially in the summer months because there are currently insufficient power supplies to meet unexpected demands. Residents are usually warned if the outages are planned.
Air Conditioners
The accommodations, depending on the living community, come with different types of air conditioners. Check the Frequently Asked Questions section for your living community for specific instructions regarding the care and maintenance of the air conditioners.
Television
The television is provided with your accommodations. You will also be given an Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) designed to receive and decode scrambled cable and satellite channels. You turn your television on to a preset channel - often channel 3 or 4. Then you turn the IRD on and using the channel changer in the IRD, go up and down the channels until find an appropriate channel. You may have to lock into cable service or the appropriate satellite using the IRD (such as Nilesat or Arabsat) first which will give you access to a certain range of channels. There should be user guides in your accommodations with the equipment but it may faster to ask your neighbor how to work them.
Insurance
The Landlord is responsible for the buildings and the provided furnishings only. Insurance for personal assets is considered to be an employee’s responsibility and it is the responsibility of the tenant to purchase renter’s insurance for personal items.
Using Electrical Appliances Safely
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| Group | Item | Notes |
| Kitchen | Set of dishes | |
| Cutlery set | ||
| Glasses | ||
| Pots and pans | ||
| Plastic containers | ||
| Kitchen utensils | ||
| Coffeemaker | ||
| Bedroom | Sheets and pillow cases | |
| Pillows | ||
| Duvet/comforter/blanket | ||
| Duvet cover | ||
| Bathrooms | Toilet paper | |
| Bath towels, hand towels, facecloths | ||
| Soap, shampoo & conditioner | ||
| Shower rod | ||
| Shower curtain | ||
| Toilet brush | ||
| Bath mat | ||
| Groceries | Bottled water | |
| Soft drinks | ||
| Milk | ||
| Butter | ||
| Cheese | ||
| Salt | ||
| Spices | ||
| Peanut butter | ||
| Jam | ||
| Sugar | ||
| Coffee | ||
| Tea | ||
| Fruit juice | ||
| Eggs | ||
| Fruit | ||
| Vegetables | ||
| Meat/fish | ||
| Bread | ||
| Miscellaneous | Dish cloths | |
| Dish liquid | ||
| Paper towel | ||
| Garbage bags (optional) | ||
| Garbage cans | ||
| Mop | ||
| Bucket | ||
| Broom | ||
| Dust pan | ||
| Cleaning cloths | ||
| Cleaning supplies | ||
| Hangers | ||
| Clothes drying rack | ||
| Electrical plug adapters | ||
| Power bar | ||
| Front loading washing machine detergent only | ||
| Dishwasher detergent | ||
| Dishwasher salt (yes salt!) | ||
| Dishwasher rinse aid | ||
| Telephone | Will not be needed immediately. | |
| Telephone jack adapter | Will not be needed immediately. | |
| Electric heater & heavy duty electric plug adapter | May not be needed immediately. | |
| Extra set of keys (you will need your passport for this) | The key maker is located at the lowest level of City Center (parking area) at the foot of one of the escalators. | |
| Ironing board | ||
| Kettle | ||
| Microwave | ||
| Hair dryer |
Upon arrival, you and your family members are going to spend a significant amount of time completing your immigration processing in order to get your Residence Permit. There are a number of services or actions that cannot be completed until you have your Residence Permit, such as buying a car, getting a telephone or Internet or obtaining a government health card (Hamad Hospital Health Card). Also, it is difficult to leave Qatar before the process is completed, and when you return, you may have to begin the entire process again. It is therefore very important to keep the appointments made for you by Human Resources. Employees are excused from work for these appointments, with co-workers backfilling as required.
Note: As a member of the CNA-Q benefit’s plan you and your family members will also receive an InterGlobal Health Card but you must have the government health card in case of an emergency situation. See the section on Medical Services.
The College of Technology (COT) is officially your sponsor as an expatriate working in Qatar. If both you and your spouse are employed by CNA-Q, both will be sponsored by COT. If only one of you is employed by CNA-Q, that spouse will sponsor the non-working spouse.
The first thing you will have to do towards getting your Residence Permit is provide your passport and a number of photographs to HR. You should not routinely carry your passport. Keep a photocopy of your passport with you at all times until you receive your Qatar ID Card.
Most photographs taken in Canada don’t meet local size requirements. Photographs can be obtained at the City Center Mall quickly and inexpensively. Get at least 12 copies for each member of the family.
To obtain your Residence Permit, you and your adult dependents will have to complete a health screening, which includes a blood test and chest x-ray, and fingerprinting. Women going for their medical processing should wear an oversized white T-shirt, a sports bra without any metal parts as well as elastic bands or hair clips if they have long hair to wear for the chest X-ray.
Each of these events entails a separate trip to a local governmental agency. Transportation and guides are provided by the College for the appointments and each usually takes several hours to complete.
