posted
My husband and I and are 2 children are looking to move to Egypt. What is a clean, quiet city to move in? What about Sheik Zayedh?
Posts: 10 | From: Phila,Pa U.S.A | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Hi Jameelah. Can I suggest you try Maadi in outer Cairo, its quiet and has some good schools for the kids. It also has three metro stations so you can get around ok. Good luck Bulldog
Posts: 176 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Thanks for all your replies. I am muslim so we want to live in a community where there are practicing muslims.
Posts: 10 | From: Phila,Pa U.S.A | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Jameelah: Thanks for all your replies. I am muslim so we want to live in a community where there are practicing muslims.
Welcome to Egypt. There are practicing muslims EVERYWHERE here. Maadi would be a nice choice, but perhaps not your best choice. Where are you moving from? That will give us more information that could help make a useful suggestion to you. Also, WHY are you moving to Egypt? Does your husband have a new job here? Where do you expect to send your children for school? Do you and your family know Arabic already?
quote:Originally posted by Debbie: Welcome to Egypt. There are practicing muslims EVERYWHERE here. Maadi would be a nice choice, but perhaps not your best choice. Where are you moving from? That will give us more information that could help make a useful suggestion to you. Also, WHY are you moving to Egypt? Does your husband have a new job here? Where do you expect to send your children for school? Do you and your family know Arabic already?
HI Debbie, I am moving from Philadelphia. We want to live in a country where we can practice Islam freely amongst other muslims, It's very hard here in the U.S to maintain your islamic identity. My husband does not have a job there yet, he is getting a teaching certificate to teach english. Me on the other hand I am taking a course to get a certificate in Medical Transcription and should be done by the time we leave, I also have 10 years experience in the medical field. We expect to send our children to a private islamic school. We also would like to spend our first year just learning Arabic at one of the institutes, although my husband speaks a little now. It seem so hard to go to any of the other muslim countries and that's why we choose Egypt. Any info you can offer me and my family would be greatly appreciated.
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dear friend i live in maadi and actually all my family does, so i guess u can find all u want in maadi ,if u want an islamic life , u will find it here, and i can introduce u into some ppl who i am sure u will like their company , just take the step and tawakally 3la allah but my concern is about , ur husband 's job , it is safe to have this done before moving to egypt
quote:Originally posted by BoBBoSS: dear friend i live in maadi and actually all my family does, so i guess u can find all u want in maadi ,if u want an islamic life , u will find it here, and i can introduce u into some ppl who i am sure u will like their company , just take the step and tawakally 3la allah but my concern is about , ur husband 's job , it is safe to have this done before moving to egypt
Is it best for him to find a job before he comes there? If so, where can he enquire about jobs before he comes there?
posted
I'm kind of torn about Maadi vs some other area. First I think since you are moving from the states, Maadi would be good for you as you won't find the culture shock quite so great if you live there and your kids would have other kids to play with that they could relate to...both muslim kids and expat kids. But, it will be expensive and since you may be living on an English teachers salary, that could make it way out of reach for you.
If I were you, I'd research the schools and decide where to send your children first, then look for a neighborhood that is satisfactory for that and for you. Here is a link to the schools offered here. http://www.schools-in-egypt.com/
If I were you, I'd post in the Classifieds area a post about looking for work as a Medical transcriber, because there is a guy who posts on here sometimes that came to Cairo to start a company that does that and he has advertised here before for your skills. Or do a search for his past posts on the subject, find him and start a dialog about your working for him. See what he can pay, things like that.
What is your schedule for moving looking like now? Do you have a firm date in mind?
As for finding a job as an "English teacher", I personally would say not to worry about trying to find that job before you move here. There are always English teaching jobs available, but one reason they are ALWAYS available is because they don't pay particularly well, and people come, do that for awhile, and then move on. It seems to be a good certificate to have though as you can teach English in any country around the world with it.
He should probably search English language schools in Egypt to see if he can get a line on some of them before he comes so he at least has some addresses to go to, to apply. ILI would be one to look at. And I think they do hire from abroad, so he could try to get on with them before coming. Others might as well.
It would be better if your husband can get at least a years teaching experience in teaching English if he wants to work in one of the reputable TEFL centers, as there is a lot of competition for jobs in this field because many people are now trying the same way to get jobs overseas. Otherwise he will have to get a job in one of the schools, and as Debbie says they do not pay well and also people move on often because the working conditions are not good. Certainly if you want to send your kids to a private school he will need to land the best paying job he can as these schools are not cheap, I don’t know the exact prices for the private Islamic schools, but my fairly sure guess is that they would be out of reach of an English teacher’s salary.
