Job Discussion Forums

[lynnknows]

i read a post that said to get a degree certified. what is that and how would i get that done. i just thought i had to bring my transcripts. i am glad i joined this group. i am learnign alot.

[veiledsentiments]

I haven't heard of this being done for Egypt, but certain schools may require it. I have only done this for employers in Oman. (not for Egypt, the UAE or Kuwait) It is a huge waste of your time and money, and I wouldn't even worry about it until an employer tells you that you have to do it.

No employer has ever asked for a transcript either. I always had them just in case, but I only ever provided my original graduation certificate - the one they gave you when you graduated.

Somewhere on the Oman section I explained the process. If you ever need it, you can do a search of that part of the board.

VS
(hey lynn... shouldn't English teachers use capital letters? )

[lynnknows]

yes i guess you are right. The sad thing is i can not spell and i never worry about what i write on the net. i have to do it so much when i am working that i never do it online. I guess maybe i should, but hey, why be fake.........lol

[veiledsentiments]

You have to be a bit more careful when you are writing what will be read by a bunch of English teachers. Some of the people who lurk around here will take you to task. Your spelling seems OK, but your lack of capitals is odd. To me it is automatic from my typing classes... part of the touch typing taught when I was in HS and university. It is just that when one is working with Arabic speakers, convincing them that capital letters actually matter is a major chore. They have been told by their early teachers that capitals don't matter and spelling doesn't matter - and naturally, it certainly does. Of course, you normally work with small kids, while I was working with university students.

VS

[sarinatwo]

Hi,
Yes, I've been through the headache of getting transcripts certified while in Egypt. My advice is, do it before you come or else it will be very expensive. The laws change regularly and while it may not have been needed in the past, the latest version (2004-2005) is that the Egyptian Foreign Affairs dept. will not certify unless it has a stamp from your country's Foreign Affairs dept - and it goes round and round in a bureaucratic nightmare. Unless you get it done beforehand, you will have to DHL it back for stamping and posted back to you which can get costly.

To be on the safe side, you should have all documents certified from your country before you go - transcripts, degrees (very important for your work permit) etc. It will save you a lot of hassle later.

Sarina

[veiledsentiments]

Sarina

What schools are requiring this? It was never necessary at AUC. Is this something being required now at these dodgy primary and secondary schools?


VS

[sarinatwo]

Hi,
Yes, most language schools (dodgy or otherwise - some are horrendous yes, but they aren't all dogdy,just not so flush with benefits) need this to process your work permit to work in Egypt. Some schools however, may have teachers "work" without permits and bypass this system. In Lyn's case, she would most likely be working in the secondary/primary school system where the Ministry of Education requires these papers validated. The AUC is most probably a completely different scenario from the places Lyn would be applying to.
Many schools are half Ministry curriculum (an "Egyptian" side) and half "international" and in these cases, even with quite established private schools, they need to jump through these hoops to satisfy the Mogamma requirements.
There may be exceptions, but everyone I have ever spoken to in the last 5 years working at various schools in Maadi, Kattamaya and Masr El Gedida, has needed their transcripts validated to acquire a work permit to legally work in Egypt when working in private schools which have a Ministry link.

The validation problem can also impact upon you if you move from Egypt (no matter what your origin - American, British, Australian) to another country to work and need to get your documents certified for another country at your own embassy in Cairo.
Both HCT and MLI in the Emirates require you to certify your marriage documents - to show proof for the married accommodation. If you are in Egypt and need to get these documents stamped at the U.A.E embassy, they will not touch it unless you have it stamped at the Foreign Affairs dept. of your embassy in Cairo. Maddeningly, the embassy of your country then, in turn, will not stamp it unless it has a stamp physically done in your original country - with absolutely no exceptions. It is as if the embassy does not trust its own country's paperwork and requirements of the Egyptian bureaucratic system makes this frustrating and expensive process (in fact, I ended up not doing it there, even though I had the correct stamps, because even with these it was a teeth gnashing process so I waited till Dubai - which was a smoother process).
So all in all, my current feeling is thatwhen you are in a Middle Eastern country esp. Cairo) which adores stamps and paperwork, it's best to be prepared before you leave your home country and have it all stamped so that you avoid being trapped in the inconsistencies of the ever changing Mogamma (you know that big building in Tahrir Square) paperwork requirements.

[sarinatwo]

Hi,
I just remembered another thing which may affect Lyn if she goes to Cairo to teach. If she wants to enrol her children at a school (perhaps the same school she works at) they may ask for the certified transcript of her children's school results in the States. It would be a good idea to collect and perhaps even certify these before going to Cairo. I knew of one woman working in a school who had to go through a lot of hassle getting the American school to send the transcript to her, and her son could not attend school for nearly a year. So it's a good idea to organise these school transcripts before you go so the child can be easily enrolled.

[lynnknows]

Thank You!!! However, I am still not clear on what the process is. Where do I go to get them Certified. I thought having a sealed official copy of my transcrips was enough. I see that is not the case. Can someone please tell me what I need to do while I am here in the U.S.

Thanks in advance
Lynn

[veiledsentiments]

Lynn

The best advice is to call the State Department in Washington. It may take a few transfers and frustrations, but they know the procedures required for each country.

I have done this twice (and described the process over in the Oman section). It is much easier and cheaper to do it while in DC.

Another option is to call the Egyptian Embassy in Cairo and ask them if they have people who handle the process for you (at a charge of course). Oman used to refer people to a woman who lived in DC who did it. The State Department also may be able to refer you to a company who will do it.

Be ready to shell out $150-300 for all this paperwork tapdance that proves nothing more than you know how to have your signature notarized and are able to create fake documents at Kinkos.

(BTW, get used to the fact that the US Embassy will help you with nothing and be rude when they refuse it... except that they may deign to notarize your signature on something, but charge you between $70-100 for it - a process you can often get done for nothing at a bank in the US... Egypt's US Embassy has always been the absolute worst...)

VS