Without a university degree or major .. Are foreign teachers in Egypt qualified?

Farida Ahmed

International schools usually promote teaching staff by relying on foreign teachers, and whenever a school has teachers of different nationalities, tuition fees are higher; investing in children's education is the principle of the majority of the middle class. But do Egyptians spend their money on a guaranteed investment? Are foreign teachers really qualified to teach?

Low numbers and imaginary expenses
The database of the Ministry of Education in Egypt reveals a meager number of international schools compared to private and public schools. Alpha and 223 schools.

The cost of international schools in Egypt ranges from seventy to four hundred thousand pounds (about four thousand and 25 thousand dollars), according to Egyptian newspapers.

Special privileges
Most international schools employ foreign teachers, and more families have sought to enroll their children, some in search of quality education and a high degree of English proficiency, and some for social prestige.

Foreigners find education in Egypt a great opportunity, given the high privileges they receive in return.

Dara Dini, an American teacher at an international school, points out in an article published on Egyptian Straits entitled "10 Reasons to Teach in Egypt"; it is easy to get an opportunity to teach in Egypt even if with limited experience. "Even if you don't graduate, you still have a chance to find a job with a good salary because the need for native speakers is very high," she said.

Dara, who worked before teaching at a consultancy firm specializing in research between South Sudan and Egypt, preferred to leave her job because she earned more than four times the amount she was teaching at the company, just because there was a high demand for native speakers International Schools.

Foreign Teacher Privileges
Foreign teachers in some international schools receive a number of benefits that their Egyptian colleagues do not receive, including a tax-free salary, paid in sterling or US dollars, and an annual trip or cash equivalent.

In addition to monthly housing allowance, medical insurance, paid holidays, and free transportation to and from school, the exact details of each individual vary from school to school, depending on what the teacher negotiates, and of course experience and educational background.

While recruitment criteria in most schools require a minimum of experience in dealing with students and a bachelor's degree in any discipline.

No qualifications
"I worked in a school in the pyramid area for three years, and I found out while talking to my classmates that one of them, who teaches an elementary school class, did not get a university degree. Amal because of the standards and requirements set by the owner of the school on the Egyptian teachers, and does not cast a damn with foreigners. " "All that matters to the school owner is to bring in foreigners or native English speakers to improve the pronunciation of students to attract the largest number of parents."

According to Iman Saleh, one of the teachers at the international school attended by her children does not have an educational degree. The other condoned it in exchange for being a foreigner. "

Some of the pupils at an international school heard that the foreign "classroom teacher" did not have a university degree, which irritated some parents and demanded that the school director dismiss him.

System error
This does not mean that all foreign teachers in Egypt are not qualified at all. Some schools require some form of professional certification, such as a CELTA and TESOL.

Nancy Awad (mother of one of the pupils) told Al Jazeera Net, “I am a parent who is interested in asking about the biography of the teacher and his specialization. "We moved to Egypt three years ago, and foreign teachers at their current school have seven years of teaching experience in Britain. However, the boys' level is bad, because they are subject to the education system." Egyptian with all his problems. "