# Advice on moving to Egypt



## NatalieLevi

Hi I'm new to this forum and I joined mainly to get some much needed advice in hope of moving to egypt - Sharm el sheikh next summer for around 5/6 months, I would appreciate it alot if anyone had answers to these questions:

Which type of visa would I need and how would I obtain this?
How do I go about finding a place to stay?
How do I go about finding a job and should this be done prior to moving over?

Thanks


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## MaidenScotland

Hi Natalie and welcome to the forum.


Egypt has high unemployment so you must have something "extra".
Do you speak arabic? Are you a qualified diver? What can you bring to your employer that he cant find locally? Any job found before you arrive will be better paid and you should be helped with the cost of your flight plus your employer will help you find an apartment etc.
You can enter the country on a tourist visa and your employer will sort your visa out, many people work without the correct visa but I would not recommend it.
Good luck in your search

Maiden


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## 0pinkerbell

NatalieLevi said:


> Hi I'm new to this forum and I joined mainly to get some much needed advice in hope of moving to egypt - Sharm el sheikh next summer for around 5/6 months, I would appreciate it alot if anyone had answers to these questions:
> 
> Which type of visa would I need and how would I obtain this?
> How do I go about finding a place to stay?
> How do I go about finding a job and should this be done prior to moving over?
> 
> Thanks


hi natalie, i too am from england and very much would like to go to sharm and work but am worried about the dangers being a young female and meeting new people.
what have you found out as i am finding it difficult?
x


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## Hells1

Hi Natalie,

I am in the exact same situation as you. I joined this forum to try and find out some ideas about what jobs I could possibly apply for in Sharm as I would LOVE to live and work there for 6 months or so.

I have been advised to apply as a holiday rep but there are no vacancies for Sharm at the moment. Does anyone else know of any other jobs available in sharm or any advice?

xx


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## NatalieLevi

0pinkerbell said:


> hi natalie, i too am from england and very much would like to go to sharm and work but am worried about the dangers being a young female and meeting new people.
> what have you found out as i am finding it difficult?
> x


Hey I havent found out much, just trying my best to find out something lol. Ive posted on your thread that ive added you as a friend on the forum so if either of us find anything out we can help each other. I too am going alone so Im also a bit worried about being on my own and a young female!

x


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## NatalieLevi

Hells1 said:


> Hi Natalie,
> 
> I am in the exact same situation as you. I joined this forum to try and find out some ideas about what jobs I could possibly apply for in Sharm as I would LOVE to live and work there for 6 months or so.
> 
> I have been advised to apply as a holiday rep but there are no vacancies for Sharm at the moment. Does anyone else know of any other jobs available in sharm or any advice?
> 
> xx


Hi! I have also been advised about becoming a holiday rep, and have found out theres no vacancies. Its a bit of a toughy, but keep trying we'll find something eventually  xx


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## NatalieLevi

MaidenScotland said:


> Hi Natalie and welcome to the forum.
> 
> 
> Egypt has high unemployment so you must have something "extra".
> Do you speak arabic? Are you a qualified diver? What can you bring to your employer that he cant find locally? Any job found before you arrive will be better paid and you should be helped with the cost of your flight plus your employer will help you find an apartment etc.
> You can enter the country on a tourist visa and your employer will sort your visa out, many people work without the correct visa but I would not recommend it.
> Good luck in your search
> 
> Maiden


Hi well I am going to do an arabic course as I hope to go out next summer (may time) 
extra... well Im a qualified nail technician and have a hair and beauty background, I work well with customers and willing to try almost anything?
thanks so much for the advice 

x


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## MaidenScotland

NatalieLevi said:


> Hi well I am going to do an arabic course as I hope to go out next summer (may time)
> extra... well Im a qualified nail technician and have a hair and beauty background, I work well with customers and willing to try almost anything?
> thanks so much for the advice
> 
> x




Hi 

I would suggest that you contact the big hotels in the area you want to work and find out if they have a beauty salon and contact them direct.
Google hotels in the area, have a look at their websites and go from there.

Maiden


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## NatalieLevi

MaidenScotland said:


> Hi
> 
> I would suggest that you contact the big hotels in the area you want to work and find out if they have a beauty salon and contact them direct.
> Google hotels in the area, have a look at their websites and go from there.
> 
> Maiden


I was cursing spending all my time in beauty but maybe this could help  thanks again for the advice I will be emailing tonight x


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## cutiepie

natalie i sent u a private mail with info websites etc 2other girls pikerbells and hells1 i cant send u the msg until you post more times...when you have made i think 5 posts i can send u a private msg with advice tips websites etc!


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## Sam

Hello All and welcome to the forum.

I've been living in Sharm for four years now so feel free to fire away with any questions, or worries.

Sharm can be a fantastic and very pleasant place to live, but it can also be a very challenging place to be. Majority of work offers would be in hotels, even diving centres at the moment aren't really busy enough to employ more staff unless already qualified diving instructors.

