Few questions...

Hi RSKK,

Well, here are some comments regarding your queries 1 and 2 :

The place of residence has to be in some reasonable proximity to the place of work. Else the daily commute could become a hassle.

Likewise, the school for your kids would have to be in and around where your house is going to be.

So for obvious reasons, the place of work and the school cannot be located in different directions to where you would be staying.

School for your kids would have to be any of the few 'International' ones only.

Around where these international schools are located in Muscat, are some good residential neighbourhoods which you could consider. Suggest you identify the schools first and then look around the neighbourhoods for a suitable villa.

Or, see where the place of work is going to be. Then shortlist the school, and next identify where you would wish to live given the place of work and the school.

On your query no. 3 :

The overall standards of healthcare are not up to snuff, across the Sultanate.

Medial insurance is mandatory, which the employer has to give the employee and his dependents. The medical coverage might vary between levels and designations within an organisation.

Barring minor infections and some simple ailments, the country is not really geared to treat anything of a more serious nature.

On your last query :

It is always, birds of a feather flock together !

There is very little, to no, intermingling of expatriates.

Likewise, the locals and the expats rarely mix outside of their offices.

In fact, there is no socialising that happens between the different groups of expatriates, or between the expatriates and the locals.

Suggest you read through the various discussion topics on the forum for you to get a very good idea of what you could expect as an expatriate.