Thank you for the replies.

My friend called the CRA twice and explained to the representatives on the phone the situation. It seems he needs to complete 2 forms to establish his non-residency overseas, and those forms simply need to be completed before he files next year (2014) for this tax year (2013).

They did clearly indicate that since he is returning to Canada next month, when he files next year for this year, he must include all of the money he has made internationally this year (2013) even if he paid taxes on that money already in Singapore. That does not sound very reasonable, as you are paying taxes twice, but that was what they said. In other words, as long as he is a resident of Canada the last 4 months of this year, he would need to pay taxes on what he earned in Singapore also this year. The four years before that he does not, because during all of those years he was a non-resident.

Thought I'd pass on his experience to fellow Canadians. Thank you again.

Rob

Perhaps a fellow Canadian teacher might offer some insight into his question.

I have a Canadian teacher friend who left Canada about 5 years ago. He is not aware of this website, so I'm writing on his behalf. He only has a Canadian bank account and a Canadian drivers license. Therefore, he has almost no financial ties to Canada. His Canadian drivers license now is even expired. His question is as follows: When he wires his money back to Canada (Vancouver) from both his Singapore bank account and his retirement account here, is that taxed by Canada? His concern is that because of the large taxes in Canada, the tax department will treat that money as income and tax it.

Any insight on this would be appreciated. Thank you.

Rob

I am a few months from 67 and currently teaching in a tier one or two school in Singapore. I'd have to say that age is a big factor. If I went to a recruitment fair, I'd probably have no chance of being hired, and so after the age of 55, I never have gone to a fair. I've used TIE, and know that come July and August, positions open up all the time, because teachers resign late or a change of heart from a teacher hired for the new year.

I would avoid the job fairs after your mid-50's. I've heard of too many people not being hired in that age group, but then again, there are certainly exceptions. As a further note, I'm a member of a teaching group called "International Supply Teachers" for qualified teachers who for whatever reason are no longer teaching. After you undergo the application process at IST, you receive notices periodically asking if you are interested in being a substitute teacher in School X for a certain period of months, with transportation and housing paid for. It can be a very good thing for an older teacher.

Rob

I left the US in 1970 thinking I would teach in a little international school in Saigon in 1970 and then return home. I returned home, but only to visit. I've been mostly overseas for 42 years as a teacher, but every few years I'd return to the States to teach in a public school for a year to re-acquaint myself with the latest teaching methodologies. I stopped doing that in the mid-1980's. Now it's been totally overseas.

I'm still teaching full time at 66 in Singapore, but it's because I choose to. It's good when your're at retirement age to choose to work. I have no idea what I'm doing the next school year. I may or may not teach. I live pretty permanently in Singapore (and Malaysia), so it's home. However, I have the question now of whether I should be more permanently in the States. I enrolled more than a year ago in Medicare, and you can't use that overseas.

Really interesting to read your various perspectives on how long to live overseas.

Rob

[b]A current student of his sums up what has lead to this situation:[/b]

Mohanad Rwaished DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Mr. Gurung taught me IB chemistry in Qatar Academy. It was his first year in Qatar Academy at the time, before him we had a very lenient teacher, who didn't care about our attendance, or our performance, the class was getting good grades without really earning them. When Mr. Gurung took charge of my class, all of that changed. He was strict, and for that reason i didn't like him nor did my classmates. To be honest, i gave Mr. gurung every reason to hate me, i cheated in a test, i skipped his class, i showed no interest in chemistry what so ever and made that clear to him, I even blamed him for my failure. While i deserved his hate, i received nothing but love and support. He helped me as much as a teacher could possibly help a student. My classmate’s where getting bad grades, and retaliated by disrespecting Mr. gurung, they mocked him, they laughed at him, yet he remained calm, he never once insulted any one of us or showed any hate. After all i put Mr. Gurung through; he was there after our final exams just to check on how we did! He is truly one of the kindest teachers i know. I never thought I would defend a teacher, who failed me, but I know for a fact Mr. Gurung could never have insulted these boys, we pushed him to the edge, and all we ever got in return was kindness. I wish I was a better student to him, and I hope signing this petition is the first step of apologizing to a great man that I have wronged.

[b]This is Dorje in his own words:[/b]

I am a Tibetan-Buddhist Science teacher with a Jesuit education in a Hindu country (Nepal), an international education in a catholic country (Italy), a liberal arts education in the bastion of freedom and democracy (the US), with teacher-training down under (Australia), but whose choice of musical instrument is Australian (the Didjeridoo), choice of sports is American (Ultimate Frisbee), choice of dance genre is Latin American (Merengue and Salsa), and yet, still, has faith in the permanence and power of change!

I taught in Jordan a few years ago, and I loved it. The school I taught at gave all the new expat teachers a car, and although we paid the rent, it was very minimal, and the school handled the insurance. Weekend trips to the Dead Sea and Petra made living here a true experience. The school, American Community School, is small, a trust, and very well run. Being a little low on social security contributions, I contributed into it there. In the Middle East, definitely Jordan in my opinion was the best place to live.