The best way to get a job that pays well that may have fringe benefits is by securing one before you come, once you arrive any salary you will be offered will be a fraction of a pre-arranged one. The center your husband is doing his course at should be able to supply him with contacts for applying for jobs or a good internet search engine will bring up a lot of links. But generally there are very few TEFL jobs advertised on the internet for Egypt, as they are filled by people who are already here who can be offered contracts without the fringe benefits, there are more available in the Gulf or Saudi (and they pay much better too!). The main TEFL certificate that is recognized here is the CELTA, if he is taking this course it will be better than the others available in the Philadelphia area.
If however you want to spend the first year studying Arabic you will need to come with a good amount of savings to support yourselves, as this would be difficult to do on an intensive level alongside working to support a family and pay private school fees, as most of the courses on offer expect a fairly high time commitment to be of any value (about 6 hours a day, including homework time, 5/6 days a week). Private lessons are more flexible, but obviously more expensive.
There seem to be a few main areas where there are groups of practicing American Muslims in Cairo, judging by the areas halaqas are held in. The main ones are Maadi/Zamalek/Giza which are all fairly close together on the south of Cairo, and the other area that is becoming popular now is Rehab. This is a new development and as it’s a bit isolated at the moment, the accommodation is cheaper which is what is attracting people (it seems to have more of a foreign Muslim community than Sheikh Zayed), but the community support services are still quite limited but growing. There are of course foreign Muslims all round Cairo, but these seem to be the most popular areas.
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Dear Jameelah, I'm so happy you have decided to move to Egypt to live among a Muslim community. Thank God there are dedicated Muslim communities in every district in Egypt. I would like to to tell you about Mokattam city; it is located on Mokattam hill and it is a healthy place to live, for you and your children. The city is 20 minutes (driving) away from Maadi, 30 minutes away from Nasr City and downtown. The place has all the advantages of living in suburbs (greenery, quietness and cleanliness) in addition to its being in the heart of Cairo. There are four language schools, all of which have a strong Islamic curricula as well as the American Diploma; the fees are around 5000 Egyptian pounds, that is $700 per child and you pay on two installments. There are at least 5 mosques that are very active in the community (summer programs for the children and teenagers), there are so many Muslims do serve their community there. The prices of flats are very reasonabe, you can buy a flat for $10,000 as it costs $150 per square meter for a finished flat (paint and tiles and windows). There are hospitals, nurseries, supermarkets and a few clothes shops. Any way, I guess this will be the place to be. I wish you and your family the best of luck ! Yours in Islam Nelly
Posts: 25 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I'm also ready to move to Egypt in March, with my family. The main issue is knowing how much rent will cost us. The area you desribed, Mokattam city, sounds like a pretty good choice for us as well. If we wanted a nice, Clean, 2-3 bedroom apartment then what kind of price should we expect to pay? As we have a few young kids is there any chance of apartments with any type of garden or would I be looking at a villa, if so what kind of prices do they go for?
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Dear Jameelah, A nice furnished flat in Mokattam city would cost from 800 to 1000 Egyptian pounds per month ($130), and only the blocks overlooking the main street are allowed not to have a garden, but all the buildings in the rest of the city are obliged to have a garden and there are so many public ones all over and a public library for children. You seem to prefer a villa, I'll ask around and tell you the price you can expect. Posts: 25 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Really gratefull for your helpfull info! Could you paint a picture of what we could expect for the price you mentioned.
As for myself then because of the gang of kids then I'd really love a villa. Would you please try and give me an idea of what that may cost and how it would be in terms of how many rooms etc.
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Dear Jameelah, I asked around I guess the best bargain will be for you to get a ground-floor flat, where you will enjoy the garden. As for small villas you want (3 rooms), it will usualy be a duplex on a high floor, and the rent will be about 2000 Egyptian pounds per month, so, I believe the first option will be great. If you want to know more about furnished flats in Mokattam, they come with beds, curtains, kitchen, and its supplies, a washing machine and a color tv, a bathroom or two.
[This message has been edited by nelly (edited 07 February 2004).]
Are you ignoring me on purpose or thinking me and Jameelah are one and the same? Alhamdullilah the info is equally helpfull, many thanks!
