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Writers · Content Creators · Graphic Designers

Want to work at
El-Shai?

Read this first.

We’re currently looking for Writers, Content Creators, and Graphic Designers to join El-Shai.

But job titles can be vague, especially in media, so before you apply, we want you to actually understand what working here means, what we expect, and whether this is the kind of environment you would enjoy.

Start here ↓
BE CURIOUSASK QUESTIONSUSE YOUR BRAINCARE ABOUT THINGSMAKE GOOD STUFF BE CURIOUSASK QUESTIONSUSE YOUR BRAINCARE ABOUT THINGSMAKE GOOD STUFF
01 / First, the basics

El-Shai is an Egyptian media platform covering entertainment, culture, social issues, lifestyle, internet culture, and the conversations happening around us.

Our work can take us anywhere.

One day, we could be covering a film festival. The next, we're explaining a government announcement, interviewing an actor, discussing something serious happening in society, covering a concert, or trying to understand why everyone on TikTok suddenly started doing the exact same thing.

Our content doesn't fit into one box, and neither do the people working on it.

We're currently hiring across different experience levels, including people who are still at the beginning of their careers.

We're not expecting someone applying for their first media job to have the same skills as someone who has been doing this professionally for years.

We are, however, expecting everyone to be curious, reliable, willing to learn, and capable of thinking for themselves.

02 / The roles

What would you actually be doing?

This is not a job where you sit down every morning, get handed a topic, write 800 words about it, and call it a day.
01 / 05
01

Curiosity comes first.

You're expected to be curious about what's happening around you.

On any given day, you might come across a news story everyone is talking about and need to figure out what actually happened before we post about it. A few hours later, you could be researching why a trend suddenly took over TikTok, writing about a film that just premiered, turning a complicated social issue into something people can actually understand, or figuring out the angle that makes a seemingly boring piece of news interesting.

02

The format changes.

Sometimes you'll write a full article. Sometimes the entire story needs to fit into three paragraphs on Instagram. Sometimes you're writing a carousel and deciding what information belongs on each slide. Sometimes you're preparing interview questions and need to research someone well enough to ask something they haven't already answered 100 times.

And sometimes the most important part of your job happens before you write a single word.

03

Research before writing.

You need to research.

If a story is breaking, find the original source, not just another Instagram page that posted it. If two outlets are reporting different information, figure out why. If someone makes a claim, check whether it's actually true. If there's context that completely changes how people understand the story, find it.

What's the story here, and why should we tell it?

04

Yes, sometimes it's brain rot.

We don't want to publish something simply because everyone else published it.

Maybe everyone is focusing on one part of a story, but you notice something more interesting. Maybe a press release contains one genuinely important detail buried underneath six paragraphs of corporate language. Maybe there's a conversation happening online that deserves context.

Sometimes the thing you're covering will sound like absolute brain rot.

05

Why are we talking about this?

It could be a TikTok trend, a ridiculous meme, celebrity drama, a dating term someone invented three days ago, an AI photo trend, or whatever the internet has collectively decided to obsess over that week.

At El-Shai, highlighting something doesn't mean mindlessly amplifying it. We want to find the purpose behind covering it.

Can a silly dating trend start a healthier conversation about relationships? Can an AI trend become an opportunity to explain privacy or environmental concerns? Can celebrity news open a wider conversation about how we treat people online?

The content can be fun. The reason behind it shouldn't be empty.

A huge part of the job is also understanding how to communicate across generations.

Younger audiences shouldn't feel like we're talking down to them, judging what they enjoy, or desperately trying to sound young. Older audiences shouldn't need a dictionary and three hours on TikTok to understand what we're talking about.

You should be able to understand younger audiences, find the positive or useful message worth giving them, and explain the culture around it clearly enough that an older audience can understand why it matters.

Being a Content Creator at El-Shai isn't just standing in front of a camera and reading a script.
01 / 03
01

Part journalist. Part researcher. Part storyteller. Part internet person.

You might be explaining a story directly to camera, interviewing someone at an event, creating a funny concept around something happening online, covering a red carpet, testing a format we've never tried before, or figuring out how to turn an idea into something people will actually watch.

02

Know why you're making it.

You need to understand why you're making the content, not just how to make it look good.

We want people who are comfortable with internet culture and social media without blindly following everything that's trending.

03

Having something to say matters more.

If you're using a trend, ask what you're adding to it. If you're interviewing someone, know who they are before you approach them. If you're explaining something, understand it yourself first. If you're making something funny, understand where the joke ends and where being offensive begins.

Being comfortable on camera is useful, but having something to say matters much more.

You should be able to take an idea, understand its purpose, and help figure out the most entertaining, useful, or interesting way to communicate it.

Graphic design at El-Shai isn't about receiving some text, putting it into a template, exporting it, and moving on.
01 / 04
01

You're designing content.

