Addis Ababa as a place to live

For me, the city is to cold and to wet in the rainy season and in general, to dirty overall. Also do not care for being land-locked and the huge number of homeless people within the city limits. That is my negatives.

Positives are the decent sized expat community, semi-decent infrastructure (for Africa) and ease of getting out of there. Plus decent expat shopping possibilities (for food items), very good local Ethiopian food, generally kind people, ok nightlife possibilities, truly beautiful women (I am a guy) and in general very nice scenery throughout the country.

I would do a 3 to 6 month job there but not a 1 to 3 year assignment.

That is my lousy two cents!

OP, for me living in Addis would be no problem at all. Many people speak English, and many items are very cheap. Besides that, the climate is moderate (meaning not too hot) and you don't need to worry about malaria (Addis is too high for the malaria parasite). But it's Africa, and Ethiopia a poor country. So you must like to live in such an surrounding. And be aware that Ethiopia is a politically very unstable. So you don't know what will happen in the nearby future. Ethiopia is land-locked, and presumably the most varied country in Africa to travel around. This is a huge bonus for people having a job in Ethiopia. Why bother about expats, when you are totally surrounded by Ethiopians. English is the school language, so people who have gone to school can speak (more or less) English as well. However, all depends on your own personality and needs. and you don't supply much information about yourself.
With regards, K.

Hey OP. Just got back from living in Addis for four months. No regrets - would go back tomorrow.

Yes, it gets chilly in the evenings, but daytime temperature is wonderful. Ethiopians are incredible people. It is a poor country and it's certainly not a beautiful capital city, but it's easy enough to get around and there are beautiful walks up into the surrounding hills.

Personally, I'd live there again, for longer.

Could I live there? Ooh I suppose so, at a push. Having lived there for a couple of years in the 90s and now in and out for 6-8m a year I'm always happy to leave but also never too despondent to get back to Addis. It's big and pretty dirty but for most of the year the climate is great - try to avoid July and August when it really can be cold, wet and miserable. You can get most things, people are friendly and tolerant, its pretty safe but services (water, power, phones) are becoming less reliable. It really helps to have a fixer to do things for you since most processes are hugely bureaucratic and byzantine - buying and selling a car for instance takes weeks if not months.

There are certainly far worse places to be....

Thank you very much for the feedback! I am applying for a teaching job in Addis Ababa and simply wanted some reassurance. It certainly seems that most people who have been there have had positive experiences. I imagine that there would be plenty of frustrations in trying to get things organised there, but hopefully my time in the middle east and latin america will prepare me. All in all, it seems like a great place!

I love Ethiopia but Addis is not my favourite. but there are many wonderful restaurants. a small tip: a soon as Addis gets too much for you, take a bus to Debre Zeit it's just under an hour away, and go relax near the lakes. there is a wonderful new eco-lodge near one of the lakes out of the city, forgot the name, but it is incredibly lovely. it's within walking distance of that nice expensive hotel complex which gets booked up with rich people from addis ababa each weekend. but the one I am talking about is much smaller and low-key. you stay in traditional tukuls (huts), they have their own gardens, friendly staff and it's just amazing. try to look for it!