Introduction
Most teachers come from a start in schools that are government funded and operated. Employment packages are usually standardised. There are rules and regulations designed to bring fairness and predictability to a teacher’s career outlook and progress. There are standard contracts and terms.
The private International school market is different. A few schools will adopt the norms and standards of a specific government or country, but most do not. As an employee, you are looking for work in an environment without standardisation. That is the new normal for you.
Things to Consider – the research you should do
When you look at an overseas opportunity, you should look at the employment package carefully.
In the broad sense, the ‘employment package’ means finding out about the school you’re interested in; its owner(s); its size, fee level, curriculum, exams, target community and local competition; any links the school has to a school chain; the country’s regulations affecting teachers; the country’s labour laws; and local customs, habits and expectations relating to teachers.
All of this is important research that you should complete.
Things to Consider – specific Package
In the narrower sense, the employment package is:
The basic salary offer – This is the headline figure that most people focus on. It isn’t difficult to find out what other teachers in a country get paid as a basic. In most schools, the basic is aligned to the student fees; higher-fee schools pay their teachers more. Check that the basic salary is for 12 months a year (not 10, say). Check how it is paid in July and August, if your school year is September to June. Check the understanding about when the final payment is made if you separate at year-end (June or August, for example). Check if you are placed on a salary scale with annual increments (often this is not the case) and check for inflation effects – or is the basic quoted the exact amount you’ll get for, say, a 2-year contract? These understandings should be clear in the contract and terms/conditions (see, below).
Additional regular payments – Some schools split their salary payment into basic and additional. It is not always clear why, especially when both are monthly. It could be because local Labour Laws make the employer responsible for a pension, gratuity or end-of-term payment that relates to the basic only. In other words, the employer could be trying to save money they would otherwise have to pay to you later. Our recommendation is not to have a split between basic and additional unless there is a good reason.
Additional benefits (cash) – In different countries, and in different school types, norms vary over added benefits. ‘Overseas hires’ usually get more benefits than ‘local hires’ (ie people who are already in the country, maybe covered by their spouse’s employment and residence visa). A classic extra cash benefit for ‘overseas hires’ is for flights (e.g. one economy class return flight a year). Check if the actual ticket cost is paid or a specific allowance and then don’t get caught buying your ticket late so it carries a high holiday-period premium.
Some employers like to pay a cash, monthly accommodation allowance rather than put you in their staff accommodation or pay a landlord direct on your behalf. If the cash monthly allowance is suggested, you will need to check if local landlords expect their payments in advance. If so, you have a cash flow issue that you need to prepare for.
Additionally, there are occasions when an employer will pay some of the non-cash benefits, below, as cash allowances; again, check if the actual costs are likely to be covered and check if there are up-front payments that could be inconvenient for cash flow.
Another variation – though quite rare – is that some employers may offer an overall allowance to cover flights, medical insurance, accommodation etc. All of these approaches can work if you do your own careful checks (a) on what real costs are, and (b) what the cash flow consequences are.
Additional benefits (not cash) – Norms vary but a conventional mix of extra benefits for overseas teachers would include: (a) accommodation, (b) medical insurance, (c) visa costs (d) flights. Local hires might be offered medical insurance and lower levels of accommodation support. If you are a local hire and your spouse already gets a generous set of allowances, don’t be surprised if the employer does not want to pay you for what they will perceive to be an unnecessary addition. Leadership postholders can sometimes get extra allowances such as help with removal costs, costs of their spouses’ sponsorship (by you) and even – in rare cases – help with utility costs. The final, very important piece is support for your children’s schooling: is there any support, is their full support, what is the support if they have to be educated at a different school because your doesn’t offer the appropriate curriculum or grade yet?
Pension or gratuity – Many countries expect employers to provide ‘gratuities’ in lieu of pensions. For example, you may be entitled to a gratuity of 8 per cent of your basic salary, per annum served, at the end of contract.
Contract including Terms and Conditions – By now, it should be clear that your contract is important, not simply because it lists the individual parts of the employment package but also because it provides the rules. For example, check if there is a salary scale and check what salary progression and inflation rules apply. Check if you have access to a bonus and check how performance issues may affect pay progression. Check if you can borrow money ahead of monthly payments, if needed say for accommodation pre-payment. If the arrangements are not in the contract, recognise that you are only entitled to what the contract says and what local Labour Laws might allow on top.
Things to consider – living standards and your bank account
There are two final considerations. First, check how long it takes to set up a bank account where you are heading. Often, there are understandable delays while you get your local visa, and become authorised officially with ID, before the bank can do checks on you and open an account. Yes, there will be delays, especially if your employer wants to put you on a short-term or tourist
Conclusion
And finally, if you have any questions on the employment package that is being proposed, ensure that you discuss it directly with the school. You need to be both clear and comfortable with what the school is offering to you.
visa to start (a bank can’t usually start to set you up with just a tourist visa). Make sure you can cope with the delays; ask your school how it helps. Finally, it helps to think about the real value of your package.
