Work in Qatar: list of in-demand professions

Features of employment

Employment begins with the search for a “sponsor” - a local employer who will provide a workplace and enter into an employment contract. Only then is it possible to obtain the necessary documents:

• entry work visa;
• residence permit;
• work permits.

Residence permits and work permits are issued upon application, which the employer submits to the Department of Labor. He also pays for the procedure.

Features of employment in Qatar include:

• mandatory knowledge of a foreign language;
• difficulties in finding temporary or seasonal work;
• climate of the country;
• work schedule, obligation to work at the place of first employment;
• it is impossible to leave for a long time without losing your job;
• local mentality.

Work without knowledge of the language

To get a job in Qatar you need at least one of two foreign languages. It would be better to know both: state Arabic and English as the language of international communication. If an applicant does not know any language, he only applies for a vacancy that does not involve communicating with people. There are practically no such vacancies in Qatar.

An exception may be a professional with such a unique specialization that the employer is willing to provide him with a translator. For example, a world-renowned neurosurgeon. Or an international class athlete. It is almost impossible to find a job in a mass specialty without knowledge of Arabic or at least English.

Temporary and seasonal employment

According to the law, a worker arriving in Qatar is obliged to work only for the “sponsor” who invited him and prepared the documents. Not temporarily and not for a season, but for two years.

You can change your employer after working the minimum period for the first one. In this case, it is necessary to obtain from him a review of the specialist’s work, recommendations and a No Objection Certificate. This No Objection Certificate, or “NOC certificate,” confirms that there are no claims against the employee. Without it, the transfer of sponsorship is impossible. A foreigner who wishes to independently change jobs before the end of the contract period or who has not received a certificate is automatically deprived of a work permit.

The departure of Russians for seasonal or temporary work in Qatar is, as a rule, the result of interstate agreements. For example, a medical team goes to help in a natural disaster. Such temporary work has nothing to do with the topic of employment in Qatar.

Separate offers for temporary or seasonal work may appear on the official website of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs of Qatar, as well as from specialized recruiting agencies in Russia. But this is an extremely rare opportunity.

Sometimes they write on the RuNet that in Qatar there is temporary and seasonal work for foreigners of various professions, from photographer to manager. However, the authors are disingenuous: the concept of “foreigners” in this case does not include Russians. Work without an appropriate visa is allowed only to citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia neighboring Qatar.

In 2021, Kuwait allowed visa-free entry for Russians for up to 30 days a year. However, the goal should only be tourism. It is strictly forbidden to work, it is a violation of the law.

If somewhere, online or in a newspaper, an offer is published for Russians to travel to Qatar for temporary or seasonal work, then this is either fraud or illegal work. In the first case, the applicant will lose money, in the second he will be harshly deported.

Difficult climate

Qatar has a subtropical climate. In summer the temperature rises to 50 degrees and the humidity is high. For the health of a person from central Russia, the climate can be destructive.

Hard work

The duration of a regular contract is 2 years, in rare cases - 12 months. The probationary period is 6 and 3 months, respectively. The working day is standard 8 hours, and the working week officially lasts 6 days for average staff. The demands on employees are high; it’s impossible to slack off.

If the employee fails to cope or does not withstand such conditions, termination of the contract on his initiative is possible under very unfavorable conditions:

• the employer must be warned in advance;
• you will have to pay a large penalty.

Difficulties in leaving

To temporarily leave Qatar before the end of the contract, an exit visa is required. The authorities will carefully examine the reason why the person requests to leave and how his employer feels about it. A departure intended to be temporary may result in the loss of your work visa and become permanent. If a person who has left wants to work in Qatar again, he will have to look for a new sponsor and register again. As practice shows, the second attempt after leaving Qatar early without a very good reason will be unsuccessful.

Local traditions

Qatar is a country in the Muslim world, where strict moral standards are enshrined in law. There are requirements for appearance in general, for clothing in particular, and for behavior. It is forbidden to show tenderness in public: not only kissing, but also holding hands. Especially during Ramadan, these rules are strict, even simple pleasures are not allowed. Foreigners are obliged to comply with the canons, otherwise they will break the law with the ensuing consequences.

