Here I am again! Barely eleven am and I am with my AC on high! Is H.O.T. in Egypt! Today's broadcast said it was going to be 36 C (97 F) so with that I think I am better staying here today. I decided to recap some of my interviews here in Egypt and to give you a general idea of how things go sometimes.
This is my experience only and believe it or not here there are no labor laws or discrimination law whatsoever! So take your "that is not right by law" hat and welcome to Egypt! First off, I said before that I am from Puerto Rico. I am going to give a little history here so we understand we are not a US state but since a treaty made in the 1900 we are American citizens. So that being said I am American. Gasp! I know you are surprised!
Believe me here your nationality is important. Here unfortunately is not your Education that matters is up to the fact if they like you or not. There is no salary scale anywhere and you can get paid less or more depending on your negotiating skills and on your ability to be like by the one who is hiring you. So as you see is a totally different play here in Egypt.
My advice to you is to be strong if you are applying for a job and you have the experience and qualifications for it do not be shy to be heard. First off sometimes they do not specify the salary which can be really annoying! I mean I remember back home you made an ad about a job and you put how much was the position offering! Here you basically have to fight with them to see how much the salary is.
Why? Because they want the best and they want you for less money! So beware and always ask! I always answer my phone and my first question is; What is the salary?
Answer: "Well it depends on your qualifications and you have to speak to the owner."
Me:" What if I have no experience. What is the starting salary then?"
Answer: " I am sorry I don't have that information"
Me: "Look I need to know how much it is to see if is what I am looking for"
Answer: " What is your expected salary?"
Basically that is how it goes! Hard and maybe pushy if I am trying to find a job? Yes, but believe me is necessary! You don't want to pay for transportation make a demo and then they tell you that the salary is 2,500 pounds! Which if we convert it to US dollars is $356.68 a month! Definitely not what I am looking for. The thing is foreigners get paid way more than Egyptians our Education is different and if you are looking for a teaching job your native tongue means pretty money. So do not be afraid to ask and push as much as necessary. Parents pay a lot of money on school tuition for native speakers to teach their children.
After the Revolution things here job wise are not good. So everyone is looking for the best piece of the cake and some expats are leaving the country due to the following protest coming on June 30. Which I will explain in a later post. One of my frustrations in finding a job is that my native tongue is Spanish I am American but in Puerto Rico the language is Spanish. Try to explain that here! My English thank God is very good and I barely have an accent believe it or not! So is not so hard for me to get jobs. The fact is when I am looking for a Spanish Job they don't believe me! hahahha They think only Spaniards speak Spanish!
Anyways also another advice always ask how much time you are going to be in the interview and tell them once I was eight hours in a school because can with their bus and they talk to me for 20 minutes being in those 20 minutes the buses were leaving so I had to wait eight hours to get back home for only a few minutes for a meeting!!!!!!! Not my best day believe me!
My advice to you if you are planning to come to Egypt try to find something before being here is better. Second if you are already here do not despair and try to find the best for you.
Thank you for reading and following me until next post!
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