Surprise…Inflation comes knocking

Okay so beat…

Someone said there is turmoil between Russia and Ukraine. This placed a strain on certain countries who are dependent on them. Currency fluctuates.

When I came to Egypt 1 USD was worth 19 EGP. Now it is up to 25 EGP (December 2022). What does this mean? Well, inflation hit Egypt. My grocery bill has gone up. My salary increased, but the school cannot afford the pound to go up.

Why can’t the school afford salary….well when you hire 87% foreign staff it gets costly. Tuition has been the same since 2016. This is a problem. I have never worked at a school that did not increase tuition every year. Something about the government not approving it. Something in the milk ain’t clean on that one. Not my monkey, not my show, and definitely above my pay grade.

We sat in a staff meeting where we were told the owners are covering our salaries out of their pockets and they hope to honor our contract until the end of the school year. My man took a breath and said as calmly as he possibly could “the money runs out in May”

Excuse me sir how can they honor our contracts if the money runs out in May and school ends in June and you pay through July. The math ain’t mathing sir.

But wait the conversation keeps going.
Next year salaries are changing to a fixed rate. It does not matter what the pound does everyone will get the same rate 21 EGP. Salaries will go from 75 percent USD 25 percent EGP to 70/30. Now on paper, this may not look like much but in reality, it is a pay cut.

But wait there’s more.
Homeboy then says I would not work for a company or school that gave their staff pink slips without warning.
Twenty-five percent of the staff found out via email that their job was being cut next year, salary being cut, or they are moving from foreign contracts to local contracts. Um sir that is a pink slip without warning. They didn’t pull anyone into a meeting to warn them or prepare them for the changes.
Moving from a foreign contract to local contract is more than salary being EGP only, they lost all their benefits. Now some were offered the opportunity to apply for a core classroom subject position. Everyone is allowed out of their contracts.

January update:
Since I didn’t post this yet I figure I would give a January update and keep this going until the end of the school year because I got a feeling this will get worse before it gets better.

So the pound goes to 30…..

Now let me pause because there was a meeting in which folks was told they don’t have a job next year. I am talking they decided to stay on a local hire contract or go into the classroom as a core subject teacher…..BAM nope sorry not gonna happen. Positions were cut all together. Literally even after contracts were signed.

Okay so we know the pound is now sitting at 30. What will salary look like this month. Here comes the email. We are sorry to inform you but the board cannot afford 30 pounds so everyone, you are locked in at 24 from December.

Email 2: here are the positions for next year. But first let’s thank those that have done an amazing job but are leaving us.

EVERY SINGLE POSITION IS OPEN FOR LOCAL HIRE!!!!!

Now let me explain that to you: so here you have an “international” school with local hires. Local hires tend not to know about education. This is essential the equivalent of hiring a warm body. This is also a business move because local hires are cheaper. They don’t get the same benefits nor the same pay. Fine whatever. The problem also is not every position needs to be local hire. Example: my position as student support with a focus on literacy. Um English kinda needs to be your first language at the very least Literacy should be your degree. Literally a warm body. Intervention is more than memorizing or reading. Again whatever not my monkey not my show. If you want to hire locals go for it.