{"id":607365,"date":"2023-10-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/blackboards\/are-we-about-to-see-an-exodus-of-foreign-teachers-from-egypts-international-schools\/"},"modified":"2023-10-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T00:00:00","slug":"are-we-about-to-see-an-exodus-of-foreign-teachers-from-egypts-international-schools","status":"publish","type":"blackboard","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/blackboards\/are-we-about-to-see-an-exodus-of-foreign-teachers-from-egypts-international-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we about to see an exodus of foreign teachers from Egypt\u2019s international schools?"},"content":{"rendered":"

H <\/strong> ow are Egypt\u2019s private + international schools managing to retain expat <\/strong> teachers? <\/strong> The process of recruiting \u2014 and then retaining \u2014 expat teachers has become something of an ordeal over the past several months as a result of both the ongoing FX crunch and devaluation. Schools have been struggling to mitigate the effects of the EGP devaluation this year and are bracing for potential further weakening of the currency in the near term, several school officials told Enterprise. Given that private international schools compensate expat teachers using a blend of FX and local currency, schools have been reconsidering the intricacies and potential consequences of this compensation structure<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Going local: <\/strong>In an attempt to tackle the difficulties brought by the present financial constraints, several schools are currently considering both \u201clocal international\u201d hires \u2014 ie foreigners already residing in Egypt \u2014 and local hires for their staffing requirements. Schools are pouring in more money into the development of local hires and the development of their accreditation to maintain their quality standards. Schools have also increased teacher salaries this year\u2014giving Egyptian teachers priority. <\/p>\n

Some private + international schools are feeling the pinch more than others: <\/strong> While some schools exclusively hire expats, others have a combination of locally hired staff and expats, and others generally staff only a few expats. Those who are experiencing the highest turnover rate in expats are the third category because they\u2019re unable to offer attractive packages in hard currency, El Alsson Executive Director Karim Rogers told Enterprise. <\/p>\n

Schools that have a combination of foreign and local hires have been feeling the hit as <\/strong> well: <\/strong> Schools should ideally maintain a staff requirement of 20% consisting of foreign hires, but the weakening currency has made it difficult to do so. \u201cNo international school reached the quota this year,\u201d Rogers tells us. International schools opt for foreign teachers because international certification requirements obligate them to hire a certain number of foreign teachers every year and failing to do so could put these schools\u2019 certifications in jeopardy, CIRA Education CEO Mohamed El Kalla previously told us<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Some expats found themselves getting paid less: <\/strong> At many international schools, foreign teachers have their salaries set in foreign currency, with a portion paid out in FX and the rest in EGP equivalent. After the EGP devaluation, some expats found themselves receiving reduced salaries due to the terms of their contracts. \u201cWhen I accepted the offer, I hadn\u2019t realized how much I would have been affected by the currency drop because I was originally being paid in EGP and 75% of it would be converted to GBP and I would keep 25% as EGP,\u201d according to a former English teacher at an International school, who relocated to Saudi Arabia due to the devaluation. <\/p>\n

Recruitment this year was especially difficult with more expats opting for other markets: <\/strong>Although contracts are finalized now that the academic year is underway, some expats opted to exit Egypt at the end of the last academic year as they were uncomfortable with the current conditions. \u201cAfter the school year, some expats decided to explore jobs in the Asian, South American, Saudi, and UAE markets, opting to avoid European and American markets because they\u2019re also going through their own cost of living crisis,\u201d said Rogers. Chinese schools attracted significant talent at teacher recruitment fairs earlier this year due to their offer of salaries that Egyptian international schools simply couldn\u2019t match, Sherine Galal, chairman of the Consultancy Group for International Education, told Enterprise. <\/p>\n

And there\u2019s a problem with the caliber we\u2019re left with: <\/strong> Given the FX crunch, it is becoming increasingly expensive to hire expats of very high credentials, our sources agreed. \u201cA lot of schools can\u2019t afford to hire the higher calibers of foreign expats, who demand higher salaries in USD, which severely impacts learning at the end of the day,\u201d Galal tells us. Some schools\u2019 decision to hire expatriates with lower qualifications can lead to a decrease in the overall teaching quality, she said.<\/p>\n

Old habits die hard: <\/strong>Schools who want to maintain their reputation would try \u201cmaking a balance of hiring expats, certified local foreign hires, and internationally certified local teachers, is the solution for such an impediment. In doing so, schools would be able to spend the extra fees on technology, educational resources, and professional development for local teachers,\u201d said Galal.<\/p>\n

Altogether, schools are getting more creative in where to direct their FX resources: <\/strong> Some are opting to channel their FX towards expats in administrative roles, such as principals or academic coordinators, who are then responsible for recruiting and training local teachers. Other institutions chose to invest in expats who teach base years to maintain the quality of foundation years. Meanwhile, some are opting for more \u201clocal foreign\u201d hires \u2014 which are less expensive than hiring foreigners from abroad \u2014 and then financing their accreditation or helping them get certified abroad, Galal told us. \u201cThis year there was a war of who could attract more from the local market,\u201d Rogers told us. <\/p>\n

What have schools done to retain teachers? <\/strong>There was a typical salary increase of 15-20% but \u201cwe increased the salaries of the Egyptians more than the expats because they were severely affected by the devaluation, and we had to show them our appreciation given that they\u2019re the backbone of our school,\u201d Rogers tells us. <\/p>\n

The upshot: The tides are shifting in favor of the local market: <\/strong> As more and more expats have been leaving Egypt since the pandemic hit and the FX crisis has worsened, the realization gradually dawned that there is \u201csignificant potential in highly educated and proficient Egyptian teachers readily available locally and open to employment at much cheaper rates,\u201d an anonymous source from SABIS told us. There\u2019s a current \u201cyouthfulization of schools,\u201d with many schools showing a growing inclination to hire highly qualified local Egyptians, a significant portion of whom hold a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), our source said. This has led teachers to invest in their own professional development, according to our SABIS source.<\/p>\n

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