[quote="shansar"]Well we are getting closer to taking off and starting on our adventure! Fast question for you veterans. Is there a certain amount of days that we have to stay out of the USA so our $ earned is tax free? I am sure this is a dumb question but I really have no idea. It's all new to me! I suppose we need to find a tax accountant but I am not sure anyone around here is familiar with the overseas tax laws with Indonesia. I would sure appreciate any help or words of advice I can get.
Thanks a lot.

:)[/quote]

Keep in mind that if you're leaving in August to start teaching that your income from Aug-Dec is technically taxable. This is the advice that a good friend (accountant and overseas teacher) gave to me.

[b]You will have to do a special extension - best to do it early next year as soon as the form is online. Check it out on the IRS site: Form 2350. Here is a link: http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0, ... 55,00.html and if it doesn't work, you can just search for the form. You send it in and they have to approve it, but they always do. It allows you to mail your form the next August when you will be eligible for bona fide residence. Some people suggest doing only 330 days physical presence test the first year to avoid any problems with uncle.[/b]

Once that first year of Bonafide residence is established, then you can return to the US for holidays during the year w/o concern of how many days you're in or out.

I base this on my experience with 2 employers in Egypt and 3 employers in the UAE. If actual housing is provided they want old teachers out to start maintenance and prepare the home for the next teacher who typically arrives in early to mid-August. That just doesn't jive with those who want to stay through the month of August-typically the end of 1 full year in Egyptian schools For those who receive actual allowances, it's simply a matter of saving money on the part of the employer. I've never heard of anyone providing the housing or an allowance through the month of August. Too many teachers leave the country at the end of the contract. Giving everyone allowances would be, in the eyes of admin, like throwing the money away at people who didn't need it. Even Cairo American College, one of the best gigs in Egypt, would not allow their teachers to stay in their provided accommodation through the month of August. They'd have nowhere to place the new teachers.

I've done a lot of k-12 gigs overseas, and I have never received housing through the summer upon completing a contract. The exception: people who do summer school.

Mobydick asked:
[quote]So where exactly are you supposed to live while you see out your contract before moving on in August or September for your next job. [/quote]

This is not an employer's responsibility. They brought you over, they provided housing, they gave you the end-of-contract funds as promised. If you want to stay the summer and work elsewhere you now become responsibilty of a new employer.

I guess I've never known an employer in Egypt to not arrange my depature at the end of the school year, hence the need for summer housing (or the expectation) was never there.

I'm very surprised by this news. AIS has been in operation a long time. Many people I know who've worked there have never experienced anything like this. What's changed?

I have a couple friends who have been working w/ SRS for the last 5 years w/o issue (aside from one or two head of dept problems which are now resolved). It is an Islamic school, so the dress code is a bit stricter than most schools in Dubai. The children are all Emirati, and according to my friend who teaches primary there tend to be a lot of kids w/ very low levels of English-a good few of them w/ moderate learning challenges.

SRS offers their own accommodation, or one can opt to get their own place. I don't think the allowance is really enough given Dubai's rising rents. The provided flats are quite nice, though you are a) sharing a building w/ all of your colleagues b) living in the Al Qasais neighbourhood of Dubai (not the prettiest and LOADS of construction which makes driving suck).

I don't know that SRS is the best package in Dubai for k-12 educators, but it's certainly not the worst. I hope that helps!

[b][quote]I don't want to come off ignorant or as a know it all because neither is a trait that I ascribe to, but since visiting this site I have begun questioning whether international teaching is all it is cracked up to be. Now, maybe it is the fact that this site offers real advice that no other sites do offer, but I swear I cannot find a consistently positive thread in this entire website. I know that everyone experiences things differently, but all this negativity does not put a good face on international schools. Why is it the case? What is going on here? I am sure there are other posts on this. Can anyone give me any quality feedback? Thanks[/quote][/b]

Bad news travels fast. People who really love their job don't often take time to spread the word to their peers. People who've been screwed, however, want to get the word out. Disgruntled employees also tend frequent sites like this.

I have friends that work there. Salaries were a tad low, but I am told that they are increasing for next year. Perhaps a newly qualified teacher would start at around 10,000/dirhams/month? The atmosphere appears to be relatively positive in comparison w/ other schools in Dubai. The accommodation is located in a new development not far from the school.

[quote]Miski i know you're part Kuwaitian ( i think that's correct ) but where did you get that site? [/quote]

I don't believe MIski is part Kuwaiti, though she's been in kuwait for a good while and calls it home.

[b]My wife and I are seriously considering a move to overseas teaching next year and we're just trying to work out in our heads some of the logistics and expenses that we must consider. We are looking at both DoD schools (which share the same benefit package) and international schools (which seem to have a wide variety of benefit packages). We recognize that in nearly all cases, the overall DoD package is pretty much unmatched and we have a friend in that system who confirms many of the perks they have. But it's not all about $ for us, but we certainly have some financial obligations and goals, as many of you do as well. [/b]

I think this is generally true that DoD schools have better packages (though not exclusively), but it really depends on what sort of experience you're looking for. Personally, what I loved most about teaching in international school is the unique nature of working w/ children from various cultures. DoD would never appeal to me personally.


