THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SIGNING AN INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CONTRACT

17/2/2021

Wondering if you should sign the contract you received from the international school you recently applied to? Here are some things to consider before you do!

Working Conditions

If you haven’t already read reviews on the working conditions before applying to the international school, it’s worth checking some out before you sign the dotted lines, and the websites below are a good place to start.

International Schools Review
International School Community
International Schools and Information

Salary

Alongside reading school reviews, it’s also a good idea to check how the salary they are offering compares to other international schools in the area; if it’s significantly lower, this could be a red flag.

Working Hours

Double check your expected working hours and holidays as some schools will require you to run after school activities during the week or to help run programs over the holidays. Make sure you know what the expectations are and if you are okay with them.

Dress Code

Does the school have a dress code? If so, are you willing to comply with what they are asking?

Housing

Provided housing or housing allowance should be written into the contract and it’s a good idea to connect with some of the teachers who are already working at the school to find out what the living conditions are like – is the provided housing acceptable? Is the allowance enough to pay rent for decent accommodation?

Bonuses

It’s common for international schools to offer added perks for teachers, some of the most common being:

A thirteenth month bonus
Health care for the family or at least for oneself and one’s children.
Individual and family visa expenses covered.
Free or discounted tuition for one’s children.
Partial or full airfare for a yearly trip to one’s home country.

If the school isn’t offering any of these, you may want to reconsider signing the contract.

Work Visa

That the school helps get a valid work visa for you before you go is a huge one. I cannot count the number of times I have seen teachers being asked to work without the proper work visas until all the documents are in order – this can sometimes take up to 3 or 4 months. During this time a teacher can only hope that there are no surprise visits from the immigration department to the school checking that each staff member is cleared to work.

Taxes

In addition to all of the above, it’s also wise to find out how much you will be taxed – will it just be the local tax you need to pay or tax in your home country as well? If there’s a possibility that you will be taxed in your home country as well, you may wish to look into whether declaring non-residency is an option for you and if isn’t, ask yourself if what you earn after taxes will be enough.

Things to Consider Before Signing an International Teaching Contract

Have you recently accepted a job at an international school? Have any other advice for teachers before they sign their contracts?

Other Tips for Educators

Is the Expat Teacher Life for You?
Tips for Teachers Moving Abroad
How to Incorporate the Use of Mother Tongue in Your Classroom
Setting Up an EAL Department at an International School
Selecting Learning Resources

1 Comment

Jrs international school link

6/5/2021 04:17:43 am

Wonderful article, thanks for putting this together! This is obviously one great post. Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here
JRS International School enables students to achieve excellence while being encouraged to be global leaders who promote global peace and dignity of a human through learning, equity, innovation, diversity, integrity, community, and care for the environment, perseverance and self-respect.

THE EDUCATION BLOG

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SIGNING AN INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CONTRACT

Working Conditions

Salary

Working Hours

Dress Code

Housing

Bonuses

Work Visa

Taxes

Other Tips for Educators

Leave a Reply.

SHARE ARTICLE

Recent Post

Quick Links

Have a Question?