Professions in demand in 2021

Oil production is the backbone of Qatar's economy. Industry employees, from ordinary workers to managers, are always in demand.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has already created about 2 million new jobs: 1,500,000 in the construction of sports facilities, 500,000 in the service sector and infrastructure.

Qatar's economic growth is accompanied by a shortage of highly qualified specialists. Professionals in the field of modern technologies, the medical field, and IT are in demand and receive high salaries.

There is great demand for HoReCa workers. The restaurant and hotel business always requires attractive young women with good knowledge of foreign languages ​​for the following vacancies:

• housemaid;
• receptionist;
• hostess

The following vacancies are widely available for job seekers of any gender:

• kitchen worker;
• waiter;
• bartender;
• manager `s assistant.

Even a restaurant waiter in Qatar is able, thanks to a long contract and the possibility of extending a work visa, to make a career to qualify as a manager.

Working in Qatar is all the more accessible for Russians because people of Caucasian appearance are valued here.

Video: Salaries in Qatar. Monitoring salaries by position and area of ​​activity

Unskilled labor

Jobs in the construction business are offered to people without education. The working conditions are quite difficult, since it is very hot in the open air. Most often, migrants from Pakistan and India work at construction sites.

Vacancies for guides appear on the labor market for certain groups of tourists, subject to knowledge of foreign languages. Such offers are rare, but you can get a job in the service sector. There are many foreigners in Qatar, so bartenders, waiters and hotel staff with language skills are highly valued.

Salary level in the country

Working in Qatar does not promise a high position with a huge salary, even with an excellent education. Attractive places are occupied by Qataris. Although the average salary in Qatar is $4,000, in the homeland of a “mercenary” it is sometimes considered a decent income.

The massive construction of sports facilities attracted builders to the country, who were promised $1,000 a month. In fact, barely a quarter was paid. The state intervened, and now the authorities assure that the situation will not repeat itself.

Construction project managers and foremen receive $7–8 thousand a month, which is still a record salary.

Approximate monthly salary level:

• domestic staff - $500;
• in the HoReCa industry - $600–700, for waiters and bartenders an additional tip of up to $150;
• junior medical staff - from $1000;
• highly qualified doctors - from $4,000;
• IT specialists - $4,500;
• oil industry employees - from $5,000.

The law sets a minimum salary equivalent to $300. Payments are made in Qatari Riyals (QAR) only. 1 US dollar = 3.64 QAR.

Work visa holders have the right to bring their family if their salary is more than 8 thousand QAR (from $2,200).

Forms of business in Qatar

Before registering a company in Qatar, you should know that foreign citizens are not allowed to own more than 49% of the company's property. The majority should be owned by a local entrepreneur. Exceptions to this rule are enterprises that are aimed at solving social problems of the state: agriculture, providing fresh water, vital food and medicine, as well as several other areas of activity. 100% ownership of a business by foreigners is possible only after a decision by the Ministry of Business and Trade of Qatar, and it is difficult to achieve it without influential guarantors.

• The same organizational and legal forms of ownership apply in Qatar as in other countries. However, taking into account the fact that the legal requirement obliges most of the property to be shared with a partner, the most cost-effective option for starting your own business would be a limited liability company, as well as a branch of a foreign company.

The following conditions are legally required to open a limited liability company:

• the authorized capital of the company should not be less than two hundred thousand QR;
• the local partner must own more than half of the company's ownership;
• profit is equal to the share of participation in the authorized capital;
• for the development of the company, 10% of net income at the end of the year remains in the company’s account until it reaches 50% of the authorized capital;
• open subscription to raise capital is prohibited;
• it is impossible to issue shares of the company;
• The company's shares can be transferred only if other holders have refused to purchase them and have agreed to the turnover.

How to find a job in Qatar without intermediaries

Finding a job in Qatar on your own is difficult. Vacancies in the public sphere or for the Qatari government are published by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs of Qatar on its official website.

You can try to find a job yourself. There are enough resources on the Internet that offer work in Qatar for Russians. Job openings 2021 are posted by Qatari media and employment sites. All of them are in English.

