From US to Egypt!!

welcome tawanna.. I am also from the US. :-)

Hi Layla,

I wanted to know what was your biggest challenge in moving to Egypt, leaving family, work, friends, etc. How did you face those challenges.

I think getting used to the culture and customs. what seemed normal to me was not normal for Egypt. Also the heat.. it took a few years to get used to it especially with dressing modestly. but I find its good because its protection from the sun. there's reasons to wear veils and headscarves besides religion. the desert wear lol

tawanna, are you looking to move to cairo?

davist18leo wrote:

Hello everyone!

let me introduce myself, My name is Tawanna from the US and I am excited to be making the big move in relocating my family: two kids and husband to Egypt. I am a registered nurse and he is a computer networker and we both chose to make the move for both different scenery and jobs. Believe it or not, it's hard to find jobs in the US. We both traveled to different countries before, and we wanted to come to Egypt because of it's deep ancient history. I wanted to know any tips on the job market. I am interested in teaching as well.

Hello Layla,

Yes, but I'm also considering Maadi or Rehab so I have not confirmed my decision yet.

Maadi & Rehab are INSIDE Cairo...
Comparing with the US, Cairo is a state. Rehab, Maadi, are neighborhoods...

Dear Cenlin,


Thank you, excuse me for my misunderstanding of not being acknowledged enough about the accurate geographic in Egypt. But I definitely want to consider Maadi and the neighborhoods surrounding new Cairo to see what would be a better suit for families.

maadi is nice i lived there before. is maadi still considered cairo or Helwan? LOL who knows now. :-P

@Davist, yeah i know, no problem, i was only trying to make it more clear, to not be confused, and for me, i would say "pick up something close to your work, wherever it is" that will be much easier than living in Rehab and working in Giza!!
and if you didn't get a job yet, i recommend Rehab, New Cairo 5th district, Madinaty...

@layla, Cairo )
Cairo is not only Cairo, it was renamed to Big Cairo many years before and that included Cairo, Giza, Qalubiya, 6th of October, and Helwan. and when they separated Helwan and 6th October that wasn't more than a political affair from the previous president

I would say that your biggest challenge is finding schools for your children!!
International schools here are not cheap, especially if you want a good one - and they are certainly not free like they are in the Uk and the US!!
If you end up living in Maadi - after having searched extensively - the international school there are a bit more xpensive then alot of areas.
ANd don't even consider sending your children to a school that is not an international school - the level on the other schools is lower also you don't know how they would slot into the system back home!!

biffy wrote:

I would say that your biggest challenge is finding schools for your children!
International schools here are not cheap, especially if you want a good one - and they are certainly not free like they are in the Uk and the US!!
If you end up living in Maadi - after having searched extensively - the international school there are a bit more xpensive then alot of areas.
ANd don't even consider sending your children to a school that is not an international school - the level on the other schools is lower also you don't know how they would slot into the system back home!!

Thanks for the info biffy on international schools. However me and my sister decided to both home school our children. We have decided that the school education in the states were teaching at a degrading level For instance, when my son entered school, he was already two levels ahead of his general classmates. Also   the history taught in the US are very biased and  nothing is not being taught that would challenge the children's intellect. I myself was a product of this as a child because my real learning was in the library and not in class and often became bored because I was not learning anything  new. So we both have decided to home school over children in understanding the true history and how it is correlated to the Bible. Also being an a country like Egypt is a plus because they could all see a portion of Real history.

Hello Tawanna, Al-Zamalek neighborhood is nice too and there are a lot of foreigners living there.
Best of luck.

Hello , It would be a great experience i guess.

I would recommend Rehab, It is a big closed compound aside of Cairo located on Cairo/Swiez road where there are buss stops all around inside with buses connecting you to Cairo deporting at different spots around Cairo. It has a friendly community with International schools and a range from decent to high class community for you and your children to meet with. Its environment  is safe for cycling or jogging or pet walking it has a'lot of green areas and a club associated to it but i'm not sure about the club entry.

