Hi everyone,
Could anybody share their experiences of teaching in Italian International Schools? For example, I have heard the pay can be quite poor - is it enough to cover living expenses in a city such as Rome or Barcelona? Also, I have three children. I know the law in Spain means the IS must enrol your children. Is it the same in Italy?
Any advice or insights gratefully received. Anna
Teaching in Italian International Schools
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
I'm interested in exploring Italy too--but one thing I noted was that your pay is taxed around 40%!
Which means, regardless of your salary, you won't make much money.
The food will be great though! :D
Which means, regardless of your salary, you won't make much money.
The food will be great though! :D
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
The pay is quite low. After a couple of years, taxes kick in and your salary may not cover your expenses. Some schools don't offer housing benefits or annual flights. The places where the schools may be located and/or where you can afford to live are not the tourist areas that we see when we we visit. The national health care system can be very challenging to navigate and schools may not offer support to navigate the systems in Italy.
On the paid side of this site, there are numerous reviews of lots of different Italian schools and they all seem to cover similar complaints.
On the paid side of this site, there are numerous reviews of lots of different Italian schools and they all seem to cover similar complaints.
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
I know two people, both former colleagues in Costa Rica. They both left after their initial contracts. ASM and Rome. Both said great places to live but weren't able to save a dime and after your 25th year unless you are independently wealthy or running an online business most people aren't willing to spend their whole paycheck to live a basic existence when there are better alternatives out there. I'd rather work in Qatar and vacation in Naples.
But I would love to hear some counter info.
But I would love to hear some counter info.
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buffalofan
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
Everything I've heard indicates Italy is a lifestyle post - as in the first line of your benefits package probably should read "You get to live in Italy".
Reminds me of the ASP (Paris) job postings which actually listed "living in Paris" as a benefit, and a school in rural Thailand that listed a "bicycle to ride to school" as part of the compensation package.
Might be fine short term, but you aren't going to accomplish much career-wise or financially. Maybe as a sort of pre-retirement gig it would be ok?
Reminds me of the ASP (Paris) job postings which actually listed "living in Paris" as a benefit, and a school in rural Thailand that listed a "bicycle to ride to school" as part of the compensation package.
Might be fine short term, but you aren't going to accomplish much career-wise or financially. Maybe as a sort of pre-retirement gig it would be ok?
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ILMathTeachr
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 11:38 pm
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
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.
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
nannubu wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> Could anybody share their experiences of teaching in Italian International
> Schools? For example, I have heard the pay can be quite poor - is it enough
> to cover living expenses in a city such as Rome or Barcelona? Also, I have
> three children. I know the law in Spain means the IS must enrol your
> children. Is it the same in Italy?
> Any advice or insights gratefully received. Anna
I think you'd struggle to get a job in Italy that would pay enough for you to live in Barcelona.
> Hi everyone,
> Could anybody share their experiences of teaching in Italian International
> Schools? For example, I have heard the pay can be quite poor - is it enough
> to cover living expenses in a city such as Rome or Barcelona? Also, I have
> three children. I know the law in Spain means the IS must enrol your
> children. Is it the same in Italy?
> Any advice or insights gratefully received. Anna
I think you'd struggle to get a job in Italy that would pay enough for you to live in Barcelona.
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
I just spent a year teaching at an international school in Italy. It was miserable. Italy is not all it's cracked up to be and living there is vastly different than living/working there. First two years are tax free, but you actually still pay health insurance tax of about 8%. Italian health system is ok, but very challenging to navigate. Only a few of the most established schools offer benefits like relocation or flights - most schools do not. None offer housing. Salaries are low across the board - I've never been paid so little. Covered our expenses with myself and my spouse working, but literally saved nothing-and we are frugal people. The school did give places to my two children and free (not very good) lunch, those were the only benefits. It is important to be at a school that really supports it's expats because trying to get anything done in Italy is extremely challenging and frustrating.
DODEA is an option to work in Italy - there are 5 DODEA schools in Italy. But getting a position with DODEA is hard and to specifically get to Italy is harder. Plus working at a DODEA school is not the same as working at an international school. Not saying one is better than the other, but they are very different experiences.