The most easily found jobs are in animation, which provide shared hotel accommodation and full board. If you are only intending this as a six months getaway then this may well be your best option and the more serious or well paid jobs require a long term commitment and often experience working in that field.

When it comes to obtaining a visa, the easiest thing is to buy the tourist visa at the airport for $15, and then arrange to go to El Tur to buy a tourist visa for 6-12 months as you need. If you have already found a job within that month then your employer will probably help you with this, if not it's not difficult to do.

Work permits have to be applied for by the company you will work for as they are all specific to the job you do, if you were to change jobs you'd need a new permit. Many people in Sharm work without this permit, it's not really a problem to do so, but if you face any problems in your work you will have no legal protection so it's highly recommended to have the permit.

@ 0pinkerbell - there are not any more dangers as a young, single female in Sharm as there are in any other country. Egyptian men have the reputation for being horny and deprived, and for the most part this is true. But sexual harassment is very minimal and rape almost unheard of. The guys will most likely try to have their way, but they are not forceful. The last I heard rape was an offence which can be punishable by hanging, I don't think they'd risk it. The most common crime is fraud, and usually there is a fault by the victim allowing them to have been defrauded - keep yourself protected and above the law and you will have no problems.


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## Hells1

hi thanks for the help, has anyone had any luck? we have to be careful, because egypt is a muslim country it will be harder for us to find jobs xx


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## MaidenScotland

Hells1 said:


> hi thanks for the help, has anyone had any luck? we have to be careful, because egypt is a muslim country it will be harder for us to find jobs xx




That is complete nonsense, Copts may tell you that they get passed over for a job if a Muslim applies for it but that is not the case with foreigners as we tend to get employed for the western expertise we bring regardless of our religion.


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## Hells1

hi sam thanks for the advice, can i ask what you do for work in sharm? i have found lots of vacancies for the animation clubs, im just not sure i fit that role!! is it like childrens clubs at the hotels? i have also looked at a marketing/pr job for the hardrock cafe in naama bay that my friend out there recommended but again, i think you need some experience in that area to get the job. i have friends in sharm and they are a mix of males and females, and yes i agree the egyptian men are quite forward, but as my friends they are very respectful and quite protective as u have been back several times to sharm. is there quite a big english community there? xx


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## Hells1

well that is what i have been told by several people? it is harder for women to find jobs. i wasnt being funny at all. this is just what i have been told?


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## MaidenScotland

Hells1 said:


> well that is what i have been told by several people? it is harder for women to find jobs. i wasnt being funny at all. this is just what i have been told?



Men here tend to be the main bread winner and as unemployment is very high in Egypt the men often have jobs that we would normally associate with women, waiting on, chambermaids etc, and rightly so, they should have the work before a foreigner but it has got nothing to do with being Muslim.. i


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## Sam

Hells1 said:


> hi sam thanks for the advice, can i ask what you do for work in sharm? i have found lots of vacancies for the animation clubs, im just not sure i fit that role!! is it like childrens clubs at the hotels? i have also looked at a marketing/pr job for the hardrock cafe in naama bay that my friend out there recommended but again, i think you need some experience in that area to get the job. i have friends in sharm and they are a mix of males and females, and yes i agree the egyptian men are quite forward, but as my friends they are very respectful and quite protective as u have been back several times to sharm. is there quite a big english community there? xx



Animation teams work in the hotels to entertain the guests. Some are specifically assigned to kids' club, others do other things, like water aerobics or sports activities with the older guests, evening shows also. If you don't think you would fit the animation role, then don't do it. It's not the only kind of job in Sharm, certainly not something I would ever do.

When I first moved out here I spent a couple of months looking (not very hard) and on the first day I actually decided to go out and actively look for work I walked around Naama Bay with copies of my CV, found a travel agency that called me back later that day to meet the boss and started the next day. I worked with them organising their English file and handling complaints with head office etc. After this I started working in real estate and have done ever since. I have NEVER had any problem with finding work because I am female, or non-muslim or otherwise, nor have I ever heard of this, so don't worry about that. On the other hand I have heard of people being too old, too fat or generally not presentable - there is a different kind of stereo type here. You can be expected to supply your CV with a photo and be judged on appearance. 

As far as I am aware the Hard Rock Cafe are not recruiting for marketing jobs in resort as their marketing is generally done from the head office in America. They already have their marketing manager and his assistant, and the last I checked didn't need more than this. Not sure how well connected your friend is, but don't come out here on that promise or hope to work with them. 

Perhaps try asking around hotels for positions as guest relations. Work is easy to find here. I know whilst I've been out here I've had many job offers and many people asking me if I know of someone who could work for them. The problem in Sharm is so many people come and go that it's hard to find someone stable, so if you can show a company that you are stable and ready to commit to them you would be hired straight away (given the necessary skills of course).

As far as the English community goes - yes there are loads of English people out here, if you are a social person it shouldn't take long before you meet a few friends.

Sam


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## DeadGuy

MaidenScotland said:


> That is complete nonsense, Copts may tell you that they get passed over for a job if a Muslim applies for it but that is not the case with foreigners as we tend to get employed for the western expertise we bring regardless of our religion.


