We're Hiring

Business Today Egypt and Egypt Today are looking for talented writers and editors to fill the following vacancies. Application deadline: 15 May, 2006

Not looking for a full-time post? Click Here for our FREELANCE GUIDELINES

Egypt is changing, and we're the leading source of in-depth coverage of that change for domestic and international readers alike. If you are a bright, talented young writer or editor, there are few places as exciting and fulfilling to be in the Middle East.

Our current vacancies include:

(1) EDITORS

Editors at IBA Media work on Egypt Today (the nation's leading current affairs magazine), Business Today Egypt (the region's leading business title) and Horus (the inflight magazine of national carrier EgyptAir, which we produce on contract). Although we do stream editors into specific beats / niches, all editors are expected to be able to handle basic stories on every beat, whether business, politics, entertainment or social issues.

We currently have openings for two (2) assistant or associate editors, to join our small (20-person) but experienced team. Assistant and associate editors are front-line editors who handle everything from story edits through admin tasks, from package and art planning through writing short news, analysis and feature pieces. If you have a passion for Egyptian current affairs (some knowledge of the broader Middle East wouldn't hurt) and love long-form journalism and investigative pieces, this just might be your dream job.

Candidates should have a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in journalism) and must have experience in magazine, newspaper or wire-service journalism, whether full-time, part-time or freelance. Recent graduates with strong work on an undergraduate newspaper are welcome to apply. Candidates must be willing to put in the time to take their careers to the next level working with a national magazine of international caliber.

Both editing slots are full-time and based in Cairo, Egypt; we are not interested in telecommutes. In addition to a working knowledge of business, economy and politics topics, candidates must have outstanding fluency in the English language. The vast majority of the editing work on both titles involves pieces written by non-native speakers of English who conducted their research and interviews in Arabic. Bringing out our staff writers' voices while meeting our quality standards is one of the most interesting and fulfilling challenges any editor will face in his or her career.

All contracts are for one year (renewable), with final rank of appointment commensurate with your experience and our needs. We facilitate work visas for foreign hires.

The package: We offer a locally competitive salary paid in Egyptian pounds, along with an attractive medical package, annual leave, paid national holidays and your choice of Muslim or Christian religious holidays.

To apply: Send us a detailed cover letter (700 or so words) outlining your interest and experience in journalism, your knowledge of business, economics and the region, stories you've covered in the past that give us a sense of who you are as a reporter and editor, and three clips (one should be feature length).  

Keep your resume to one page at the most - your letter, pitch and clips speak far louder than you paper trail.

Candidates who pass the first round of selection will be invited for in-person or telephone interviews and offered the chance to sit our editing test.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply via email, although we will accept applications to our post address (both below). Those applying via email should send their materials as Word attachments in .DOC or .RTF format or as .PDFs. To be safe, please paste everything you can into the body of the email as well.

Please include the words "Editor Application 2006" in your subject box to guarantee delivery of your application.

All applications must be received by May 15. Applicants should be available to start work in June.

Please address all correspondence to: editor@businesstodayegypt.com

Postal Address: Editor Application 2006 . IBA Media Building . 3a Road 199 . Degla . Maadi . Cairo . Arab Republic of Egypt.

We regret that only successful candidates will be contacted.
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(2) WRITERS

Business Today Egypt, the nation's leading business and economy monthly, is looking for a self-starting writer with the ability to sniff out exciting stories and write them with style, accuracy, insight and speed to join our experienced team of staff and senior writers. If you have a passion for Egyptian current affairs (some knowledge of the broader Middle East wouldn't hurt), know that people are at the center of every interesting business and political-economy story, and love long-form journalism and investigative pieces, this just might be your dream job.

Candidates should have a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in journalism) and must have experience in magazine, newspaper or wire-service journalism, whether full-time, part-time or freelance. Recent graduates with strong work on an undergraduate newspaper are welcome to apply. Candidates should be willing to put in the time to take their careers to the next level working with a national magazine of international caliber.

Ideally, you will have an interest in corporate reporting and / or political-economy topics, including national and regional macroeconomic issues and trade policy. All bt writers may, from time to time, be assigned stories on Egypt Today or Horus, depending on the group's needs at any given moment.

Appointments are at the rank of Staff Writer, with consideration for promotion to Senior Writer or Contributing Editor after two (2) years of service on the magazine.

We have one of the healthiest newsroom cultures you could ask for: Our writers regularly help each other out by sharing contacts, offering story ideas and sometimes swapping beats for a particular story. Writers enjoy flex hours as well: One staff meeting and 4-8 hrs of office hours each week. Write from home, write from the office - it's your choice, as long as you're on-time, communicative and accountable.