*Maadi: Its a very decent place with a high class community but in my opinion its not a place that you would relax in like Rehab, you'd be in the middle of the city noise and crowd and for activities you have to subscribe to a decent club and those are VERY expensive in an over rated way but it depends the environment you want to live in.

My words are only through my personal thoughts, anyone could correct me ofcourse.

Teaching, International schools would be an easy pick for you then you might consider applying to universities.

Tips on the job market.

If you are coming without jobs think again!
The job market for expats here is not as bouyant as it was.
ALso if you come and then find a job this could take a while to find something that suits you - at a salary that also suits you.  Becuase trust me the difference between an expats salary and a locals is huge!!
The only way for you to get the salary / benefits that you need to come here and live is to find your job before you come!
Especially as you have a family - I wouldn't want to have to live in any of the local areas by myself never mind with my children - the life is very different given the high level of poverty and poor education, hygiene and cleanliness.
It isn't necessary to live in one of the 'expat areas' there are some other areas that you could live , but there are many areas where you wouldn't want to live.

ALso don't assume that ebcuase you both have very marketable skills in the US it is easy to find a job here - it isn't.  ALso the government block visas for jobs that an EGyptian can do just as well - there are also alot of people here who are unemployed and looking for work.
Native English speakers teaching in international schools is one way - but again get the job BEFORE you come, nursing I am not so sure about, it isn't like the UAE where they emply many many foriegn nurses.
ANd sorry to say computer networkers - they have many highly qualified EGyptian ones - so I would imagine to get a job in this field with anything like the kind of money / benefits that you need is not going to be easy.
I would advise against coming with no jobs - Egypt is not a place to stay if you have no income.  Yes you could probobaly eat cheaply if you ate like a local, but how are you going to live otherwise? Hotel? Transport - Taxis although cheap are not free. And with many banks now you couldn't even open a bank account without a work / residency visa.
Even renewing the initial 3 month visa you get on arrival is a dodgy now - will they extend it or not, and for how long?

So please come and enjoy - but make sure you have jobs first!!

Just as a footnote:

The reason I am saying this is that we have friends who he came to work here from the US for an international company.
Due to the unstable climate here in EGypt the project that he was due to move onto was cancelled and he lost his job.
He was of Egyptian Origin, US citizen, fluent Arabic - highly marketable skills.
He lost his job in January - and was unable to find another one in EGypt - unless he compromised his whole family here and took an offer that was less than 40% of what he was earning before!!!!
Needless to say - after 6 months and many letters, mails, CV's and interviews - they have just flown back to the US for good!!

SO please make sure you ahve jobs!

biffy wrote:

Tips on the job market.

If you are coming without jobs think again!
The job market for expats here is not as bouyant as it was.
ALso if you come and then find a job this could take a while to find something that suits you - at a salary that also suits you.  Becuase trust me the difference between an expats salary and a locals is huge!!
The only way for you to get the salary / benefits that you need to come here and live is to find your job before you come!
Especially as you have a family - I wouldn't want to have to live in any of the local areas by myself never mind with my children - the life is very different given the high level of poverty and poor education, hygiene and cleanliness.
It isn't necessary to live in one of the 'expat areas' there are some other areas that you could live , but there are many areas where you wouldn't want to live.

ALso don't assume that ebcuase you both have very marketable skills in the US it is easy to find a job here - it isn't.  ALso the government block visas for jobs that an EGyptian can do just as well - there are also alot of people here who are unemployed and looking for work.
Native English speakers teaching in international schools is one way - but again get the job BEFORE you come, nursing I am not so sure about, it isn't like the UAE where they emply many many foriegn nurses.
ANd sorry to say computer networkers - they have many highly qualified EGyptian ones - so I would imagine to get a job in this field with anything like the kind of money / benefits that you need is not going to be easy.
I would advise against coming with no jobs - Egypt is not a place to stay if you have no income.  Yes you could probobaly eat cheaply if you ate like a local, but how are you going to live otherwise? Hotel? Transport - Taxis although cheap are not free. And with many banks now you couldn't even open a bank account without a work / residency visa.
Even renewing the initial 3 month visa you get on arrival is a dodgy now - will they extend it or not, and for how long?

