First time International School teaching
First time International School teaching
Hi There, I am an Irish primary school teacher with almost 20 years experience and I am also a qualified counselor and psychotherapist and considering going abroad teaching for school year '25/26(possibily 2 years) with my four year old son, we are a mum and kid family. I am looking at countries which would be good for saving money(but I don't want to go to UAE, China, Japan). I'd like to go to Thailand but it doesn't look like I'd earn a lot and I don't want to live in a Bangkok. I am also looking at Singapore-is the tax very low?Seems strong expat community and safe.I would like a sunnier climate and the chance to travel to interesting places as well as save money. I would be open to Africa as I spent lots of time there but I'm not sure about the money.Caribbean doesn't seem to offer accomodation and I would need school to offer an allowance for this and school place for my child. Do schools ask for IB training? Would my chances of getting a job be higher if I did some courses in this? Thank you in advance!
Re: First time International School teaching
I'll add some general comments below. Take them with a grain of salt and others are free to add or refute as they see fit.
(1) Experience / Qualifications
You have 20 years experience, which means you know what you are doing. You do unfortunately teach a subject (elementary teaching) which has much more teacher availability compared to other subjects. If you are a male - then this should potentially give you a lift due to the lack of male elementary teachers in general. Every school is different though.
(2) Your living situation
So your married with a kid and only 1 of you is a teacher? This is probably the biggest thing which will go against you - as many international schools run as a business and they see the $$$$ needed to educate your child along with financially supporting your wife to be in country. Does this mean your unemployable? Absolutely not. It does however mean that teaching couples and singles (without kids) are more employable than you if they have the same experience.
As you have a kid - I would choose schools very carefully to make sure it's more of an international school with a mixed clientele compared to a strong monoculture for local rich kids. As kids get older - it can be rough when all the kids never speak in English and I just wanted to make you aware of that. This is rare - but check for schools which have "white faces" for kids on promotional material but 98% of the students are local? What does this mean? Well - then employ teachers with kids to use your kids as a way or selling spots since there are expat kids at the school. It's been a big bugbear of some of my colleagues in the past as they often used photos of teachers kids in promotional material without the teachers express consent.
(3) Location choice
This is probably the hardest one. Schools that pay well have more people that apply. I remember going to the London Search fair (the biggest job fair of the year with the most schools and teachers) and Kaust (Saudi Arabia) had a huge line due to the amazing package. Then - good schools in asia had small lines. So what am I saying or suggesting? I think that you need to be more flexible than working in what's considered the best and most desirable schools straight away. Do apply for them - but look more widely.
Singapore has low tax - but rents are astronomical. I was paying 1/3 of my wage at a reasonable school in Singapore for a 1 bedroom apartment - and that was before prices skyrocketed post covid. Many of my friends rent went up 50% in 2022 from memory and wages hardly moved. Alcohol is really expensive there if that's important to you.
Many schools often provide some type of IB training. That might be on the spot training or an online workshop. I personally find in person workshops better as it's not as much jumping of hoops over weeks when it can be completed in 2/3 days instead. Do note that there is no such this as an "IB qualification" needed as an international teacher. You either "have" or "don't have" PYP experience. A level 1 workshop can be helpful if you get a good instructor. I've had some workshops which I find it's better to just read the "Making the PYP Happen" guide than going to the online workshop.
If you have some free time - do a quick online search and download the guide and have a quick read to see if it's something that interests you. That will give you some ideas of how things work.
Others can add more.
(1) Experience / Qualifications
You have 20 years experience, which means you know what you are doing. You do unfortunately teach a subject (elementary teaching) which has much more teacher availability compared to other subjects. If you are a male - then this should potentially give you a lift due to the lack of male elementary teachers in general. Every school is different though.
(2) Your living situation
So your married with a kid and only 1 of you is a teacher? This is probably the biggest thing which will go against you - as many international schools run as a business and they see the $$$$ needed to educate your child along with financially supporting your wife to be in country. Does this mean your unemployable? Absolutely not. It does however mean that teaching couples and singles (without kids) are more employable than you if they have the same experience.
As you have a kid - I would choose schools very carefully to make sure it's more of an international school with a mixed clientele compared to a strong monoculture for local rich kids. As kids get older - it can be rough when all the kids never speak in English and I just wanted to make you aware of that. This is rare - but check for schools which have "white faces" for kids on promotional material but 98% of the students are local? What does this mean? Well - then employ teachers with kids to use your kids as a way or selling spots since there are expat kids at the school. It's been a big bugbear of some of my colleagues in the past as they often used photos of teachers kids in promotional material without the teachers express consent.
