Job Discussion Forums

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

I would be surprised to hear that teaching experience occuring without a valid teaching certificate (as issued by the provincial government in Canada or a similar body elsewhere) would count towards the pay/experience scale in Canada.

nomadykaty · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 60

The salary may seem low but imagine teaching in a developing country making that much.

I have 2 sisters teaching in international schools both make roughly $2500 USD a month. One is teaching in Cairo and the other is just finishing up in Rangoon Both get accommodations, annual airfare home, full health insurance, American plus local holidays, gratuity... the list goes on. Both of them have taught in locations where there are few English teaching jobs available.

And like TravellingAround says, it also depends on the school, location...

The_Hanged_Man · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

The places where unqualified ESL people can earn close to an international school salary are pretty much limited to Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Even then international schools usually pull out ahead with the benefits they provide.
The big name schools also pay more. Two teaching couples who work at my current school were just recruited by the American School of Japan. New staff there start around $60,000-$70,000 and have a housing allowance around of $2000 per month (their housing allowance alone is equal to my old eikaiwa salary!).

Even $25k US is a pretty darn good salary in a place like Bangkok where the average ESL salary is around half that even before considering benefits. Like the previous posters mentioned it's all about location and savings potential than the absolute amount of the salary.

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

So if my wife and I both had B. Ed. for elementary, I take it we would have a lot more options.

How about our daughter, which is currently 14 months, but will just be ready to start school by the time we want to move to an international schools. Would our daughter be able to attend the international school we work at? If so would it be free, subsidised or would we have to pay the full whack?

Cheers guys. Great info.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

[quote="markholmes"] Would our daughter be able to attend the international school we work at? If so would it be free, subsidised or would we have to pay the full whack?/quote]

Most schools will give you a discount. How much depends on the school. It will vary from school to school.

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

Mark - It varies from province to province. Check the local Ministry of Education website for information. In Alberta the info isn't online but they will give it out over the phone (I haven't bothered calling yet...)

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

Sorry, yes, I should have said I will be taking my B.ed. in BC, where two years of teaching post B.ed. is required before a permanent teaching certificate is issued (in the interim period you are issued with a temporary certficate).

My question was whether international schools require 2 years experience post B.ed. or 2 years post permanent certification (which would actually be four years post B.ed).

Thanks

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I'm guessing that it would be after your BEd. But you might want to contact some schools directly and ask them

The_Hanged_Man · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

I'm not really familar with the Canadian system, but what most international schools require is two years of full time experience in the appropriate subject and grade level at a K-12 school. So to answer your question I am guessing it would be just 2 years post B.Ed. As long as you have those two years and the certificate most schools are satisfied.

Also, if your wife was certified it would improve your odds and options greatly in landing a position. International schools love teaching couples.

As for your daughter, most reputable international schools grant free (or significantly subsidized) tuition to one dependent per fulltime staff member. So if your wife was a teacher you could have a second children attend as well. I would avoid any school that doesn't provide this as a benefit. Not only is tuition sky high (for example it is $6,000-10,000 per year at my school), but this is also a sign that the school is less than reputable.

Edit: Fixed my crappy grammar

TravellingAround · Joined: 12 Nov 2006 Posts: 423