Enough money to live on?
Enough money to live on?
I have yet to teach overseas, but I have a question about salary and lifestyle. I know there is variation in pay, but in general, assuming one is not totally screwed over on salary, do international school teachers make enough money, if in a country with a lower cost of living, to support a family of 3 and still save or pay student loans? I mean, sometimes it sounds like you guys make some serious money compared to stateside. I know its all relative, but is there some rule of thumb or generality that I could go by? I am thinking like Thailand, India, Nepal or Indonesia, perhaps Central or South america. Any thoughts on the financial prospects? How far does it really go? Appreciate any input. Thx.
I think you will need to be more specific in identifying schools you are interested in working at. Salaries and conditions can vary widely across a city not even to mention a country.
There are three parts to the equation; salary, benefits and cost of living. When making inquiries you need to address all three. Some school may have a fabulous salary scale but when you factor in the cost of housing it might not seem so great. Another school might offer a generous but not outrageous package but when combined with tuition and housing it might look pretty good. A third school's pay scale might be at the bottom end of what you would consider but the cost of living is so little that you can easily save.
I have worked in three schools in China, SE Asia and Europe. At all three I was able to save enough money to take care of obligations at home. Of course that required making choices just like it does when I am living and working in North America.
Good luck with your search.
There are three parts to the equation; salary, benefits and cost of living. When making inquiries you need to address all three. Some school may have a fabulous salary scale but when you factor in the cost of housing it might not seem so great. Another school might offer a generous but not outrageous package but when combined with tuition and housing it might look pretty good. A third school's pay scale might be at the bottom end of what you would consider but the cost of living is so little that you can easily save.
I have worked in three schools in China, SE Asia and Europe. At all three I was able to save enough money to take care of obligations at home. Of course that required making choices just like it does when I am living and working in North America.
Good luck with your search.
Cost of Living in U.S.
I noticed something when I was answering an essay question in an application. I have lived in Boston,MA, and Phoenix, AZ, and Miami, FL. The pay I recieved was different, but the cost of living always seemed to be adjusted for prevailing wage. One major theme I noticed is that if you live right downtown in an urban center, it is always expensive. The only time I saved money was when I got a small place on the outside, and then dealt with transportation headaches. I'm trying to follow the same pattern in choosing a school. I turned down a job in Shanghai because it seemed that the pay was a little less than U.S. , and it was right in the city center. I thought to myself, "Could I live an hour outside NY, commute into NY everyday, and save money?" It didn't seem worth it. People's needs are the same all over the world-food, shelter, transportation, energy.... And I'm just not convinced that in Shanghai the market for these things is much different than NY, Boston, Chicago, LA....etc
As well
I'd reiterate Ichiro's observation. Having taught in Singapore it was my experience that those expats that shopped at the western supermarkets, bought the Cheerios and 'expected' personal items paid for it. Those 'long timers' had learned to shop where the HDB (public housing) locals shopped and saved a lot. We did try to go a year without a car, which in Singapore can be an insane cost. However we found out that the quality of life was improved to much to forgo, and ended up buying a 13-year-old car. So I guess you pick and choose your expense. Some teachers took long vacations to high price beach resorts, some didn't.
[quote="ichiro"]Hi there mrwright,
Your question is just too hard to answer in a simple way. What it all really boils down to is you. There are schools in Thailand, Indonesia, and India that pay very well indeed and a "family of three" can do quite well (but does family of three mean a teacher, a non-teaching spouse, and a child--or three children and a non-teaching spouse: quite a difference!). However, about it all boiling down to you...how "local" can you go? Assuming a school gives you a good housing situation for your child and access to high-quality health care, the question becomes: do we need Fruit Loops (20USD per box) and Kraft Mac and Cheese (another 10USD) every day? Or can we make it on the local cuisine, which just might ring in at less than 10% of that? Are you and your wife and child the adventurous sort willing to navigate your host country's public transportation system, or will you be looking to buy a car or take taxis everywhere? Is your family OK (and not just you, but your home-country family as well) with once a year visits, or will you be looking to fly yourselves "home" out of your own pocket more than that?
A long time ago when I headed overseas, I read a list of reasons NOT to do it; near the top of those reasons was money. I wouldn't trade my lifestyle for anything, but it's not for everybody, and truly, it's never been about the money.[/quote]
[quote="ichiro"]Hi there mrwright,
Your question is just too hard to answer in a simple way. What it all really boils down to is you. There are schools in Thailand, Indonesia, and India that pay very well indeed and a "family of three" can do quite well (but does family of three mean a teacher, a non-teaching spouse, and a child--or three children and a non-teaching spouse: quite a difference!). However, about it all boiling down to you...how "local" can you go? Assuming a school gives you a good housing situation for your child and access to high-quality health care, the question becomes: do we need Fruit Loops (20USD per box) and Kraft Mac and Cheese (another 10USD) every day? Or can we make it on the local cuisine, which just might ring in at less than 10% of that? Are you and your wife and child the adventurous sort willing to navigate your host country's public transportation system, or will you be looking to buy a car or take taxis everywhere? Is your family OK (and not just you, but your home-country family as well) with once a year visits, or will you be looking to fly yourselves "home" out of your own pocket more than that?