DODEA is an option to work in Italy - there are 5 DODEA schools in Italy. But getting a position with DODEA is hard and to specifically get to Italy is harder. Plus working at a DODEA school is not the same as working at an international school. Not saying one is better than the other, but they are very different experiences.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Teaching in Italian International Schools
[quote=Daisyduck post_id=61591 time=1625274479 user_id=229415]
I just spent a year teaching at an international school in Italy. It was miserable. Italy is not all it's cracked up to be and living there is vastly different than living/working there. First two years are tax free, but you actually still pay health insurance tax of about 8%. Italian health system is ok, but very challenging to navigate. Only a few of the most established schools offer benefits like relocation or flights - most schools do not. None offer housing. Salaries are low across the board - I've never been paid so little. Covered our expenses with myself and my spouse working, but literally saved nothing-and we are frugal people. The school did give places to my two children and free (not very good) lunch, those were the only benefits. It is important to be at a school that really supports it's expats because trying to get anything done in Italy is extremely challenging and frustrating.
DODEA is an option to work in Italy - there are 5 DODEA schools in Italy. But getting a position with DODEA is hard and to specifically get to Italy is harder. Plus working at a DODEA school is not the same as working at an international school. Not saying one is better than the other, but they are very different experiences.
[/quote]
Like anything, there will be good points and bad points for each situation and some that will be good/bad depending on your personal situation/view point (e.g. teaching Italian/int'l students vs. American students, working and/or living on an American military base vs. living on the economy, navigating Italian services/bureaucracy vs. navigating US gov't/military bureaucracy). Agree that getting a job with DoDEA in general would be harder than getting a job with an Italian int'l school (with DoDEA in Italy being even more difficult).
Financially, it's no contest. Salaries at DoDEA schools would likely be 3/4 times the salary of an int'l school, so even with paying US taxes, you would come out way ahead. Especially when you factor in that you would be paying no rent or utilities for a nice to very nice place. In addition, you would also receive a post allowance that would add another $300-400 in salary per month, tax free and periodic travel allowances back to the US. You would also have access to facilities on post/base at no cost and where language is not an issue (e.g. clinic, gym, commissary, library, various recreational activities/facilities).
I just spent a year teaching at an international school in Italy. It was miserable. Italy is not all it's cracked up to be and living there is vastly different than living/working there. First two years are tax free, but you actually still pay health insurance tax of about 8%. Italian health system is ok, but very challenging to navigate. Only a few of the most established schools offer benefits like relocation or flights - most schools do not. None offer housing. Salaries are low across the board - I've never been paid so little. Covered our expenses with myself and my spouse working, but literally saved nothing-and we are frugal people. The school did give places to my two children and free (not very good) lunch, those were the only benefits. It is important to be at a school that really supports it's expats because trying to get anything done in Italy is extremely challenging and frustrating.
DODEA is an option to work in Italy - there are 5 DODEA schools in Italy. But getting a position with DODEA is hard and to specifically get to Italy is harder. Plus working at a DODEA school is not the same as working at an international school. Not saying one is better than the other, but they are very different experiences.
[/quote]
Like anything, there will be good points and bad points for each situation and some that will be good/bad depending on your personal situation/view point (e.g. teaching Italian/int'l students vs. American students, working and/or living on an American military base vs. living on the economy, navigating Italian services/bureaucracy vs. navigating US gov't/military bureaucracy). Agree that getting a job with DoDEA in general would be harder than getting a job with an Italian int'l school (with DoDEA in Italy being even more difficult).
Financially, it's no contest. Salaries at DoDEA schools would likely be 3/4 times the salary of an int'l school, so even with paying US taxes, you would come out way ahead. Especially when you factor in that you would be paying no rent or utilities for a nice to very nice place. In addition, you would also receive a post allowance that would add another $300-400 in salary per month, tax free and periodic travel allowances back to the US. You would also have access to facilities on post/base at no cost and where language is not an issue (e.g. clinic, gym, commissary, library, various recreational activities/facilities).