At the completion of the process you, the employee, will receive a Residence Permit affixed to your passport, a Qatar ID Card, and a Health Card. Your dependents will also receive a Residence Permit attached to their passports and a Health Card. Adult dependents will also receive a Qatar ID Card. Dependents who work in Qatar may also have to acquire a work permit.
Should you have friends or relatives visit you, they can obtain a visitor’s visa at the airport at the time of arrival. It is not necessary to obtain a visitor’s visa in advance provided the travellers have a valid Canadian passport. Twenty-one day tourist visas are available for a nominal fee. They can be extended for a further period of a week for a total of one month. You must use a credit card when purchasing a visitor’s visa. Your visitors must leave on or before their visa expires as large penalties must be paid if they over-extend their stay.
[top]Qatar does not have a Canadian Embassy - we fall under the Canadian Embassy located in Kuwait. Embassy staff, and occasionally the Ambassador, will make monthly visits to Qatar and appointments are available to any Canadian. You will be notified about the visits from your Canadian Warden through CNA-Q email.
The Canadian Embassy in Kuwait is responsible for Canadians living and working in Qatar. However, without a permanent presence in Qatar, the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait relies heavily on the warden system to maintain communication with the Canadian community in this country. The warden system is composed of a network of volunteers to act as intermediaries between the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait and the Canadian community in Qatar.
Consular messages are the mechanism used to communicate official information to the Canadian community in Qatar. These messages from the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait as well as from the American and British Embassies are used to apprise the community of developments in the region that may affect the safety, security and well-being of Canadians living, working, and/or travelling in the state of Qatar.
Canadians residing in Qatar are requested to complete the Registration Form for Canadians Residing Abroad. It is important to complete the form as accurately and as detailed as possible and to communicate any changes and updates to your current contact information to your assigned warden.
The College has a designated Canadian Warden and you will be asked to register yourself and your family with the system. Any information given to the warden system is strictly confidential and is not shared with anyone other than the Embassy. No financial or tax information is asked.
A copy of the registration form is attached for convenience. Using the outline provided below, depending on where you are living in Doha, use the corresponding information to indicate your street address where appropriate on the form (Section B: Local Street Address in Destination Country). This information can be found below listed according to home residence. The form can be faxed to the Chief Canadian Warden, Linda Koyich at +974 472 4874 or scanned and sent electronically to the following email: chiefcanadianwarden@gmail.com
(Sports Roundabout)
Sheika Ameena building #71 (include apartment #)
11094 Jawan Street, Al Saad area
Near Grand Regency Hotel
(C-Ring)
25 Yalthrib Street (include apartment #)
Al Mansoura area
(Immigration)
Gharaffa Flats
10 Khalid bin Zaid
Street 34
Near Immigration flyover
(Compounds)
Al Jazeeraland Compound 1, 2 or 3 (include villa #)
Al Gharaffa
Near flyover to Al Kharatiyat
Arrangements will be made by Human Resources for employees to open a bank account(s) in Doha with the Qatar National Bank (QNB) www.qnb.com.qa.
Debit and credit cards are widely used in Qatar. ATM machines are at all major locations. There is no charge for using another bank’s ATM to withdraw money from your Qatari account. You may find that one bank’s ATM will not accept your Canadian bank card. When this happens, just try another bank’s ATM. You may incur charges when withdrawing from your Canadian bank account. It is advisable to have a four-digit PIN for your Canadian debit card.
There is a QNB bank machine on campus in Building 3. Neither the CNA-Q Bookstore nor the cafeterias are set up for debit.
ATMs that accept cheques or cash for deposit are few and far between. And they quite often do not work. The other alternative is to go to the bank in person. The QNB West Bay Branch is open from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday only. The QNB branch at City Center is open from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and you should allow at least 30 minutes for the wait to receive teller service.
QNB offers Internet banking. They also have a service whereby you receive a daily email on your account’s activity. You will also receive a text message when there is activity in your account.
QNB does negative enrollment for medical insurance premiums. If you notice an unauthorized deduction, contact the bank (usually going in person is best) and ask them to stop the deduction.
You can apply for a credit card at QNB or any of the other banks. You will need a letter from the College indicating your salary.
It is relatively easy to access your money from your Canadian bank account via the ATM. Needless to say, there may be daily limits on how much you can withdraw and service charges. It is also relatively easy and fast to have money transferred from Canada to your bank account in Qatar. You should check with your Canadian bank for their procedures as some banks require that someone must go in person to the bank to request the transfer. You will also have to get your bank’s “SWIFT code”. This means that unless someone else has access to your Canadian bank account, you may not be able do a direct transfer from your Canadian account to your Qatari account. Sending money from your Qatari account to your Canadian account is very straightforward. You will have to go to the QNB branch where your account resides. Allow lots of time.
You may wish to take out a loan to purchase a car. Generally there are two types of loans - car loans and personal loans. The interest rates vary and the percentage of the total amount you require varies. Check for details on the QNB website www.qnb.com.qa..
