The International Schools Review Forum

All right, folks. In which countries/cities could a teacher couple save up to 100K USD annually? Is this number even realistic during these times?

Easy, the ME particularly the Kingdom. You could each walk into a few ISs with compounds and bank 6 figures pretty easily (essentially one salary). Possible in other parts of the ME (next up would be the UAE, especially off circuit).

China, youd either have to earn your way up the salary scale or walk into a handful of upper tier ISs and youd have to either not have kids or not have them in ISs for very long.

Switzerland, if you both walked into a teaching appointment that included boarding.

Many regions if one of you is in executive level leadership.

Many of the Elite tier ISs in Asia (TW, TH, etc.) at the upper stage of the salary scale. Youd have to get a waiver past the salary cap, or work your way up, but with a full OSH package and no kids you could do it living modestly.

Russia, and a few other places in the EE with dual appointments at some of the elite/premiere DSs off circuit either with boarding or a full OSH package and no kids.
You could do it in some parts of the WE (IE. Germany) but youd have to again be on the upper stages and band and mitigate the cost of housing. Such that your living cost and taxes eat less than half of one salary.

Private tutor/IT, a number of job services, cater to IE tutors that are in the high 5 figures or low 6 figures, combined you could bank 6 figures without much work, the problem would be being separated from each other.

AUS and the USA, there are DSs again at the upper stage and band of some DSs/ISs you could save around 1.5 of your combined salaries and live off the other .5 after taxes.

Starting your own shop. Either a virtual or community IS or an ES. As owner you could reasonably clear 6 figures after a couple years of building your roll.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Switzerland, if you both walked into a teaching appointment that included
> boarding.

Are you trying to imply 'boarding school' without committing to recommending them as good places to save?

PsyGuy wrote:

> You could do it in some parts of the WE (IE. Germany) but youd have to
> again be on the upper stages and band and mitigate the cost of housing.
> Such that your living cost and taxes eat less than half of one salary.

Uh, no. Not if you are teaching (yes for admin, but not for teachers). The top paying ISs in Germany pay 65-80K, so a higher double salary is about 160K. You'd pay 42% taxes, leaving you with 93K. You can tweak it a bit, but not by much. Then recall that German ISs that pay those salaries don't cover any living expenses. Once you factor in rent, living expenses, etc., you are looking at maybe 50K in savings on two salaries with no kids and moderately conservative in your spending. The rest of WE is similar. This is why I say you absolutely CAN save money in WE, but nowhere near 100K.

Pakistan and Saudi

The bigger schools in Shanghai allow a teaching couple to save $100K, and more, easily, of course saving is dependent on spending.

@Thames Pirate

Uh yes. Both if your teaching and leadership. The top paying ISs in Germany are just under 90K for ITs. Yes youd pay 42% in taxes and that would leave 104,400 on combined 180K in salary. Youd have to mitigate your housing costs somehow, as I previously wrote, something like boarding, etc. and you would have to eat lite but yes you could squeak out 100K in savings.

@Thames Pirate is absolutely right, a teaching couple will not be able to save 100K in Germany.
Her numbers are correct, although I would say the 50K is very, very optimistic.

And "something like boarding"? Hahaha!

@Heliotrope

No, @Thames Pirate is not right and their data is on the conservative side. it is very much possible. Yes, something like boarding.
We disagree.

@psyguy

Leaving you '104,400'...in order to save 100K that would be some mitigation on housing and eating...

...homeless and starving might do it!

If someone knows a school in Germany that pays 90K and provides “something like boarding” please let me know so I can apply. The Durmstrang Institute maybe?

PsyGuy might know some folks on some old, no-longer-offered contracts that exist at some schools and pay in the 90K range, but even at net 104K you'd have to live on 4K in Germany. Yeah, not going to happen even if you are living in a tent.

I agree the 50K is an absolutely optimistic amount, but for determined people who live somewhat conservatively it is possible. I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt. But realistically it's probably a generous amount based on absolute top dollar contracts with special responsibilities (HOD or coordination pay). Certainly if you are doing that and netting 93K it's possible to save 50K, but most people won't, even if they land two of those jobs at the top of the pay scale and don't have kids. And good luck getting 2 HOD jobs at top schools at all. Most people will be on the 65-70K side of the salary scale at even the top schools in Germany.

That said, it's clear you can save money in WE. Just not as much as elsewhere in the world. And certainly not 100K.

https://www.vis.ac.at/work-at-vis/current-vacancies

Page 20 of the recruitment booklet gives their salary scales. Not sure my partner and I could save $100k even if we were both working there, but it does look comfortable.

It does look like a nice number but the page before that mentions you are only left with 55% of your salary. Granted, you do build up some pension with that, but that is a huge cut, especially considering places in Asia where you earn more, have a lower cost of living and have your taxes paid for by the school.

unsure wrote:
> https://www.vis.ac.at/work-at-vis/current-vacancies
>
> Page 20 of the recruitment booklet gives their salary scales. Not sure my
> partner and I could save $100k even if we were both working there, but it
> does look comfortable.
What's funny is, the highest tuition mentioned is about 22,000 euros a year. Most proper for-profit schools in Asia charge the same fee in the same range as Viena, however, the starting salaries are just half of what VIS provides. So even if there are huge taxes, it seems fitting to teach there, rather than some city in Asia where the tax would be less but salaries half of that. The only benefit of Asia would be the low cost of living, but if you were in a big metropolis city, those salaries don't mean a thing