I have almost 10 years experience with teaching maths in the UK. My wife has recently found her calling after 13 years of being a solicitor and is due to enrol in a PGCE course later this year, with the intent of us both teaching "overseas" post qualification.
After recently reading several blogs on ISR, I am a little concerned that the lifestyle and package of international teachers is on the decline. Many posts comment on the great packages they used to receive, compared to the packages on offer now. Many posts are commenting on the increasing cost of living, without the increasing wage increase.
I'm only too aware of the economics of my own country and that the quality of life for us 4 (2kids) as a family is being sapped. This is probably the underlying reason for looking at overseas schools.
Whilst i know we'll never be millionaires, but, to offer my kids the quality of education coupled with a life overseas is definitely forefront in our minds. However, I am concerned that once we leave the benefits of the "teachers pension" and remove ourselves from the UK teaching circles, we probably won't be able to return.
Will the future of international teachers still be as viable as it is now, or do you think the boat has sailed, thus probably better weathering the storm and forget the possibility of a better life??
The future of the international teacher
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jbiersteker
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shadowjack
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- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Hi Nuts88 - my wife is doing the same starting this summer. However, if you are only out for the dosh, do us all a favour, mate, and stay in the UK. That said, what price do you put on family time, less pressure in some ways (but more in others), better weather, lower taxes, sunshine, and a different lifestyle?
Honestly, while many packages might not be as rich as they used to be, you can look at the melt-down of 2009 and say that the number of teachers out recruiting is higher than ever. Then again, you can turn around and say that the number of jobs to recruit for is also higher than ever.
What do I recommend? Take the plunge - and don't limit yourself to UK system schools - see if you can do some IB teaching while your wife is training and then get out and experience the world. By the way - if you have kids - don't forget to bring them with you! :-)
Honestly, while many packages might not be as rich as they used to be, you can look at the melt-down of 2009 and say that the number of teachers out recruiting is higher than ever. Then again, you can turn around and say that the number of jobs to recruit for is also higher than ever.
What do I recommend? Take the plunge - and don't limit yourself to UK system schools - see if you can do some IB teaching while your wife is training and then get out and experience the world. By the way - if you have kids - don't forget to bring them with you! :-)
Thanks for the replies.
Shadowjack, if it was the money I was after, I'd change profession! But saying that, financial security has to be up there when you're raising a family.
I appreciate the advice re IB experience. Any ideas how to get some whist teaching in a UK curriculum school?
Shadowjack, what course is your wife enrolling on?
Shadowjack, if it was the money I was after, I'd change profession! But saying that, financial security has to be up there when you're raising a family.
I appreciate the advice re IB experience. Any ideas how to get some whist teaching in a UK curriculum school?
Shadowjack, what course is your wife enrolling on?
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
LOL Nuts88 - I hear you :-) Teachers in the UK, especially established ones, don't make that much compared to overseas. One thing you are not factoring in is how much further your money goes overseas than in the UK. I know this for a fact, having taught in the UK in the past (an experience I loved, but which I left after a year because the economics for our family of four were just not there).
With two teachers, you can make decent money, pay little to no tax, life the life of Reilly (at the right school), and save.
One thing to consider is how your children will be funded for uni if you are overseas. Don't discount that fact - but if they can value add, I suspect there are scholarships available, especially to US schools which like an eclectic mix.
Ask around your LEA (if they still do LEA's?) or educational authority and see if any schools are offering IB and if you can transfer within the authority. If not, start researching and use some PD money to attend an IB workshop, get the philosophy down, and start digging into the outcomes and standards expected.
In some ways, IB at the diploma level is like GCSE's and A levels - you have predicted scores and outcomes, coursework is moderated, there are mocks, but in other ways it is quite different. Less scripted, I think, and prescribed.
At MYP it is a totally different kettle of fish than the NC in the UK. Inquiry based learning forms the SOWs, there is no curriculum per se, students complete "cycles" in their learning and a lot more reflection is required of the students than in the UK. Thinking about how you think and how you learn is a keystone in the MYP program.
As for my wife, she is starting at The College of New Jersey in their Mallorca program this summer. Next school year she will do a practicum, finish her courses summer of 2014, and be done and obtain certification. It is a bit scary for her after 22 years in her present field. But, she is ready for a challenge and a change!
Good luck as you forge ahead!
With two teachers, you can make decent money, pay little to no tax, life the life of Reilly (at the right school), and save.
One thing to consider is how your children will be funded for uni if you are overseas. Don't discount that fact - but if they can value add, I suspect there are scholarships available, especially to US schools which like an eclectic mix.