I was in Alexandria, Egypt after that, and luckily it was before the trouble they are having now. I loved that experience also. I preferred Alexandria over Cairo with its European flavor to it. I cannot think of friendlier people than Egyptians. I also liked the fact the school paid into Social Security.

I also taught in Riyadh, SA, but that was in the mid 1970's, and the conditions there were different than now. Still, it was very difficult to make a Saudi friend.

Rob

Started teaching in Vietnam in 1970 and still teaching in Singapore at the moment. Before I used to return to the states after every 3 years to teach for a year to get re-educated with what's happening in teaching. For the last 25 years I have not done that and have been overseas.

As mentioned before here, the only concern about overseas teaching is that you get so caught up in the travel and experiencing different cultures that you neglect to plan for retirement. I've met for than a few teachers who must continue to work because they just don't have enough to retire on.


Rob

I recently lived and taught in Phu My Hung and loved the quieter streets, wide sidewalks, and less congested traffic. It's a world apart from the rest of Saigon. I believe you'll love the places to walk your dog. Phu My Hung has some good vets and several pet stores, but the quality of the pet food might not be what your dog is used to.

I know everything will turn out fine. You're only concern is from your home to LA. Your planning ahead so well.

Rob

This is only a suggestion, but please check on flights to Saigon from the East Coast. I have flown to SE Asia before, but I flew through New York. I took Luftansa, which allowed me to bring my cat into the cabin. It is a very pet friendly airlines.

The only drawback is that the flight might be a bit longer. I like EVA, but if you spend a little more, then maybe Luftansa might be better. Perhaps at the least, investigate the East coast.

You have plenty of time left until yo need to leave.

Rob

EVA is an excellent airlines. I fly it all the time to the States when I travel there. If you can arrange to fly "Deluxe Economy", please do. It's only a couple hundred dollars more, but with the comfort of almost first class. Also, it might allow you a better opportunity to ask the flight attendants about your dog. At any rate, I love EVA.

I taught at an international school in Saigon a couple years ago, and liked it very much. I hope you enjoy yourself there.

Rob

Hi-
Having been in Singapore for 25 years now, and still teaching at 66, here are my 2 cents. I have some friends at CIS, and they like it. True, the salary is not as much as SAS, but it's still a salary my friends save substantially on. The new headmaster is well respected by the teachers, and quite fair.

The S$2,200/month is not really enough to get a 3 bed room condo, even if it were an HDB flat (gov't housing). I would say that a minimum of S$3000 would be what you would require. I suggest you go to this website: http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/ Pick the location and the price you want. I currently live in a well furnished 2 bedroom HDB flat for S$2,500, but it is the NG (New Generation) type, with plenty of privacy and almost like a condo. Rentals are pretty stable now. Singapore needs to compete with the other ASEAN countries, so salaries tend not to rise, and therefore, rental rates are fairly stable.

Finally,if CIS is willing to train you in the IB program, I would say that is a rare opportunity. Just my opinion.

Rob

I've worked at both schools, but many more years at SAS and only a short term contract at UWC. UWC is certainly much more international and IB driven. SAS has no IB program and has mostly American students with the American education. Both serve different types of students.

In my opinion, in Singapore, UWC is thought of as being the best, simply because the IB results are usually very good, and many students succeed in getting the IB Diploma. AS a teacher, however, the workload at UWC is greater, because most teachers teach both Middle School and High School. It's not unusual for a teacher to have 4 preps. At SAS, you are within one level (MS or HS), and sometimes only one or two preps.

Both schools would be a real pleasure to teach in.

Rob

I was a teacher there a few years ago. I loved it. I was a teacher in th middle school/high school.

Here are the positives- (1) All the foreign hired teachers had excellent housing. The housing was not all in one area, and it was in very nice neigborhoods. All the furniture was supplied, even the bed sheets. There was little in the way of start-up costs. (2) Within a few days after landing in Amman, the teachers were given a car. The car rental was very minimal, and all repairs (within reason) were paid for by the school. The cars were almost new, and in my case, it was new. I would take weekend trips to the Dead Sea and Petra. (3) Class size, at least in the high school, was reasonable. (4) The school is respectful of your time, so you have the usual requirements to be involved, but it's reasonable. (5) The school pays into US Social Security and Medicare, which I wanted since my contributios in the past have been minimal.

The only negatives I can think of is the lack of good restaurants. Perhaps in the intervening few years that has changed.

Best memory: WE had a blizzard, and the city was totally unprepared. There were no snowplows, and there were no snow tires car chains. There was no school for three days, and we had some great snowball fights and built some really nice snowmen.

Would I recomment ACS Amman? Yes.

Rob

When I was at SSIS, the reason given why SSIS uses VietCom bank and not an international bank is the guarantee made to the school that US dollars could be withdrawn at any time. There would always be an ample supply of US dollars in this particular government bank.

I can only speak from my own experience there. I liked SSIS. It may not be a top tier school there now, but in HCM, I really think it is the best.

Good luck in making your choice.

Rob

The school pays in all US dollars. The school assists you in opening up a US dollar account at VietCom Bank (the national bank). You can withdraw the money whenever you desire (in US dollars). When you use their ATM cards, you withdraw local currency at the current rates.

Rob