Life in Cairo and Egypt

You may be planning to land or have just landed at Cairo international airport from the UK and are taking in the very large frenetic and noisy city as an expatriate for the first time. You may have landed from another posting. You may be a long term resident of the city. Whatever your experiences, living and working in the city with a family is helped considerably by knowing what to expect.

Cairo can take some adjusting to. Much depends upon where parents and their children have lived before. City living is very different from country living in every country. And Cairo is undoubtedly a big city experience. Cairo bucks many trends. Unlike many countries, there is no ‘one compound only' way of life as there is in other parts of the Middle or Far East. For some this is a disappointment, but for many the opportunity to choose your location and enjoy the historical and cultural aspects of one of the world's most ancient cities is a joy that is both refreshingly different and exciting.

Cairo may be large and noisy but it is also a very safe and hospitable part of the world in comparison with many other areas, including parts of some European cites. Ever changing economic and political situations always require care and caution. However, BISC parents and staff frequently comment upon the freedom to walk as an individual or in a group around much of the city and its surrounding suburbs. They feel safe and secure in doing so. Egypt is a very tolerant country and is extremely child friendly whether in public places such as restaurants, or on trips and holidays in and out of Cairo. Newcomers to the city are urged to allow themselves time to adjust to the climate ( very warm from May-October), the noise and the traffic and the fact that Egypt will represent for many, a brand new culture.

For those parents who fly in to the city for a ‘ look see', it is very difficult to explain the importance of allowing time to make the adjustment for themselves as adults and especially for their children. Frequently we see parents who make choices of schools due to the lack of time and based on geographical convenience, on a ‘look see'. We strongly urge parents to look at all the options. In our experience, the children who will settle the quickest are those children whose parents are also happy and settled. BISC is fully aware of this and is quick to make children and their parents feel as much a part of the school community as possible. This applies to children from the UK or from other parts of the world. It also applies to children who are transferring from other schools in Cairo. Parents who are long-term residents also have adjustments to make as their children enter BISC. Whilst they may be familiar with Cairo, for many it is the first experience that they have of a British curriculum school. BISC is international in pupil profile and outlook, whilst possessing all the aspirations, curriculum ethos and examination results of the very best of the UK independent sector schools and maintained sector schools.

It is worth bearing in mind the following...

Choose the school and not ONLY the lifestyle!

This sounds like a rather dramatic and somewhat obvious statement to make. At BISC we are able to say this because frequently parents come to us once they have been in Cairo for short time not happy with the school that they chose because ‘it was nearer to where we thought we would live'. When parents arrive in Cairo , the size of the city and the noise can initially be overwhelming particularly in the heat of the summer months. However, in our experience parents and their children quickly adapt and it is really worth allowing for this adaptation in the short term, for a medium to long term educational benefit for your children. The key to success in Cairo is to accept that you may have to travel as you would in any city to get to the best of a British curriculum education.

• Riding horses or camels in the desert around the pyramids at Giza.

• Cruises to Aswan and Luxor.

• Cruises on Lake Nasser.

• Explore Alexandria, a two and a half hour train ride from Cairo.

• Soak up the sun, and scuba dive at numerous Red Sea resorts including Sharm El Sheik.

• Camping in the White Desert .

• Felucca boat rides on the Nile .