Nervous about potential move to Bahrain

Mummywatson,

You are in the right place for advice, I too will be moving in 7 weeks ( however for the first 8months I am moving alone).   

There are many a group to help you settle in.  I am sure you will get all the help you need right here on this forum.

I look forward to the comments that are left for my own benefit also.

Good luck.

Hi Kirsten, I have been in Bahrain for the last 3 weeks. First time working abroad. Though I don't have any children, i have left my girlfriend at home and am very close to all my family especially my parents. But people can visit! And you kind of get used to it after a while.

It is a shock at first but everybody is so friendly! It's dead easy to meet new people providing you make the effort to do so! If you are a sociable person then you will be fine. Me...I am a bit quiet until I get to know people so have had to get out of the comfort zone quite a bit! But everyone is so friendly and welcoming! Thousands have done it before you and there will be thousands after doing the same thing.

There does seem to be a lot of families out here! So I am sure you will find other families to be friends with. Probably more families than there are people without children from what I have seen so far. People in my office are always doing things with the kids so I guess there is plenty to do!

Not sure on the job situation - not really an expert on that!

It will be a shock at first without a doubt! But once you get into it it you will really enjoy it! Plus the benefits of the salary etc make it worthwhile too.

Rich

Thank you so much for your replies!It is reassuring to hear from people that have done it and have enjoyed it. I guess it all just seems a bit overwhelming at the moment, especially having two children who will be so young.

It seems like a fantastic opportunity for our family, just a scary one as well!

It usually is a fantastic opportunity Things would be great for you if you moved out- and the kids would love it (from what i have seen of other families). Making the first step is the the most difficult (especially with kids to think about- it was hard enough for me to do it without and 'dependants')

You and the family will love it out here! It will be a shock at first without a doubt - but once you get into it you will love it! There are loads and loads of families out here who think its an amazing place, so I am sure you would too.

Rich

thank you so much for taking the time to reply to both my posts!!

Hello Kirsten

Welcome to the forum. I will try to answer some of your questions.

Moving to another country is always a challenging experience. First few weeks and months are difficult. But eventually, we get used to the new routine and life. Its not too difficult to make friends and  socialize. Bahrain is a warm and welcoming place. People are indeed friendly, as mentioned earlier. So you should be alright.

I do not have children, hence unable to comment on matters relating to kids. But from what I have seen with my friends with children, they seem to be more busy - kids and their schools take a lot of time and effort. Will surely keep you on your toes.

Once you are here for a few years, you would have built up a sufficiently large network. This would assist you in gaining employment when you decide to get back to work.

In short, its all going to work out just fine. And the expat-blog community is a great place. So please do be in touch with here. Please do let us know if you have any more questions/concerns, and also about your move.

Best wishes.

Thank you

Welcome to the forum.

I moved here nearly 2 years ago from the UK with 3 boys aged, at the time, 14, 6 and 2 and gave up my very busy job to join my husband.  It was scary but we settled in no time and we all love it here.

When you have children it is very easy to make friends, you will meet other mums at nursery school (if you decide to put your child in at this age) and there are tons of mum and toddler groups, if you move to a compound there will more than likely be other families there too, you will also find you socialise with your husbands work colleagues.

Bahrain is very small and therefore very friendly - everyone knows everyone.  Once you get here drop me a pm and I will make sure you get introduced to all our "mummy groups".

Its great fun living here and Farhaz is right - we are so busy there is no time to be bored

Oh and as far as getting a job as a Drama teacher is concerned, dont worry about it now - enjoy your time off and when the time is right start applying to the local British Schools - am sure you will be fine!

Hello there,

As many others suggested above, you will have absolutely no problem meeting new people. There are number of people on the forum organising get togethers and events and they are usually open for everyone. I've met many (and I do mean many) people through this forum and I am so lucky to have met them because I am yet to meet a weirdo, if you know what I mean.

Let us know when you're in and we'll invite you to one of our parties. This should certainly be enough to get you going.

Good luck.

Hi

Joining one of the expat clubs is a good way to meet people too.

As for working, you will have no problems getting a job here but you will have to revoke your CPR, fly out of Bahrain and fly back in on a visit visa and then start the whole visa process again; this time sponsored by your employer so you get a work visa.

To work as a teacher here you will need to have all of your school exam results, your teaching degree certificates and all your inoculations up to date.

If you haven't got your exam results then start the process now as it can take a while to get them.

(Or just start up a private drama class)

Hi Kirsten

I moved out here a year ago and have settled very well.  I am past the small children stage - I left my two behind in UK at Uni, but there are lots of families here, so I'm sure you will quickly make friends.  As has already been said, the ex-pat clubs are a good place to start, but if you have small children, you will easily get to know other mums in the same boat.  The separation from friends and family is hard at first, but I have found that social media sites and Skype have been great for keeping in touch!  Hope the birth goes well and your move when it comes!

Thank you all so much for your advice and help. I do feel massively reassured. I guess we just need to wait and see now if he does definitely get the job. I will keep you updated. Once again thank you, I was a bit of a wreck when I first posted but I feel confident that if it happens it will be the right move for our family now!

That's what we'd like to hear Welcome!