The American School of Doha is located in Doha, Qatar. This is a relatively young school; it was founded in 1988 and was known at that time as the American International School. In 1997 it changed its name to the American School of Doha. It has an American based curriculum. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. ASD is a Pre K- Grade 12 school.

ASD has over 1950 students. These are predominately from North America, but 76 countries are represented in the school. 7% of the students are local Qatari students. There are 200 faculty members in the school, and they come from around the world. Fifty percent of them have advanced degrees.

Mission
The school mission is to prepare students to met the challenges of the global society. This will be done with an integrated curriculum that is clearly defined and in a safe, supportive, yet challenging environment. ASD students are expected, of course, to become life-long learners. They key values at ASD are: respect, honesty, responsibility, and compassion.

Facilities
In the last few years, ASD has completed building all new purpose-built facilities. The campus is now 20 acres and includes a dining hall, 2 presentation rooms, 8 science labs, an indoor 25 meter pool, nine computer labs; six of which are mobile, a new library, 4 art studios, a band and chorus room, playgrounds, sports fields, a swimming pool, a Fine Arts center, and an athletic complex.

Curriculum
ASD uses a standards-based curriculum. ASD is split into the three traditional divisions of Elementary, Middle and High Schools. The curriculum and organization is very American. The curricular areas consist of Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Spanish, French, Arabic, Art, PE, Drama Music and Computers. ASD offers Advanced Placement classes in Biology, Calculus, Statistics, English Literature, English Language, European History, World History, French, Spanish, Physics and U.S. History. ASD offers the following standardized exams: NWEA, SAT, SSAT, PSAT, ACT, COGAT. The IB Diploma is an option for High School students.

Extra-curricular Activities
ASD offers a range of after school activities. These include sports, academics, arts and crafts. Examples of activities are: National Junior Honor Society. Model United Nations, Student Council, band, puppet making, yearbook, softball, drama and yearbook. Competitive sports for elementary boys and girls include: basketball, soccer, and swimming. Middle School/High School Sports are: Cross country, volleyball, softball, soccer, swimming, and tennis. The school is a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Activities Conference. The EMAC sponsors activities and athletics around the region. Participating schools are ASD, ABA Oman, ACS Abu Dhabi, ACS Beirut, AISK Kuwait, ASK Kuwait, Bahrain School, BISC Cairo, Dubai American School, ASD Dubai, Dubai American Academy, Schutz American School, and CAC Cairo.

Technology
Technology is an important part of the ASD strategic plan. The school has six mobile labs so students are being taught to work anywhere and anytime with technology. Teachers are also given laptops that can be used anywhere on the wireless ASD campus. Curriculum planning is done with Atlas Rubicon. ASD uses Macintosh computers and is committed to integrating technology with the school curriculum. The school has wireless laptop computers and students use them around the school.

Professional Development
One of the many things that I like about the American School of Doha is the extensive amount of information that they have on their website about professional development.  Part of working here is getting paid based on performance. Now, I have some problems with this for a few reasons. One, the school has professional development tied in with teacher evaluation and these should be two different things.

Employment
ASD is looking for teachers that have at least two years experience and an advanced degree. The school attends the major recruiting fairs and interviews are a must for employment. Most hiring is done through the fairs. ASD hires teachers for a two-year initial contract. The first 90 days are a probation period. After the initial two-year contract, returning teachers may be offered a contract of one or two years. Openings  are listed online. Teaching standards are listed online.

Salary is not calculated on a traditional salary schedule. Salary is paid in Riyals. Teachers are placed on a band based on experience and years of teaching at ASD. Within this band is another band where teachers can be rewarded for performance. Movement from band to band happens after three years with an additional re-signing bonus. Salaries start at about $44,000 for teachers with six or less years of experience; teachers with seven or more years of experience start at around $49,000. The prospective faculty handbook is available online.

The benefits at ASD are not too bad. They don’t rate as highly as some schools like Jakarta International School, but they are standard, solid benefits. They include: medical insurance; life insurance; leaves-sick, emergency, maternity, recruitment, bereavement, and personal; transportation-to and from, as well as at the end of each year; baggage allowance-$1,800 both coming in and going out; relocation allowance-$500 at the start of the contract; extraordinary loan- $5,000 maximum to be used for a car purchase; furnished housing; savings program-The same as retirement where they match your 8%; utilities-he school pays 75% of utilities; resigning bonus-$2,500 after three years and signing a new two year contract.; waiver of Tuition and busing-if you have kids in the school.

About Qatar
Qatar is another gas and oil based economy. The GDP is $50,000 per person. However, Qatar sees itself as a progressive country and is working to develop its economy so that the country can prosper without a total dependence on gas and oil. The teacher handbook has an excellent section on living in Doha and Qatar. Some of the highlights are: two bookstores, but expensive; maids make from $400-600 a month and now I understand why some Indonesian women move to the Middle East; cable in Doha is even more expensive than it is in Bali ($45-100 a month).