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Casablanca - I was born in Casablanca, and I have been living here for 23 years. Indeed, it is a city in progress, with its own imperfections and idiosyncrasies.
However, if you are considering living in Casablanca for a long period, but are still hesitant about it, then here are 3 reasons why you should stop thinking and start packing up!
Work is Abundant…I Really Mean it!
Sounds like an awful hyperbole, I know, but if you have at least obtained your baccalaureate and can speak a second language, then you can easily find a job in Casablanca—easier than you imagine!
For instance, Morocco’s economic city is known for hosting a multitude of call centers that operate mainly in French. There are also call centers that require English-speaking or Spanish-speaking job applicants. These businesses hire by thousands, and there are many of them created almost every week.
If you do not hold a degree or a certificate but can speak a foreign language quite fluently, then you can get a job at a call center in a blink of an eye. Some call centers recruit new employees right after the job interview. This is a good thing for people who want to live in Casablanca and need an urgent source of income.
If you are a foreigner and your mother tongue is one of the languages requested in the job market, then you will find a job easily in Casablanca. You can for example teach your mother tongue in an educational institution or do some private tutoring—the list of possibilities is long!
I think you got the message: you should at least speak and write a foreign language quite fluently; otherwise, it’s not only in Casablanca where life would be hard for you, but also in any other Moroccan city you head to.
A Myriad of Pocket-Friendly Transportation Means
Casablanca is increasingly becoming an over-populated city, mainly because of the job opportunities it offers to new comers from other cities or from abroad. One of the problems you may face then is long traffic jams. However, if you take some time to be acquainted with the city’s various transportation means, then you will get over the problem easily.
Many people complain about traffic jams in Casablanca and the lack of appropriate roads for vehicles—that’s actually true! But if you do not own a car and are just worried about how to get to your new job in Casablanca easily, then you will have a plethora of transportation choices.
White cabs maybe one of your alternatives if you cannot afford a red cab. White taxis have a fixed transportation fee, whereas red cabs charge you depending on the distance they go, which may literally leave holes in your pockets, especially if you live quite far from where you work.
White cabs are pocket-friendly, and there are enough of them to take you wherever you want. Their drivers know the city very well, and are keen at finding shortcuts that will allow you to reach your destination sooner than you calculate. However, if you cannot tolerate awkward, uncomfortable sitting positions, then just cross this alternative off.
Buses in Casablanca are another pocket-friendly means of transportation. There are so many buses from different companies that share the same line, which increases your chances of reaching your job on time. You just need to be aware of the various times of the day a particular bus shows up at the closest bus stop to you, and learn the list of all bus lines and all the places they go to—a little Google search can do the job!
Other than buses and white cabs, you can use the tramway, which also has a fixed transportation fee, and is by far one of the fastest and most comfortable of all affordable means of transportation in Casablanca.
Get Whatever You Want…Whenever You Want
I have been to other cities in Morocco, and believe me, Casablanca is the city where you just can’t complain about not finding a particular product or service. The city was not labeled Morocco’s economic capital for nothing.
Even in the most recently constructed neighborhood of Casablanca, you can find shops for almost any products. Small-scale businesses grow fast in the city. When someone notices a lack of a particular service in a particular area of Casablanca, chances are he or she will open a shop there in the next two days to meet that need.
Competitiveness among small businesses in the Casablanca is the highest in Morocco. You can find, for example, four cafés one next to the other, and each one of them competes to attract more clients than the other café. The same thing applies to shops, restaurants, automobile repair shops and even gas stations—conclusion: you will never have to queue or travel streets to buy a battle of water.
If you’re the lazy or the busy type, you can simply make a call or order online and you will get whatever you wish delivered to you the soonest possible. Many small businesses in Casablanca are increasingly considering the use of technology and delivery services to meet the needs of their clients. Mind you, this does not apply to products like a jam jar, so don’t be that lazy!
However, regardless of the three reasons listed in this article, living in Casablanca can be a blessing if you:
- Know how to smartly control your expenses
- Know the most popular boulevards and neighborhoods in the city as well as the most important institutions in it
- Know how to get to these institutions the fastest possible
- Are a good bargainer—not when buying a jam jar, though
- Are a very sociable person and make friends easily—but don’t be an annoying person
- Are a very vigilant person—who keeps his or her hands in her pockets when the bus is crowded!
With that all said, welcome to Morocco’s economic capital.
Photo By Hassan Hamma.
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