The International Schools Review Forum

Hi All,

After looking through older posts, I am trying to find out updated information on the best paid international (IB) schools in Asia, specifically in the following countries:

Japan (preferably Tokyo)
Taiwan
The Philippines (preferably Manila)
China (preferably Shanghai)
Hong Kong

I know it all depends on rental allowance, living expenses, cost of living in general etc, so I am looking at the best overall package, not just salary.

Any advice would help!

Thanks,

Nomadic Teacher

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Greetings.

I have an old friend working at HKIS who says that their package is certainly not the best in Hong Kong. He often goes on about how the ESF schools and the Chinese International School have the better deal. Upon arrival he was also very disappointed with the housing provided by HKIS.

UWC of SE Asia has a fantastic package - worth a look into if you're interested in Singapore.

Cheers.

Packages depend on a number of factors: education levels, marital status, exchange rates, yrs of experience etc. And different schools reward these differently. So even though school A is a better overall package than school B for one person, the reverse might be true for another applicant. But for most applicants at most steps on the scale certain schools rule the roost. Nonetheless, there is SO MUCH misinformation out there about this topic that I hope I can clear away a bit of this confusion. BTW, I currently work at one of these top schools and was offered jobs at several others of these schools at the fairs 2 yrs ago. And I know folks currently employed at most of these schools. Finally, I'm greedy as hell and made it a mission of mine to know and search out the very best opportunities in Asia. Here are the winners:

China Shanghai American. Top starting salary well in excess of 50k tax free. Great bonuses and little gimmees that quickly add up. Nice housing (but think twice before living in Pudong). Sick leave buy back. THE top China school. Next best is ISB Beijing.
Very nice longevity bonuses. Housing allowance isnt enough for most folks.Package on the net.

Singapore. Only SAS rocks. Top taxable salary entry level is mid 60's. Can BANK up to 10k housing. Exc retirement. Pricy city. UWC, especially considering their paltry housing allowance, is WELL behind.No one else in running.

Malaysia; ISKL revamped package 2 years ago. The highest entry level teacher (max exp and education) can clear almost 70k after taxes and housing (but including their lucrative retirement.) All others pay comparatively poorly.

Thailand. IS Bangkok rules. NIST not bad. Others kind of bite. Two years back highest starting salary was 54,000 taxable. But nice retirement and extras.

Philippines. ISM the best of a sickly bunch. ISM is far below the other schools in its league paywise.

Indonesia. JIS is the best but not nearly as good as rumored. Package on net. Max entry 50 k with maybe 5k in expat and car allowance in total. 7.5% retirement on top of this. Housing next to school is new but very small. Others well below.

Taiwan Tapie American is the choice here. Salary is good, nice COLA, they pay US SS which is great. Housing allowance about liveable. Comparable to ISKL, SAS in Singapore and Shanghai.

Japan. Only AISJ. Dollarwise it slightly tops the best of these. But after your living expenses, if you want to live at all, the other top schools will best it in discretionary income. Package on net.

This info won't be 100% applicable in every case, but at least as of two years ago it was try according to the schools own recruiting documents and contracts.

My two recs for take home cash and quality of life are Shanghai American and ISKL.

[quote="jesatlarge"]


Malaysia; ISKL revamped package 2 years ago. The highest entry level teacher (max exp and education) can clear almost 70k after taxes and housing (but including their lucrative retirement.) All others pay comparatively poorly.
My two recs for take home cash and quality of life are Shanghai American and ISKL.[/quote]

What have you heard about ISKL- other than the package. I've been at SAS and JIS and ISKL was always unnoticed so to speak. SAS was great, the city got to some people and the community can be hard to get to know. ISKL seems to be a mix of JIS and SAS.

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Nice post Jesatlarge...

As another person who has worked at top tier Asian schools, I think it's also important to look at cost of living. For example, while JIS' starting salaries may not be "as high as rumored", the cost of living in Jakarta, Indonesia is way below Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for most people. Thus, from my experience you'll save more money in Jakarta than in Malaysia if you're even moderately fiscally responsible.

Now that said, most people like the city of Kuala Lumpur more than Jakarta, so overall, so it depends on your lifestyle to a large extent to determine where you will be happiest. I.e., I've been to Singapore many times, and couldn't stand it, but numerous people enjoy the city.

Thanks for the info everyone!

Hey there,
I currently work at BSM in Manila. The package is better at BSM than ISM Manila. You need British experience though.

Dear Nomad

I have two whinges.
1. could you state what currency you are writing in? I assume it is dollars.
But it is polite to state it.

2. Why do you only choose a school with $$$ criteria? Some of the greatest experiences for me were not always in the best paid schools. In fact I think the best school for money was in some way the least happiest.
So please don't make yourself a hostage to fortune.

I dissolve my whinge if you have been working for peanuts and now want a final school to help pay for the retirement bolt hole in Costa Rica.

To know the price all but the value of nought....

Now where is my investment portfolio?

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[quote="calciodirigore"]UWC of SE Asia has a fantastic package - worth a look into if you're interested in Singapore.[/quote]

[quote="jesatlarge"] UWC, especially considering their paltry housing allowance, is WELL behind.[/quote]


About how much is the housing allowance at UWC? Can either of you say or give a general idea?

ASIJ - may be having financial problems. They have lowered the pay scale by over 10% for incoming teachers. Not a happy place at the moment. ASIJ is also not an IB school.

ISBeijing has a slightly better package then WAB.

JIS has a great package but you have to live in Jakarta.

ISBangkok has a better package then NIST but is in the suburbs compared to downtown.

ISManila has a great overall package.

HKIS should not make your list... best packages in HK are ESF, CHineseIS and German Swiss.

ISKL means staying in Malaysia for a tax year.... if you leave for more then 7 days your first year you get dinged with a big tax bill.

Pros and Cons everywhere.