Sanila Pervaz
How long have you been with the British Council?
I’ve been working at the British Council for nearly three years.
Why did you join?
I had a change in career and chose to do my CELTA in London. As a newly qualified teacher I wanted to go to the Middle East but with little experience in teaching and living in a foreign country I wasn’t really sure what to do. When I came across a teaching support programme offered by British Council Egypt I decided to take a risk, and I have to say it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
If I had a lot of money, I would…
I would move to Jamaica, live on the beach, drink cocktails and tan all day
The book or film that has influenced me most…
I recently read a book about body language and it was quite insightful, however every time someone talks to me now I find myself over analysing their actions!
My most treasured possession is….
As a teacher my four coloured pen, I get all excited when correcting or making notes!
The strangest experience I have ever had was…
The other day a stranger came up to me and told me I had lost 50LE and gave it to me, before I had the chance to tell him it wasn’t mine he walked off. So I treated myself to ice cream.
A proverb I particularly like is ...
‘Every cloud has a silver lining’… I quite like the approach of looking for something positive when a situation hasn’t worked out the way I might have wanted it too.
The best thing about my role...
The people! I really enjoy working with my colleagues; I feel that the teaching centres across Egypt definitely have some of the most talented people to work with and I’ve been able to learn a lot from them. I also like the recruitment side of my job as it allows me to meet newly qualified teachers who are full of energy and enthusiasm.
My favourite city...
Is Istanbul, I find that it’s still quite European but at the same time has a touch of the Middle East.