Just to add: The ground floor flat, is the garden only for your apartment or is it shared? For the price you mentioned (approx.1000)is that a clean fairly new apartment or how would you describe it?
posted
Dear Nelly and Jameelah: the price I mentioned in my last post (LE500) for unfurnished flat. Please pass info to English Muslim.
Posts: 477 | From: Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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Just had a look at the links you gave me...what's the deal with El Rehab? IS it basically a compound as opposed to just another district? It seems really nice..almost too nice! How would I find out about costs for instance the place in this link: http://www.misrcities.com/ModelDetailsMainPAge.Asp?ModelId=292&ProjectId=4
Really appreciate your help and ask Allah to make all your affairs easy for you!
posted
You can easily find one with a garden. (my friends's is with a garden). It is a compound. Schools, shopping malls, restaurants, hospital... I think everything. AGAIN, I haven't been there, but many praised the place. With your set budget, I firmly believe that you can get something really appropriate with it. Once you settle, you can buy some GOOD second hand furniture.
Posts: 477 | From: Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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Any idea how I can contact Al Rehab to see about current prices for some of the places they have? I couldn't see any contact info nor prices from the web site.
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Dear Muslim Englishman Thank God you have recovered and no I haven't been ignoring you, I just thought you have your mind set on Alexandria not Cairo, any way, Rehab is nice for those who want to own a flat or a villa, but I know it is very expensive to get a flat there, it costs at least 250,000 Egyptian pounds, true you get to pay by installments but in Mokattam, you get to enjoy all the advantages of Rehab, plus those of the city. Best of luck ! Posts: 25 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Yes you're right I was set on Alex but some posters made other options sounds pretty appealing!
It was also that Jameelahs question was very similar to my situation in that I'd like to be amongst good muslims* and in a more Islamic enviroment than some parts of Egypt!
I really just want a nice,quiet,clean area. I'd really like something with a garden, close to a mosque. I have a budget I guess of around max.2000LE and I'm now more confused than ever.....WHERE SHALL I GO??? HELP!!!
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A cooment from another forum where commenting on the discussion I think speaking about Mokkatam city: What do you think?
"This place is far, far from any schools, so it would be counterproductive to go there - you'd spend more than the money saved on transport to work and shops. Your wife and children would be very isolated unless you have a car (driving in Cairo is a nightmare and cars quite expensive-massive duty), public transport difficult/close to impossible for foreign women - the buses overcrowded and the minibuses complete death traps. This is not a good option. Villas are completely out of the question for a foreign teacher - they go for about 4000 (yes thousand!) US a month and are mostly only rented to oil companies. Zahraa El Maadi is an option - you could probably get a 3 bedroom furnished apartment for about 1500 LE. With a wife and family you can't really " go native" here - the chidren need to attend school (and these schools are not in the cheaper areas) and the traffic problems so acute here that you need to live close to your work." "El Rehab is very nice , as is Kattamaya Heights - but again, without sounding pessimistic- these are way, way out of range for EFL teachers just earning Egyptian pounds. Both areas are targeted to the "newly rich" Cairenos - the posting suggesting Zahraa El Maadi is the most helpful _(I've lived in Maadi for four years so I know the area well - another option that could be a little cheaper is the more "baladi" end of Maadi - Hadeyak El Maadi - I've seen some reasonable flats there - but be prepared in these places for the plumbing and kitchens to be fairly prehistoric"
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Abdlkarim... the price Nelly quoted is for buying the place.. but you can (as i mentioned) rent a flat with a garden in Rehab.. Not to worry.. I will ask my friend whom lives out there how he got his. However, plenty of flats are available these days.. Ahhh... Rehab also have a Bus service from there anywhere in Cairo.. Mokkatam is nice as well... but I hate driving all the way up there.. and I think they have water problem (not sure about that).. Did u check schools in Rehab?? I am sure we will be in contact before u arrive.. and I hope after. Don't be confused.. Tawakal alla allah... and Good Luck in Cairo..
Posts: 477 | From: Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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I keep posting this in the wrong place! Hopefully this will work now! Here goes;
Hello everyone, Assalamu Alaikom Well, i have read these posts with interest but would still like to ask if anyone has more information on Rehab City and how much it would cost to buy a small Villa there or possibly large apartment. I have tried calling the office of 'misrcities' several times and have had no luck! Anybody live there or a similar city? Would love more information. My husband and I would like to buy some property there soon.
Thank you, Ma'asalam
Posts: 606 | From: London, UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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