However, when faced with the need to correctly prepare documents, the applicant, as a rule, still turns to specialists. That is, in essence, to intermediaries.

Specialized agencies for employment abroad

Specialized agencies take 10% of the future salary for the year as a commission. That is, for more than a month in Qatar, an employee works only to pay off this expense. However, professional recruiters guarantee the reliability of the employer and the correct execution of documents.

The rating of agencies is published on the Internet, the first places are occupied by different companies depending on who publishes the rating. Therefore, you have to make the choice yourself.

What are the taxes for small businesses in Qatar?

The state is known as a tax-free territory. Indeed, citizens here do not pay taxes, utilities, or education (even if a local resident studies at other universities in the world, the state pays for him entirely). However, this rule does not apply to non-residents of the state, as well as foreign companies that pay, although low, a tax on the opportunity to conduct business in this country (utility payments are borne by the state).

Qatar belongs to a free economic zone and is one of the top 3 countries in terms of ease of taxation.

Thus, the country has a 0% income tax rate.

• Entrepreneurs pay only social tax at a progressive rate from 0 to 35%, which is quite affordable and makes the country one of the most attractive for foreign investment. In first place in the ranking for ease of taxation is the Maldives, which also has only one tax, but in terms of time spent on payment in Qatar you will have to spend an average of 36 hours, and in the Maldives less than one.

How to get a job in Qatar officially

To officially register for work in Qatar you must:

• find and negotiate with a “sponsor”, that is, with a future employer;
• at his request, submit documents and obtain a temporary work visa;
• come to Qatar, where the “sponsor” will issue a long-term visa and work permit.

Procedure

The process of officially registering for work in Qatar is long and multi-stage:

1. The search for a “sponsor” is carried out independently or with the help of an agency.
2. The “sponsor” provides the Qatar Immigration Department with information about itself, the type of activity and citizenship of the employee. You can find out whether your application for an entry visa has been approved on your own on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Qatar in the section of the applicant’s country of residence using the password provided by the “sponsor”.
3. The “sponsor” sends the received confirmation and his invitation to work to the place of permanent registration of the future employee.
4. The applicant independently or through an agency applies for an entry temporary work visa. Its validity period is one year. This visa can be renewed annually.
5. Arriving in Qatar, the employee undergoes a medical examination and donates blood for HIV. His fingerprints are taken. All this will be required for your next visa.
6. A permanent visa required to work in Qatar is issued upon expiration of the temporary visa. But you can begin actions to obtain it immediately upon arrival. It takes a long time to obtain a permanent visa.

Required documents

Package of documents for obtaining any work visa:

• a foreign passport with an expiration date of no earlier than 8 months. If the passport has an Israeli stamp, Qatar will not issue any entry visa;
• copy of national passport. Its original is prohibited from being exported abroad by Russian legislation;
• copies of education documents, advanced training certificates;
• certificate of no criminal record;
• passport size photographs, up to 20 pieces.

When obtaining a temporary visa, the following is additionally required:

• employer invitation;
• A completed application form;
• receipt of payment of the consular fee.

The employee submits documents for a temporary visa independently. A permanent visa is issued by the “sponsor” in Qatar. But the employee himself must prepare the package.

Applying for a work visa

A permanent work visa, otherwise known as a long stay visa, is required for long-term work in Qatar. It is valid for up to three years.

A permanent visa is issued upon expiration of a temporary one. But it is better to submit the application in advance, since the visa is approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and takes about a month to issue. The duration of the full registration procedure, including preliminary actions, is sometimes six months.

Obtaining a work permit

A work permit is issued if you have a permanent work visa and a contract with an employer. You need to make sure that:

• The contract includes mandatory conditions: job title;
• responsibilities;
• work time;
• wage;
• privilege.

Background

The idea of ​​my moving to the Middle East arose after I went on holiday to the UAE (Sharjah, Dubai). I was so excited about this country that I started applying for jobs. The desire to move to the Emirates was so great that I had to go for interviews to other countries. It goes without saying that I paid all the costs myself. You could get the job you wanted by going through an interview in a country from the list that was attached.