(3) Location choice
This is probably the hardest one. Schools that pay well have more people that apply. I remember going to the London Search fair (the biggest job fair of the year with the most schools and teachers) and Kaust (Saudi Arabia) had a huge line due to the amazing package. Then - good schools in asia had small lines. So what am I saying or suggesting? I think that you need to be more flexible than working in what's considered the best and most desirable schools straight away. Do apply for them - but look more widely.
Singapore has low tax - but rents are astronomical. I was paying 1/3 of my wage at a reasonable school in Singapore for a 1 bedroom apartment - and that was before prices skyrocketed post covid. Many of my friends rent went up 50% in 2022 from memory and wages hardly moved. Alcohol is really expensive there if that's important to you.
Many schools often provide some type of IB training. That might be on the spot training or an online workshop. I personally find in person workshops better as it's not as much jumping of hoops over weeks when it can be completed in 2/3 days instead. Do note that there is no such this as an "IB qualification" needed as an international teacher. You either "have" or "don't have" PYP experience. A level 1 workshop can be helpful if you get a good instructor. I've had some workshops which I find it's better to just read the "Making the PYP Happen" guide than going to the online workshop.
If you have some free time - do a quick online search and download the guide and have a quick read to see if it's something that interests you. That will give you some ideas of how things work.
Others can add more.
Re: First time International School teaching
Thank you very much for getting back to me. I am a single mother so I would be going away with my son. OK that's good to know it's so expensive for rent in Singapore.thanks so much for the advice. Could you tell me the name of the biggest fair in Lomdon to attend ? thank you! Aoife
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Heliotrope
- Posts: 1170
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am
Re: First time International School teaching
Aoibhneas wrote:
> Could you tell me the name
> of the biggest fair in Lomdon to attend ? thank you! Aoife
That would be the Search Associates Fair. You would need to be registered with Search to attend.
> Could you tell me the name
> of the biggest fair in Lomdon to attend ? thank you! Aoife
That would be the Search Associates Fair. You would need to be registered with Search to attend.
Response
You listed a number of no-go places as ones with high coin potential (China and the ME in general which includes the UAE). Japan is more a high desire destination (romance location, not because ts romantic but because these locations are over romanticized for their coolness factor). Youre right you wouldnt have a lot of saving potential in TH, but thats mostly BKK, of which the vast majority of ISs are located. There are ISs outside of BKK where the cost of living is lower but those ISs also play less coin.
SG has low taxes but I concur with @sciteach that any saving you make up with on lower taxes will vanish with the absurdly high cost of housing, even for very modest accommodations.
Egypt would probably work out for you in terms of saving potential and cost of living. Jburg and Capetown as well, but there arent many ISs. The ones in Africa that would pay well enough with a low enough cost of living have other factors against them.
The Caribbean is like the other little gems such as Suva the VI (Virgin Islands), etc. in that thee is one IS that that would meet your requirments and that IS being a first/elite tier IS gets a lot of applications.
If youre not opposed to Asia than TW (Taiwan), SK (South Korea) and KL (Malaysia, but mostly Kuala Lumpur) are options with a good coin to costs ratio.
IB ISs will want IB training and that would be the priority in their recruiting. The ones that would train you probably wouldnt meet your requirements. IB workshops arent really worth much, no IB practitioner thinks you know it all or are anywhere close to suitably prepared for IB on the basis of having a workshop certificate. Especially in the PYP, which is almost an alien language compared to the traditional way that primary edus are trained.
You can look at the PASS below if you want a very rough idea of your marketability. The PASS works best when compared to an actual job specification.
As to other comments:
1) 20 years is nothing to raise your nose up to, but when it comes to IB it may work against you. Youve been teaching a certain way for so long that breaking that training and molding it into IB, especially the PYP may be a cause of concern. Since youre essentially a tourist IT, youre not likely to put in the effort to remake yourself into the type of IT the PYP and the IB would require. Youre first year in the PYP is practically a training year and your second year is essentially a transition year since youll be leaving at the end of it.
2) The male primary DT/IT having marketable value is a myth. Male primary ITs isnt a shortage anyone with any coin in the game wants to fix. Which is why it continues to be a shortage.
3) Many ISs even the ones that are non-profit are run like a business.
4) In general the employee to travel ration is 1:2, in that an IS will travel 2 people (this includes the employee) for each FTE employee of the IS. So 1 IT and 1 dependent. Beyond that ITS start pricing themselves out of the profession.
5) I dont put a lot of concern in @sciteach regarding cultural makeup of the student population. Youre childs 4, they will be 5 in their first year with you as an IT putting them either in Reception/Kindergarten or starting year 1 by the time youre leaving they will only be finishing year 1 or year 2. Hardly "older". International or more host national isnt going to make much difference, except that in the host nation IS your child is more likely to begin picking up a second language. Otherwise its just a numeracy and literacy program regardless of what the pupils in the class look like.
