Hi,

I noticed this thread, so I thought I would add my views.

We taught in Egypt, in Alexandria, from 2009 until last June 2011. We were in Egypt during the revolution and our school evacuated the expat teachers in early February. I still remember the Borg al Arab airport and the looks of desperation on many faces (reminded me of some movies where people were trying to flee). I also spent several nights out in the streets of my neighborhood, with our sticks and knives and rocks, to defend ourselves from the thousands of criminals that were purposely set free by the government, as a form of intimidation. I remember having my Internet and mobile phone service shut off by the government, in an attempt to control the population.

My wife and I left Egypt and are now teaching in Korea, partly because of the unstable nature of Egypt.

Should you have any concerns about safety now? I think you should. The country is still politically unstable. If the hardline Muslim conservatives continue to take over power, you might find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. If you are a typical pale skinned European/American/Canadian, you will stand out in a crowd. On the other hand, everything might work out just fine and you might find all concerns for safety to be overblown. My question is... do you want to take a chance?

As far as your being in Cairo and around other expats, I think there are a lot of people there who can provide a support structure. I still have a lot of friends in Egypt, expat and Egyptian, with whom I still stay in contact. I hope to return to Egypt someday, when things become more stable. There are a wide range of amazing things to see and do in Egypt. I had a group of about 20 Egyptian friends who would plan weekend trips to see cool places like Siwa and Rosetta, not to mention the typical tourist places like Giza, Aswan, and Luxor.

The value of the Egyptian pound dropped after the revolution. At our school, we were paid in US dollars, so it didn't hurt us at all. If you will be paid in EGP, you are taking a huge risk that your money will be worth less later on. Also, be careful about the quality of international schools in Egypt - there are a lot of very poor quality ones. I'll name just a few of the more reputable ones - CAC, Schutz, ESOL. Be sure to check out the schools on ISR, the reviews are very accurate.

Good luck and I hope everything works out well for you.

I'm in the second year of my contract in Alexandria, Egypt. I was here during the bombing of the Coptic Church. As horrible as the bombing was, it has had little impact on our school.

I think there are dangers in many places, but if you use common sense, you will generally turn out OK. International schools have a vested interest in keeping you safe, but it is your own behavior that is ultimately the most important. If you are American, don't openly advertise it - don't wear a US flag t-shirt. If you are a woman, don't dress outside of the norms - wearing shorts or halter tops. If you see what looks like a disturbance, turn around and go the other way. In other words, use common sense and stay aware of your environment.