Search found 60 matches

by Teach1010
Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:43 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Learning Support
Replies: 2
Views: 4346

Learning Support

Could anyone share what the day-to-day is like in a Learning Support position? I'm interested just to know, but I'm also applying for a position that would include learning support along with another content area. I understand that the closest equivalent in the US would be Special Ed, but I would imagine there are some key differences. For example, do IEPs and accommodations exist in IE or is that only an American thing? What would an IS with a learning support opening be looking for in a candidate? Would experience in Special Ed in the US even be relevant? In my school in the US, most of the students that our sped teachers work with sadly have major issues (social, emotional, intellectual, financial) that are far beyond what any private international school would be willing to accept.
by Teach1010
Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:04 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: How long should the plenary be?
Replies: 6
Views: 8133

Re: How long should the plenary be?

I feel dumb asking this but what is a plenary? I'm guessing it's something we have a different name for the US.
by Teach1010
Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:14 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)
Replies: 1
Views: 3952

National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)

Does anyone know how respected national board certification is in the international circuit? It's kind of a big deal in the US, but I'm wondering if it's worth the money and effort if my goal is to be more marketable to international schools.
by Teach1010
Wed Jan 03, 2018 1:03 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes
Replies: 9
Views: 12065

Re: Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes

Thanks for the advice. Based on my interpretation of what I've read on the IRS website and researched elsewhere, I feel that my / our situation as ITs should pass the Bona Fide Resident test, but of course the IRS may see it differently. It's always going to be a gray area, which is why I'm really looking to see if anyone in a similar situation has filed the Form 2555 and what the response was. It clearly says that decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, but do you think that means they actually look at each case independently or they just take your word for it unless you get audited?
by Teach1010
Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:01 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes
Replies: 9
Views: 12065

Re: Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes

I don't understand how an extension would help, because the rules say that you have to be out of the country for 330 days during any 365 day period. I see that you could start your 330 days on August 1 rather than January 1, but that doesn't change the fact that summer + Christmas break would be well over 35 days.

It's funny that you mention issues coming up with people working at a summer camp in the US, because that's exactly what I planned to do during the summer. It's also the reason I don't want to just stay out of the country for a few extra weeks over the summer to meet the 330 day rule. You can't get a summer job if you are only able to work for 35 days. I know I would have to pay US taxes on the summer camp income (and I know that I would have to pay it at the rate it would be without the FEIE - i.e. if you earn 50,000 from your IS and $5,000 from the summer camp, you have to pay the taxes on the $5000 as if that income fell in the $55,000 tax bracket rather than the $5000 tax bracket). I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about having to pay taxes on the income from the IS.
by Teach1010
Tue Jan 02, 2018 2:10 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes
Replies: 9
Views: 12065

Bona Fide Resident for US Income Tax Purposes

I am planning to teach abroad during the school year but return home to the US during summer and Christmas breaks. This situation was discussed in previous threads and some advice was given that one must meet the "physical presence test" (330 day rule) the first year abroad and then after that the "bona fide resident" test is available. From reading the IRS website, it seems like you could do the bona fide resident test the first year and not have to worry about counting days in the US your first year. (I'm not so worried about the August to December of the first year.) The problem is that that IRS is a little vague about how to qualify as a bona fide resident of a foreign country. The paragraph below is copy/pasted from their website:

Determination
Questions of bona fide residence are determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account such factors as your intention or the purpose of your trip and the nature and length of your stay abroad. You must show the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that you have been a bona fide resident of a foreign country or countries for an uninterrupted period that includes an entire tax year. The IRS decides whether you qualify as a bona fide resident of a foreign country largely on the basis of facts you report on Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income. The IRS cannot make this determination until you file Form 2555.

Here are my questions:

1) Has anyone filed Form 2555 (after spending summers in the US) and gotten approval? It sounds like there's no way to know for sure if you qualify until you file that form, but at that point it would be too late to try to meet the 330 day rule, leaving you on the hook for US income taxes.

2) Has anyone been audited and had issues with the amount of time you spend in the US as an IT? It does say you have to be a bona fide resident of the foreign country for an uninterrupted tax year. My interpretation is that going home over the summer doesn't change the fact that you are a bona fide resident of your foreign country since you plan to return after your vacation is over, but I worry that the IRS wouldn't see it that way.