Business Today Egypt is a publication of IBA Media, the media division of International Business Associates Group, Ltd. Other titles in our family of publications include Egypt Today (the nation's leading current affairs magazine) and Horus (the in-flight magazine of EgyptAir, which we publish on contract).

The package: We offer a locally competitive salary paid in Egyptian pounds, along with an attractive medical package, annual leave, paid national holidays and your choice of Muslim or Christian religious holidays.

To apply: Send us a detailed cover letter (700-1200 words) outlining your interest and experience in journalism, your knowledge of business, economics and the region, stories you've covered in the past that give us a sense of who you are as a reporter, and three clips (one must be feature length).  

Separately, outline a short but comprehensive (700-word max) pitch for a feature you think would be suitable for Business Today. Our freelance guidelines can be found at www.businesstodayegypt.com.

Keep your resume to one page at the most - your letter, pitch and clips speak far louder than you paper trail.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply via email, although we will accept applications to our post address (both below). Those applying via email should send their materials as Word attachments in .DOC or .RTF format or as .PDFs. To be safe, please paste everything you can into the body of the email as well.

Please include the words "bt Staff Writer Application 2006" in your subject box to guarantee delivery of your application.

All applications must be received by May 15. Applicants should be available to start work in June.

Please address all correspondence to: editor@businesstodayegypt.com

Postal Address: Editor Application 2006 . IBA Media Building . 3a Road 199 . Degla . Maadi . Cairo . Arab Republic of Egypt.

We regret that only successful candidates will be contacted.

___________________________

Freelance Guidelines
 

Business Today Egypt is published monthly from Cairo and is distributed across the nation and to subscribers in more than 40 countries in the GCC, North Africa, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Our readers are A-class Egyptian nationals or foreign residents of Egypt with an interest in Egyptian and Middle Eastern current affairs. We circulate at least 12,000 copies within Egypt (each read by an average of 4.5 people) and record tens of thousands of readers per week on our website domestically and internationally.
 
We purchase both medium-length news pieces and profiles (775-1650 words) as well as feature-length work (2500 words and above, max 6000). From freelancers, our strong preference is for feature-length work with outstanding story telling.
 
Writer-reporters based outside Egypt must make clear in their pitches whether or not they have supporting professional photography available, whether their own or through a colleague / partner.
 
Business Today Egypt prefers short (3-5 paragraph) story proposals, but will consider finished stories. We like new work, but will consider a piece that has appeared elsewhere (though not in this region) in some form or another. Pitches should give a strong sense of art, angle and sources - and indicate that you understand the sensibilities of our audience. Please have a look at our website (www.BusinessTodayEgypt.com) to get a sense of the magazine. Feel free to request a print copy - the print edition is larger and more lively than the site.
 
Generally speaking, Business Today Egypt 's news coverage is in the Fortune / BusinessWeek tradition. We prize analysis and context in news, insights and how-to in our In the Black section, and the best damn story telling (period) in our features. Business, economy and politics stories -- including those that delve into social issues, culture and entertainment -- anything goes, so long as it is current or a unique look back at a significant (if nearly forgotten) past incident.
 
Our audience is primarily Egyptian. Although we're an English-language monthly, 60% of our readers are Egyptians living in Egypt. Roughly 5% of our print subscribers are Egyptians living abroad or Arab-American / Arab-British, etc. Foreigners reading the magazine are, in the majority, long-term residents of Egypt or individuals and institutions abroad who follow Egyptian business, economy and political issues.
 
In short, if your pitch isn't related to Egypt and / or the Middle East -- at least conceptually -- then we're not terribly interested. We're a national business title with some international news coverage. We are decidedly not interested in "Exotic Egypt" pieces.
 
And we don't accept fiction or poetry.
 
Photo essays, though, are interesting as long as the topic is right.
 
Unless you have particularly unique experience or are an expert of some stripe commissioned to do an Op/Ed piece for us, we could care less about your personal opinions. Some (slightly) opinionated analysis is good, but "campaigning" has no place -- we're looking for good stories, well told.
 
We pay locally competitive rates in Egyptian Pounds to freelancers based in Egypt, in US dollars to those abroad. Payment is within 60 days of publication. We're generally faster, but please allow two months from the issue date for receipt of payment. All rates are agreed upon in advance of assignment and are non-negotiable thereafter.
 
All stories must be submitted electronically as Word attachments in .RTF format (Mac or PC) as well as pasted into the body of the e-mail message. AP style is optional. Photos may also be sent electronically as .EPS, .JPG or .TIF files. We will let you know additional details on resolution and size if you're sending us pics with your pieces.
 


Please direct any questions or pitches to editor@BusinessTodayEgypt.com with the words "[Business Today Egypt]: Freelance" in your subject heading