That means you need to understand what you're designing.

You'll work on social media posts, carousels, editorial graphics, entertainment content, news coverage, campaigns, event coverage, and occasionally completely original visual concepts.

02

Sometimes direction is clear. Sometimes you help figure it out.

Part of your job will also involve finding the right visuals to support a story.

If a writer has an idea, you need to understand their vision well enough to find imagery that complements it rather than simply searching the headline on Google and choosing the first usable photo.

03

Think in slides, not boxes.

For carousels, you need to think about storytelling. What's the first thing someone sees? What makes them swipe? Which information deserves emphasis? Where does an image communicate something better than another paragraph? How do we make ten slides feel like one piece of content rather than ten unrelated graphics?

04

Fundamentals > tricks.

You don't need to arrive knowing every technique or every piece of software.

You do need strong design fundamentals, good visual judgment, attention to detail, and the willingness to learn quickly.

And because this is a media company, being interested in news, entertainment, culture, social media, photography, fashion, film, music, or internet culture will make your job significantly easier.

03 / What Working at El-Shai Is Actually Like
No two weeks are exactly the same.

Regardless of your role, you won't spend your entire life doing one repetitive task.

You'll work with writers, designers, social media managers, photographers, videographers, editors, and creators.

There will be screenings, festivals, press conferences, launches, concerts, interviews, red carpets, shoots, and other events around Cairo.

Some days will be planned weeks in advance. Some days something will happen at 2 PM and suddenly the plan for 3 PM has completely changed. That's media.

We don't expect you to know everything. In fact, we would much rather work with someone who says "I don't know, I'll look it up" than someone who confidently guesses.

01

We need curiosity.

02

Good communication.

03

Common sense.

04

Reliability.

05

Cultural awareness.

06

Attention to detail.

07

A willingness to learn.

08

And, most importantly, a brain you're actually willing to use.

04 / About AI

In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving digital landscape, Artificial Intelligence has emerged as a powerful game-changer, revolutionizing the way we work, create, innovate, and bring ideas to life. From streamlining workflows to unlocking endless possibilities, AI is no longer just a tool of the future. It is a transformative force shaping the content ecosystem as we know it.

At El-Shai, we believe in embracing innovation while staying true to the power of authentic human connection.

Whether you’re a writer crafting compelling narratives that resonate with audiences, a graphic designer bringing bold visions to life, or a content creator thinking outside the box to create engaging, scroll-stopping content, AI can empower you to work smarter, not harder, and take your creativity to the next level.

Can you tell this was written by AI? Of course you can. It’s fucking awful.

If reading that made you uncomfortable, good. You can recognize generic AI writing.

Real talk, though, we know you use AI. That's not automatically a problem. The problem is when AI is doing the job you were hired to do.

If you're a writer and your first instinct is to paste a topic into ChatGPT and submit whatever comes back, you will struggle here.

If you're a designer and every creative decision starts and ends with an AI-generated visual, you will struggle here.

If you're a content creator and you're waiting for AI to tell you what your opinion is, you will struggle here.

Use AI. Just don't outsource your brain to it.

05 / Who Might Actually Enjoy Working Here?

You don't need to know everything. You do need to want to know things.

You hear a name you don't recognize? Google it. Someone mentions a film you've never seen? Read about it. There's a joke everyone online seems to understand except you? Figure out where it came from. You see a news story that sounds slightly off? Check it before repeating it.

And please, ask questions. We'd rather you ask 20 questions than spend four hours doing the wrong thing because you were embarrassed to ask one.

You also don't need to fit some imaginary "media person" stereotype. You don't need thousands of followers, industry connections, or an encyclopedic knowledge of everything happening in pop culture.

But you should care about something.

Maybe you know an unreasonable amount about horror films, football, fashion, K-pop, Egyptian cinema, gaming, Formula 1, theatre, books, internet drama, technology, music, or something so niche that nobody else in the office understands why you care about it.

Good. We like people who get excited about things. The so-called nerds? That’s us!

01 / 04
01

People talk. A lot.

We're also a very open, collaborative office. Someone will throw an idea across the room, someone else will add to it, a third person will say it's terrible, and five minutes later it might turn into something completely different and actually good.

A lot of our work comes from that.

02

Yes, the good vibes matter.

So yes, what kids call "good vibes" these days matters to us, as cheesy as that sounds.

Not in a forced we're all a family way. You don't have to become best friends with everyone you work with.

03

Creative work needs trust.

We do need to like working together, respect each other, communicate, help each other, and feel comfortable throwing around half-formed ideas without worrying that someone is going to make the room miserable.

It's very difficult to be creative in an environment where nobody gets along.

04

Feedback is part of the job.

You'll get edits. Ideas will get rejected. You might spend hours on something and be asked to change it. Someone else might have a better idea than yours. That's part of creative work.

We care much more about what you do with feedback than whether you got everything right the first time.

