I lived there for a few years up to 2000, so I imagine a fair amount is different. That has been a big theme in Poland for awhile now: change. It has been rapidly modernizing from a mostly agrarian, former Soviet bitch to one of the fastest developing Central European countries.

Tough language, but doable. Big transition in the last 30-40 years from everyone speaking Russian as their second language (or German ) to English. The youngish will speak it, especially in Warsaw. Less so out in the countryside. The countryside is a part of the heart of most Poles. And it is a nice thing.

Warsaw is a modern, bustling city. Lots of gray, Soviet style buildings all built in the fifties, as the entire city was leveled in WW II. Even their old town is new.

Poles are generally pretty nice. Attractive ladies. Pretty bland food: cabbage, potatoes, and pork cutlets are the norm, but Warsaw will have restaurants from other cultures. A great soup you gotta get: zurek. Sausage, boiled eggs, and other stuff. Very delicious.

Cold and dark for much of the year, like November-April. Glorious spring and summer, as those colder countries know how to enjoy the good weather.

Good enough train system and fairly affordable. Lots of great places to visit in country, including Gdansk on the Baltic and especially Krakow in the south. Amazing city. Tatry mountains in the south for hiking, camping and skiing too. Great jumping off point for Europe.

Thanks for this ongoing discussion.

I knew that non- EU teachers, indeed, are hired throughout Europe, but I was curious as to whether having one would give you a leg up in hiring. Sounds like the answer is "sometimes". Or "maybe".

Could it ever work against you?

I know getting all the visa BS is a pain for both teacher and school. I didn't know if it factored into hiring decisions, like I know dependents and a teaching spouse often do ( often trumping ability or experience).

You mention that US citizens, that's me, don't pay the taxes? Sometimes? Does that mean that the tax numbers on Search, aren't always applicable?

I hadn't thought that the EU passport could actually work against you, monetarily. That ws an interesting point.

I have seen this written before--certainly from Psyguy-- but I wanted to drill down deeper.

Just how valuable is having an EU passport for landing European positions?

And if it is valuable, why?

Thanks!

An even better article would have been like the ones shadowjack, et al posted from this year's fairs. THOSE really gave a good flavor of what the fairs are like.

The Times article was fine, too.

The short answer for many American teachers is "yes, the lure of foreign countries and that experience is that strong."

In addition, I think a lot of us, for a variety of reasons, are able to save more overseas, even if the compensation number is lower. Not to mention the travel and other lifestyle differences.

And really, the number you quoted is FAR from a typical teacher salary in the US. FAR! More like half that, on average.

Lastly, depending on your situation--age, marital status, children, debt, etc-- you don't always make decisions based only on how much money you make.

New York would be fun though. I imagine a good chunk of your pay will go to tax, housing, and the high cost of living in NYC, another thing Americans sometimes seek to avoid in working overseas.

I disagree with the Spanish comment, but maybe that one is location dependent.

Mexicans are some of the warmest people I've experienced, and I have lived in a variety of countries. That's no knock on other countries, as it seems like most people I've met on the planet are pretty nice. It's just a commentary on Mexicans. So friendly.

Many I've met speak Englsh and are happy to use it. Sucks for my Spanish, actually.

Great people.
Wonderful place for kids.
Great food, on the street and otherwise.
Yes, chatty kids.
Low pay.
Nice weather.
Again, lots of nice, laid back people.

Be patient. Try your best not to get irritated by the unplanned, last minute nature of people here. It can be a good thing (sometimes).

I don't work at the school but I know people who do and have been to the city a few times.

My friend likes it. I think the comps, for Mexico, are okay. The kids and the facilities are good. I know they are slowly transitioning to a one to one environment.

I really liked the city itself. Some decent museums and architecture. I think it is Mexicos third largest city at 5 million or somewhere in that neighborhood, so it's quite big. Great food, of course, and lots of nightlife. Large downtown. Chivas football is big, of course.

Nice weather, year round. A bit in the mountains, so it can be a bit chilly during winter, but nothing major. You can get to the coast in four hours or so, and many Guadalajarans do.

We contribute to IRAs, which is Pre tax, I believe. Roth IRAs, I think, are after tax. We still file our taxes every year, per US law, so I guess that's why it's okay for us to put money, earned abroad, into a pretax IRA.

Heyteach does make a wise point: we all need to keep our retirement in mind, each and every year. Unfortunately, pension plans in the US, for those entering the system now, just don't offer too much. I think for most states, the days of the big pension are disappearing. The states just don't have the money anymore. Fire and police might be the last (wo)men standing in that respect.

I know my wife and I try to max out contributions to IRAs and such each year. As someone else wrote on here recently, don't underestimate the power of compounding interest!

Two years after college teaching ESL, then 10 teaching in US. Came out to teach at international school in mid thirties w fam.

As w most things, I probably could have tweaked that plan a bit if I had to do it over, but, it wasn't a plan, it just happened, so I'm pretty satisfied w the timing and whatnot.

Pure hearsay, but I have heard Cotopaxi in Ecuador and FDR in Peru are Tier 1, for their respective countries.

At least try to post in some remotely savvy way. It almost looks like SPAM?

More of the same.
I can only speak about small schools.
You do get to know everyone, K-12, students and staff. That's good if you like to get to know and work w people. If you are more private, you might not like that. Less opportunity to "hide".

More preps, yes. You might not get to teach any class more than once. I teach four different classes a day.

Fewer choices for kids and teachers, in terms of electives and extracurriculars.

Wearing more hats, indeed, though that can open up some opportunities, resume-wise, that you might not get at a big school.

Ok, that makes some sense. I'd been wondering. Thanks.