Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

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TeacherGal
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 8:51 am

Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by TeacherGal »

Here are some of the drawbacks of becoming admin that come to mind:
-longer work days
-loss of some holidays
-weekend work
-difficult teachers
-difficult parents
-difficult students
-fewer vacancies to apply to
-you are then eligible for your own personal ISR report/review :)

I don't know how the feeling of accomplishment of being a successful leader/admin compares to being a successful teacher. But any comments on if moving to admin/leadership is worth it? And are the benefits in terms of an increase in salary, better accommodations, or whatever else you are given worth it? Maybe if the overall benefit package is much better people could at least state which country they are working in.
fine dude
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by fine dude »

If you are bored out of your wits teaching the same content year after year or you're a control freak who loves to manage people, or even want to earn three times to send your kids to a posh college, go for it.
Very few administrators go into it to truly make a difference. These folk not only have thick skin, but know how to balance it and they have a knack for people and managing their grievances. Some of them are genuinely empathetic and take time to listen to all parties before taking a final call. In short, they'll have your back. I did work with a couple of them and they are natural leaders.
TeacherGal
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 8:51 am

Re: Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by TeacherGal »

That's interesting. Three times the salary? Northern Europe is the only place where I understood it was a small bump in the salary. That's promising. Might make it worth it.
fine dude
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by fine dude »

Tier 1 schools in SE and East Asia pay between $150 - 200K if you factor in the annual bonuses excluding furnished housing, free tuition for children, flights, and health/dental insurance for the whole family. This is what turns some of them into absolute despots who have little respect for rules on paper and fire people at will.
TeacherGal
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 8:51 am

Re: Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by TeacherGal »

Fine Dude,
Thanks. Well, what about in Europe? Same or similar situation? I wonder about little unknown schools not part of any chain here or there for example in the Western Europe, the Carribean, etc.
fine dude
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Making the leap to admin. Is it worth it?

Post by fine dude »

In Switzerland where I worked a few moons ago, it was between 130 - 150K CHF.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

To comment on your drawbacks:

1) Longer work days: Yes they are usually longer, typically your in the group of people that leave last, but a lot of AP/VP/DP in senior leadership may only stay a half hour passed the faculty end of day. Even then your work day is less structured, it might be longer but you get to go to the toilet when you want to.
1) Loss of some holidays: Yes, leadership loose a little bit of summer, maybe about an extra week, but theres no kids, no faculty and its the easiest work day. Most leadership maybe stay the weekend before the winter break and thats about it.
3) Weekend work: Not anymore than ITs spend on their weekends with lessons and marking.
4) Difficult teachers: True but as an IT you have to work with difficult ITs as well. At least in leadership your their superior even if not their direct report.
5) Difficult parents: True, but ITs have to work with difficult parents as well.
6) Difficult students: Not as much as an IT does. As an IT youll spend more contact time with a difficult student than you will in leadership. Leadership ill not allow their offices to becomes a detention center.
7) Fewer vacancies to apply to: Only if your comparing all IT vacancies to all leadership vacancies, but hen you look at them as vacancies your qualified for to leadership vacancies which tend to be more generic, its not uncommon to have more leadership vacancies available to you to apply for.
8) You are then eligible for your own personal ISR report/review: True, but leadership dont really care about their reports on ISR, and many of them see it as a rite of passage.

Yes salaries for leadership can be three times that of ITs, but usually you see that multiplier for executive leadership (HOS), your not going to find that for senior leadership. 1.5x and getting to 2x are what you find. You typically get better housing but again thats for executive leadership, otherwise in most cases senior leadership get an extra room over what they need int he same type of accommodation ITs would get.

Yes, six figure comp isnt unusual, but again thats executive leadership. Your not getting that at the AP/VP/DP level.

Well thats Switzerland. ITs can make 6 figures there, when your looking at those Elite boarding ISs.
Illiane_Blues

Re: Response

Post by Illiane_Blues »

> 8) You are then eligible for your own personal ISR report/review: True, but
> leadership dont really care about their reports on ISR, and many of them
> see it as a rite of passage.

Agree with most of PGs post, except #8. Leadership I know care a lot about their reports. I know schools that read these reports when theyre thinking of hiring someone for leadership position. Head of secondary from my second international school tried to get hired by higher tier schools and looked good on paper (all positive results he was able to show was due to assistant Head) but had such devastating reviews on ISR (all true) that when he moved on it was to a worse school. I heard he tried to have ISR get rid of his reviews because the issues mentioned there kept getting mentioned in interviews and when references were contacted.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

@Illiane_Blues

I can see ho e differ, its more of a continuum, on one end with inexperienced leaders who dont have a lot of other experience to fall back on, an ISR review can be a problematic challenge, but on the other end you have leaders that spin their reviews as a talking point of being able to making the hard, difficult and unpopular decisions and made them anyway.
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