# Amature hour...questions from a soon to be expat..



## ATO1865 (Sep 30, 2010)

I posted a while back about some questions about my plans to relocate to Alex this summer before the military took power. I'm trying to get back in touch with the school I'm to teach at now that things have calmed a bit i had began the paperwork when the protests began....hopefully I still have a job.

The director of studies is calling me tomorrow.

Other than teaching I was wondering if there were any other jobs in Alex that might be a better allow me to utilize my degrees and interests. Im a 21yr old recent college grad with Bachelors is in Middle Eastern studies and Global/international studies with a minor in Arabic (MSA and Egyptian) and TEFL certified. I understand this is probably a question I should be asking a university advisor but something tells me they won't have the same knowledge of this group. Feel free to guide an ambitious youth.

The clock is ticking and my departure is getting closer; I don't want to forget anything or make a classic expat mistake.
Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you moved to Egypt?

The most difficult adjustment will be probably be going from four years living in a fraternity house to teaching in a Muslim country.

I apologize for the long message and questions I am just getting more excited to return to alex everyday. 

Thank you


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

ATO1865 said:


> I posted a while back about some questions about my plans to relocate to Alex this summer before the military took power. I'm trying to get back in touch with the school I'm to teach at now that things have calmed a bit i had began the paperwork when the protests began....hopefully I still have a job.
> 
> The director of studies is calling me tomorrow.
> 
> ...




Please have a read of the forum... things may have seemed to have calmed down to the outside word but in all honesty moving here at this time is just plain crazy.

Maiden


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## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

Also the school is the one that should be making contact with you. If you are the one trying to get in touch with the school to check on the process of your paper work and application, trust me, it is not a good sign.


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## marenostrum (Feb 19, 2011)

ATO1865 said:


> I posted a while back about some questions about my plans to relocate to Alex this summer before the military took power. I'm trying to get back in touch with the school I'm to teach at now that things have calmed a bit i had began the paperwork when the protests began....hopefully I still have a job.
> 
> The director of studies is calling me tomorrow.
> 
> ...


all right there. Some of the expats here have been in Egypt for years so I suggest you take a read of what they tell you.

So far I am not too concerned about my own safety. i am a 34 year old male so maybe things are different and also I've lived in places like Naples and London, not the safest on earth by any stretch of the imagination....so far i don't regret moving here.

tbh i think safety yes you should be conscious but not worried, your priority should be to find out if you can get a job which affords you a decent lifestyle. Never believed in people that leave their home countries to end up washing dishes or driving a taxi in some other place thinking they were going to hit the jackpot if you know what i mean.

I chuckled a little bit when you talked about coming from a fraternity house to teaching in an islamic country. Let me tell you that behind closed doors you'll find the same stuff that goes on in a fraternity house if not more if you hang about with the right crowd 
Some of these egyptians are not as conservative as you think they may be, quite the contrary.


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## txlstewart (Jun 20, 2010)

Sonrisa said:


> Also the school is the one that should be making contact with you. If you are the one trying to get in touch with the school to check on the process of your paper work and application, trust me, it is not a good sign.


THIS IS SO TRUE!!!! I went through a reputable search company and was hired by a school that was not a quality school. It took me five weeks to get them to acknowledge my acceptance of the job offer, etc. They wanted ALL my paperwork done prior to my arrival--and then took 3 months after I arrived to get my work permit paperwork put through and completed. I changed schools, and that was the best decision I have ever made!

Things will take longer now. Make sure you have the Egyptian embassy near you authenticate your diploma and letter of recommendation. DO NOT SEND YOUR ORIGINAL DIPLOMA!!! Make a copy, take the original and the copy to a notary public, then get the copy notarized and send that in. (This was told to me by the Egyptian Embassy in Houston.)

Don't always trust what the local embassy tells you. The first person I spoke to in Houston said "yes" when I asked if he could speak English. Apparently that is the only word in English he knew!

As a mom of a son your age, I would advise you to postpone your adventure here until things have settled down and a stable government is in place.


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