There are 100 dirhams in one riyal. The paper money includes both English and Arabic and is a different size and colour. The denominations include 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 QAR. Coins are not widely used in Qatar. Your amount owing will often be rounded up or down to the nearest riyal and/or you will be offered a piece of candy or gum for your change. Qatar riyals (QAR) are approximately 3.65 to 1 Canadian dollar (CAD). For more exact valuations between QAR and CAD please visit www.xe.com
[top]On one hand, mobile phones are very popular in Qatar - some students have two and three of them. You will find it quickly becomes your best source for telephone numbers. And if you miss a phone call, you shouldn’t hesitate to call the number back to inquire.
On the other hand, if you are trying to contact a business, it is often more efficient if you actually go to the place of business rather than trying to get information over the telephone. It may be more difficult to communicate with someone whose first language is not English and you may not get a correct answer over the phone. The Arabic people are very warm and friendly and would also prefer to do business in person.
Landline telephones:
In Qatar all matters pertaining to installation, maintenance, and repair of telephones is done by Qatar Public Telecommunications Corporation (Qtel).
You will have to make arrangements for telephone installation at your location. This can be done by going to Qtel at City Center and making arrangements for a technician to visit your home. Qtel can provide a phone or you can purchase one yourself. You will need an adaptor to connect the phone to the phone jack that is in the wall.
An itemized account will be forwarded to you when it is received by the College. If there are no international calls, the account will come every three months. If there are international calls, the account will come monthly. Payment can be made at most banks or Qtel offices and via online banking.
Mobile (cell) Phone:
Upon arrival, you will receive a basic mobile (cell) phone with a pre-paid 50 QAR time credit (Hala) from the College. The phone has been activated for one year, which means that after a year, if you wish to keep your line, you must extent the validity by purchasing another Hala card. The pre-paid time credit (Hala) is readily available by contacting Qtel or a registered agent or via QNB internet banking services.
If you wish you can bring your tri-band phone from Canada, you will just have to purchase a SIM card (Hala) from Qtel at City Center. You can also purchase a mobile phone here in Doha. You do not have to have a Residence Permit. There are many stores that sell mobiles. Once you purchase your phone you must then go to Qtel and purchase the SIM card (which gives you your phone number). There are several SIM cards to chose from, each one with a different amount of validity and phone time, at different prices. Again the validity is the length of time that the phone number is yours. You do not need a Residence Permit to purchase a pre-paid Hala card. You do need it if you wish to open a post-paid mobile phone account.
Local Calls:
All local calls from landline to landline are free, but calls to or from a mobile phone are not. Additional phone lines can be installed for a nominal fee. All maintenance, installation and repair is done by Qtel.
International Calls:
All phones have international access. International peak periods are currently 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Off-peak rates also apply on Fridays and public holidays. Qatar has direct dialing to more than 215 countries. For international calls dial 00 + country code (Canada’s code is “1”) plus required number, including area code. It is unusual for the phone lines to be busy when making international calls and it is relatively straightforward. You may want to investigate the benefits of using VOIP and other Internet solutions for voice clarity and cost effectiveness.
Calling Qatar from Abroad:
To call Qatar from Canada or the USA, dial 011 974 plus the required number. To call Qatar from other countries, you dial that country’s international key, which for most countries is 00, followed by 974 plus the required number. If you are not sure what the international key is for a given country, dial 150 for international inquiries and assistance.
Caller Information:
To obtain telephone numbers of individuals, companies and institutions in Qatar, both in Arabic and English, check the telephone directory or call 180 for directory assistance. The telephone book lists individuals by their first name, not their last name, although an exception is sometimes made for Westerners. Addresses are listed as post office boxes and actual street addresses are not given. The Yellow Pages contains some information, but it is not as widely used by businesses here as it is in Canada. Telephone directories can be found at most Qtel branches or from Oryx Publishers on C Ring Road.
Internet Access:
Internet service is available from Qtel. The options available are explained at Qtel’s web address: http://www.qtel.com.qa
The easiest way to access the Internet is using dial-up connection. Just use “Qatar” as the username and password and dial 161 on any phone line. You will be charged 6 QAR (approx. 2 CAD) per hour.
All costs associated with installation of Internet access from home are the responsibility of the employee. The Qtel office at City Center will accept your application. At various times of the year, special offers are available that reduce the cost of setup including no deposit and/or no installation costs. You will need your Residence Permit prior to setting up an account.
The villas have high speed Internet and computers at their respective clubhouses. The C Ring Road apartments also have a free network Internet connection in every apartment, but you must have your own computer.
[top]www.qpost.com.qa
The main post office on the Corniche in the West Bay area provides all modern postal services. There is no local post delivery. All mail has to be retrieved from a rented post office box, which is an option for you. However, this would require a trip to a post office on a regular basis. Most employees use the College address for their mail forwarding. If you choose this option, your mail will be delivered to your department. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks to receive mail from Canada. You will be advised if there is a package for pickup at the main post office. The College address is:
The cost of outgoing mail depends upon the size and weight of the envelope or package. You can take your mail to the post office or you can ask for assistance from your Administrative Assistant.
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