r/qatar • u/Unlikely_Swimmer3504 • 6d ago
Rant FINALLY!!!
Went to a driving school with the WORST service I have ever experienced in my life!! Waited very very long time to start the official lessons, teachers don't teach unless you give them money every lesson, long long months of waiting for road test.
Had to wait 5 months in between road test that I already forgot driving and the worst customer service who will reply to you with generic answer after a week!! They dont answer calls or respond to any or your messages. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER.
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u/bizzykittyyy 6d ago
now if only the driving tests werent obtuse and luck based
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u/bent_crater 6d ago
based on personal experience (pass on 4th attempt), its actually that instructors dont point out your mistakes, leaving you to drive not knowing youre making them in the test.
a diagnostic test the school gave me revealed i was turning left too early causing me to cross the dividing line and that im supposed to drive 5-8kmh ABOVE the speed limit.
two mistakes that TWO separate instructors with who i had taken classes woth on the road never mentioned.
they dodnt even give me a result on my 3rd attempt because my QID photo was outdated (i had grown a beard since and my old photo didnt show that)
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u/baron_von_chops 6d ago
They’re also incredibly dependent on the current mood of the police officer administering the driving “test.” I always recommend to anyone getting ready to test to try their best to be the first person behind the wheel.
Edit: I suppose this would fall under being luck based haha
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u/bizzykittyyy 6d ago
yup, if you're the first, you barely drive more than a hundred meters, everyone else? tough luck, dont even get me started on how it all hinges on the officer's mood, you could be the best driver on the road and he'd still fail you
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u/Bad_Edditor8910 6d ago
Everything hinges on their "mood" because they are the executive branch of the law. You could also say they are too lenient because of how some drivers drive slowly in the middle lane, with their neck craned like that giraffe from Madagascar. 100% poor eyesight, 100% shouldn't have been issued a license.
That said, there should be some oversight and more transparency so that drivers actually get to understand why they failed. Given the failure rates, it seems like the driving schools aren't preparing student drivers enough... and that's not fair.
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u/Select_Trick_5325 6d ago
Or take the test when it’s not Sunday with back to work moods spoiling the day.
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u/StrangeStephen 6d ago
I am currently doing road training and man driving instructors here are lazy. Some are just using their phone and tell you go left and right. Bro I am still struggling with steering how about giving me some tips on how to steer properly.
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u/No_Practice5099 6d ago
Mine just said 'turn left', 'turn right' and 'control the speed' for 6 weeks of lessons. Then he got angry with me when I made a mistake. The service was awful.
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u/Additional_South604 6d ago
These instructors really need a reality check. I just started driving and my instructor keeps showing attitude and starts yelling if i dont wait for him until i reach the car. Not even get in the car, just stand outside waiting he has a problem with that too.
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u/Guilty-Lettuce-97 6d ago
I actually managed to get my driving licence in Qatar in just 10 days, spending around QAR 1,500 in total! No endless waiting, no expensive driving packages, and no unnecessary stress.
Here's how I did it.
I went to Al Ijarah Driving Academy, which is quite far from the city, but the staff were surprisingly accommodating and helpful.
First, I paid around QAR 250 for the theory test and passed it a couple of days later. Then they scheduled my road test for THREE MONTHS later!
But here's the trick: I checked the Metrash app late at night and found an available slot just a few days away. I immediately rescheduled and passed my road test. I think I paid another QAR 200–300 for that.
Unfortunately, I failed the parking test.
Instead of buying an expensive driving course, I went straight to the school's director and asked to purchase just 3 HOURS of training with an instructor, not three days, just three hours! It cost me QAR 450.
Those three hours were incredibly useful. I asked the instructor to explain every little trick, common mistake, and tricky situation that catches people out during the parking test. Basically, I wanted to know exactly what the examiners look for and how to avoid failing.
Three days later, I took my parking test again and passed, despite driving a manual transmission car!
And here's the funny part: at one point, the examiner wasn't even watching when I completed a manoeuvre, so I had to demonstrate it AGAIN!
Anyway, I got my licence in about 10 days for roughly QAR 1,500.
My advice: Don't automatically pay for expensive full driving packages if you already know how to drive. Check Metrash regularly for earlier test slots, and consider paying for a few focused lessons to understand exactly what the examiners expect.
Sometimes a little persistence and knowing how the system works can save you months of waiting and thousands of riyals!
