Savings in Europe

[runningsloth]

Are there any places in Europe where somebody could save a decent amount of money? I know it's all relative to the size of your family, the amount of travel involved, the amount of western items you purchase, but are there schools where it is realistic to save, assuming you have two incomes? Eastern, Southern, or Northern Europe? Thanks

[Ddd]

Yes, Switzerland.

[matt]

Yes, going from south to north . . . Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw, Moscow. I thing people do alright in The Hague, Aberdeen, and Amsterdam too.

[newchapter]

LOL...Matt, all I think when I see that list is: cold, really cold, freezing, freezing cold, really freezing cold, and Siberian cold!

[runningsloth]

Well I'm currently at a top tier school here in the ME where I am able to save a good deal of money, but the quality of life could be better for my family. That is why I have inquired about a possible move to Europe. Thanks for the list of cities/countries where it might be possible. How about Prague?

[Cinoeye]

newchapter wrote:
> LOL...Matt, all I think when I see that list is: cold, really cold,
> freezing, freezing cold, really freezing cold, and Siberian cold!
Haha I know this is old, but made me laugh...Learn your geography and climate:)

[sid]

I’m like a broken record sometimes.
The other Europe. Any country in Europe that doesn’t complete the sentence “Living in [blank] always seemed like such a romantic dream”. Russia. Former Soviet republics. Scandinavia, if you stay permanently but not for a two-year contract. Countries where most Americans can’t name the capital.

[Thames Pirate]

We save just fine in Germany.

But "just fine" is not what most ITs want IME. If you want big savings, listen to sid and go to Eastern Europe or avoid Europe entirely.

My experience is that teachers who come to Western Europe from the ME and SEA tend to complain about the savings. Teachers coming directly from the US/UK or from South America or Africa are generally content. Teachers expecting to have all the amenities are disappointed. Teachers expecting a normal middle class lifestyle comparable to what locals enjoy are disappointed. But of course everyone is different in terms of savings expectations, spending, etc.

This really isn't difficult to research, too. Tax calculators, apartment rentals, grocery stores, restaurants--it's all online, especially in Europe. I can't imagine not having a rough idea before even considering a place.

[PsyGuy]

Not really, EEu is more likely to get you a more developed OSH package that includes housing, which for a modest family on two incomes and a low cost of living and lower taxes you can save, but again, as you identified, savings is relative. NEu tends to have high taxes that bite just as hard into two incomes, but with two incomes you can pay the bills on one, and if your content living modestly you can save a significant portion of the other. As for the WEu, I concur with @Sid (and disagree with @Thames Pirate), what would be available for savings at anything less than a Elite tier IS with a more developed OSH package isnt going to meet the expectations of what most ITs would consider savings., and those places include the over romanticized portions of the WEu.

Switzerland is probably the only region where you can really save, you can make 6 figure salaries in Switzerland and even with their taxes with two incomes you can save well, but thats because those 6 figure salaries are the exclusive province of the global elite boarding ISs that youre walking into. Switzerland has a very high average salary for the EU, so your savings potential is higher, but there are ITs at third tier ISs in Switzerland that arent doing any better than they are in the rest of the Eu.

[Thames Pirate]

PsyGuy wrote:

> As for the WEu, I concur with @Sid (and disagree with @Thames
> Pirate), what would be available for savings at anything less than a Elite
> tier IS with a more developed OSH package isnt going to meet the
> expectations of what most ITs would consider savings., and those places
> include the over romanticized portions of the WEu.

Um, I said exactly that--that most teachers coming from IE will be disappointed. Those coming from DE are less likely to be disappointed. Not sure why you say you are disagreeing with me while you repeat my point. But whatever.

>
> Switzerland is probably the only region where you can really save, you can
> make 6 figure salaries in Switzerland and even with their taxes with two
> incomes you can save well, but thats because those 6 figure salaries are
> the exclusive province of the global elite boarding ISs that youre walking
> into. Switzerland has a very high average salary for the EU, so your
> savings potential is higher, but there are ITs at third tier ISs in
> Switzerland that arent doing any better than they are in the rest of the
> Eu.

Cost of living is also significantly higher in Switzerland. You can earn well in a place like Dusseldorf. While taxes are higher and salary lower, the cost of living is SO much higher than a place like Zurich that you end up saving about the same in both places. Switzerland is not the fairy tale that people think it is. Again, it behooves people to do their homework and figure out which is better for their family, lifestyle, etc. Comparing top schools to top schools and bottom schools to bottom schools, you will find that Switzerland is similar to the rest of Europe.

But on the whole you are not going to save as well as you will in the ME or SEA anywhere in Europe except far enough east or at a few select schools. I think most people know this.

[PsyGuy]

@Thames Pirate

We disagree on there being a differentiation of expectation groupings, there isnt a difference between ITs coming from DE or IE.

The cost of living in Switzerland isnt so high that it mitigates the exceptionally high 6 figure salaries available at some of the elite global boarding ISs.

[Thames Pirate]

There are six figure salaries paid in other places in Europe, too (if you know where to look ;) ). Without the cost of living. And while six figures are nice, that doesn't go as far as a five figure can elsewhere. It just depends on lifestyle, etc.

But whatever. You will disagree with me because it's me no matter what I say. Even as you rephrase my point.

[PsyGuy]

@Thames Pirate

Six figure in Switzerland goes further than five figures elsewhere in the WEu.

If not rephrasing your point, you claimed that DTs are less likely to be disappointed and that ITs are more likely to be disappointed and my position is that both DTs and ITs regardless of their origin likely to be disappointed.

[Heliotrope]

> Six figure in Switzerland goes further than five figures elsewhere in the
> WEu.

If it does depends on what the first number of those five numbers is, what the second number of those six numbers is (the first being a 1 for sure), and on where in WE you are.

[PsyGuy]

Sure