Job Discussion Forums

gtidey · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 93

With a blatant disregard for morals, ethics, beliefs, love, peace and harmony:

Where can you make and save the most money as an English Teacher?

Not in the UK or US and realistically!

Debate Mr. Green

johnslat · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:36 pm Post subject: The Money Trail

Dear gtidey,
Well, the answer used to be Saudi Arabia - and, if you can avoid getting shot/blown up there for a long enough period of time, the Kingdom's still the place to make AND save the money.
Regards,
John

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

If you are a REAL teacher and speak at least three lingos, try Germany or Switzerland. Another option would be Hong Kong, China.
But don't set your hopes too high if you are only a TESOL cert holder or a seasoned backpacker!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I wonder what, exactly, it takes to become a REAL teacher...

If you live frugally and do a careful job search, you can find money in Japan. Unfortunately, you can also blow an awful lot just on mundane daily expenses. And even more unfortunately, salaries seem to be going down... (I saw a job posted on this here very site that offered a measly 140,000 a month! An outrage!)

d

Ludwig · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:39 pm Post subject:

'Gtidey', at least from the states in which I have worked, I would have to cite Bahrain (though Saudi would be better for the savings part of the equation), the German-speaking states of Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore. TEFL posts in Holland, too, can pay a tidy sum.

'Roger' is right, though. None of the above posts are exactly open to all-comers.

The two very 'best' teaching positions I have ever held in terms of earnings and potential comfortable savings, however, were actually in Finland and Sweden, two states, at least TEFL-wise, about which one hears very little. Both have strictly limited markets - and even more strictly limited visa procedures - but both offer quite remarkable conditions and salaries to foreign teachers, even with some of the highest tax rates in the world. In Finland, for example, as a teacher I paid the lowest tax rate available. However, this still amounted to some 45%! Nevertheless, even after this seemingly hefty (and, having lived there I would say, justified and reasonable tax rate) I still pocketed some 20,000 FIM. This was 1996! In Sweden, too, I paid 42% tax (I think the then-lowest in 1997) but still had some 28,000 SEK net.

gtidey · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 93

Theres gold in them there hills!

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

I can't seem to save anything. I'm not too fond of the "free" food offered in our canteen so I end up eating out and doing a lot grocery shopping. That cuts into my earnings. Then I buy DVDs, send a little money home to pay bills, buy a new this or that that I've been wanting, go get a massage or two . . . and before you know it, the money's gone!!!!

Next term I've been given a sizeable raise (by Chinese standards) and I have my new computer, satellite, sofa, and other things to make my life more comfy, so I think saving will be a little easier . . . I hope so anyway!