The International Schools Review Forum

edited.

Yes, mainly in Asia, Thailand and Vietnam come to mind as being the most common. Ive heard of it happening in Singapore, and Hong Kong as well.
Its more common that after a certain amount of time long term teachers are moved off the Overseas hire package to a local package. Its more a school policy issue then a government regulation issue.

I've heard of a few places in Thailand where your status as an international hire changes after 5 years, but I think that only applies to benefits such as yearly flights.

It would sound quite terrible though to say "If you marry a local then we're cutting your benefits". In Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia it's not uncommon to find people who married locals and moved to the country without employment, and look to find it once they're there. They are usually very new to the international teaching scene though. In Thailand I have met a few teachers who have said that they wished they'd have applied "from home" as they'd have got a much better package.

I've never heard of any downgrading of status in the middle east though. They'll keep giving you benefits for as long as you're willing to stay. Then again, there are much fewer people coming to marry locals than there are some other areas of the world.

I heard from a friend that American Colegio de Quito downgrades people to local hires after 5 years. I think it may affect pay and benefits, but I'm not certain. This doesn't apply to admin though.

Eion

Interesting, I have not heard of this before. What would happen (hypothetically) if you were married to a Vietnamese, and were hired by a school in Vietnam while both of you were living outside the country? Surely a school couldn't claim that you were a local hire in that situation?

That really depends on the school. Typically, your status is determined by your location at point/time of hire. There is a general understanding that regardless of location if your hired at a fair and your a foreigner to the country the school is hiring you, your considered an overseas hire.

There are really two issues here, one is your status and the second is you classification which determines your package. For instance a country may declare that your a "foreign expert" or other such designation, based on laws and immigration policies. There is no requirement however that a school or any employer has to give you a different compensation package, or has to distinguish your compensation package from any other employee. A school doesnt "have to" give you airfare, housing, or relocation allowances.