International Teaching Salaries and Contracts

There are a number of factors to be considered when you are looking at taking a job at an international school, on the financial side there is:

* salary
* medical insurance
* housing allowance
* annual flights

On the conditions side there is:

* class size
* facilities (especially IT)
* contact hours
* teaching days in a school year

Most of these factors can be taken at face value. However, if you like to travel and want your work to pay well as I do, you may be turning down lucrative positions if you take a salary offer at face value and don't take the cost of living into account.

For example, when I moved to Poland in the late 90s I accepted a job that only paid 900USD a month. It doesn't sound like much, does it? I can tell you, I lived well on my money. During that year I explored Poland, spent Easter in the Czech Republic, went skiing in Austria for two weeks, started a Masters through distance learning and saved a little as well.

How did I do this? Well, the cost of living was quite low in Poland compared to other countries in Europe. I regularly had two thirds of my salary left after I'd paid all my expenses for the month. As I said, it's the cost of living that makes all the difference.

Some countries have a high cost of living and some don't. I know that's a clumsy statement, but consider this... If you were to rent an apartment in Tokyo it would cost you 673USD a month for around 20 m2. That's small! In Bangkok you can rent a 44 m2 furnished apartment for 337USD a month. I hope you can see that this kind of information is as valuable to your decision-making process when accepting a job as the actual salary figure itself.

There is much information to consider when you are making life-changing decisions such as signing a contract to teach overseas. Don't sign anything until you are sure you have all the facts.

Don't waste your time and energy trying to get a teaching job overseas by yourself like I did. I was successful, but it was hard work and took up most of my time.

Follow my easy-peasy strategies and you'll save yourself a lot of grief and angst.

My Guide to Teaching Overseas is the real deal. I wrote it based on my experiences teaching overseas over the last decade.

Many international schools offer overseas hires a contract spanning 24 months. This can seem like a lifetime when you are thinking about signing on with a school in a country you've never visited. teaching career. Here are some reasons why I think two year contracts are ideal for international teachers.

Firstly, when you apply for subsequent teaching positions overseas, you will have proven stability in your international teaching career. Many recruiters are aware of the continual high turnover in their teaching staff, and are looking for teachers who are going to stay in the school long enough to provide some continuity for the students. Many curricula offered in international schools run for two or more years, and I can tell you from experience that it can take a year just to learn the ins and outs of a curriculum. I'm on my third curriculum in 7 years.

Secondly, if you have a family, staying in one place for two years allows your children to settle in and make some friends, get to know the teachers and the curriculum they are studying. Moving can be traumatic for your kids too. Signing a two year teaching contract will offer some stability and security for your kids as well. This is particularly important if your kids are in the last 4 years of their schooling.

Thirdly, you get time to breathe. Culture shock will affect you, even if you're only moving from the USA to the UK, for example. I've moved 7 times in the last decade, and experienced culture shock on each occasion, to varying degrees.

It can be particularly hard if you are leaving a place that you like. The easiest moves are always the ones where you are leaving a place that you are not enjoying, whether that be the job, the lifestyle or even the climate! Signing a two year contract will allow you the time to truly settle into a new teaching job, a new education curriculum and a new life. It will give you the time to discover if you really like a place or whether you are just reacting to other factors.

Had I not signed a two year contract for my teaching post here in Thailand, I would already be looking to pack up and move to another job. While that is exciting, I've decided this year to stay another year. It took me a year to settle in, but once I had, I realised I'm quite happy to stay for a third year. The money is good, the school and students are enjoyable and I haven't seen nearly enough of Asia or Thailand itself.

Signing a two year contract will give you time to explore the country you're moving to as well as the surrounding area. The first contract I signed to teach overseas 10 years ago was for only 12 months. In those 12 months, I got to spend 10 days in the Philippines and one other holiday in the south of Taiwan. Had I signed a two year contract, I'd have been able to see more of the country and more of Asia. As it turned out, I'm now back in Asia and exploring more extensively this time around.

This year alone I've been to Vietnam, and to two new destinations in Thailand. Before the summer holiday this year I will also go back to Vietnam, to Hong Kong and I'm going horseriding in two weeks to another destination in Thailand.

This summer I'm planning to meet up with two friends who are teachers and we're going to explore Romania where one of them is currently teaching in an international school.

Conversations around the water cooler that start with the phrase, 'how was your holiday...' are never boring at an international school!

Lastly, it takes a lot of effort to go through the recruitment process. You have to put together an application pack, contact many recruiters and, maybe sign up for and attend a job fair. The whole process, whilst very rewarding when you've secured yourself that coveted contract, is actually exhausting.

When you sign a two year contract, you will have at least 12 months before you need to start the recruiting process all over again.

Listen to 7 International Teachers talk about their experiences teaching overseas.

7 International Teachers = 50+ Years Experience Teaching Overseas

This weekend I've been to the Kwai Horse Camp. An amazing place just outside of Kanchanaburi (of Bridge over the River Kwai fame) run by two lovely ladies of 91 and 89. It's a family affair, the 91 year old lady's daughter (who must be in her 60s) is also helping to run the camp.

I went with my friend Maggie from school and her daughter. We stayed in a wooden bungalow modelled on a traditional Thai house. We had bedrooms upstairs, and a bathroom to share. Downstairs there was an open patio where I spent a lot of my time during the hottest part of the day. It seemed to be so much cooler under there. You can see in the photo that the 'house' part was up on stilts.

The camp is quite rustic and the amenities are very basic. Everyone eats together in an open-sided dining room. I think that this is all part of the camp's charm.

There are over 30 ponies and horses for people to ride and the instruction is of excellent quality.

I enjoyed an extremely relaxing weekend away from the hustle and bustle of living in a large city. It wasn't much quieter because there were many natural night sounds to replace the sound of the city. But the sounds of nature are much more calming than the drone of citylife, in my opinion.

Weekends away are just one of the joys of staying in one place long enough to find out where to go and what's good to do.