Issues and solutions of IT's with non-teaching dependants.

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Yantantether
Posts: 168
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:41 am

Issues and solutions of IT's with non-teaching dependants.

Post by Yantantether »

Been mulling this over after reading the thread on 'best fairs for families' and it got me wondering of the different scenarios, and what possible solutions could perhaps be considered for those in a position of having a non-teaching spouse (NTS) and children.

I should confess I have a vested interest in this as my wife is a NTS but comes from an Asian country. No kids yet but it's very possible that will be next.

Obviously as no kids at this point it's not such a huge issue, but if/when it does happen do you think it would be any easier for people like me to find a position in a good IS in her home country, as opposed to somewhere foreign to both of us. Would this take some of the pressure and cost off a potential employer? At least my wife would be able to work and function in her native country which should ease at least some of the issues schools have to consider. Also, insurance would be less of a need as would flights home to some extent. As children come along does it then again become just too expensive regardless of whether it is your spouse's home country or not?

Perhaps another solution for those in this position is to waive/negotiate what benefits the school provides for their NTS. Example some schools won't pay for flights, insurance to cover a non-contracted spouse. This of course would be more acceptable if the school provides a good salary/payscale, but it definitely can be viable. Others may baulk at the thought.

If a teacher is willing to negotiate, should this be stated clearly in an application/cover letter to give themselves a better chance of reaching the interview stage at least? As if they don't do this, then there is a strong chance they won't get further than the bin.

Obviously if you have children also, then they have to be educated and this area doesn't leave much room for negotiation. So, are the dependant school places the overriding cost factor in all this or are schools more concerned with the flights, insurance etc issues?

Anyone else want to chime in? It would be interesting to here the thoughts of recruiters.....Walter please feel free ^_^

And apologies for the rambling nature of the post but that's exactly what it was really,....a ramble.
vincentchase
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Post by vincentchase »

I would advise against negotiating fewer benefits as that would drop the value of all teachers in your position. If enough teachers did this, then it would soon become acceptable practice for schools.

My advice would be to strengthen your CV to a point where the value you add to the school would outweigh the extra expense of accommodating for your dependents. Get a MEd or two, rack up the IB experience, become an expert in a particular educational field.

Another route is to move into administration where having extra dependents is not considered such a big issue.
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

First, dont concern yourself with other ITs or the IE profession as a whole, you need to do what is in you and your families best interests for you.

Most of what you describe in your scenarios just doesnt happen. The key factor is "good schools". You cant incentivize a good school to hire you by giving them a discount or kick back on your package. Good schools have a published and fixed compensation scale and OSH package, its approved by ownership and every hire gets the same policy applied equally. You cant undercut other teachers within the scope of that policy.

I dont know what nationality your wife is, so i cant give a definitive response on what if any saving could materialize on insurance giving your spouses citizenship status. Different countries work differently, but its a moot point since the insurance contract fixes who is added and who isnt. The school doesnt really have an option. So a school that woud cover your spouse and children wouldnt have a mechanism to exclude them.

Bennefits such as housing allowances or provided housing are fixed. If you have a family you get X number of bedrooms or Y number of dollars based on your marital status.

The only factor that would save a school money is on airfare, and again those benefits are dictated by policy. The school provides dependent airfare or it doesnt, the school gives return allowance or tickets every X number of years. You cant negotiate that.

There are two realistic options:

1) Accept a local package. This is an all or none decision. You cant take OSH benefits for yourself and decline them for your spouse. In most cases though (at good schools) this isnt an option for you, the school has a policy and its going to follow it.
The way it works is youd have to indicate during the interview that you will be in the schools local prior to your contract start date. The issue for you is getting a work visa that the school has to sponsor, otherwise your not local. You can explain this by claiming you will be traveling on vacation, as a tourist, or visiting "family" in the area at the time.

