Looking back, now that we're in August and the school year is beginning, I feel like I saw a lot fewer jobs being posted and far fewer, if any, schools still searching for teachers late in the hiring season. Though I did get cold-called in April by a LATAM school hunting for a math teacher, even though my profile in the system they viewed showed I'd be available in 2027!
Anyway, just curious about veterans of the IS field thought about the past year's recruiting season. My hypothesis is that the changing political landscape in the US is pushing more American teachers to look overseas, hence the creation of a buyers market for ISS.

ncteacher23 wrote:
[snip]
> for an American, an ideal situation would be reaching 65 and having a house
> paid off and getting social security check, teaching pension check and safe
> withdraws from their roth ira / 401k etc
Social Security is often not an option for American teachers if they're paying into a pension system as a career teacher. I, for instance, last paid into social security when I was 23 years old and working at Sears. So, I will not have enough quarters to qualify for a social security, unless I decide to go back to work at a job that pays into SS until I have the 40 quarters required. And even then, you'd be talking about payments of maybe $200-300/month?
But a solid, fully vested pension and Roth/401k payments should be fine.

shawanda wrote:
> The fact that Search is now asking for our vaccination status is grotesque.
>[/snip]

Nice job, Shawanda. You made Psyguy the voice of reason and common sense!
:-D

You didn't mention WHERE you want to teach, but if it's Hawaii, I'm sure you could find a job, as they're always recruiting. Their pay is pretty normal by American mainland standards. That's a problem, though, because everything is more expensive in Hawaii than most cities on the mainland, except perhaps New York City or San Francisco, so you won't save much, if at all, unless you get a 2nd job and work nights/weekends.
I met some Hawaiian teachers at a national conference years ago and they described the experience of teaching in Hawaii as... miserable. The students were described to me as very unmotivated, primarily because they've been raised with the understanding they live in paradise, yet students who are academically successful have to LEAVE Hawaii to realize their potential (exhibit A: Hawaii's favorite son Barack H. Obama, who had to move to Chicago, and then Washington DC to realize his potential). So why bust your ass to make good grades when the logical outcome involves leaving??

From the time when I first began plotting an entry into IT as a 2nd, post-retirement act (stateside anyway), Italy has been on the radar, but the salary reports I keep seeing are quite cringeworthy. Maybe if I could land something via DoDS the outlook would be different? Aviano is still open, right? Either way, I'm trying to be open-minded about Asian and German destinations these days. I could always settle in Italy later if I'm dying to live there.

Intriguing thread. There are so many teachers state-side who don't understand the value of the pension systems they pay into. I** have a colleague who is single, no kids, and has accumulated a ton of investment property and plans to cut short his teaching career before he attains full vestiture simply because he can. Even though he'd be taking a 'reduced' pension once he reaches 'retirement' age, the fact he accumulated rent-producing property will have the net effect of permitting him to be retired in his 50s. Not a bad place to be!
**DISCLOSURE - I am a career teacher in the US planning to go overseas after I'm fully vested in my state's pension plan.

"Do your own research" is a standard gaslighting technique where its user deflects from the suspect validity of their assertions for which they can't provide evidence, with the added bonus of accusing their debate opponent of being lazy.
I can't believe I just read a whole page of that crap.

I don't know anything about Chinese taxes, but I see you using the term "marginal tax rate," however your estimated tax amount reflects a flat tax rate of 35%. So... I suspect you are misusing the term? Does China have a graduated tax rate? If so, then you'll want to find out what the tax brackets are.
Good luck.

buffalofan wrote:
I think coastal Oaxaca would also be worth checking
> out, but have not been there myself.

I honeymooned in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and enjoyed it very much 17 years ago, fwiw. (And yes, I checked the phone books while I was there; no Andy Dufresne nor Randall Stevens listed.Very disappointed. ;-) )

We want something warm, developed, and with easy transportation options. The place the Mrs. and I agree is most appealing is Italy, though she'd settle for the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Possible draws of Spain over Italy include the fact I can already speak some Spanish, though I've rarely been forced to navigate it in an immersion setting, outside of once filing a complaint with the Mexican police, and participating in a subsequent interview. Also, our teenaged daughter is fluent in reading, speaking, and writing Spanish and could wind up being drawn to an opportunity there, should one arise.
The way things are in the US right now, even if Biden wins, the weird strain of resurgent white nationalism isn't going away and I'd sooner skip out on the continued decline of American civilization. I just hope we don't go full authoritarian by that time and I can still move away (a growing number of people here are embracing authoritarian ideas, even if they object to that exact label).

I don't think any prospective school in the future is going to think poorly of you for not working the 20-21 school year.

Is Hong Kong out of the question? I know Cantonese is the favored language, but Mandarin seems to be making inroads based on what I saw there last summer.

Do my eyes deceive me, or did you just suggest a teacher sleep with her director for professional advancement?

As an American nosing around and planning for the next phase of my life, hopefully in international teaching, it occurred to me today that with so many school that posting jobs with the warning, "**No VISA is provided for NON EU Passport holders ", is it possible the job market in western Europe opens up to more non-British applicants? That is, WILL schools need help getting English-speaking applicants, and start working with their government to issue work visas?

Interested in your thoughts!!

Also, a quick Google search showed me that most EU nations require you to work for 15 years before you qualify to draw a pension, though it is cumulative, so, for instance, 10 years in France, plus 5 years in Spain would qualify you for the minimum pension, calculated by each country.