"Country of Origin"

[Carmody]

I've heard most Tier 1 schools send their teachers back to their country of origin every summer. Let's say one year you decide to not go back home but to travel abroad, in that case...what happens? Do they give you airfare allowance instead?

[Overhere]

As long as you can provide receipts our school doesn't ask what you did or where you traveled to.

[Heimtun]

Our school calculates an average cost by pricing a few round-trip routes back to the home of record listed on our contract and offers a cash allowance by the end of January. We can then do with it whatever we wish, no receipts needed.

[sid]

It varies. Options for flight money include:
a. cash handed over, based on the school's special formula (anything from lowest available flight to full IATA fare); no receipts or actual travel required
b. cash handed over, based on a set amount in the contract or school policy; no receipts or travel required
c. your flight cost reimbursed after you submit your receipt, up to a certain amount determined by formula, contract or policy; could be a flight to anywhere, but you have to actually travel and pay for it yourself in advance
d. your flight cost reimbursed after you submit your receipt, up to a certain amount determined by formula, contract or policy; but in this case, only for flights to your home of record, no other destinations accepted
e. the school books and pays for your flight directly; no case exchanges hands; as above, the school could be strict about it being to your home of record, or lenient about destination; the amount of control you have over your itinerary (dates, airlines, connections, etc) varies from school to school.

So yes, in some cases, unless you fly "home", you might not get anything. But that's pretty rare. In my experience, schools are usually pretty reasonable about arrangements. Good question to explore BEFORE signing a contract.

[eion_padraig]

My last school in China would pay up to the amount they calculated when you provided a receipt for your flight. What was cool was you could route it through other countries on your way home or on the way back. A lot of my colleagues and I would use this to take trips on our way home in June or on our way back in August.

If you decided not to fly to your country of record you could take the money, but you'd be taxed by the government at 25% so you lost a lot of the value but you didn't technically need to fly to your home country.

Eion

[Carmody]

Many thanks for your responses, everyone.

Out of curiosity, what other benefits come with Tier 1 school employment? I heard Asian IS don't even come close to the benefits packages European schools offer, any truth? My cousin (single teacher) has been working at a Tier 1 school in Asia (not China) and his benefits include:

Moving Allowance
Very generous salary + yearly bonus
Annual flight home
Apartment (3 bedrm)
All utilities paid for
Annual 1,000+ for PD
School is paying for his masters degree

Would a Tier 1 European school have more to offer than this?

[chiliverde]

I think you've understood the inverse - no school in Europe can touch what top schools in Asia have to offer. There's usually no housing allowance, and rarely do you have a salary that allows you to save much due to the high costs of living.

[fine dude]

I have heard teachers nearing retirement at Europe's top schools regret they picked the wrong school. They wished they worked in Asia longer. Being a teacher in Europe is like the average Seattle-resident claiming Bill Gates as a fellow local. It's a no-brainer.

[shadowjack]

It's a mixed bag. I know teachers who have taught in Europe long-term at solid international schools. They got to see many things in Europe that tourists don't. They made less money due to taxes and costs, but they will come out the end with a national pension that will last until they die. It's a trade-off, but one my friends made willingly. Other friends discount Europe as they are too old to be fully pensioned out. They stay in Asia, where the discretionary cash is better and they can invest and bank it.

[PsyGuy]

Its becoming more common for an IS to fly an IT at beginning and end (or renewal) as opposed to yearly flights. I would otherwise concur with @Sid, as there are different ISs with different policies. It is also becoming more popular to provide a relocation allowance, of which a portion may be used for travel at your discretion. It is also not uncommon at lower tier ISs to provide only incoming flights, there is no exit departure benefit.

I would strongly disagree with your source on package availability. Asia provides better OSH packages which combined with lower costs of living and taxes have better saving and discretionary spending potential. WE is a lifestyle choice. Taxes are usually high, there is no housing beneft and tuition/place waivers are taxable. What the EU provides in addition to lifestyle benefits is social insurance that includes medical and pension/retirement, as well as job security and stability.

I would disagree to an extent with the prior contributors, as the element of truth in your claim is how you define "top schools in Europe" as most of the ones that hit the various "top anything" lists are elite boarding ISs in Switzerland, which indeed does provide for very lavish OSH packages, which exceed what you would find in Asia.

[fine dude]

The best-paying schools in Geneva, the Hague, Lausanne, Munich, and Zurich can't even come close to those in BKK and Singapore in terms of annual savings.

[PsyGuy]

@fine dude

First, savings and compensation are not the same thing. Second, savings is more about the individual IT and their lifestyle expectations and fiscal responsibility. Third, the goal of savings is a major factor when considering the guarantee of a pension vs speculation of investing for retirement. Fourth, and finally, thats just not true.