Any tips with regards to renting and finding a job?

Ayoush, welcome to Morocco in advance and I hope you did some serious homework before deciding to move.
To help you answer the questions you have, it is best to let us know what kind of life style you are looking for in terms of looking for rental properties. As for work, it also depends on what your skills / degrees are.

If I may put my two cents in, Fez and Rabat are both good cities but are different. Fez is more laid back, quieter and cheaper but not hectic in terms of businesses and jobs like Casa or Rabat. It is also very cold in winter and scorching hot in the summer. (Spring is one of a kind though).  Rabat on the other hand has more job opportunities, enjoys fairly good weather year long and is a coastal city but is very humid. It is also superficial and not as warm in terms of social interactions like Fes. I personally find Rabat boring.

Salam aleykum,

It is my 5th visit to Fes in 6 months and I can say I fell in love with the place instantaneously!

I am laid back as a person and to be honest, I am leaving the hectic, European lifestyle for something more relaxed. That is why Fes was my number one option! However, when it comes to jobs I feel stuck. I have a Bachelor's degree in Tourism and Hospitality from University in Malta and Kent, and a Masters in Marketing from King's College London. I have for the past 7 years been teaching English as a foreign language with different schools, and am now working in the Marketing department of another language school.

DO you think Fes could offer the most opportunities with regards to work or Rabat would be better?

Choukrane bzfffff

Hello do you now fed or the firt time you want to visit this city??

I know fes pretty well i might say... it is going to be my 5th time this year since June that I have visited Fes and i love it !

Aren't you Moroccan, planning to move back to your country basically?

W/S Ayoush, I have to agree with you in terms of the beauty of Fes. Before moving back to Morocco I myself was in the same position you are in now trying to figure out the best choice. I chose Fes because it is my birth place and because it combines both the qualities of big cities and small towns. Yes, it's the third big city in Morocco so it has everything but yet it's a lot less busy than the others.  Anyway, so far generally I have no regrets. 
With your degrees I think you have two options:
1- You could get involved in the hotel/riyad industry in Fes in the management - marketing field.
2- You could try the education sector. Here in Fes there are private schools and language centers that can welcome you aboard.

My point above is I think you have the opportunity to get a job. Now, how much salary  you are willing to accept is totally up to you. I don't know your marital status, but for a single individual you can live comfortably with anything beyond 700 euros / month.

I hope this helps

@XB23 Nope not Moroccan, I am Maltese 100%

@Adnanebuddy... that helped a lot wallah! BarakAllahu fik... sounds great to me to be honest I just want to lead a simple life. With regards to hotels/ riads would you suggest I check the classifieds or send my cvs to local riads? Give it a shot, I have nothing to lose at this point to be honest and beggars can't be choosers.

Any ideas with regards to local schools, I have contacted some of them, however maybe due to your experience maybe you would have another particular school in mind!

Cheers

I thought you were from your name. A Maltese named Ayouch is a first for me. I don't know anything about the place, but I wouldn't expect that. Anyway welcome to expat-blog..

Yes, I am a convert so my name is Aicha!  Thank you for the warm welcome choukrane!

Unfortunately you may receive unwanted messages from freaks (your pic will increase the likelihood), if they haven't already started to do so. Fortunately there is a report option/block option that you can use. They get dealt with quickly. So don't let it put you off the site.

hhhhhhhh thanks for the tips barakAllahu fik... I will make use of the precious block button if need be choukrane

Congratulations on your choice to convert . With regards to applying for jobs, you can always do that long distance via phone or emails like you mentioned or you can navigate through this website www.rekrute.com, but I think it is more productive to do it in person. It's still kind of old fashioned here as they like to meet the candidate in person. It would help if you started learning some Arabic and French. 

There is an American Language Center and an American school from kindergarten to high school. There are also bunch of Riyads and hotels you can try to contact. Just use the internet to test the water with them. Unfortunately I don't know of a particular location that is hiring.
p.s: XB23 is right. There are scammers all over the expat forums; however, let not that frighten you
Good luck again.

Being a pretty White-European will add to your prospects. Not accusing anyone of discrimination, but I believe it will help your chances nevertheless. This is entirely my opinion before anyone says there is no racism and everyone is treated the same.

Adnane mentioned language, which I was going to ask about. Whether you know Arabic and/or French, as English isn't enough, but judged from your profile - "I am a language enthusiast" - that you probably already at least know one of them. If you don't, I wouldn't move until you do.

Thank you guys jazakallaho khairan much appreciated. I will probably stick to the old fashioned way and ask for meetings... You always get a sort of vibe face to face rather than via email!

Yes i speak arabic fluently alhamdulillah and also italian, maltese and german so i guess i am kinda covered...although i definitely need to learn written arabic!!

Mash'Allah alik Get acquainted with French if you can. BIG plus.

Hi Ayoush,

Welcome to Expat.com!

A new topic has been created as from your post on the Morocco forum.

Do not hesitate to view our Morocco guide. If you have more questions, you can post them here

All the best,
Christine

Ayoush wrote:

Thank you guys jazakallaho khairan much appreciated. I will probably stick to the old fashioned way and ask for meetings... You always get a sort of vibe face to face rather than via email!