[b]Two questions we struggle with now: What do you do with all of your household belongings that you leave behind? I assume the options are to leave them in the house or put it in storage. The latter being quite costly depending on how much "stuff" you leave behind. I see that most schools don't allow for much to be shipped at their expense. Do most of you spend a lot of your own money to ship things to your new home, or just take the bare essentials and collect and sell stuff along the way? I realize that many benefit packages provide some level of furnished housing. Or maybe shipping a crate or two of personal effects to your new location is just a cost of being an overseas teacher? [/b]


I put all my belongings into storage when I first left the country, and I wish I had the common sense to get rid of almost all of it rather than paying for storage. Decent employers in the international school circuit provide some relocation allowance, but you might ask yourself how long you plan to be abroad for and how much you really like your stuff. Six years abroad, and the only things I took with me from country to country were photos, teaching supplies, and the items I had collected in my travels (unique and irreplaceable). I learned to simplify my wardrobe, and definitely abandoned my packrat tendencies. Seeing that you're both seemingly well-qualified teachers, you can expect your new employer to provide allowances for furnishing, if not a furnished accommodation. So, in a nutshell, a sensible wardrobe (find out what you'll have a hard time buying in your new country e.g. larger sizes, longer trousers, decently-priced athletic shoes, hair product, contact lens solutions, feminine products etc.), teaching supplies and resources, some personal photos...

[b]How about those of you who own a home. Do you leave it empty, rent it or just pack up and sell? I know all circumstances are different, but i'm just not sure we could afford to not rent it. But the idea of being a remote land lord is also not appealing. Nor is leaving the house empty a perfect option. [/b]

I don't own, so can't speak to this. If it were me, I'd rent it out.

Why don't these HTML tags work???

I think Misr American and AIS (american international school) tend to be pretty decent gigs...not without their issues, of course. The biggest problem many foreign teachers experience is understanding the Egyptian style of management. Flexibility is key to be happy in most of the schools. If you embrace conflict with, "This would never happen in my school in ___" then it will be a rough ride.

I think AIS has a larger staff overall, and would be more inclined to hire. I have a friend at Misr American College, but I don't know what their size is like. Modern English is a good school w/ an American side. El Alsson is ok, though the best salary (it is british curric. but i would still suggest americans apply). Same for New Cairo British School....I would try applying if you're american. There are other new schools out there w/ good packages. New Visions located in "Beverly Hills" within 6th of October City: I suggested a few friends apply there. Both were offered jobs. One of them accepted the offer and sent an email asking questions, yet received no word. They rescinded the offer, explaining they gave it to a teacher who was already in Cairo. TOTALLY unprofessional, but these are the growing pains of a new school. Continental school staff seem reasonalby happy, too.

Hi Anne:

Are you a qualified teacher? Cairo will present the best teaching opportunities. For a qualified America teacher, Cairo American College (don't let the name fool you) is the best school in terms of package, conditions, etc. There are other schools out there with good wages, but if I wanted 'the best' this would be the school. WHat you experience and qualifications are in factor into what other schools you should consider.

That's a shame. Narmer used to have a better reputation among teachers.

I interviewed with this school a few years ago at TESOL Arabia. They didn't rent a room like most employers did, but conducted the interview in their booth. Imagine the noise, distraction...me in a fold up chair facing these 3 men. They gave me a list of rules to look over (I was sent to one of the standing tables in the exhibit hall to read them) and then return to their booth. I was a bit bold, already aware that I would not take this job for all the tea in China. I skipped the tour of the campus they scheduled, but they didn't seem to notice. One month later I received an offer letter. The only reason I would take a job like this is if you were and unqualified teacher with no experience so dead set on being in Dubai that you didn't care. I would liken this school to Choueifat/Sabis, only much less organised.

[b]TexianTravel said: [/b]
[quote]Because I don't think many parents understand educational processes enough to distinguish between them. At least, that was my experience in Egypt. The parents placed their child in our American school because they thought the American process was easier or because they knew the Egyptian schools were something they didn't want. Very few placed their child in our school because they understood the American approach to education and valued it.

So if we had a lot of women in hijabs teaching, many parents would have looked at us and said, "An Egyptian school" and placed their child somewhere else. Unfortunate, but true[/quote]

I think parents in Egypt don't often place their kids in the American school because they think it's easier, but really because many of them are buying into an image that if their child goes to ABC School, they'll be held in higher social regard or perhaps thinkg that their child will go to a better university because of ABC School's curriculum. "American" and "British" are often thought to be "better" when it comes to education. Whether true or not, it's the perception that makes them send their kids to certain schools-almost no research goes into curriculum. This is where the image of the teachers comes into play. A mother of a boy who was in my class the previous year asked me one day about his new teacher and his sister's new teacher. A British-raised Egyptian woman (unveiled and pretty liberal) taught her daughter and a veiled American convert taught her son. Her question to me, "Where the westerner?" She was joking, to a degree, but the reality is that certain parts of the population want someone who looks and sounds western.