Scandinavian school or Asia?

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appleseed
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:12 am

Scandinavian school or Asia?

Post by appleseed »

I am coming for a 2 tier school in Asia with a pretty good reputation and package. I am from North American and I have a trailing spouse and 2 kids. We own a rental property in Asia and have some savings.

I have 2 offers:
One is in another Asian country where savings is great but the reputation of the school is not spectacular.
pros- we could use the savings to buy a second property in Asia
cons- working at this school for a few years might make my resume/CV look worse compared to the school I am coming from now. This place is not known for being an exciting place to live.

The other one is in a Scandinavian country where we would have minimal savings, but great healthcare, retirement and free university for my kids when they get older.

pros- Great quality of life. Medical, University and retirement are less of a worry. Working in Scandinavia would look great on the resume.
cons- I doubt we will be able to afford to buy a house in Scandinavia on this salary. Will have minimal savings and not be able to travel for fun, or to visit family easily.

Additional thoughts:
Its hard to get a job in Europe if you are not from the Eurozone and especially difficult with a family. If I pass this opportunity up, it might be difficult to find the same opportunity again in the future. This job could also help me to get my foot in the door for other European schools if I want to leave after my first contract (however, I dont expect other European schools to pay much better). Without the income generated from a second rental property or the ability to own a home in Scandinavia I dont know how happy we could be. My wife is not a teacher and is currently taking care of our kids at home. When the kids are old enough for school she could work as a teacher's assistant in the Scandinavian school, but that wouldn't pay all that much.

In an ideal world I would like to do 2-3 years in Asia, buy a second property and then settle in Europe.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
twimih
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 8:12 am

Re: Scandinavian school or Asia?

Post by twimih »

If you want to settle in Europe and you have an offer now, take it, especially if you are a North American. You might not get one again. I was looking for a job in Europe this year (I'd been there before) and found the recruiting scene to be very closed and very selective, and I doubt that will change in the future. I was successful, but believe me, I know how extraordinarily lucky I am. The quality of life in Europe is amazing. For me, it's worth being poorer. I'm leaving great savings potential in Asia for a simpler, happier life in Europe and can't wait. My children were born in Europe and spent their early school years in school there. I'm so glad they did! Look, if you go to Europe and decide that after a few years you really need the money, you can always go back to Asia. If not, you're set. Good luck!
giraffe0345
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:13 am

Re: Scandinavian school or Asia?

Post by giraffe0345 »

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Last edited by giraffe0345 on Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
PIEGUY
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 12:06 pm

Re: Scandinavian school or Asia?

Post by PIEGUY »

Depends where in Scandinavia and where, in Asia. It's the equivalent of asking... America, or Europe? Fruit, or vegetables? Too many variables. On balance, I'd say Scandinavia - for you.
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