Old thread but since it has been dug up again...
Agree with String - the exam is easy. If an instructor were to fail it, then they really need to rethink their career strategy and invest in a spatula because their only future will be in flipping burgers.
The only way a person might get a question wrong is because the questions are badly worded, and very badly translated into other languages.
Egyptian Staff are required to sit the same exam and many were quite rightly worried about the test, mostly because there is no arabic version (or there wasn't when I did mine last year).
The blood test involves collecting some blood - not one of my colleagues had their sample labelled and some went in large groups like String. If they actually did test the blood and one result came back positive, nobody would have any idea who it was!
Work permits have so far been ignored. Freelance staff are allowed by CDWS regulations to work on the Sharm boats, appearing on the guest list rather than as staff; this is a concession to the fact that most instructors in Sharm are freelance and many are temporary over the summer period. I have heard that the work permits might be more rigorously enforced when current CDWS licenses run out, but this is rumour and speculation.
My permit cost me 2200 LE + 150 for the blood test + 100 for exam and card + 100 for the "letter of excellence" I was required to submit with my application for some reason.
For some odd reason my passport has had to go back to Cairo for my work permit to be "finalised" - I don't know what that means since it is already stuck into my passport.... Weirdness!
All in all I am pleased I have one - it was a pain in the arse and an unnecessary expense but it has helped from time to time when the Jetty police get all official at you...!
Cheers
C.