American Teacher for Europe

[Carmody]

How hard is it for an American teacher to land an IS position? I've been floating around Asia for quite a bit now but ideally would like to settle in London.

[Thames Pirate]

I would say that it's like anywhere else. If you have good curriculum experience (IB, AP), your chances go up. If you have a solid resume (not too much bouncing around) with fantastic references, your chances go up. If you are in a tough to fill subject area, your chances go up. If you are willing to work in a number of schools and in a number of locations, your chances go up.

Basically if you are an elementary teacher with only 2 years fresh out of teaching school at a bottom tier school in China and you would only accept ASL, it's highly unlikely. If you have a solid career as a PYP coordinator or teaching AP Calculus and are willing to go to Brno or Aberdeen or Ulm, your chances go up. There are lots of Americans here in Europe and at schools London. You won't know until you apply, right?

Good luck

[joe30]

Do yourself a favour and don't come to London. You'll pay 1000 pounds a month for a garden shed to live in, and suffer all the huge negatives of living in the UK. Stay in Asia.

[global_nomad]

If wanting to go to Europe, it is much better to focus on Eastern European schools in the CEESA conference in cities like Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Moscow, Bucharest, etc. Savings potential for a single will usually range from 10,000-25,000 depending on your lifestyle, housing is provided by the school, and cost of living is usually lower than Western Europe. Although it is quite competitive to get a position in these schools and teachers tend to stick around longer, many Americans are hired at these schools every year.

[Thames Pirate]

As global-nomad said, many of these schools are competitive, some more so than some WE schools (Prague or Budapest is much more competitive than, say, some of the Berlin schools). That doesn't mean don't apply--by all means, apply to any and all of them! Just be aware that they are more competitive than the city names might imply to many people.

I do find it interesting, though, that both joe and global nomad jumped to savings potential. Presumably, someone wanting to live in London would already be aware that savings potential is low and would be going for the lifestyle rather than the cash. Sure, you can save more in Eastern Europe, but that wasn't the question. Recommending focusing on those schools, which have limited openings and are highly competitive, doesn't take into account the OP's priorities. Western Europe would be more in line with the OP's goal of the London lifestyle. Though, OP, I would not discount the lifestyle in places like Prague!

The answer is that yes, Europe--all of it--is competitive, generally more so than Asia as a region. Yes, lots of Americans go there, many with less experience than you. Yes, they have all tiers of schools there, though perhaps fewer lower tier schools than in Asia--but that is starting to change. You will certainly want to consider smaller and lesser-known schools or even local schools. Yes, you can find something; just do your homework like anywhere else, apply aggressively, and you'll find something. Good luck!

[joe30]

What is the 'London lifestyle' then? Being too poor to put the heating on in winter? Living in a wardrobe? Having to be around people who are so far up their own arses they can't see the sun anymore? Working till 8pm every night? Long commutes to work every day?

If more of you actually understood what it was like to live there, the place would quickly move from it's status as a 'world class' city to what it more accurately is - a hardship destination.

[Thames Pirate]

If you like high fashion, theatre/arts, cleanliness, a liberal mindset, cool sights, going to a park, soccer, etc. then yes, London is a great place. Each city has a vibe, and some people like the vibe of London. It doesn't appeal to you. We get it. It appeals to a great many of us. For me, competitive equestrian sports are important, so I look at schools in countries where that is an option (like the UK).

Why do you feel the need to come on here and convince everyone that Thailand is the only place to be? You should be grateful that people with more experience than you are wanting to LEAVE the schools that might hire you. Crikey. Accept that people want something different from you and move on.

[joe30]

I've never said Thailand is the only place to be. I'd consider places in most of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The only places that are on my shit list are WE, ME, and Africa.

High fashion costs money that you won't have as a teacher in London (yeah, even at ASL). Theatre...same deal. London isn't a clean city. 'Liberal mindset' = 'My view is the only correct one', as witnessed by all the Londoners moaning about Brexit and acting like everyone else in the country was a cave dweller for voting against them. See my previous comment about how they have their heads so far up their own asses. You can go to a park and play football in many cities that are much nicer than London (indeed, the grassroots football provision in the UK is shocking, a fact that has been admitted by the FA themselves).

I'm sure London isn't the only place on the planet where you can ride a horse. It speaks volumes that my 'negatives' are real issues affecting an IT's day to day life like housing, cost of living, work-life balance and the commute time. Whereas your 'positives' about the city are frivolous luxuries like horse riding and theatre.

Please note that living in London is a lot different than simply going on a weekend vacation there.

[Thames Pirate]

You would consider . . . others would not.

