In this week’s short and sweet blog, Katherine Ellicott, one of our adventurous and spirited drama teachers, tells us about why she moved to Egypt, and why, despite the hype, she is so glad that she did…
When I first proudly announced that I had accepted a job in Cairo, a look of confusion, worry and a faint smile was the common theme among friends and family. I will be honest, when Tiffany from Teacher Horizons told me about the job I was nervous, Cairo is somewhere I hadn’t visited and the only knowledge I had was from the media. However, after speaking to some other single women who were out at the school, I was sold! Year-round sunshine, cheap living and the opportunity to travel, what was not to love?
As I was moving out here alone, naturally people were nervous. As I boarded I must admit I was still unsure myself, however, when we landed and walked out into the glorious heat at 11 pm to the noise and chaos I knew this would be an amazing adventure.
I settled into Cairo living surprisingly quicky, the locals were exceptionally friendly and humoured my poor attempts at Arabic and often they wanted to practice their English. People often worry about safety but I can honestly say I feel safer walking the streets of Cairo at night than many places in England. Many of the locals want Egypt to be seen as a safe place, so they make an effort to smile and make you feel safe.
Another of our candidates is joining Katherine in Cairo, but as an over 60 – read her blog here!
There is lots to explore in Cairo itself and with the introduction of Uber, an affordable metro line and various other forms of transport it is easy (and cheap) to explore the city safely. In the expat areas (I live in Maadi) there are so many places to eat and you can buy alcohol from the local Expat clubs which are protected by guards.
So is Egypt safe? Yes. There are issues (like every country), however, the expat community and embassy in Cairo are vigilant and go above and beyond to reassure us. Plus, Egypt is an affordable place to live so the travel opportunities are vast and the cost of living is cheap.
I would highly advise singles to consider Egypt to their list of possible destinations! If sunshine and adventure is your thing, consider Cairo!
Katherine is working at New Cairo British International School, have more of a read about the school here.
Thanks so much Katherine! If you want to join Katherine in Cairo, or anywhere else for that matter, it’s super easy… create a profile here, and then browse our jobs here. Good luck!
