Moving On: South America
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Life Is Good
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 1:49 am
Re: Moving On: South America
More than taxes, is to look into what currency you're being paid in. I've got friends at Graded who are leaving, in part, because they get paid local currency which has devalued by 30%. I wouldn't be willing to take that kind of pay cut. There are good traits and bad with all these schools, and it is essential that you do your research and ask the right questions come interview time. Good luck.
Re: Moving On: South America
I just interviewed with Northland, but didn't get the job. Make sure you know a lot about IB before the interview. They will ask you very specific questions. Good luck!
Re: Moving On: South America
EARJ would probably be considered a tier 2 school compared to Graded which is definitely tier one in terms of pay, professional development, resources, etc. Sao Paulo is a much safer and sophisticated city as well. I'm pretty sure Graded pays a lot more than EARJ but that being said, both schools pay staff in Reals which has depreciated 50% over the past year which makes it challenging to save money. To keep and attract teachers, Graded offers significant signing bonuses. I think the quality of staff is much higher at Graded than at EARJ. As for Lincoln, the school is a bit of a mess and it's going through difficult times. I'd say your best bet would be Graded if you want to teach in Brazil. You might not save like you were in Asia, but you will be working at an amazing school with high standards.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Moving On: South America
activekath, international teachers do not "negotiate" for pension plans at most schools. Either your school has a plan or it doesn't. If it does, it usually either gives you the money each year or at the end, and it may or may not require a matching amount. It could also be in the form of a state pension, such as Korea or Malaysia, where you get a nice lump sum payment from the plan when you leave.
Bringing pets almost anywhere these days is pretty easy. Ours have lived in 3 countries so far.
Hope that helps,
shad
Bringing pets almost anywhere these days is pretty easy. Ours have lived in 3 countries so far.
Hope that helps,
shad
Response
@ffmary
Rio is more competitive right now since its the site of the next summer Olympics, and Rio was always a little over romanticized. All three of those ISs though are competitive.
@activekath
ITs dont negotiate pension plans. Its a fixed and set program. At most you can negotiate a bonus or larger gratuity, but you are very likely to be unsuccessful. Many ISs dont provide any type of pension or retirement program. Generally its the first tier ISs that offer retirement/pension programs or you are in a region that has a social insurance program that includes a pension/retirement benefit. Second tier ISs typically provide you a bonus or gratuity that you can invest if you choose.
I use to have and still her horror stories about how difficult it was to brings pets abroad, and depending on the region it can still be a challenge, but as I rarely heard success stories (few people complain about things going right) after examining the issue, it can be a very manageable process. That said, pets do have added difficulties and depending on the region your pet may need to be housed in quarantine for a not trivial period of time. It can put a lot of stress on a pet. Pets can also be an issue of mixed support some ISs are very helpful, and some could care less about your pet and wont help you. It is also important to research what the general pet accommodations are available in the local housing area. You may be at an IS that mandates you live in supplied housing and they may not allow pets. In other regions property owners and agents may demand and require very high deposits and/or restrictions on what types of pets are allowed.
Shipping, depends on where you go, Amazon is in a lot of regions, and depending where you are you can find the online shopping and shipping experience better than what you are used too. The biggest issue has been with language and relying on translation which can cause problems. One issue many westerners have with Asia, is that there may not be any type of return or refund policy.
Shipping can be quite convenient, in some localities they have same day courier shipping options, and there are various remittance options.
@thowell
Anyone interviewing at a strong IB IS or IB World IS, should be well versed in the IB lexicon and meds/peds.
Rio is more competitive right now since its the site of the next summer Olympics, and Rio was always a little over romanticized. All three of those ISs though are competitive.
@activekath
ITs dont negotiate pension plans. Its a fixed and set program. At most you can negotiate a bonus or larger gratuity, but you are very likely to be unsuccessful. Many ISs dont provide any type of pension or retirement program. Generally its the first tier ISs that offer retirement/pension programs or you are in a region that has a social insurance program that includes a pension/retirement benefit. Second tier ISs typically provide you a bonus or gratuity that you can invest if you choose.
I use to have and still her horror stories about how difficult it was to brings pets abroad, and depending on the region it can still be a challenge, but as I rarely heard success stories (few people complain about things going right) after examining the issue, it can be a very manageable process. That said, pets do have added difficulties and depending on the region your pet may need to be housed in quarantine for a not trivial period of time. It can put a lot of stress on a pet. Pets can also be an issue of mixed support some ISs are very helpful, and some could care less about your pet and wont help you. It is also important to research what the general pet accommodations are available in the local housing area. You may be at an IS that mandates you live in supplied housing and they may not allow pets. In other regions property owners and agents may demand and require very high deposits and/or restrictions on what types of pets are allowed.
Shipping, depends on where you go, Amazon is in a lot of regions, and depending where you are you can find the online shopping and shipping experience better than what you are used too. The biggest issue has been with language and relying on translation which can cause problems. One issue many westerners have with Asia, is that there may not be any type of return or refund policy.
Shipping can be quite convenient, in some localities they have same day courier shipping options, and there are various remittance options.
@thowell
Anyone interviewing at a strong IB IS or IB World IS, should be well versed in the IB lexicon and meds/peds.