First of all I wanted to thank all the posters to this forum; your posts have been soooo helpful as I try to figure out if teaching abroad is the right thing for my family. The wealth of information on here is astounding!
Although living and working overseas would be a dream come true for me, there are a lot of things to take into account before I take the plunge. As things stand right now, an issue that could be a real deal-breaker is money...
I think I've got the general idea that how much you can make and save depends on geographic location, cost of living, lifestyle etc. but I'm really in need of some specific feedback for my situation.
So here goes...
We are a teaching couple with 2 dependents with Masters and at least 7+ years experience each.
To cover our financial obligations here at home we'd have to be able to save $25,000 a year. This would be just for mortgage, student loans etc.
Is it doable? And if so, would we be limited to the Middle East and Asia or only top-tier schools?
Any feedback or advice would be much appreciated!!
on the money or delusional?
I'm sure you've read where people are saving more than 25k per year, however I don't think it necessarily is dependent on where you live. Rather, it's how you live.
One story I can relate is friends who lived in Japan. They worked at a good school, however because of the cost of living (and their life-style), only banked $5k per year. They then moved to S. America (I think Brazil- could be wrong). Because the cost of living was so low, and they ended up really liking the beach life-style, they saved triple that- even though their salary was only a portion of what they got in Japan. You stay at four star hotels, go home at Christmas, buy the Persian carpets, get a club membership- then you're going to have trouble.
I found it easier to save money overseas, and have a rewarding life-style at the same time while living within reason.
One story I can relate is friends who lived in Japan. They worked at a good school, however because of the cost of living (and their life-style), only banked $5k per year. They then moved to S. America (I think Brazil- could be wrong). Because the cost of living was so low, and they ended up really liking the beach life-style, they saved triple that- even though their salary was only a portion of what they got in Japan. You stay at four star hotels, go home at Christmas, buy the Persian carpets, get a club membership- then you're going to have trouble.
I found it easier to save money overseas, and have a rewarding life-style at the same time while living within reason.
money
Saving $25000 total between the 2 of you can easily be achieved in the Middle East and Asia. The total could be closer to $40000-50000 if you both decide to tutor kids after school. This is fairly common in the Middle East (esp Gulf states). My wife and I did it in UAE and saved $50000/yr and travelled out of country 3-4 times a year with child. However, you will have to live fairly frugally in terms of eating and drinking out. We went out drinking once/month and ate out out once a week (not high end). We also bought a $3000 car, worked great, but obviously not glamourous. We did join a club w/pool, tennis etc in our 2nd yr. We decided to go back to our old school board now that we had travelled (the best part of the 2 yrs) and had savings. Tutoring while lucrative, does get tiresome after a couple of years. I think saving that kind of money in Latin America/Europe is difficult. But there are a few high paying schools in S.America. Hope this helps. It is definitely an exciting lifestyle overseas with a lot of opportunities. Make sure your school covers kids tuition and yearly flights home, otherwise it will cost a lot for those.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
The bad news is that yes, you would be mostly limited to the middle east and Asia if you need to save 25,000 a year. It just won't happen in Europe other than at maybe one or two schools in Switzerland.
The good news is that Asia is great and offers a huge amount of great schools/packages and interesting cities to live/work (some people also like the ME). If you need that type of money then you really should join Search. Their school database has all of the benefits/package information, taxes, etc on each school and an estimate of potential savings which is generally pretty accurate.
There any number of schools in China where an experienced teaching couple can easily save one whole person's salary (35,000 to 50,000) while still having an ayi to help out and doing a reasonable amount of traveling and dining out. Beijing alone has at least 5 schools that could offer that.
Do your research and make an plan to search and apply.
The good news is that Asia is great and offers a huge amount of great schools/packages and interesting cities to live/work (some people also like the ME). If you need that type of money then you really should join Search. Their school database has all of the benefits/package information, taxes, etc on each school and an estimate of potential savings which is generally pretty accurate.
There any number of schools in China where an experienced teaching couple can easily save one whole person's salary (35,000 to 50,000) while still having an ayi to help out and doing a reasonable amount of traveling and dining out. Beijing alone has at least 5 schools that could offer that.
Do your research and make an plan to search and apply.
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interteach
- Posts: 217
- Joined: Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:25 pm
Thank you for your answers! I guess I can tell my husband now that it's not just wishful thinking and he better start packing his bags...
I know I'll be back with more questions as we get ready to apply for 2012-2013 positions.
Good luck to all of those who are searching now!!!
(If anyone has any more comments, please don't hold back :)
I know I'll be back with more questions as we get ready to apply for 2012-2013 positions.
Good luck to all of those who are searching now!!!
(If anyone has any more comments, please don't hold back :)