LOL, a scam or spammy post on LinkedIn, how incredibly surprising...right up there with the news that water is wet...

Do you have a paid for house in California that you can rent out and count towards your savings? If so, you might be able to hit a big savings number though 50k is a stretch I think - maybe technically possible at the right school but your lifestyle would probably take too much of a hit. You would drop in at the top of the salary scale for a new hire (most are capped at 10 years exp for incoming hires), but it seems fewer and fewer schools are paying an extra amount for advanced degrees.

You say you live in Washington State, have you looked into transferring your DC cert there? You can get a Washington State cert that is essentially valid for life as long as you don't actually teach in the state (or this used to be the case at least - not sure if things have changed recently).

[quote=mysharona post_id=61731 time=1627359248 user_id=31990]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... is-deepens
[/quote]

The real reason for the situation in Thailand can't be reported on within the country, nice to see that Guardian article does (somewhat mildly) state what is going on in the last paragraph.

If you are fully vaxxed then you should have no worries.

I do not think ISS, Schrole, and Search can exist at the same time, one or more will disappear sooner than later. In-person recruiting is going to be thin on the ground for the forseeable future, and a lot of schools simply don't want or need to pay agency placement fees to get teachers.

There is no point in working for a 3rd tier for-profit school in any capacity when you have other options. Agree with the above replies, leadership experience at a school like this will mean jack sh*t for a tier 1 school (and may even be a disadvantage). The only exception might be those tier 1 schools that operate and act like for-profits (but you'll want to avoid these schools like the plague as well).

Not sure how much the following relates to that specific situation, but...Vietnam is going through a major visa crackdown currently and many expats (especially retirees and digital nomad types) are being forced out. Several reports on Youtube about this at the moment. Unless your friend is considered a "highly skilled expert", a visa extension at this time may be impossible.

The last time I was in this situation, my previous school insurance was still valid up to July 31. If this is the case (and assuming your old school insurance covered the USA), then it should not be an issue.

Otherwise, at the school I worked at years back where the insurance coverage did not include the USA, my insurance policy on summer trips to the USA was "drive to Mexico".

PsyGuy wrote:

> PTC is nothing, their certificates arent worth the paper they are printed
> on. PTC isnt a qualification, a credential, or a license to do anything.
> What it does have is name recognition, and more importantly a network of
> members who include many leaders in a position to hire other leaders.
> Theres some strong utility to marketability in that aspect of the PTC. Its
> nothing more than a club though.

Yeah this matches up with my experience working under a principal who went through PTC. Instead of providing inspiration and guidance to faculty, there was lots of talk about "mentors" and it just seemed like a good ol' boys club. Lots of favoritism, and if you questioned the way things worked you were treated like a leper.

[quote="fine dude" post_id=61240 time=1620915805 user_id=105776]
Schools could save on quarantining new teachers or finding subs for unvaccinated folks falling sick right after arrival. It does make sense to include if they could show supporting evidence.
[/quote]

Yeah, I think we will start seeing several different things happening:
*Schools that will have a 100% vaxxed faculty internal policy. Probably not realistic for 21-22, but I can see this happening for 22-23.
*Schools that will not be able to process a work visa for an unvaxxed teacher (vaccination a requirement in the job description)
*If the country has a quarantine policy for the unvaxxed, you will see things written into contracts like "teacher will bear all costs of quarantine in the host country if not vaccinated"

Think she is just ahead of the curve. If you think you are getting a work visa (or even getting on plane) once the vaccine is available widespread, you are in for a rude awakening.

[quote=sid post_id=61220 time=1620630283 user_id=218]
Then why leave after two years?
[/quote]

If you are a career IT, do you really want a tier 3 school in China on your resume for longer than that?

[quote=mysharona post_id=61145 time=1619219667 user_id=31990]
We were once offered jobs in Bangkok that came with a salary that we would have had to subsidize with savings. It was a big no thanks.
[/quote]

Some schools there still like to try it on and hope teachers will still buy into the "Thailand is cheap" mythology. When the reality is Bangkok is probably the most expensive city in the region after Singapore now.

[quote=Psychometrika post_id=61104 time=1618060710 user_id=218032]
fine dude wrote:
> Here is my shortlist:
> Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain (if my nest egg is big enough), Thailand, and
> Vietnam

Good list. I'm also considering the Philippines, but SE Asia is my focus area with Thailand and Vietnam towards the top of the list.
[/quote]

Need to really focus on what parts of the countries would suit you on your list as well. Take Thailand for example, places like Chiang Mai and Pattaya are popular with retirees but I consider both of those places polluted touristy sh*tholes. I have a few spots in mind for SE Asia that I think would be awesome, but not going to share here as they are somewhat off the beaten track and I hope they stay that way...

Mike wrote:
> if you are an American make sure you have your 40 credits for social
> security and more importantly medicare. sign up online and check those
> credits!!

This is assuming you are American and intend to retire in the US. Since Medicare can't be used outside the US, it becomes much less important if you are retiring abroad in low cost of living country.

I also have 2 decade long gaps in SS contributions, and I expect this is pretty common for US expats. Yes I could go back to the US and be a wage slave for Uber to hit 40 credits like the above post. And if someone has 39 credits or something, then I get it. But with 24 credits currently, and the mere thought of returning to the USA making me physically sick, I'll take my chances with my private investments.