I failed the interviews I went to. I reassured myself that “at least I saw the country.” The failures upset me for a while, but after some time I submitted my resume en masse again. Resumes were submitted mainly to the service sector (Hospitality), - the hotel chains that the UAE / Qatar is rich in are growing exponentially every day.

I would like to note right away that I understood the difference in a week-long stay in the country, when everything is paid for and you, a tourist, swim in the sea and travel to famous tourist spots, dining on exotic fruits and life / official work in the country, when you can go without sea for months see, and not only the sea.

I’m a pretty stubborn person, but I look at my stubbornness from the angle of setting goals and achieving them. So now I set myself the goal of going to work in the Emirates, and it was impossible to stop me.

It wasn’t easy for me to find a job; sometimes I spent entire weekends on job sites. Sometimes I simply “forgotten” and forgot about it, because at that time I had a low-paying, but permanent and interesting job.

Fortunately, a year later, without having driven my thoughts about the Middle East into the far corner, I submitted my resume through a Recruiting Agency. I received a call directly from the company where I was supposed to get a job. This is a 5* hotel chain, known mainly in the Middle East, located in Qatar. Not the Emirates, of course, but I didn’t want to lose the opportunity.

I knew about this hotel and was glad for this opportunity. I successfully passed the interview on Skype, ten days later I received a contract. But receiving a contract does not guarantee employment. First you need to undergo a medical examination, which consists of taking a blood test to detect various diseases and an x-ray of the lungs. For this analysis, I paid a recruiting company $200 (I could not take the tests on my own), let me clarify that in the most pretentious clinic in the capital, you could pay at most 50 dollars for this test. But let’s not talk about bad things, people (read “sharashkin’s” office) also want to make money.

About two weeks later I received the test results, and another two weeks later I received a visa to the country and a ticket (the visa and ticket are paid for by the company that hires me).

The ticket was sent so unexpectedly, and I was not at home at that moment, that I later even joked that I was packing a suitcase in 2 hours for two years (the contract was signed for two years - company rules).

Internship in Qatar: nuances and features

Senior students, graduates and postgraduate students of higher educational institutions in the field of energy, media, and hotel business have internships in Qatar. The organizer in Russia is a Russian university that has a partnership with a Qatari institute or university.

It is possible to look for an internship on your own, but, as practice shows, it is ineffective. You should directly contact the Qatari university where the applicant would like to do an internship.

Employees of enterprises undergo training in Qatar under advanced training programs of Russian and Qatari partner companies. They travel in the direction of the employer.

No internship is paid for by the Qatari side. They go for an internship on a regular visa without the right to work in Qatar. If this happened, then this is a violation of the law.

But during the internship, you can look for a “sponsor” for future employment. Strictly after the internship is completed.

Reviews from compatriots about employment in Qatar

Anastasia, Rostov: “At first I was confused by the prices and local customs. But working in a 5* hotel gave me invaluable experience and qualifications. Housing, food, transfer - all at the expense of the sponsor. I recommend".

Daria, Moscow: “Think carefully before you go, whether you can withstand the climate, the nagging of the locals and the high cost. And also the lack of the usual fitness and manicure studios.”

Yuri, Ufa: “I was interested in working in Qatar. I read good reviews. Let's go. Started as a waiter and became an administrator. Rich people, good tips. Gorgeous city. I'm pleased."

Pros and cons of working with Qatari employers

The first thing an emigrant looking for a job in Doha needs to know is the number of working days in a week: 6. Every day you need to be at your workplace for 8 hours; smoking breaks and a cup of coffee while talking with colleagues are excluded: for this you can lose your job.

Climate in the country

Not all residents of the CIS like the local climate - in the summer the temperature here rises to 50°. Considering that the humidity is high, being and especially working outside is a difficult test for those who cannot be in the office due to duty. Those who will work indoors will not be bothered by the heat: in Qatari cities, air conditioners are installed everywhere.

Comparison of salaries in Qatar and other countries

When concluding a contract to work in Qatar, every foreign citizen must know that he undertakes to work for a minimum of 1 year, with a probationary period of up to 6 months.

Breaking the contract is unacceptable, otherwise you will have to pay a huge penalty.