So please come and enjoy - but make sure you have jobs first!!

Thanks Biffy for the being honest about the job market in Egypt. Fortunately I managed to get a interview at a women's hospital. Also I am in current contact with locals whom I know that are in Egypt already who teach and will help me with teaching jobs just in case. As far as my husband, he will work work remotely from his company while we are there so we will be financially stable during our transitioning. There are other main reasons why I decided to consider Egypt for migration and I am a women of high faith in the Most High Power so I know we would be fine. In the US they are also experiencing a huge job shortage, in that many companies are being bought out overseas and new nurses are feeling the delay in landing a job so either way it as far as jobs were are not really against the odds. But I really appreciate your reply because I prefer to hear the nitty gritty so I will be preapred upon my arrival. Thanks

Im american and i work online ,i do very well living in hurghada...personally i dont like the "gated community" type places for expats.. i like to live around the egyptians and pay egyptian prices for most stuff. I suggest keeping ties with the states such as keep open bank accounts. so if you can work online you have an account to use and get deposits and use debit cards. also the places aimed and made for expats are way more expensive than living in the normal community renting in my opinion. just got my visa renewed for a year no problem. just saying :-)and getting a flat.. talk to the doormen at apt. buildings you see and like. dont go through a real estate or youll pay much more. ;-)unless money isnt an issue. if i had kids id rather raise them in hurgahda than cairo.. its nicer!

davist18leo wrote:

biffy wrote:

Tips on the job market.

If you are coming without jobs think again!
The job market for expats here is not as bouyant as it was.
ALso if you come and then find a job this could take a while to find something that suits you - at a salary that also suits you.  Becuase trust me the difference between an expats salary and a locals is huge!!
The only way for you to get the salary / benefits that you need to come here and live is to find your job before you come!
Especially as you have a family - I wouldn't want to have to live in any of the local areas by myself never mind with my children - the life is very different given the high level of poverty and poor education, hygiene and cleanliness.
It isn't necessary to live in one of the 'expat areas' there are some other areas that you could live , but there are many areas where you wouldn't want to live.

ALso don't assume that ebcuase you both have very marketable skills in the US it is easy to find a job here - it isn't.  ALso the government block visas for jobs that an EGyptian can do just as well - there are also alot of people here who are unemployed and looking for work.
Native English speakers teaching in international schools is one way - but again get the job BEFORE you come, nursing I am not so sure about, it isn't like the UAE where they emply many many foriegn nurses.
ANd sorry to say computer networkers - they have many highly qualified EGyptian ones - so I would imagine to get a job in this field with anything like the kind of money / benefits that you need is not going to be easy.
I would advise against coming with no jobs - Egypt is not a place to stay if you have no income.  Yes you could probobaly eat cheaply if you ate like a local, but how are you going to live otherwise? Hotel? Transport - Taxis although cheap are not free. And with many banks now you couldn't even open a bank account without a work / residency visa.
Even renewing the initial 3 month visa you get on arrival is a dodgy now - will they extend it or not, and for how long?

So please come and enjoy - but make sure you have jobs first!!

Thanks Biffy for the being honest about the job market in Egypt. Fortunately I managed to get a interview at a women's hospital. Also I am in current contact with locals whom I know that are in Egypt already who teach and will help me with teaching jobs just in case. As far as my husband, he will work work remotely from his company while we are there so we will be financially stable during our transitioning. There are other main reasons why I decided to consider Egypt for migration and I am a women of high faith in the Most High Power so I know we would be fine. In the US they are also experiencing a huge job shortage, in that many companies are being bought out overseas and new nurses are feeling the delay in landing a job so either way it as far as jobs were are not really against the odds. But I really appreciate your reply because I prefer to hear the nitty gritty so I will be preapred upon my arrival. Thanks