Ask around your LEA (if they still do LEA's?) or educational authority and see if any schools are offering IB and if you can transfer within the authority. If not, start researching and use some PD money to attend an IB workshop, get the philosophy down, and start digging into the outcomes and standards expected.
In some ways, IB at the diploma level is like GCSE's and A levels - you have predicted scores and outcomes, coursework is moderated, there are mocks, but in other ways it is quite different. Less scripted, I think, and prescribed.
At MYP it is a totally different kettle of fish than the NC in the UK. Inquiry based learning forms the SOWs, there is no curriculum per se, students complete "cycles" in their learning and a lot more reflection is required of the students than in the UK. Thinking about how you think and how you learn is a keystone in the MYP program.
As for my wife, she is starting at The College of New Jersey in their Mallorca program this summer. Next school year she will do a practicum, finish her courses summer of 2014, and be done and obtain certification. It is a bit scary for her after 22 years in her present field. But, she is ready for a challenge and a change!
Good luck as you forge ahead!
The Internet has made the world of international school teaching easy to get into thus increasing the number of teachers applying for each job. The laws of supply and demand dictate that as the supply rises (teacher applicants) the demand (in the form of wages and benefits) falls. This fact is the main reason why international educator packages are doomed to fall and keep falling at all but the best schools.
And since so many schools are jokes, A LOT of first year teachers will continue to be hired because they are looking for the adventure/status/or whatever and will work for peanuts.
Add to this mix the ever increasing number of retiree "double dippers" who are flocking into the international scene and it becomes easy to see why many schools have no stake or interest in offering decent packages since they can get these people cheap.
Think about how many of the schools we read about through Search and ISS profiles that offer poor salary and benefits. Yet most of these "schools" always find someone to fill their open positions.
When you again add in that the cost of living in many countries is increasing faster than in the U.S or Canada while salaries overseas stagnate, as most schools no longer provide housing but give housing allowances require teachers to spend more out of pocket, and as the quality of overseas health insurance crumbles, it is easy to see that the halcyon days of international school teaching are over.
I am glad I am an IB HL math/ AP Calculus teacher.
And since so many schools are jokes, A LOT of first year teachers will continue to be hired because they are looking for the adventure/status/or whatever and will work for peanuts.
Add to this mix the ever increasing number of retiree "double dippers" who are flocking into the international scene and it becomes easy to see why many schools have no stake or interest in offering decent packages since they can get these people cheap.
Think about how many of the schools we read about through Search and ISS profiles that offer poor salary and benefits. Yet most of these "schools" always find someone to fill their open positions.
When you again add in that the cost of living in many countries is increasing faster than in the U.S or Canada while salaries overseas stagnate, as most schools no longer provide housing but give housing allowances require teachers to spend more out of pocket, and as the quality of overseas health insurance crumbles, it is easy to see that the halcyon days of international school teaching are over.
I am glad I am an IB HL math/ AP Calculus teacher.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
[quote="senator"]The Internet has made the world of international school teaching easy to get into thus increasing the number of teachers applying for each job. The laws of supply and demand dictate that as the supply rises (teacher applicants) the demand (in the form of wages and benefits) falls. This fact is the main reason why international educator packages are doomed to fall and keep falling at all but the best schools.
And since so many schools are jokes, A LOT of first year teachers will continue to be hired because they are looking for the adventure/status/or whatever and will work for peanuts.
Add to this mix the ever increasing number of retiree "double dippers" who are flocking into the international scene and it becomes easy to see why many schools have no stake or interest in offering decent packages since they can get these people cheap.
Think about how many of the schools we read about through Search and ISS profiles that offer poor salary and benefits. Yet most of these "schools" always find someone to fill their open positions.
When you again add in that the cost of living in many countries is increasing faster than in the U.S or Canada while salaries overseas stagnate, as most schools no longer provide housing but give housing allowances require teachers to spend more out of pocket, and as the quality of overseas health insurance crumbles, it is easy to see that the halcyon days of international school teaching are over.
I am glad I am an IB HL math/ AP Calculus teacher.[/quote]
From browsing Search Associates, my impression is that reputable, long-established schools still offer excellent packages. What HAS changed is the proliferation of recently opened (>10 years) serving mostly local students and offering much lower salaries. So it might seem that the "average" package has gone down, but only because all the new kids on the block are pulling the average down - good schools are still offering great packages.
However, as you pointed out, with the increased number of applicants, getting into one of the established schools is becoming very difficult.
And since so many schools are jokes, A LOT of first year teachers will continue to be hired because they are looking for the adventure/status/or whatever and will work for peanuts.
