He would be more marketable as digital teacher of some sort. Maybe get certified in the Adobe CS package, programing, animation, tech integrator, networking and the like. The Ed Tech would sell if you are flexible. DoDEA has a shortage of certified Ed Tech teachers as well and a big push for STEM teachers.

Any all all US Govt employment will add up, including military time. But state, local, county etc govt employment won't.

For the do-it-yourselfers.....the 102 best money websites: http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/the ... eston.aspx

Had some friends who worked at the American School of Warsaw and loved it. Teachers stay there a long time, great tax free salary, much lower cost of living compared to west EU, good PD support, good technology, as diverse of geography as neighbor Germany. So I this sounds like this is the tier 1 school for that city.

You likely paid a front load of 5,75% on the way into American Funs, but might not have any on the back side. It would depend on the type of account (IRA, 401, or is it just cash from tax free job?) ask you advisor or read the literature/prospectus.

You likely paid a front load of 5,75% on the way into American Funs, but might not have any on the back side. It would depend on the type of account (IRA, 401, or is it just cash from tax free job?) ask you advisor or read the literature/prospectus.

This does not answer your question, but.......In the day Jeddah Intl School was Saudia SAIS, the only school owned by an airline (Saudi Arabian Airlines). It was a gateway to international teaching for many and also a cheap ticket to explore the world via cheap flights.

Why leave the good ol' USA?

-Life's short the world is huge, why not see as much as we can, while we still can?
-I get bored doing the same thing year on year, I think I have ADD!
-it's very challenging & stimulating moving around, keeps the alzheimer's at bay!
-teaching to the test.....no thanks.

But it's a good thing more people aren't doing it, otherwise the competition would be fierce for jobs!

Another problem is health insurance. It gets more expensive for schools with an older staff population is. So if you are forced out, do you pay it yourself until Medicare (or whatever your home country calls it) kicks in? Or do you live somewhere else that has cheaper health care until your old enough?

The admin route may help to keep you in the game longer. Age could be looked on as an asset i.e. "the wisdom factor"!

DoDDS teachers have no retirement age but they are reducing the number of schools so I've heard it's harder to get in right now.

One other piece of advice is to get vested in a countries social security AND health care schemes. In the USA you need 40 quarters of employment to get vested in SS & Medicare and you can check this online now to see what years you have in.

Health care is huge cost and you may be better off investing in Costa Rica real estate or Thailand as they have reasonable health care costs. Otherwise plan on working until 66+ (USA) and then paying only the supplemental insurance on your own, or saving enough to retire before the age it kicks in.

Western European countries offer health care if you work long enough but I don't know the details......anyone?

American Funds are good funds, but they are front loaded and charge more to manage each year than a comparable Vanguard fund.

Towards the end of the Frontline video link below they talk about the effect of compounding on fund annual fees. If you can spare the time it will help explain how the size of annual fee effects fund growth over time.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... nt-gamble/

Please note, I think it's all a gamble....!

I have American Funds that I bought quite a few years ago when i was self employed through the advice of a local USA financial planner. They charged 5.75% off the top going in (front loaded) & and annual fee is still being charged on the funds I have now. Not sure if they still charge that front load fee but I wouldn't be surprised. These funds are actively managed & may be right if you want someone else to do it for you.

IMHO, the way to go is to diversify investments (own a home &/or rentals, equities, bonds etc) & find NO LOAD funds with low annual operating expenses. Vanguard has these funds but you have to research & pick funds yourself & within your appetite for risk. They will provide that service for a small fee unless you have a lot of money with them and then it's free. Index funds beat the market according to research. I will be rolling over all my funds to Vanguard at some point.

There may be other companies that provide the same low fee services as Vanguard. Anone know of any?

has an excellent video out called The Retirement Gamble. If you have a spare hour to watch, it could be worth your while.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... nt-gamble/

There are advantages and disadvantages to staying where you are or venturing out. A lot of new schools are opening and they are proprietary, ie for profit. Be careful of these schools because profit may override everything else like salaries, suplies, benefits etc. There are usually a small handful of tier one, two three schools in most big cities. Try to find a job at one of those or at least a not for profit school. Good luck.

Generally the cost of living is very high in Switzerland. Be sure to check your package for housing stipend etc, unless saving money is not an issue.

Do a Google search with keywords 'country cost of living index' to see results city by city. CH has a few cities on the top 10. Good luck.