The International Schools Review Forum

How about these countries? How is living there? Quality? Cost? Travel? Food?

Again, anything would be appreciated.

Never lived there but it's obvious both countries absolutely suck, and taking a job there is for the insane only.

I would do Ethiopia. Very different culturally from the rest of Africa. Africa is not all bad, like some posters to this forum would have you believe.

Not sure about Cameroon, but I've had lots of people I know rave about Ethiopia. Supposed to be a fascinating place.

I would third the Ethiopia recommendation. It's a beautiful and relatively safe country surrounded by extremely dangerous ones. I've also heard there is a good school in Addis Ababa.

joe30 wrote:
> Never lived there but it's obvious both countries absolutely suck, and
> taking a job there is for the insane only.

ya, obvi.

I would definitely consider Ethiopia. I know very little about Cameroon.

joe30 wrote:
> Never lived there but it's obvious both countries absolutely suck, and taking a job
> there is for the insane only.


LOL! I think we can all agree that Joe is the "Howard Stern of ISR." Hilarious!

Let's see...high crime rates, AK-47s avaliable on every street corner, sky high cost of buying western products, terribly unattractive women, high HIV rates, unexploded landmines, power outages, unreliable internet, unsafe water, and the flights to leave the places cost of ton.

Yep, only for the insane. It's not like they're paying you lorry loads of money to put up with this stuff. The only schools I could actually recommend in Africa are the American School Lagos and Luanda International School, and that's only because you're paid a lot of money to put up with living there.

Sounds like PsyGuy not too many years ago. Makes me wonder if ISR haven't invented a protagonist.

Cameroon (Douala) would be interesting. A bit cheap, know your weather, but interesting. I considered going there once, but had taken an offer whilst they dithered before contacting (or were late contacting any hires?).

Ethiopia - I would have gone there, but riots and police action in Addis now have me more mixed on the issue.

Best advice - do your research on both places!

To follow up Joe's astute observations:

Uh. "High crime rates." Unfortunately this is true. Any country with this much economic disparity (both Cameroon- where I've lived- and Ethiopia, which has a great school, and I've had many colleagues who have worked there) is going to have petty crime out the wazoo. That being said, you just need to be smart. Like don't walk around with a bag at night.

"AK-47s available on every street corner." As much as I looked for one, it didn't matter what corner I was on. They just don't seem to be available. I suggest if you want easy access to guns, get a job in the States.

"Sky high cost of buying western products". Yes. (In the "white man stores".) Beer is cheap. Local food is in abundance and cheap. Vegetables and the best fruit you will ever eat in the world? Cheap.

"Terribly unattractive women." This is INSANE. Ethiopian women are stunning, and Cameroonians are fit as heck.

"High HIV rates". Not anymore. Plus wear a condom, for God's sake, if you need to cross that golden road to acculturation.

"Unexploded landmines." If you are talking about the potential of discovery hidden within the hearts of all of our students, then you are correct.

"Power outages". Yes.

"Unreliable Internet." Yes.

"Unsafe water." Don't drink it.

"The flights to leave the place cost a ton." Definitely in Cameroon. Addis has become a bit of an East African hub, so you can actually get some reasonable flights out of there.

If you have the spirit of adventure, and you want to live in some of the most stunning places on Earth, and teach polite, interesting and funny kids, I say go for it. If you want good Internet, cheap cereal, steady power supplies, and water you can drink straight from the tap, you might want to consider Colorado.

Polite kids and stunning scenery can be found in a great many places. You don't need to teach in an African warzone to get them.

The high crime rates are a real downside to living there. And we're not just talking about some pickpocket relieving you of your mobile, we're talking about places where they'll happily slit your throat for a couple of dollars.

Local food is cheap anywhere. If you want anything western, and most westerners will at some point...you'll have to pay extortionate amounts for it.

Sub Saharan African women are the most unattractive on the planet. This is a fact easily seen by anyone who doesn't have the PC glasses on.

The HIV rate in Cameroon currently stands at 5.4%. That's extremely high, and just because there's some nearby countries that have it worse doesn't mean this rate isn't high. It's over 25x the rate in Western Europe/USA and 10x the rate of Eastern Europe. The only way you could say it wasn't 'high' is when comparing to other warzone dump countries in Africa. I don't particularly want to have to wear a condom every time I have sex - and for these specific countries, even that countermeasure does not reduce the risk to anywhere near an acceptable amount.

The unexploded landmines are a fact. Venture outside the capitals and you'll see them.

Sure, you don't drink the water. But it's still a hardship. Not to mention, we use water for a lot more than drinking. The local food, prepared with that water is frequently not safe to eat.

Full disclosure to the OP. Joe is right.

After four years of living in Cameroon, I still feel the phantom pain in my missing limb from that time I stepped on a landmine on the black sand beaches of Limbe, and I carry the scars from the throat-slashing I got walking home from the off-license in Yaounde. Luckily, they only escaped with a couple of dollars. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to pay for the medication I need to counteract the dysentery I got from the drinking water and the HIV I contracted from the most hideously ugly prostitute you will ever see on the planet.

Other than that, its a wicked cool place to work and live!

Well, end of conversation. One person lived there without problem for four years so that means it is safe for everyone.

MamfeMan, for some reason all the government travel warnings have not been made aware of your safety story.

You had better send them an email so they can update their incorrect travel warnings.