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Public schools?

 
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vancouver_syndicate



Joined: 09 Sep 2004
Posts: 46
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 6:45 pm    Post subject: Public schools? Reply with quote

Wondering if anyone works for the MOE?

What's the salary like? Benefits etc.

Thanks
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biollo



Joined: 27 Dec 2010
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:46 am    Post subject: MOE Reply with quote

The MOE pays a pretty basic salary that you can find on their website. However there are two bonuses payed yearly based on how the overall Singapore economy is doing. The bonuses are from 0.5 to 2x one months salary. Most people get about 1 months salary. You also get merit pay based on how many duties you have carried out, and while this is based on a pain in the ass work review (15 pages plus) it often depends on your supervisor's attitude towards you. The way they try to keep foreign teachers is to pay a large part of the salary at the end of your contract. IN my case this was handled extremely poorly, and while they agreed I was owed this money, it took over 6 months of continuing emails and phone calls after my contract was completed and contact with over 12 different people in different departments. You are forced to leave the country two weeks after the end of your contract. I had to inform them of the details of my contract as the people change so often in the MOE that they rarely stay in one position for more than two years. The only reason I was finally paid is that I wanted contact details and a meeting with the head of the department. I was going to have to fly back into the country for this. Amazingly all the difficulties were cleared up two days later and the money was finally released.

I worked there for 3 years (2006 - 2008). The first year was great, the second difficult and the third nearly impossible. 12 hour days every day of the week, having to work from 9 am to 1 am during a special extra curricular event, having to do all the marking for a temporary teacher because a permanent teacher couldn't be found. During times without classes (most people think of these as holidays) you will often be called in to meet students one on one for tutoring, or for staff meetings, or for professional development or many other duties. You also have to ask permission to leave the country during holidays - for me it was never a problem but one coworker was asked to stay in country because there may or may not be extra training or special classes given for the classes he was teaching. Although my work reviews were all extremely positive and I had been given great feedback during the time I worked for my school, the MOE was the most bureaucratic, slow, inconsiderate employer I have ever worked for. I have worked as a teacher for over 15 years now in Canada, Korea and Singapore.

While they supposedly offer medical and dental benefits in the contract, these are useless (they pay enough for a toothbrush and toothpaste for the year) and you have to sign up for additional medical insurance.


There are many aspects of life in Singapore that were great such as the weather, the zoo, the shopping, the travel opportunities. I met some great people there and enjoyed going so many of the different educational symposiums and workshops. I would strongly suggest trying to teach at the international schools before ever working for the MOE.
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Ikki



Joined: 31 Jan 2011
Posts: 58

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is my first time on this forum and the last post left me gobsmacked.

Am I to believe that one of the richest countries in E. Asia has a civil servant(albeit a temporary foreign one)working 12 hrs. a day, 7 days a week!? Shocked With squat for health benefits?!

Yeeeeesh...I'd even rather teach in Korea....
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Krakatoa



Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:35 pm    Post subject: Public Schools Reply with quote

Ikki,

You have read the mail!

Singapore: . . . clean and green but under the carpet . . . lookout!.

Take advice . . .you are better of working for the International schools if you can get a job there.
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