The Niqab Girl

Almost every person in Egypt appears to be a teacher. For me it was improbable how can it work. Anyone who I met and regardless of his profession gave me the same answer – I am a teacher. Teacher of Arabic, Math, Science, English, PE etc...I just opened my mouth and stared on those people…I really could not find out long time “why everyone wants to be a teacher” even without enough experiences or little bit of talent. I guess to be a real teacher is a huge life mission and not anyone can do it. And the second question inside of me was “How all of those people can earn money by the teaching?”  But as the time passes I finally found the answer and also will show you my own teachers experiences…. For me… Being a teacher is a big curse ! I am from “teacher family” almost each person in my family is a teacher… and since I was a kid I really hated it from my heart. But I think this is my fate or God punishment for me. I  have to except that even me – I am or will be a teacher one day. I swear I tried to escape from this job as long as I could and in all possible ways but at the end it reached me, caught me and my destiny pulled me together with this profession. What a Disappointment! But the reality is if you are a girl and you want to work so this is the only work what you can actually do.. and again does not matter which university you have or experiences.And why? Firstly its a polite job so no family will  have a problem with it and  you earn kind of good money even if you are Egyptian. You can choose if you want to be a private teacher or work in school or nursery and because every child since nursery has a private teachers and on each of subject different teacher so the Egypt itself needs really enormously amount of teachers ! So its not hard to find a job…its even kind of to have a money very fast way. Boys are also teachers but mostly what I saw they are more clever and receiving more money  but the Egyptian culture prefer girl`s teachers. It is because of the Egyptian or even Islamic mentality. The one who cares about the educations of the children are of course the mothers.. and does not matter if they stay at home with the children or going to work. But its normal that the fathers has own work and are busy 24/7 so they do not have time on this. So each of the mother must deal with the teachers by herself and and if you have for example 7 private teachers who come to your home and your husband is not at home so in Egypt it is very impolite if the woman stay alone with  another man. And from Islam its forbidden to invite to your home another man if your husband is out of your home… And its not a kind of prison but something bad could happen. He could be a thief or make something bad to the kids or harm the woman itself..and if something like this happen and the husband is not at home and cannot protect his family so he will be punished from God. So its kind of protection for the family and that`s the reason why the mothers prefer girl`s teachers… Ok, honestly we have private teachers men but mostly they teach a groups of people or the family know him personality so they are sure he will not do anything bad…

MY OWN TEACHING IN A SCHOOL 

So the time when I decided to go out from my comfort zone in Egypt and start to work here I had to challenge my biggest nightmare. Because in all my searching and escaping I found at the end I can be only a teacher. I am a foreign who speaks an English so to find a job as a English teacher is the best option for me and my life here. There would be another possibilities for work except teaching but there’s a catch! you know, I am wearing a Niqab and companies mostly does not except girls in Niqab. They want European looking girls. so the only job what i can do in Niqab in Egypt is to be a teacher. and even not all people and schools except it. I have to say that the situation with Niqab even here going harder and harder..even a Muslim`s people are maybe “afraid” of the Islamic appearance? But i really do not understand why… Whatever… I experienced 2 interview, in both of them the boss was shocked I am a European and wearing a Niqab and they tried to convince me to take it off. The first interview was for a nursery and i passed it successfully but i spent just one day in this nursery and i was not able to afford it and i let it immediately. the way of treating the kids and teaching them was really very bad. and they played on European nursery but there was not even single common thing with Europe. also the salary was very little… they offered me 1000 LE. its enough just on a food and i found even Egyptian people has more money so i was very happy i left it.

My second interview was for a big school where they teach children since nursery till the high school and this job I accepted and stayed there kind of long time. I have to say even there is a lot of differences in the ways of teaching from Europe but I actually loved to work there.  I had really very good boss. they accepted that i am a foreign and helped me with anything I wanted and respected my European differences. And even the others teachers was nice to me and helped me and some of them became true my friends. So actually by this work I gained a lot – I got my own freedom in Egypt, i learnt how to be responsible, I learnt more about Egyptian mentality and habits and when I needed anything i had a people around me, also i learnt about the education itself in Egypt and how to deal with the people. Also with my friends who i met in this work actually I had a lot of fun in my life and also helped me to improve my Arabic. So if i did not accept this job before I would not have anything of what i wrote above..so even to be a teacher is a curse so in my life appeared as a good and successful curse.

I also remember time before this school when I needed urgent money so I gave a private lessons in English. At the start I thought that to be a private teacher is better than to work in a school itself. I even did not have a  problem that I do not speak Arabic very well. Mostly when I got private jobs so the parents already spoke English fluently so they did not want me to speak Arabic with the kids and also it was for a good money. But in this time i really could not afford the Egyptian mentality  for me it was the hardest nut to crack. They were changing the times of the lessons as they wanted or cancel for no reason or very silly one. And if they canceled a lot of times so I thought they simply do not want me anymore and I cut the line with them because I saw it as a wasting time. Or i came to the home and they told me they do not want me to give the lesson today. So i was like “you could not call me before i came? on what you have the mobile?”  also some kids does not study well and you have to explain one thing all the time over and over and if you make it little bit harder on them or try to use European technique – the parents will complain etc etc.. the problems for me was endless and as a private teacher I really suffered. For me to work in school was much more better and I could even enjoy my life… I also would like to describe you how the teacher system and education in the school works but its a theme for another post. At the end trust me – Egypt is country of teachers or do you think in your country you have more teachers? 😀 if yes give your comment… I would like to read another teachers experiences from another countries…

Books I wrote, you can read here:

1. Don´t fall in love with Egyptian man
2. Dining Like a Pharaoh