Saudi Arabia and China benefits comparison

[WonderingWhat]

Savings potential at schools in China seem to beat those in Saudi Arabia. This seems to be the case even for Saudi Aramco schools. Have things changed so much over the years? Any comments?

[expatteacher99]

Which schools in China are you referring to?

[grdwdgrrrl]

I think this would be an interesting discussion. There are livability issues as well as money and bennies. I would like to see others weigh in. How you live in China greatly determines your savings. Without Chinese language skills you can and most likely will pay more for stuff as you will no doubt frequent places where the staff speak English, who are paid more. We saved a lot in China, family of 4 on one income, in Shanghai. Chinese language skills were key.

[WonderingWhat]

There are several schools in China posting higher savings potential than schools in Saudi Arabia (including Saudi Aramco) on the Search Associates website.

[lgtallie]

I worked at an international school in Beijing at a fairly new "international school" (mainly locals with dual passports). They paid for my flights, housing, and a pretty average salary. I saved some money because I shopped at the local markets and liked to cook my own food (mmm, still daydream about the fresh tofu!). However, I think I would save more in Saudi (never worked there), just because it is so easy to shop in China and spend the night out on the town in Beijing. From what I have read, many people in Saudi spend most of their time in their compounds saving their money until they go on a big trip for vacation.

I am curious to read about specific schools in China where one could earn more than Aramco (maybe ISB?).

-Amanda at http://teachingwanderlust.com/

[expatteacher99]

I question the accuracy of some school's listings on Search. The Search profiles for other schools we have worked at in the past tended to be slightly inaccurate. Some schools seem to be too optimistic with their estimated savings potential, while others seem to be too conservative with their estimates. It is a difficult thing to quantify since it depends on a teacher's particular lifestyle.

We work for Aramco now and can tell you that the salary figures and savings potential listed on Search aren't even close to being accurate. I am not sure why. It might still be the case that schools in China are comparable or even better but I think it may be difficult to compare using only the information provided on the Search website.

[MedellinHeel]

These listings should just have the bare minimum for living. That way one can know the max saving potential. Then you can adjust and calculate your own savings due to lifestyle.

For example I lived in Korea. Id say this was this is the bare minimum for living

1 month

Food - 300,000 won
Internet - 35,000 won
Phone - 60,000 won
Transportation /Misc - 80,000 won

Total - 500,000 won (rounded up)

[nikkor]

Comparing aramco to other packages is a bit apples to oranges. If I'm not mistaken, aramco teachers only get 40 days off per year. Other intl schools give you something around 80. When you consider the day rate, the top Schools in china are probably comparable. My school in china totally under-represents its savings potential on search. Couples can easily save 100k+, live a nice lifestyle and travel. Singles save about 40k.

[grdwdgrrrl]

expatteacher99 wrote:
> I question the accuracy of some school's listings on Search. The Search
> profiles for other schools we have worked at in the past tended to be
> slightly inaccurate. Some schools seem to be too optimistic with their
> estimated savings potential, while others seem to be too conservative with
> their estimates. It is a difficult thing to quantify since it depends on a
> teacher's particular lifestyle.
>
> We work for Aramco now and can tell you that the salary figures and savings
> potential listed on Search aren't even close to being accurate. I am not
> sure why. It might still be the case that schools in China are comparable
> or even better but I think it may be difficult to compare using only the
> information provided on the Search website.

This is a very bad business especially since it's a huge consideration when deciding which schools to apply to. Also, what other inaccuracies are there? Housing, moving allowance, health insurance, etc.? What is the oversight used by Search?. Do they just take the word of the schools? Seems kinda deceptive.

[dover2013]

The details are posted by the schools themselves. If something doesn't look right you can email your associate and ask if they have better info. They'll usually help if they can.

[Rye]

grdwdgrrrl wrote:
> This is a very bad business especially since it's a huge consideration when deciding
> which schools to apply to. Also, what other inaccuracies are there? Housing, moving
> allowance, health insurance, etc.? What is the oversight used by Search?. Do they
> just take the word of the schools? Seems kinda deceptive.

The details like shipping and relocation $ etc. are sent by the school. I am sure schools would not want falsify it and end up losing Search or ISS as a recruiting tool, and a teacher would probably alert them immediately if they were lying about their benefits. You can always ask the school as well if you are concerned. As for savings, it is saving potential - you could walk away with more or less. Too many factors to consider.