u/FHA211

Has anyone else in Qatar dealt with companies hiring people into marketing roles with zero actual marketing background, then expecting YOU to train them from scratch?

I’m not talking about guidance or onboarding. That’s normal. I mean literally teaching someone the basics of the industry because management hired randomly, usually on a lower budget, and assumed the senior person would “figure it out.”

At one point I was managing people older than me who were completely new to the Qatari market and didn’t even understand the fundamentals of the job. And somehow it became my responsibility to pass on years of experience, industry knowledge, trial and error, and actual expertise… because the company didn’t want to invest in qualified talent in the first place.

I worked years to build my career and skillset brick by brick. I genuinely don’t think it’s fair or professional to expect managers to fully teach employees how to do the job they were hired for. Mentorship is one thing. Building someone from zero while also carrying the department is another.

I ended up resigning for other reasons, but I’m curious if this is becoming common in Qatar’s marketing industry or if I just got unlucky.

I just resigned from a marketing role after one of the weirdest meetings I’ve ever had professionally.

My agreement from the beginning was that I manage brands for a specific compensation per brand. As more brands got added, I brought up updating the agreement and clarifying scope. Instead of having a normal business conversation, I got called “materialistic” multiple times just for discussing compensation. The manager started talking about my personal life, my car, where I live, my ambition, and even my own business. At one point he literally said people should “be satisfied with less” and not always want more.

Mind you, I had discounted my work for them multiple times and genuinely cared about helping grow the brands. The whole thing felt less like a professional discussion and more like someone trying to shame me for wanting boundaries and clear agreements.

I resigned the same day because I honestly left the meeting feeling disrespected and uncomfortable. Am I crazy for thinking this crossed the line professionally?