LOL!

Someone passes another for a job cause of religious reasons in the democratic free professional land here??!! Boy that "never" happened to anyone :lol:

As for the females getting jobs in here, it depends on what kinda job is that, administrative jobs, or jobs that are thought to be needing a "brain" are kept for males in here for some unknown reason! In the mean while, jobs like PR, HR, Customer care, SALES! Or any kind of job that got any contact with predicted customers are usually saved for a female (This case I think the reasons are obvious, at least for those who's been trying to live here for a while! LOL!)

Standards varies as well, some employers prefer to hire a smart female to do the job, some prefer a good looking one, depends on how stupid and deprived the employer is!

However the "Western expertise" isn't exactly appreciated by everyone in here and for various reasons, most employers do prefer to get someone that actually knows what he/she's doing, but some got other ways to think about it, for example, a teaching job, not all schools in here will welcome a non-Arab for a job in there, same goes with some of the business companies! But they are very few, and trust me, no one would miss a job in there if they got refused by them!

Good luck everyone!


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## Beatle

Sam said:


> I have NEVER had any problem with finding work because I am female, or non-muslim or otherwise, nor have I ever heard of this, so don't worry about that.


I have recently noticed that many of the job adverts for professional roles stipulate that their preferred gender is male whereas the adverts for clerical/administrative jobs state that their preferred gender is female! Scary.....


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## hpage

Hey, I'm currently in the middle of trying to sort out a place on one of the hotels animation teams, I've recently got back from Sharm and absolutely love the place. I haven't been able to find a job that I have remotely enjoyed since leaving uni, so I've decided to get away from the UK for a bit. I'm not worried about the money side as long as I have enough for food and a place to stay. I couldn't find any recent threads on here so was just wondering if you had any other advice? Ideally I would like to do snorkelling/diving, but figure that it would be easier to start with a bit of a more stable job for the time being until I've made a few more friends over there etc. I've had lots of negatives thrown at me, but at the end of the day you only live once so I might aswel give it a go right?

I'd appreciate any advice or info,

Thanks, Hayley


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## MaidenScotland

hpage said:


> Hey, I'm currently in the middle of trying to sort out a place on one of the hotels animation teams, I've recently got back from Sharm and absolutely love the place. I haven't been able to find a job that I have remotely enjoyed since leaving uni, so I've decided to get away from the UK for a bit. I'm not worried about the money side as long as I have enough for food and a place to stay. I couldn't find any recent threads on here so was just wondering if you had any other advice? Ideally I would like to do snorkelling/diving, but figure that it would be easier to start with a bit of a more stable job for the time being until I've made a few more friends over there etc. I've had lots of negatives thrown at me, but at the end of the day you only live once so I might aswel give it a go right?
> 
> I'd appreciate any advice or info,
> 
> Thanks, Hayley




Hi and welcome to the forum

You have just returned from Sharm and seen the place is empty, hotels are closed and will not open again this year bar a miracle. The government has said that working visas are going to be restricted. Egyptians who speak the language are looking for jobs. Prices are rising. The country is not stable.


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## hpage

Thankfully the quietness wouldn't bother me, however where we stayed there were plenty of people, I didn't see one closed hotel and the company I plan to work for will help me with the rest. Worst case scenario there are no tourists and my work is cut short, so I will return to the UK or look elsewhere, thanks for the useful info though.


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## marenostrum

hpage said:


> Thankfully the quietness wouldn't bother me, however where we stayed there were plenty of people, I didn't see one closed hotel and the company I plan to work for will help me with the rest. Worst case scenario there are no tourists and my work is cut short, so I will return to the UK or look elsewhere, thanks for the useful info though.


You are still young, go for it. At worst what can happen?
It is not as if there are thousands of good jobs to choose from in Europe is there.

You only live once. The saying in english is carpe diem i think.

btw, there are a few people here that live in Sharm, they will be able to give you food advice, Horus and Sam who know and live in Sharm often post on here.


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## hpage

Thank you  the main thing I'm worried about it joining an animation team and having to dance, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Luckily on our trip we were ok with the food, and the food we will be eating will be mainly from the hotels. I just need to book it and get over the first nerves


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## txlstewart

hpage said:


> Thank you  the main thing I'm worried about it joining an animation team and having to dance, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Luckily on our trip we were ok with the food, and the food we will be eating will be mainly from the hotels. I just need to book it and get over the first nerves


There is a recent thread that is about work permits (and getting them renewed). Please read it--it addresses work in Sharm, especially foreigners working on tourist visas.

Good luck!


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## hurghadapat

hpage said:


> Thank you  the main thing I'm worried about it joining an animation team and having to dance, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Luckily on our trip we were ok with the food, and the food we will be eating will be mainly from the hotels. I just need to book it and get over the first nerves


IMHO.....animation is the worst sort of work you can do....mind bending to say the least but to be honest at this moment in time Egypt is the last place in which i would be looking for work.


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