A long time ago when I headed overseas, I read a list of reasons NOT to do it; near the top of those reasons was money. I wouldn't trade my lifestyle for anything, but it's not for everybody, and truly, it's never been about the money.[/quote]
Thanks for the advise so far. Let me be more specific. I am married and we hope to have a baby soon. I am 37 years old. My wife is Nepali, and we have spent a lot of time in Nepal and know how to live like locals, mostly. I assume it would be similar to most developing countries in that regard. I have around $600 a month in financial payments due in the states. Steep when living here, but I was hoping that teaching internationally might provide a salary/cost of living senario that might enable me to carry it all. My wife is not a teacher and I am not sure what she could do overseas to help make money. We would only need to travel back stateside about every 2 years. I don't really need to save per se, except to cover my payments and have enough to travel home every so often. So that's the situation. Please continue to offer your thoughts. Thank you.
Hello again. I know you all are busy, but I would really appreciate some more answers. Is there anyone out there with experience of teaching at an international school with a non-teaching spouse and at least one child? Can anyone give me some more insight into the kind of economic situation I would find myself in, given that senario? Or any second-hand anecdotes would be great too. Please help me out! Thank you.
Greetings,
My wife doesn't work and I have a school aged daughter which attends my school.
My tuition is waved, but I still had to pay for uniforms, activity fees, and misc. fees. (Nothing compared to what tuition is...)
I am finding it quite difficult to maintain the lifestyle that we had before I went into international teaching.
With 2 kids and your non-working wife there aren't a lot of countries where you are going to make enough to have a savings.
My suggestion would be to look at schools in China. From what I can tell, mine pays about $10000 a year less than most do. That is $10000 that would make a HUGE difference in our lifestyle or savings.
You can do it in less expensive countries that have good after tax packages.
Do you have an MA/M.Ed? That would put you higher up the pay scale and make it more doable.
The biggest problem I foresee is if you don't get into a good school early, they will see your 2 kids as a big liability. Many schools allow 2 kids, but from what I've seen, they really don't want to unless you have something unique to offer the school.
EDIT: Just wanted to say I save 50% of my salary a month. We live very frugally though. Only eat out once a week and I never go anywhere or do anything.
My wife doesn't work and I have a school aged daughter which attends my school.
My tuition is waved, but I still had to pay for uniforms, activity fees, and misc. fees. (Nothing compared to what tuition is...)
I am finding it quite difficult to maintain the lifestyle that we had before I went into international teaching.
With 2 kids and your non-working wife there aren't a lot of countries where you are going to make enough to have a savings.
My suggestion would be to look at schools in China. From what I can tell, mine pays about $10000 a year less than most do. That is $10000 that would make a HUGE difference in our lifestyle or savings.
You can do it in less expensive countries that have good after tax packages.
Do you have an MA/M.Ed? That would put you higher up the pay scale and make it more doable.
The biggest problem I foresee is if you don't get into a good school early, they will see your 2 kids as a big liability. Many schools allow 2 kids, but from what I've seen, they really don't want to unless you have something unique to offer the school.
EDIT: Just wanted to say I save 50% of my salary a month. We live very frugally though. Only eat out once a week and I never go anywhere or do anything.
Hi Molson. Thanks for your input. Currently we have no children, but plan on having only one sometime soon. So it will just my wife and I and one kid. Still, if you save 50% of your salary, and your paid less than many other schools, it seems it can be done. We can live on a budget. What countries other than China do you think would work? I am working on the masters now, and might have it by the time I move overseas. Like I said, its not that I need savings per se, but that I have loan payments around $600 a month. How realistic is it to live on an international school teacher salary and carry these responsiblilities? What about Thailand, India, Indonesia or Nepal? South America? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
[quote="mrwright"]Hi Molson. Thanks for your input. Currently we have no children, but plan on having only one sometime soon. So it will just my wife and I and one kid. Still, if you save 50% of your salary, and your paid less than many other schools, it seems it can be done. We can live on a budget. What countries other than China do you think would work? I am working on the masters now, and might have it by the time I move overseas. Like I said, its not that I need savings per se, but that I have loan payments around $600 a month. How realistic is it to live on an international school teacher salary and carry these responsiblilities? What about Thailand, India, Indonesia or Nepal? South America? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?[/quote]
I could be wrong, but generally the poorer the country, the less money you can hope to earn for a yearly salary. I heard the top school in Bangkok pays pretty good, but I doubt if you could get in there with just an MA and no prior experience in international schools.
The problem a lot of schools have is they want you to have prior teaching experience before they will offer you a job. So I'd say for the first two years, take what you can get if the offer is good.
Did you pay for the review part of this site? That information is GOLD. Check out the blog which lists some of the better paying jobs. That is totally worth a look.
Also, I joined searchassociates in my job search. Their database lists what schools generally pay, and it is a good guide to go with the reviews on this site.
You will find this site unfortunately doesn't get a lot of traffic. I really wish it did :( I would love to talk about specific schools and get timely feedback.
I could be wrong, but generally the poorer the country, the less money you can hope to earn for a yearly salary. I heard the top school in Bangkok pays pretty good, but I doubt if you could get in there with just an MA and no prior experience in international schools.
The problem a lot of schools have is they want you to have prior teaching experience before they will offer you a job. So I'd say for the first two years, take what you can get if the offer is good.
Did you pay for the review part of this site? That information is GOLD. Check out the blog which lists some of the better paying jobs. That is totally worth a look.
Also, I joined searchassociates in my job search. Their database lists what schools generally pay, and it is a good guide to go with the reviews on this site.
You will find this site unfortunately doesn't get a lot of traffic. I really wish it did :( I would love to talk about specific schools and get timely feedback.