Narmer is definitely moving to a new site in August. Looks to be a nice building.

"If you want to teach in a school with integrity" you should avoid almost every private American school in Egypt save CAC. But it's not all that bad here. You learn to roll with the punches from the administration and owners, and take what you can get from your students which will make you crazy on many days, but will leave you with many smiles and some great stories.

I am currently teaching at an American school in Cairo that is pretty horrific, but I know there are schools far worse in this city so I count myself lucky. (At least I know I'll get paid!) When I've hung out with teachers at other schools here we all have the same complaints, so it's as much to do with the nature of the students and the nature of the business as it is to do with the school itself. Narmer teachers I've talked to complain, but again, nothing new there. And many have said it's not a bad school at all and will be returning, which is a very good sign. I've chatted informally and formally with Dr. Yoder and found him to be a pretty good guy who seems to want to take Narmer to a higher level than the run of the mill American schools in Cairo which are popping up all over the place, another good sign. Narmer I'd say is one of the better second tier American schools in Cairo. You could do a lot worse for sure.

From what I understand QSI has some sort of connection to a church or religious organization. Not overt or in your face, but it's there. I've heard "from friends" who've interviewed with QSI that you may be asked about your religious affiliation, but unless you say you're an athiest, you'll probably be OK. They do not hire smokers and for the most part only hire married couples. (You'll probably be asked if you smoke in the interview. If you say no, but are caught smoking I suppose it could be a firing offence as you've lied. Donno.) As far as their grading policy, the school system is based around "mastery." So you do not move up in levels until you master the subject- hence the Only B's or Above thing. I think it's a pretty cool idea myself.

A Few Answers:

First: Almost all the private schools in Cairo are pretty tough places to teach. Many of the students are undisciplined and have little to no interest in "learning," they are primarily in these schools to get a degree for family pride and bragging rights. (The American programs are considered the easiest way to get the grades needed for university.) These kids, the upper class of Cairo, will be set up with a good job in the family business so a real education as a stepping stone to a satisfying or better job is mostly unimportant to them. (I am generalizing here, I have some great kids who really want to learn, but that is the exception rather than the rule.)

All private schools in Cairo are businesses first and schools second. You as a teacher in these schools will be an employee first and an educator second. You need to be OK with that if you expect to survive here. The American system has been a blessing for the owners of these schools. As we do not have any "real" end of year exam the door is open for all sorts of unethical practices, the main one being the changing of grades. Most American schools in Cairo will change the grades you turn in. The parents are paying a lot of money for their kids to get an A and an A they will get. (This is partially the fault of the university system here where what you will major in is almost entirely dependent on your grades, so if you want to be a doctor or an engineer, and all the families want their kids to be one or the other, you have to have straight A's.) The Ministry of Education has responded to this by making (I hear) the SAT exam a huge percentage of the final grade these kids will get. Rumor has it that the grades from school will count as 40% of the final GPA, while the SAT will count for 60%. This means that classroom grades will become less important and SAT work will take a priority. If you are an English or Math teacher in high school you will be under enourmous pressure and I fear those of us not teaching those core SAT type subjects will be shunted aside or have to change our teaching to make sure everything is geared towards the SAT exam.

1. NARMER- As far as second tier Cairo international schools go Narmer is one of the better ones. The director, Dr. Yoder, is a very nice man who seems to really care about his school, his staff and the students. I've heard discipline is a problem at the school, but that is a common complaint around here, so it's not shocking. I've not heard many tales of grade changing, but have no idea if it happens or not. The staff of Narmer I've talked to seem fairly happy at the school, which is a huge plus. Quite a few of the staff have been at the school for at least two years, which is also fairly impressive for an Egyptian school. The only problem I hear about with Narmer is the ownership. A family owns the school and a few others. One of the sisters, who I hear is very passionate about education, controls the American school. The problem is that she is only one of many family members, so many of the changes she tries to make with the school, moving it from a business to an actual school, do not happen because the other family members (the board of directors) vote her down.

Narmer is moving into a brand new building this August. From the drawings and the hype it looks to be a fairly impressive place. Promises of large classrooms, computers in every room, central air, indoor gym, designed by an actual architect, furnishings imported from America... sound great. It remains to be seen if these things are true. But it looks like the right direction.

Long story short- Narmer is not a bad place, you could do MUCH MUCH worse in Cairo!

2. From what I hear you get to pick your own flat once you move here. (Narmer does not have teacher housing.) You will be living in an area of Cairo called Maadi, which is a very pleasant place. It's not crowded, it's very green and very expat friendly. There are a wide variety of flats in Maadi and for the most part they are large, nice and pleasant. A few things to look for- make sure everything works in your flat! A/C, heat, lights, fridge, phone... Try to get a place with screens on the windows, ask for the carpets to be cleaned, fridge, walls... Get all promises in writing and do not pay your full deposit until these promises are fulfilled. Your landlord may forget all about you and the promises made once they get your deposit.

3. Living in Cairo is an experience. It's a huge and polluted city. (Right now I'm looking out my window and it's so smoggy it looks like a fog has rolled in.) But it's a great place to live. Lots of sights and sounds, plenty to do, great nightlife, good expat scene.

Maadi has everything you need, most of it within walking distance. Great markets, fun shops, quiet areas, good clubs. The Nile is close for those Thursday night-one case of beer and a few friends-release the stress of a tough week of teaching Egyptian kids-felucca sails. There are some good expat clubs, a softball field, and other bits of home that make life, on occasion, bearable.

Egypt is an incredibly cheap place to live. Your salary will go a long ways here. Travel is also very cheap.

I've been in Cairo for two years. Have two more to go. I'll be ready to leave then, but am loving it here.