The International Schools Review Forum

Hi,
I have 17 years experience (trained in Australia) with teaching mainly in the U.K. in early primary teaching. I have held middle management positions before.
I have never taught at an international school before. How realistic do you think it would be for me to find a classroom teacher position in Singapore at a school with three primary school aged kids (non teacher spouse)?
I know Singapore is highly competitive but trying my luck!
Thanks in advance!

Functionally zero, but technically really, really close to zero.

You would starve in SG on a ITs salary that didnt include a housing benefit. Housing is VERY expensive in SG a 1LDK that isnt a share is about SGD$2200 for a family of 5 youd spend your entire salary on housing. Thus you would need an IS thats 1st/elite tier to get a housing benefit and that would mean effectively doubling your salary (if not more) just to house you. Add to that the cost of 3 tuition waivers/fee placements and that for practical purposes doubles your net salary again (the average value of a tuition waiver/fee placement is USD$10K/each). The average IT salary is about SGD$60K/year the bottom about SGD$50K/yr (its a lot of MOE DTs/ITs, which there is a recruiting drive annually for ITs in the DE system).

The bad news is (yes it gets worse), you have a 1:5 travel ration, all that to fill one primary/EC classroom. This makes you essentially unemployable globally in IE.

To add insult to injury with 17 years on the salary scale in AUS (I assume you have some TLR) you will be shocked to the point of offense at the salary cut you will have to take from the offers you will get even at the 1st tier ISs. Many ISs will have a salary cap of 5 - 10 years (5 at lower tier ISs with 10 at upper tier ISs) for entering staff. Youre looking at a staggering 50% or more cut in coin to move into IE.
Ill leave the rest to the forum gnome regarding the folly of moving into IE.

Thanks PsyGuy.... thought so. Not getting my hopes up but will try anyway! Need those free school fees as a priority, also to avoid long waiting lists for admissions for my kids- my husband will work too (not initially but eventually when settled). Will think positively and you never know as you only live once! Thanks.

On top of that, isn't Singapore one of those countries now taxing tuition benefits? I think some of my friends left because their school offered tuition, but it was now taxed.

Forget Singapore. Cast a wider net and you'll have a better chance. You'll be expensive no matter where you go, but in other countries where housing and insurance are cheaper, and where schools have enough open spots that they can give you three without really losing any money....

wntriscoming wrote:
> On top of that, isn't Singapore one of those countries now taxing tuition benefits?
> I think some of my friends left because their school offered tuition, but it was
> now taxed.

I knew someone who taught at a Tier 1 school in Singapore two years ago. He had two kids and (I think) his wife wasn't working. He said that one of the normal IT benefits - I think it was housing - was taxed. They had to move for financial reasons.