2) You cant negotiate the benefits but you can negotiate your salary, by negotiating the number of steps on the scale your credited with. Most ITs negotiate more steps, but you could indicate during the interview that you "understand your previous experience may not be applicable within the schools policy definitions, and an entry level salary isnt an issue given the opportunity to work with such a great faculty and leadership team". Thats all the signal you need to say to send the message that you will work cheap, without cheapening the value of your resume.
Fstop
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Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 6:57 am

Post by Fstop »

^Kind of agree. I also have a non-teaching spouse. She's from Thailand. When I was applying for jobs earlier this year, I mentioned her in the cover letter I sent out, but I would never think of negotiating for less benefits because she isn't a teacher, and no reputable school would agree to such terms.
Yantantether
Posts: 168
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:41 am

Post by Yantantether »

Fstop: Could you expand on why and how you mentioned her in the cover letter? Was this for jobs specific to Thailand and did it change anything or provide any pluses? Cheers.

Psy: You raised some pertinent points and your suggestions are logical, thanks.

VC: Don't worry, I don't think little ole me is going to dismantle the IT package just yet. You are absolutely right about strengthening the CV etc.

How much does IB exp. strengthen the hand ? Yes I know it's a plus of course but would say 3+ yrs IB exp. be enough to negate the negative effects of the NTS and Dependants Syndrome? Are IB teachers in such high demand and short supply ?
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

@Yantantether

IB is everything. At the top of the IS scale you have national curriculum schools, American or British mostly, and a few world IB schools (some of the national schools also use IB alongside their national curriculum at DIP level). At the bottom of the school scale you also have national curriculum schools. These are schools claiming "an american influenced education". In the middle tiers you see a lot of IB schools, so IB is the bridge between the good schools and the bad schools. There are over 2000 IB schools outside the USA, thats 3 times the entire SA school database. Thats a lot of schools, and in IB schools IB experience is everything. The rule is no amount of training equals any amount of experience, but training is better then nothing.

Is 3+ years of IB experience "enough" to negate the trailing spouse and future possible kids. It would make you competitive for IB schools, and the spouse isnt an issue if your competitive and marketable. Those three years make you marketable. SOme IB schools want 5+ years but for most of them 2 years of IB experience gets your resume looked at.

As far as kids goes, it depends how many you have. There are teachers out there with 4 kids and a trailing spouse, who couldnt get an offer from an IS with a referral from God. At that point the glaring point is the school has to travel 6 people to fill one classroom, and thats a near impossible sell to a school, theres always someone cheaper at that point. There are just too many factors to say at hat point you lose your marketability, but anything more then 3:1 (travelers:employees) and your facing an uphill battle.
Fstop
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Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 6:57 am

Post by Fstop »

[quote="Yantantether"]Fstop: Could you expand on why and how you mentioned her in the cover letter? Was this for jobs specific to Thailand and did it change anything or provide any pluses? Cheers.
[/quote]

I think it was someone on here who recommended mentioning your non-teaching spouse in the cover letter. I mentioned her so I could answer some questions before they were even asked, like "what will she do while you are at work?" and such. I did this for every cover letter I dropped in the boxes at the fair. I don't know if it helped or not, but I was hired at the Bangkok fair.

Like PsyGuy said, IB is everything. I have a few years of IB under my belt and my students' scores are very good. I believe this is what helped the most. If you have kids and a trailing spouse, then you better have at least 5-6 years of IB experience. I met a guy at BKK who was hired at a top tier school in Kenya after teaching for 6 years in Shanghai. He has kids and a non-teaching spouse. So it is possible, but if you are just starting out in IB and have a non-teaching partner and a few kids, then you will find getting into a good school difficult.
lucygoose
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 12:04 am

Post by lucygoose »

If you are a great teacher with IB experience, you will get hired. I have 3 dependants. I also have over 11 years of IB teaching experience at some great international schools and a Masters. When I job hunt, I look at it as though I need to work 3x as hard as the average international school teacher. That means a very professional website with photos, videos, CV, sample PYP lessons, personal philosophy, references. I also start very early in the hiring season (signing up with Search usually) so I can stay at my current school if nothing pans out before I need to re-sign my contract.

Another thing to think about is what added value your partner will bring to the school. I've seen partners as teaching assistants, coaches, secretaries, after school activities coordinators, etc. Make the school want both of you, even if your partner isn't a bona fide teacher. If this means getting your partner some TA experience or improving her English, get on it. You won't regret it.

Over the years I've seen plenty of families with a dependent spouse and one or two kids on the circuit. Don't get discouraged, get your experience and skills up to par (IB IB IB) and get out there! Good luck.
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