Add to this mix the ever increasing number of retiree "double dippers" who are flocking into the international scene and it becomes easy to see why many schools have no stake or interest in offering decent packages since they can get these people cheap.
Think about how many of the schools we read about through Search and ISS profiles that offer poor salary and benefits. Yet most of these "schools" always find someone to fill their open positions.
When you again add in that the cost of living in many countries is increasing faster than in the U.S or Canada while salaries overseas stagnate, as most schools no longer provide housing but give housing allowances require teachers to spend more out of pocket, and as the quality of overseas health insurance crumbles, it is easy to see that the halcyon days of international school teaching are over.
I am glad I am an IB HL math/ AP Calculus teacher.[/quote]
From browsing Search Associates, my impression is that reputable, long-established schools still offer excellent packages. What HAS changed is the proliferation of recently opened (>10 years) serving mostly local students and offering much lower salaries. So it might seem that the "average" package has gone down, but only because all the new kids on the block are pulling the average down - good schools are still offering great packages.
However, as you pointed out, with the increased number of applicants, getting into one of the established schools is becoming very difficult.
It's inevitable. Way back when, UK teachers could work for two years in Saudi and come back and buy a nice house outright with their savings. I imagine it was pretty much the same for US teachers. Those days didn't last and then.....
The lure of teaching overseas used to be for the more adventurous. Living far from home, with little or no TV in English, no Internet, no cell phones and just expensive long distance phone calls and post that could take weeks for keeping in touch with loved ones back home. Packages had to be good to lure the (slightly) less adventurous so that schools could fill their posts with "native" speakers who were going to educate the local students to get to UK and US universities.
Nowadays, the world is far more liveable for an expat with home comforts in reach to even the lowly (relative to oil boys, bankers etc) paid expat teacher. The less adventurous, who have had enough of the education system in their own stumbling democracy and the (perceived or otherwise) deteriorating quality of life, are lining up to go overseas. Add to that the non native speakers with native fluency levels from the rest of the world (where English is a 2nd or 3rd language with at least pseudo-official status in almost every nation under the sun) who want some of those expat bucks in the new schools that have "global" faculties and it's inevitable that rising supply will lead to lower (in real terms) salaries than those of days gone by.
Oh, and the rise of "for profit" schools.....don't get me started.......
Still, the handful of "elite" or "tier one" schools are keeping up but yes it is harder to get your foot in the door.
The lure of teaching overseas used to be for the more adventurous. Living far from home, with little or no TV in English, no Internet, no cell phones and just expensive long distance phone calls and post that could take weeks for keeping in touch with loved ones back home. Packages had to be good to lure the (slightly) less adventurous so that schools could fill their posts with "native" speakers who were going to educate the local students to get to UK and US universities.
Nowadays, the world is far more liveable for an expat with home comforts in reach to even the lowly (relative to oil boys, bankers etc) paid expat teacher. The less adventurous, who have had enough of the education system in their own stumbling democracy and the (perceived or otherwise) deteriorating quality of life, are lining up to go overseas. Add to that the non native speakers with native fluency levels from the rest of the world (where English is a 2nd or 3rd language with at least pseudo-official status in almost every nation under the sun) who want some of those expat bucks in the new schools that have "global" faculties and it's inevitable that rising supply will lead to lower (in real terms) salaries than those of days gone by.
Oh, and the rise of "for profit" schools.....don't get me started.......
Still, the handful of "elite" or "tier one" schools are keeping up but yes it is harder to get your foot in the door.
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Dredge
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- Location: Three continents, mentally and physically
Education is changing drastically as it is, not just for the international teacher. I think eventually more online education will be offered, it will be cheaper, and rich people stay rich by finding things on the cheap. Although, as long as the rich associate international schools with social status, I think we'll be fine.
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lightstays
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Reply
I do believe the compensation package is falling, but this is an acute change not a permanent one. In may very real ways the IT field mirrors the domestic teaching market, which also reflects the global economy as a large. Falling economies means companies send fewer expats to foreign branches, offices and manufacturing facilities. This means enrollment drops, which translates to less money. As the economy improves so will the demand for ITs. However, comparing decreasing packages is only relevant if IT packages are falling and domestic packages grow or remain stable, and this is just not the case. Salaries and compensation is shrinking for teachers EVERYWHERE, what is important to observe is that the shrinkage in IT packages is smaller and in top tier schools very small.
Take the basics of an IT package, outside of WE a school pays, supplies your housing. Having the school PAY YOUR BILLS is an IMMENSE compensation benefit. When we compare IT discretionary money to domestic discretionary money, ITS still have an immense financial advantage. Add to this a very low tax burden, free tuition, and your discretionary funds multiply. Pay packets are falling (slower then other professions and in domestic teaching) but our available discretionary funds are still much higher.
