“Female Arabic Tutor, Egyptian Dialect,” reads a sign posted in the Cilantro café outside the main entrance to American University in Cairo (AUC). The sign is one of many for private Arabic tutors posted around campus by unqualified instructors who hope to attract study abroad-students.
According to Mohamed Hassan, an Arabic tutor who holds a Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) degree, many of these unqualified teachers are students who have never taken lessons in any language, but learned to speak a bit of English and decided to teach foreigners Arabic for very low fees.
Many such signs have popped up all over campus and in popular spots around AUC like Cilantro and Bon Apetit.
“I am being compared to those untrustworthy teachers and, sadly, every two weeks you see a lot of random ads being posted everywhere by them,” he said.
Most of these private tutors refused to comment. One, who asked to remain anonymous, said that he has been giving private Arabic lessons and advertising them around campus for two years but has no teaching qualification.
This increase of private tutors is occurring even though ALI at AUC provides various programs and even tutorials for undergraduate and graduate students.
Kate Dannies, a study abroad who takes Arabic classes at AUC, thinks that the reason why people use these private tutors is that they are much cheaper and easier. She also explained that some universities abroad refuse to accept the credits of Arabic classes for transfer.
“I imagine [students] would like to take classes [at ALI] but don’t have time or can’t afford it,” said Zeinab Taha, director of the ALI.
Daniel Aaron, a study abroad taking an Arabic class at AUC, said he would consider taking private lessons from private tutors advertising around campus if they were a good value.
On the other hand, Kate Goodin, a study abroad student majoring in comparative religion, would not consider these tutors since she is already taking intensive Arabic coursed in AUC four days a week “Most of [my classes] are challenging and [the price is] worth it.”