That is my only point. And yes, you CAN afford theatre, etc. on a teacher's salary. I have friends in London who do so. We do the same here on the continent. Your paradise is not mine, and apparently not the OP's. Your point in posting on this thread was to bash someone.

Horse riding is a luxury, but it is an integral part of my life; therefore, being in a place where one can do that is more important to me than the cost of housing. The cost of housing is only important in that I need to be able to afford my sport. You say work-life balance. Well, I've never cared for beaches and beer, so my version of that is riding a horse. Much harder to do in places like China. In fact, WE is one of the few places where you can live near a metro stop in a major city and still have easy access to affordable equestrian opportunities. This is one of the reasons I have such a strong preference for WE. I wouldn't rule out other places just as you say you would consider places other than Thailand. However, I have priorities, and they are more easily met here in WE. Yours are in Thailand or Asia in general. Different strokes and all . . . .

I get that living in London isn't a weekend vacation there. That's true of any place. I have friends who live there who absolutely love it (or loved it--some have moved on). Obviously, it isn't for everyone. It isn't for you. That's fine. I just wonder why you like to come on threads like this just to tell people they are wrong or stupid or crazy for having a different opinion. You offered nothing constructive to the OP, and you do this often. What's in it for you?

[Thames Pirate]

At any rate, I am not going to derail this thread further. OP, if you have additional questions, I am happy to answer to the best of my ability. I like it here in WE, though obviously it isn't for everyone. Joe is right that London is expensive, so obviously you will want to keep that kind of stuff in mind. Good luck.

[joe30]

Let's look at ASL to examine your claims. BA+4 years according to Search is $66,000. That's £54,100 at current exchange rates, and after tax, assuming you don't have a student loan to pay (i.e. you're not a Brit working there and did the sensible thing and not pay your loan if you're American) you'll get £38,850 a year (source: http://www.uktaxcalculators.co.uk/). Converting that back into USD, that's $47,300. No housing benefits, so that figure is what you have to live off.

Cost of a 1 bedroom flat outside the centre is around $1,400 a month (source: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/London). That's $16,800 a year gone on housing, leaving you with $30,500 left. Another $2,500 will go on utilities, leaving us $28,000. If you think that buys you a good life in London, then it's plain to see that you've never lived there. You won't even be doing much horse riding since those things come with premium prices as they're usually the pursuit of the rich. ASL list 'savings potential' as $2000 a year on Search, and while you might not care about savings, such a low number is indicative of the fact you'll struggle to make ends meet.

[Thames Pirate]

Yes, London is expensive. Those of us interested in living there have done the research on your numbers, too.

OP, you can save money on one salary in WE and still travel, go out to eat, etc. Perhaps not as much saving and not as much big travel (then again, you are living in and near travel destinations), but it's not hard to save, even in WE.

[yoplay]

Thames Pirate wrote:
> Yes, London is expensive. Those of us interested in living there have done
> the research on your numbers, too.
>
> OP, you can save money on one salary in WE and still travel, go out to eat,
> etc. Perhaps not as much saving and not as much big travel (then again,
> you are living in and near travel destinations), but it's not hard to save,
> even in WE.

Have to agree with Thames Pirate. If you're able to get in with a top tier WE school, I think it's a bit of a myth that you'll be living on peanuts and struggling to get by. Our experience has been that we're still able to save a decent amount, just not what we saved previously in Asia.

[joe30]

You certainly can't save money at ASL. They even tell you this themselves on their Search profile!

The idea one can save in London on $28,000 (after tax, utilities, and rent are paid) is pure rubbish. Council tax will be about $1800, your Oyster card for the London underground will be another $2500. You've not even bought any food, clothes, or had any entertainment yet. Food is fairly cheap in the UK, but entertainment in London is through the roof in terms of prices.

The only way you'll be saving on that salary in London is if you're living in a houseshare like a college kid and never going out.

[yoplay]

joe30 wrote:
> You certainly can't save money at ASL. They even tell you this themselves
> on their Search profile!
>
> The idea one can save in London on $28,000 (after tax, utilities, and rent
> are paid) is pure rubbish. Council tax will be about $1800, your Oyster
> card for the London underground will be another $2500. You've not even
> bought any food, clothes, or had any entertainment yet. Food is fairly
> cheap in the UK, but entertainment in London is through the roof in terms
> of prices.
>
> The only way you'll be saving on that salary in London is if you're living
> in a houseshare like a college kid and never going out.

You're probably right if you're a person with only a BA and 4 years of experience. I'd imagine that your typical ASL teacher is closer to MA +15, and 12 years of experience. I wonder what the salary would be then? Also curious what Search says about the retirement that they offer. Top tier schools tend to have something solid in place. When considering those two factors, it has the potential to change the scenario your describing.