You can go to Saudie Aramco and still buy a house upon returning home with cash after a couple years on a dual income salary. You cant do it everywhere like you used to but it can still be done.
I do agree that in general the pool of available teachers has grown exponentially. The internet has facilitated the entry of many more teachers. In the past ITs were either hired through recruiting agencies (that really presented you too schools) or they applied by post to schools they were either aware of or found through government directories or local papers. Of course the number of schools was much smaller, so there wasnt as much work to do.
I dont agree with the position that availability of global consumer goods has opened ITs up to teaching at an IS. Thats not a driving factor. What has changed is the availability of options. Whena classroom teacher back home became dissatisfied with teaching, teaching internationally wasnt really a viable alternative, there wasnt a convenient entry point for teachers in IT. Now that everyone regardless of profession can eventually find their way to an international post, the barrier to entry is much lower, and with options shrinking at home more teachers are making the switch.
I agree with Shadowjack in that IB is very valuable and marketable. There are about 195 schools in the UK offering the IB program, finding a position with one of them with your experience will greatly increase your marketability, espcially since your wife even with a PGCE will have very low marketability given her lack of experience, and you have two kids.
IB is very much like A levels (and really equivalent to other 6th form options). I wouldnt compare it to the IGCSE, but its close.
MYP can really be whatever the school needs it to be. Many national curriculums are wedged into MYP or are "wrapped" in MYP. They can also be very "pure" IB programs in MYP.
The top tier schools still put out very good packages, though there has been decline recently. The influx of newer schools has effected the economy of international schools. More players in a regional market means more competition. Parents will pay (or their sponsoring organizations will pay) very high fees for tuition if thats the only game in town, as it was in the past. More options, at lower costs, means schools have to be competitive, but top tier schools still run at capacity and have waiting lists, because these schools have a reputation for being the best.
Its not a fair or accurate comparison to compare the old school ISs to many of the newer schools, since many of these schools (for profit or otherwise) arent really ISs but independent (private) schools that are using "international education" as a marketing and sales strategy to the local community.
Take the basics of an IT package, outside of WE a school pays, supplies your housing. Having the school PAY YOUR BILLS is an IMMENSE compensation benefit. When we compare IT discretionary money to domestic discretionary money, ITS still have an immense financial advantage. Add to this a very low tax burden, free tuition, and your discretionary funds multiply. Pay packets are falling (slower then other professions and in domestic teaching) but our available discretionary funds are still much higher.
You can go to Saudie Aramco and still buy a house upon returning home with cash after a couple years on a dual income salary. You cant do it everywhere like you used to but it can still be done.
I do agree that in general the pool of available teachers has grown exponentially. The internet has facilitated the entry of many more teachers. In the past ITs were either hired through recruiting agencies (that really presented you too schools) or they applied by post to schools they were either aware of or found through government directories or local papers. Of course the number of schools was much smaller, so there wasnt as much work to do.
I dont agree with the position that availability of global consumer goods has opened ITs up to teaching at an IS. Thats not a driving factor. What has changed is the availability of options. Whena classroom teacher back home became dissatisfied with teaching, teaching internationally wasnt really a viable alternative, there wasnt a convenient entry point for teachers in IT. Now that everyone regardless of profession can eventually find their way to an international post, the barrier to entry is much lower, and with options shrinking at home more teachers are making the switch.
I agree with Shadowjack in that IB is very valuable and marketable. There are about 195 schools in the UK offering the IB program, finding a position with one of them with your experience will greatly increase your marketability, espcially since your wife even with a PGCE will have very low marketability given her lack of experience, and you have two kids.
IB is very much like A levels (and really equivalent to other 6th form options). I wouldnt compare it to the IGCSE, but its close.
MYP can really be whatever the school needs it to be. Many national curriculums are wedged into MYP or are "wrapped" in MYP. They can also be very "pure" IB programs in MYP.
The top tier schools still put out very good packages, though there has been decline recently. The influx of newer schools has effected the economy of international schools. More players in a regional market means more competition. Parents will pay (or their sponsoring organizations will pay) very high fees for tuition if thats the only game in town, as it was in the past. More options, at lower costs, means schools have to be competitive, but top tier schools still run at capacity and have waiting lists, because these schools have a reputation for being the best.
Its not a fair or accurate comparison to compare the old school ISs to many of the newer schools, since many of these schools (for profit or otherwise) arent really ISs but independent (private) schools that are using "international education" as a marketing and sales strategy to the local community.