The International Schools Review Forum

As a veteran int. school teacher ( 15+ years in various countries) I’ve always had a group/company health insurance policy. It didn’t occur to me til lately that if I stop working for international schools and need to take out my own policy at some point, it will be at a much later than average age, so that any preexisting conditions I might have by then, will be excluded and/or the premiums will be collossal. It’s therefore probably a good idea for me to take one out my own now, before anything serious is wrong, and hope that I can convince my school to either pay for that instead of my share of their company one or allocate me the equivalent funds instead so that I can top up. Has anyone else here done this? Can anyone recommend one?

I'm not from the US, so what you have just described would never have occurred to me and is quite frightening to a non-US citizen. I feel for you. There is something to be said for universal healthcare.

Yup - same here - not from the US. One of the reasons I posted this ( apart from seeking advice) was that it would be good to make others aware of this so they can plan ahead. It's not an issue for staff 'returning home' to a country with a national health service or subsidised health care or an insurance provider already in place, but I'm not sure I will ever be 'returning home' and may well always live in countries where I'll need some sort of insurance. Like many 'career xpats' I left for a year's experience working abroad, loved the life and 17 years later still have no intentions of going home.

God point, and it's me of the reasons I wrote a while back that as teachers mature, they tend to look for school postings in Europe (Though there are other countries as well).

It's an idea, I don't think a school would do it though. Two reasons: First, the group plan discounts for a school are very low per enrolle compared to the full premium of a private insurer. Second, it would set a very dangerous and expensive presedent. If they do it for you, eventually (and sooner rather then later) others are going to say "that's a good idea, what about doing it for me".