And you need to actually like media, not just the idea of working in media.

If you're curious, have opinions, like learning random things, enjoy bouncing ideas off other people, and genuinely get excited when you discover a good story or come up with a great concept, you'll probably enjoy being here.

06 / What About Internships?

Case by case.

01 / 03
01

Not every internship looks the same.

Internships at El-Shai are case by case, and we want to be very clear about that from the beginning.

Some interns may join a team and work on real tasks and projects. Some may shadow the team more than they actively work. And sometimes we may accept someone simply because we see potential in them, even if we're not currently in a position to give them regular work.

02

We don't invent busywork.

When we have the time and resources, we'll also use the opportunity to give interns free training, feedback, practical exercises, or access to members of the team who can teach them something useful.

The point isn't to invent meaningless busywork just so someone can say they completed an internship.

03

We'll be clear about what you're joining.

What your internship looks like will depend on your experience, what you want to learn, what we're working on at the time, how much responsibility you're ready for, and how much capacity the team has to train you properly.

Some internship opportunities are paid working positions. Others may be learning or shadowing opportunities. We'll make it clear which one you're being considered for before you join.

07 / The Practical Stuff
OFFICEMohandeseenGiza
STANDARD HOURS11 → 6Standard office hours.
FIELD WORKSometimes.Depends on your role.
FLEXIBILITYReasonable.When work genuinely requires it.
01 / 03
01

Media doesn't keep perfect hours.

Our office is in Mohandeseen, Giza, and our standard office hours are 11 AM to 6 PM.

But this is media, so those hours cannot cover every situation.

Breaking news doesn't care that it's 11 PM. A film premiere doesn't start at 11 AM. Interviews, festivals, concerts, press conferences, red carpets, and launches happen when they happen.

02

Reasonable flexibility.

Depending on your role, you may occasionally need to cover events outside regular office hours, work around breaking news, attend shoots or assignments elsewhere in Greater Cairo, or travel for coverage.

That doesn't mean we expect you to be available 24/7. We do expect reasonable flexibility when the work genuinely requires it.

Some roles will naturally involve more fieldwork and events than others.

03

Plans change.

A writer or content creator may suddenly need to attend a press conference or screening. A designer may spend considerably more of their time at the office. What flexibility looks like depends on the job.

An interview gets confirmed at the last minute. Breaking news replaces the content we planned for that afternoon. An event runs later than expected. A story becomes irrelevant before we publish it.

If you need every working day to look exactly like the one before it, media will probably drive you insane.

If you like that no two weeks are completely identical, that's probably one of the best parts of the job.

08 / The Money Part
EGP 8K → 30K

Let's talk numbers because we're not going to make you go through interviews before finding out whether we're remotely in the same range.

Depending on the position and your experience, salaries generally range from EGP 8,000 for paid working internships and junior opportunities to EGP 30,000 for experienced positions.

Where you fall within that range depends on the role, your experience, what you can actually do, and the level of responsibility you can take on.

And when we say experience, we don't only mean how many years you've worked somewhere.

Someone with one year of genuinely strong work, great instincts and the ability to work independently may be more experienced for what we need than someone who has spent five years doing the same basic tasks.

The number of years on your CV is only part of the picture.

09 / Okay. How Do I Apply?

Here's where we don't want you to write us a cover letter that starts with:

"Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my interest in the exciting opportunity to join your esteemed organization..."
Please don't.
01 / 04
01

Tell us why we should hire you in whatever way actually represents you.

Make a video. Design something. Write us something. Make a presentation. Create a fake El-Shai post about why we should hire you.

02

There is no correct format. That's intentional.

Roast our content and then tell us why you'd make it better. Pitch us three ideas. Show us the weird niche thing you're ridiculously knowledgeable about.

Tell us about the time you figured something out that everyone else missed.

Make us laugh. Make us curious. Make us remember you.

03

Show us how your brain works.

We're hiring Writers, Content Creators and Graphic Designers. It wouldn't make much sense to ask all of you to prove yourselves in exactly the same way.

We want to see how you choose to represent yourself when nobody gives you a template.

You can absolutely send a CV, and if you have a portfolio, we'd like to see it. But neither needs to be the thing that sells you.

If you don't have professional experience yet, don't fake it, show us potential instead. We care about how your brain works.

04

One last thing…

Don't try to figure out what you think we want you to be.

Show us who you actually are.

The whole point of building a creative team is having people who bring different interests, references, skills, senses of humor, opinions and ways of looking at things into the same room.

You've read enough about us. Now make us want to know more about you.

Okay. But How Do I Actually Apply?

Send your application to jobs@el-shai.com with the position you're applying for clearly stated: Writer, Content Creator, or Graphic Designer.

Include your name, phone number, CV if you have one, portfolio or examples of your work if relevant, and your expected salary.

jobs@el-shai.com ↗