posted
If applying for either studying or work in Egypt, what would be acceptable proofs of qualifications from abroad? I'm sure I read somewhere that you have to get copies of degree certificates etc 'notorized' somewhere - does this need to be somewhere like the Egyptian Consulate in the UK?
I'm reluctant to take all my certificates to Egypt as they normally live in a bank vault.
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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Copies of your certificates should be ok for applying for work - I haven't heard about them needing to be notarized - and a CV. But something new that they are asking for to apply for a work visa is a Certificate of Experience from a previous employer. This has to show that you have worked in the field that you are applying for, for at least three years; just showing the job title, employer, and the dates, and you will need to get this translated. I'm not sure if these three years can be split between more than one employer or not.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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Copies of your certificates should be ok for applying for work - I haven't heard about them needing to be notarized - and a CV. But something new that they are asking for to apply for a work visa is a Certificate of Experience from a previous employer. This has to show that you have worked in the field that you are applying for, for at least three years; just showing the job title, employer, and the dates, and you will need to get this translated. I'm not sure if these three years can be split between more than one employer or not.
Thanks for the info Newcomer. Wonder how they define a 'field'! I can see some flexibility of thought coming in here....
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by oldbag: Thanks for the info Newcomer. Wonder how they define a 'field'! I can see some flexibility of thought coming in here....
Sorry to have been misleading, as the opposite is actually true...apparently the new job title has to be the same as your previous job title to show that you are experienced in the field that you are applying for. So if you are applying for a job as a university professor, you should have had 3 years experience as a university professor to be granted a work permit. There also cannot be Egyptians who can do the job you are applying for, and there has to be a certain number of Egyptians working in the organization before they will be allowed to employ a foreigner.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:Originally posted by oldbag: Thanks for the info Newcomer. Wonder how they define a 'field'! I can see some flexibility of thought coming in here....
Sorry to have been misleading, as the opposite is actually true...apparently the new job title has to be the same as your previous job title to show that you are experienced in the field that you are applying for. So if you are applying for a job as a university professor, you should have had 3 years experience as a university professor to be granted a work permit. There also cannot be Egyptians who can do the job you are applying for, and there has to be a certain number of Egyptians working in the organization before they will be allowed to employ a foreigner.
Very interesting bit of info there, thanks Newcomer!
Hypothetically, just suppose that the content of the position is identical to the one you are applying for but has a very different title? (I always remember the best bit of advice I got from Cosmopolitan magazine in my youth was 'remember, one company's senior clerk is another's vice president!'
Or, again hypothetically, suppose you had extensive experience of using a particular skill set but it could be applied across a range of job titles? (eg if you were, say, a number-cruncher extraordinare - a bunch of numbers is a bunch of numbers whether they are patients, trains, cars, items on a production line!)
Just as a by-the-by: In the UK now, it is illegal to look at experience (implicit ageism), you have to consider skillset! (Don't think a lot of the company's have quite caught on to that!)
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Your argument is totally valid if you are dealing with people who function on a logical level, but we are talking about civil servants here, who have difficulty in thinking laterally, especially if the type of work is out of their personal experience. If it isn't called a duck, it doesn't matter how loud it quacks, it will never be a duck in their eyes! The best advice seems to be to either get your former employer or the new one to agree to be a little creative when submitting paperwork for the visa.
What they are trying to do is to protect the Egyptian workforce and make sure that foreigners don't take jobs that can be done by Egyptians - which is a really valid aim in the current unemployment situation in the country - and they are trying to make sure that people have actually had the experience they are writing on their CVs, but sadly the rules aren't flexible enough to cope with the developments in the labour market and the new jobs being created based on skillsets. So in the end, this makes the people applying for the visas have to be a little creative to get through the system.
Good luck with the bureaucracy! Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:Originally posted by newcomer: Your argument is totally valid if you are dealing with people who function on a logical level, but we are talking about civil servants here, who have difficulty in thinking laterally, especially if the type of work is out of their personal experience. If it isn't called a duck, it doesn't matter how loud it quacks, it will never be a duck in their eyes! The best advice seems to be to either get your former employer or the new one to agree to be a little creative when submitting paperwork for the visa.
What they are trying to do is to protect the Egyptian workforce and make sure that foreigners don't take jobs that can be done by Egyptians - which is a really valid aim in the current unemployment situation in the country - and they are trying to make sure that people have actually had the experience they are writing on their CVs, but sadly the rules aren't flexible enough to cope with the developments in the labour market and the new jobs being created based on skillsets. So in the end, this makes the people applying for the visas have to be a little creative to get through the system.
Good luck with the bureaucracy!
I fully appreciate about the need to preserve jobs for Egyptians, and do support it!
I have actually already decided that given my personal circumstances, for me to take, say, an ex-pat job on an ex-pat salary would be immoral to say the least and, so long as I learn to cook and use microbuses - I wouldn't have a need to earn too much, maybe the odd bit of freelancing now and then.
For me, a job would be more about social interactions, finding friends and so on, so I am just mentally exploring a whole range of ideas from charity work to approaching a university to see if they would consider allowing me to have an honorary/ non-stipendary position (just so I can have an institution to put down on my research papers!)
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
You will find that people will think you are crazy with that attitude, and it may actually make it more difficult for you to get a job with a work permit as people will find it difficult to understand your way of thinking. But there are a few of us out here who don't feel it is moral to be paid 5 times more than an Egyptian, in their own country, just because we were born in an English speaking country.
There is quite a bit of freelancing work out there for native-English speakers though, whether or not you speak Arabic. It can be done. PM me if I can be of any help.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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It depends on where you shall apply. Some firms will ask you for a legalized documents from the Egyptian consulate in your country when you are already accepted to issue your employment file. thanks
-------------------- Last Knight Posts: 139 | From: Cairo | Registered: Dec 2005
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