Yes i speak arabic fluently alhamdulillah and also italian, maltese and german so i guess i am kinda covered...although i definitely need to learn written arabic!!

Take comfort in the fact quite a number of us (the young) living our lives outside of an Arab country would quite likely struggle with writing it (Standard Arabic) satisfactorily (the spelling and grammar would leave much to be desired), as we don't all do it on a regular basis. So you're not the only one! Fortunately there are plenty of resources online to practice.

Anyway, keep in mind visiting on holiday, and actually living there are two quite different things. Coming on vacation and liking it isn't an indicator of whether you would feel the same if you were to live there. In order to find out whether you're not just feeling a bit of holiday syndrome, I would probably try a working holiday, and decide if it's working out for you. You will notice things you didn't while you were on holiday (because your reason for being there will be different - it will no longer be the stress-less tourist visit you enjoyed. You will have many things to deal with). I would say give it a trial, and see how it goes, before deciding to stay for longer.

Hiyaaaa, yes you are right about that... in fact i have considered a trial period where I just check out things, absorb everything and weigh things out... cos it's a valid point the fact that being holiday tends to cloud the judgement at times... things seem more bearable and intriguing... 

Insh'Allah I will manage to come and give it a shot... and hopefully I will still love it just as much

Thank youuuuu for your honesty and help much appreciated wallah!

Ayoush wrote:

Hiyaaaa, yes you are right about that... in fact i have considered a trial period where I just check out things, absorb everything and weigh things out... cos it's a valid point the fact that being holiday tends to cloud the judgement at times... things seem more bearable and intriguing... 

Insh'Allah I will manage to come and give it a shot... and hopefully I will still love it just as much

Thank youuuuu for your honesty and help much appreciated wallah!

I hope you're not limiting yourself by only searching for opportunities in Fez/Rabat. I suppose if you don't fit in as well as you thought you would, you can still travel there for your holidays. So it won't be too disappointing regardless of what happens.

Btw isn't there some resemblance between Malta, and there? At least in terms of scenery, architecture, weather, and culture? And even possibly some similarity in lifestyle? The contrast isn't that big, is it? As it seems most people who want to relocate, is due to the many differences between where they currently live and the location of their choice. Weather certainly being one of the factors.

Morning

Actually, in the beginning i was searching Fes area only now i am trying to expand my horizons... however, Morocco is so big that I feel I don't know if i should stick to Casa, Rabat and Fes or also include other places. But hey as you said if all else fails, Morocco will always be there for a holiday... I am quite determined to make my way to Morocco insh'Allah!

Hmm.. yes there are similarities between Malta and Morocco... mainly weather, language and certain architecture... but I think the thing that struck me the most is that Morocco is soooo colourful and people actually smile.. regardless of all the hardship they still smile... we lost that charm in Malta unfortunately, we are too focused on  other things.... culture wise especially religion it is totally different.. and i think it is that difference that intrigued me the most 

That's flattering Ayouch, thank you. I'm glad some people can see the bright/positive side of Morocco. With folks like you, one can only help ease up the expat's experience in Morocco. We are citizens of the world after all and personalities are different from one another regardless of our origin, race or religion. The bottom line, follow your heart and instincts. At least when you turn 90 years old you won't regret or feel you missed out on something. If for any reason things didn't turn out as expected, then again as citizens of the world, we are free to make new changes accordingly. Until then, chase your dreams 

Luv from Morocco 

Ayoush wrote:

Morning

Actually, in the beginning i was searching Fes area only now i am trying to expand my horizons... however, Morocco is so big that I feel I don't know if i should stick to Casa, Rabat and Fes or also include other places. But hey as you said if all else fails, Morocco will always be there for a holiday... I am quite determined to make my way to Morocco insh'Allah!

Hmm.. yes there are similarities between Malta and Morocco... mainly weather, language and certain architecture... but I think the thing that struck me the most is that Morocco is soooo colourful and people actually smile.. regardless of all the hardship they still smile... we lost that charm in Malta unfortunately, we are too focused on  other things.... culture wise especially religion it is totally different.. and i think it is that difference that intrigued me the most 

Afternoon,

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. At first I assumed you were in a relationship with someone who lives there, thus wanted to relocate to be nearer to them. From your use of darija words, and the fact you've went there 5 times in only 6 months. That's quite a lot in such a short period of time. There must be a reason beside just enjoying the place... If that's a secret, you're entitled to keep it that way. If you're planning to go alone, without support from anyone there, doing everything by yourself, then you may wish to acquaint yourself with any issues faced by young single expat-women, that expat-men are unlikely to face. It would be a good idea to learn from the experience of people who were in your situation, and see how it turned out for them, if you haven't already started doing so. Expanding your area of search is a good idea, however don't forget there are many other things that needs to be researched carefully & considered as well.

Bil-tawfeek.

Salam alaikum... nope not in any sort of relation.. my close friend lives in fes and i might crash with her family for a while until i sort things out. You are right with regards to certain issues faced by women.. I already had to face some of  them but I guess me speaking Arabic helped a lot.. I think I shall test the waters and come for a trial period.. and i'm gonna try converse with some ladies on this page maybe they can offer the low down on the situation.

Thanks once again