salary scales for higher degrees

abby · Post by **abby** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:00 pm

Hi all,

My husband and I are new to the international schools scene. I'm very curious about the relevance & value of a higher degree toward getting a better salary.

Could you share with me how your school scales salaries for teachers based upon experience teaching, years at the school, and qualifications/ certifications?

I'm looking at the British system in particular, but any experiences from US or IB curriculum schools are helpful.

Thanks!

Overhere · Post by **Overhere** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:27 pm

My experiences have varied but in all cases higher degrees mean more pay. At several schools I made $100/month more than my wife and at others I have earned up to $300/month more. When starting at a new school you are placed on their salary grid based on your experience and generally many schools won't recognize more than 7 or 8 years, from that point you begin working your way up. My current school is an exception and we both went right to the top of the scale.

abby · Post by **abby** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:40 am

Thanks for your reply.

Was there any particular qualification or other part of your CV that moved you and your wife to the top of the pay scale?

Once you've been placed on the salary grid on hire, can you expect an annual bump in salary, or are there less frequent increases? Is there a tenure at which increases stop -- irrespective of how long you've been at the school?

Thanks kindly.

jakarta2008 · Post by **jakarta2008** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:28 pm

This varies from school to school. In my experience, many schools pay a small premium for those with a Masters (about$1000 a year).

However, there are some schools (usually the large schools in Asia that were started by US embassies - JIS, TAS, SAS, ISBangkok) who pay a large premium for extra experience. At JIS, for example, the school has 8 levels of qualifications (Level 3 is just a B.A. or equivalent. Level 4 is B.A. plus 15 masters credits or half a masters degree. Level 5 is a Masters or a B.A. plus 30 credits. Level 6 is a Masters plus 15 masters credits accrued after achieving the Masters. Level 7 is a Masters plus 30 credits. Level 8 is a PHD.) The difference between each level is about $3000 at each step of experience.

abby · Post by **abby** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:00 am

Thanks a lot. That's really helpful and interesting.

Are there any benefits (to pay, specifically) from having experience in an IB system? Trying to figure out if higher education is our only "asset" that might be worth a premium.

Thanks much.

pussygalore · Post by **pussygalore** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:06 pm

I have worked at schools where those with a higher degree earn the same as those without. I think this is quite common in private schools in M.E. Many do not have a salary structure as such. A premium may be offerd to a teacher when it has been difficult to recruit or just on a whim. You are right in suggesting that IB experience can be useful.

jakarta2008 · Post by **jakarta2008** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:34 pm

I am not aware of any school offering a premium for IB experience. In fact, many teachers from Australia/NZ/Britain have been frustrated with many of the IASAS schools because they receive no premium for their Graduate Diplomas in Education or PGCEs. Even though the course content is similar to the US Masters degrees (I've done both, and the US Masters I did was actually easier!), only Masters credits can be used for salary advancement. I'd advise anyone interested in being in international schools long term to get a Masters - not only do you often get paid more, but it makes you far more competitive during recruiting season.