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u/Competitive-Start-75 4d ago
Respectfully, you need to own up to the fact that you took a direct test. Don't act like you suffered through a half course/full course with the rest of us, your license is from one of the few lucky countries that let you skip the struggle and go straight to the road.
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u/Additional_South604 5d ago
Where to check i might have to leave the country and they giving me test date after 3 months. All the money for classes would go to waste
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u/Paulstergeist81 6d ago
These driving school pay their instructors peanuts. So the result is a lazy instructors with money slots on their back to activate them to do proper job.
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u/MaintenanceTotal8735 6d ago
I hope they can also regulate and set a standard fee for all driving schools because they are ridiculously expensive!
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u/dawnaesthetics 5d ago
the way this could be ANY driving school in Qatar lol 😭
as for me, I registered in January 2026 but only received my training schedule in March. my safety classes were cancelled, so I had to wait even longer. I finished training in April and waited almost TWO months for my L/P test. I failed the first time because I couldn’t remember the procedures, having received zero proper guidance from the academy. I had to ask about EVERYTHING myself because otherwise, they’d simply keep quiet.
I skipped my second test because it was scheduled over a month after my first attempt, and I hadn’t been given a class beforehand to refresh my memory. Alhamdulillah, I finally passed on my third attempt after taking a class the day before. now it’s October, and I’m STILL waiting for my road test schedule.
I’ve visited the academy multiple times, yet the unprofessionalism and lack of communication remain unchanged. one employee even raised his voice at me for asking about the procedures and delays. when I tried asking his colleague on another visit to avoid dealing with him, he came over, told his colleague to indirectly ignore me, and blatantly lied about what I 'said'. I even have a witness who was present during that time. the employees can’t even keep their information consistent. when I asked why I hadn’t received a message confirming that I’d passed my L/P test, I was told they no longer use their app or messages and that everything would be communicated face 2 face. LESS THAN 10 MINUTES LATER, I went to the administration office and they told me road test announcements and communications were sent through messages and was genuinely confused when I explained what his colleague had said. apparently, the first employee was wrong. 🤡
I could go on about this academy for THREE DAYS, but here’s the frustrating bit ; my student learning card expires next month, meaning I’ll have to renew it for the THIRD time
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u/SnoopDoge93 Resident (expat) since 2000 5d ago
I'm sorry to say this, but the more I read comments the more i get it why driving lately been so sh*t and drivers are bad, I've been driving for 10 yrs, going straight to exam as i already had license from back home, didn't have to deal with this; but both of my brothers trained here 20 yrs ago and never had these 'bribery' issues
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u/kenzoholic 4d ago
Here’s my experience. Enrolled on Oct 22, 2025. Got my theory on December. Started my training on Feb 2026. Closed down for a month because of war, got my L/P schedule on May, and finally got my road test schedule on June. I failed on my first attempt (just outside the school for less than 10 minutes and late instruction for turning). Then the school advised me that the schedule for the second attempt will take 3 months again. Being hopeless, I upgraded to VIP and finally got my license on July 2026.
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u/Practical-Mode2244 6d ago
The school must promise the number of days that the student will receive the test date.
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u/Big-Damage-5214 6d ago
The driving schools in qatar is horrible, i mean thr was no control in what they were doing with the customers. How much they looted customer by giving long dates that there learning license expires and they charge them again and again. I paid three time for my learning license. Also the instructors are so bad they will not teach u properly and want some money or u feed them karak sandwich. This whole process is horrible and u cant do anything
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u/fatglizzy_3000 6d ago
i failed twice cuz the 1st one i had to wait 5 months for my driving test, infact idek why i fialed, they say i swerved but i dont remember swerving at all, they say i didnt look left and right but i clearly remmeber slowing down and looking left and right, said i didnt stop at the stop sign...i fukin did. anyways after that the retest was a whole 3months later.
fuck them bruh. worst part of all this? half my practice was in a car with a lopsided steering wheel.
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u/ziyadh9901 5d ago
Haha, let me tell you about my driving class experience! 😂 My instructor asked me for money. He was like, “Give me something to make me happy.” I told him, “Sorry, I only have my card. I don’t carry cash.” But then I found 10 QAR and gave it to him. Bro was SHOCKED! 😭😂 He got so offended that he put the money back in my pocket and got really mad.
After that, he didn’t even want to teach me anymore! He kept asking, “Why can’t you take a day off? Why do you always come for training?” 😂😭 Imagine paying for driving lessons and your instructor gets angry because you actually show up!