Job Discussion Forums

[JohnnyDoNut]

I am trying to prepare for a move in late July and would appreciate any help/advice that you could spare.

I currently have a BS in Management, TEFL cert., and 2.5 years of ESL classroom experience with various ages and levels (primarily grade and middle school, but also a few adult classes). I have worked as an ESL teacher in China and Korea and am ready for a change... and Egypt has always fascinated me.

Anyway, with that being said, here are my questions (yes, I have thoroughly read the Job Info Journal, this forum, and the Teacher Training forum):

1.) Are there many/any decent ESL positions available for someone with my education/experience (the other messages seem to imply that without an education degree or CELTA I might have a hard time)?

2.) Should I apply for the IH CELTA class or would it just be redundant (as I already have a TEFL)? AND, would it make me considerably more marketable in Egypt?

3.) What do you think would be a reasonable budget for a month or so of job hunting (assuming the answer to question one is favorable)... I've got the Lonely Planet right here, but I'd also appreciate input from someone there now.

Thanks in advance for your answers,

John

[Al Waystryn]

Hi John,

Let me see if I can help you out...

For a job search in Egypt, you've got lots of options.

There are the Egyptian run foreign language primary and secondary schools. Not my first choice, but the money's decent and they'll be keen to hire you if you're already in the country for positions starting Aug/Sept.
Don't worry about not having a teaching degree - qualifications are not required, but do your homework first and make sure the school offering you a job, actually pays what it promises. (If you've worked in Korea, you know what I'm talking about)

Then there is the AUC and Amideast. Timing is everything in getting a job with them. Well worth the try, by may not be full time.

Your next choices do require the CELTA. The British Council always needs teachers - but only if you've got a CELTA (minimum) and a British passport. The other (better!) choice is ILI Heliopolis. You don't have to be British, but you do need the CELTA. They offer CELTA courses there - one's in June, another in September and they often hire recent CELTA grads right afterwards (the best ones of course...)!

There are other private language schools, but I only know about the infamous cowboy operations. Beware of 'IBI' and 'ILLI' (obvious knock-off's of the real school). There is an ELS and another school or two that may hire you without the CELTA, but I really don't know anything about them.

Regarding money, you can do the CELTA for 675 Sterling pounds - it's 4 weeks, plus about 130 Sterling for a flat provided by the school for the month. Food, beer, taxi's and a bit of fun (sightseeing, gyms, cinemas) could run you 300 LE (Egyptian Pounds) per week ( I don't know what that is in Sterling - I think it's a little over 11 LE to the pound sterling).

Or, you could expect to pay 20-40 LE per night at a reasonably decent cheap hotel in Cairo. (The Lonely Planet probably knows more than I do about this) If you don't drink beer, you can eat well on 20 - 40 LE per day by avoiding the pricey restaurants and tourist hangouts.

If you want to rent your own apartment, you'll pay considerably higher prices in the summer season (Cairo is Saudi's summer playground) if you can find one. Also, being a 'howaga' = tourist won't help unless you convince them you're staying long-term and sign a year's lease.

These are only general estimates and my opinions, but I hope you'll find them helpful.

Best of Luck,
Al

[JohnnyDoNut]

I�d like to thank everyone who replied to my post (I received a few via email and PM�d off of this forum). I still do intend to head your way in a few months and I�ll try to post more info about my move on this thread as it might be useful to others. I think I will re-ask the CELTA question in the Teacher Training forum and see what those guys think. Thanks again.

Johnny