3) Is anyone aware of any implications of new tax code will have that specifically affect expats/ITs?
by Teach1010
Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:45 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What's the Worst?
Replies: 18
Views: 32345

Re: What's the Worst?

The comment about "it's a great country/city otherwise" is what made me think it couldn't be Venezuela. I don't know anyone who would call Venezuela a "great country" right now. She made it sound like she was surprised that there was conflict.
by Teach1010
Sat Sep 30, 2017 4:42 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What's the Worst?
Replies: 18
Views: 32345

Re: What's the Worst?

Where in the world is Shawanda San Diego? I'm afraid I might need another hint... my cursory searches of international news for countries that are not in Africa, the ME, or South Asia and that have cities unexpectedly descending into war zones is not producing a clear match.
by Teach1010
Wed Sep 27, 2017 8:57 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What's the Worst?
Replies: 18
Views: 32345

Re: What's the Worst?

Wow, @shawanda and @Alexandru. That's terrifying. Would you mind sharing what countries this stuff happened in so the rest of us can be aware of the risks if we end up with an offer in that country?
by Teach1010
Tue Jun 20, 2017 6:29 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Teachers' compensation at US private schools
Replies: 18
Views: 33730

Re: Teachers' compensation at US private schools

It's very low compared to public schools. Most americans I know who work in private schools do so either because they have some connection to the school (they went there or their kids go there and they get a family discount) or they have a spouse who makes enough money to support them. In the midwest, a public school teacher would start out in the $40,000 range. A private school teacher starting out would probably be anywhere between $25,000 and $27,000. FYI... all public schools in the U.S. are not terrible. If you choose a descent suburb, you can have the best of both words... good kids and good pay.
by Teach1010
Mon May 29, 2017 8:12 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Sensible city to buy property
Replies: 7
Views: 13588

Re: Sensible city to buy property

What about in Latin America? Are there any countries or cities that you know of with a stable real estate market?
by Teach1010
Thu May 11, 2017 9:00 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Visiting an IS
Replies: 29
Views: 47368

Visiting an IS

I will be visiting a city this summer where an IS that I'm interested in for the 2018-19 school year is located. It seems like I remember reading on here a while back about people requesting a tour of an IS while they're in town. Is this a pretty common thing to do? If you have experience doing it, could you share how it went or any tips for how to use it as a tool for networking/recruiting?
by Teach1010
Mon May 01, 2017 8:15 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Recommended Reading for Inquiry-Based Teaching
Replies: 3
Views: 8343

Recommended Reading for Inquiry-Based Teaching

I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for good books or articles on teaching with the inquiry-based model, either in general or specific to secondary mathematics, that might help me speak intelligently on the topic in an interview. My experience is in traditional schools in the U.S. whose PD focus is not on inquiry, so I'm looking for other ways to gain that knowledge.
by Teach1010
Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:22 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: filing taxes question
Replies: 30
Views: 49131

Re: filing taxes question

Thank you, @Sid. After doing some more digging myself, I think I actually stumbled upon the answer to another part of my question that might be useful to others. According to what seemed like a pretty reliable source (that I forgot to bookmark... sorry!), you also have the option to file for a foreign tax credit. As I understand it, this just means that if you have already paid income tax to the foreign country, that amount is deducted from the amount of tax you would otherwise owe to the U.S. So if you work in a country that has and equal or higher tax rate than the U.S. (say, Western Europe), I don't see why you would need to mess around with the 330-day rule. You would already have paid more than your share of taxes to the country you are living in and therefore not owe anything in U.S. taxes. I'm sure there is more to it than that and there are probably lots of exceptions, but it might be something to considering for some people.
by Teach1010
Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:43 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: filing taxes question
Replies: 30
Views: 49131

Re: filing taxes question

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I think my questions are related.

I didn't realize there was a 330 day rule. It's highly unlikely that you would reach 330 days abroad in the year that you first accept an IT post, so does that mean that you would be on the hook for paying U.S. taxes on that portion of your income? Let's say you just took your first IT post beginning in the 2017-18 school year. When you file your 2017 taxes, the first half of the 2017 tax year you would be earning income from your job in the States and it would be perfectly reasonable to expect to pay normal taxes on that income. The second half of the year (Aug.-Dec.) you would be earning income abroad, and if I'm understanding correctly, you would have to pay U.S. tax on that as well since you wouldn't have acquired 330 days abroad. Depending on what country you're living in, you may also be paying that country's income tax as well, right?