Teaching English in Egypt

The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Egypt. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.

Lorna on 5 December 2005

quote I teach adult classes in a private language/computer courses centre, and I would say that the best thing about teaching here, is the students. 99 per cent of them are extremely keen and well motivated since they need English in order to get a good job.

The weather is hot and humid from May to September and at night the buildings release the heat they have collected during the day into the apartments, so air-conditioning is essential. However, apartments for rent are plentiful and the nicer ones are usually available to foreigners only.

I have lived in Egypt for many years now as my husband is Egyptian, and I would say that it is one of the few countries in the world where people of different religions integrate freely with each other, often living in the same districts, even the same buildings. Religion is an important part of the culture, and so teachers (especially non-believers) should respect the fact that their students will be probably be deeply religious regardless of whether they are Muslim or Christian. It is also important to follow a modest dress code - in most places bare tummies or low necklines will cause some raised eyebrows and maybe even complaints.

I was surprised to see that frequent earthquakes occur according to the country information (The World Factbook). We have the occasional earth tremor, but have only had two quakes including the big one of 1992.

In short, Egypt is a rewarding place in which to work, an economical country in which to live but unfortunately salaries are not large. The best places to work are probably the British Council, International House or possibly teaching IGCSE or the American SATs in some of the more expensive private schools.

The people are very friendly and, of course, there are many monuments to see beside the pyramids, as well as great diving off the Red Sea coast.

Angela on 23 September 2006

quote Hi I am a Colombian woman and I found interesting your experience because I am an English teacher and my boyfriend is Egyptian. Sometime I would like to go to Egypt and live with him but I am afraid of doing so. I am not sure about working conditions for women, could you please tell me about it?

Azmi on 24 September 2007

quote Fortunately I have been living here in Egypt for a long time. In reality life here is extremely interesting as there are a lot of things to do. More importantly, one feels safe wherever one goes and whatever one does. On top of that, people are so friendly and seem cheerful despite their personal hardships.

Sherif Maher on 5 April 2008

quote I am an Egyptian English instructor. I teach business English, conversation and technical writing. Working as an English instructor here in Egypt is fun! Most Egyptians here like foreigners and they like to talk to them in English. Weather is pretty good, but in Summer it is hot but if you have an air conditioner, you will not feel this. People are friendly, prices are good, and there are many interesting places to visit.

Anonymous on 15 July 2008

quote I am currently thinking about moving to Egypt to teach English. I have worked abroad before (in Europe and Asia) and am looking forward to experiencing a new culture. However, I am slightly concerned about the growth of conservative islam in a country that until the 1970s was very liberal and open. I have no problem with people adhering to a religion but am worried that as a liberal, non-religious woman, I may not fit in or be able to integrate fully into the culture. I am highly aware that what you read in newspapers and see on TV can be hugely misrepresented so am hoping to get some info from those who are already there, 'from the horse's mouth' so to speak, both foreign and Egyptian. Thanks.

Aisha on 13 Feb 2012

quote Be warned that contracts with schools and non reputable Institutes are not worth the paper they are written on. Since the revolution you need to be careful about working without a work visa. It is illegal to work without one, but in the past no one checked up on it and repeated tourist visas were granted - at a price. Hence the problem recently with NGOs working without work visas. Egypt is very safe, but frenetic and unpredictable. On the whole, foreigners are extremely well treated. However, if you work, you need to be sensitive to the culture and respect that not everyone wants a western life style.