6) What it really means is that the more the IS looks like a host nations private/independent DS the more its going to be operated as a local private/independent DS which may cause problems for you.
Though ITs kids are often used used in promotional materials without express consent, its more of a cultural difference that the IS is paying the IT they own the IT and that they were paying this great amount of coin compared to LH that it would of course include using their kids for promotional materials.
7) LON isnt the biggest fair its a big fair but its aligned with the BOS/SF fair and the BKK fair, and the BKK fair still being a super fair (thats two fairs that are scheduled back to back in this case SA and ISS) is the biggest fair.
8) If you wouldnt accept a position at an IS why bother pursuing them. Youre a tourist IT youre going to do this for a couple years and than go back to your HOR, your IE career is going to be one IS. Why spend the time somewhere you dont want to be or doesnt fit your needs.
SG has low taxes but I concur with @sciteach that any saving you make up with on lower taxes will vanish with the absurdly high cost of housing, even for very modest accommodations.
Egypt would probably work out for you in terms of saving potential and cost of living. Jburg and Capetown as well, but there arent many ISs. The ones in Africa that would pay well enough with a low enough cost of living have other factors against them.
The Caribbean is like the other little gems such as Suva the VI (Virgin Islands), etc. in that thee is one IS that that would meet your requirments and that IS being a first/elite tier IS gets a lot of applications.
If youre not opposed to Asia than TW (Taiwan), SK (South Korea) and KL (Malaysia, but mostly Kuala Lumpur) are options with a good coin to costs ratio.
IB ISs will want IB training and that would be the priority in their recruiting. The ones that would train you probably wouldnt meet your requirements. IB workshops arent really worth much, no IB practitioner thinks you know it all or are anywhere close to suitably prepared for IB on the basis of having a workshop certificate. Especially in the PYP, which is almost an alien language compared to the traditional way that primary edus are trained.
You can look at the PASS below if you want a very rough idea of your marketability. The PASS works best when compared to an actual job specification.
As to other comments:
1) 20 years is nothing to raise your nose up to, but when it comes to IB it may work against you. Youve been teaching a certain way for so long that breaking that training and molding it into IB, especially the PYP may be a cause of concern. Since youre essentially a tourist IT, youre not likely to put in the effort to remake yourself into the type of IT the PYP and the IB would require. Youre first year in the PYP is practically a training year and your second year is essentially a transition year since youll be leaving at the end of it.
2) The male primary DT/IT having marketable value is a myth. Male primary ITs isnt a shortage anyone with any coin in the game wants to fix. Which is why it continues to be a shortage.
3) Many ISs even the ones that are non-profit are run like a business.
4) In general the employee to travel ration is 1:2, in that an IS will travel 2 people (this includes the employee) for each FTE employee of the IS. So 1 IT and 1 dependent. Beyond that ITS start pricing themselves out of the profession.
5) I dont put a lot of concern in @sciteach regarding cultural makeup of the student population. Youre childs 4, they will be 5 in their first year with you as an IT putting them either in Reception/Kindergarten or starting year 1 by the time youre leaving they will only be finishing year 1 or year 2. Hardly "older". International or more host national isnt going to make much difference, except that in the host nation IS your child is more likely to begin picking up a second language. Otherwise its just a numeracy and literacy program regardless of what the pupils in the class look like.
6) What it really means is that the more the IS looks like a host nations private/independent DS the more its going to be operated as a local private/independent DS which may cause problems for you.
Though ITs kids are often used used in promotional materials without express consent, its more of a cultural difference that the IS is paying the IT they own the IT and that they were paying this great amount of coin compared to LH that it would of course include using their kids for promotional materials.
7) LON isnt the biggest fair its a big fair but its aligned with the BOS/SF fair and the BKK fair, and the BKK fair still being a super fair (thats two fairs that are scheduled back to back in this case SA and ISS) is the biggest fair.
8) If you wouldnt accept a position at an IS why bother pursuing them. Youre a tourist IT youre going to do this for a couple years and than go back to your HOR, your IE career is going to be one IS. Why spend the time somewhere you dont want to be or doesnt fit your needs.
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estudyabroad
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2024 8:39 am
Re: First time International School teaching
It's definitely tough navigating all this with a little one in tow. A few thoughts - have you considered Malaysia? The cost of living is reasonable and there are schools outside the big cities. Plus the food is delicious! Also, don't rule out Africa completely. While pay may not be as high as Asia, places like South Africa have a great lifestyle.
Most of all, trust your gut. Go where you feel comfortable raising your son for a couple years. International teaching is what you make of it - focus on the cultural experiences over savings if that's important to you.
Most of all, trust your gut. Go where you feel comfortable raising your son for a couple years. International teaching is what you make of it - focus on the cultural experiences over savings if that's important to you.