Job Discussion Forums

athenssoest · Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 10:45 pm Post subject: career teachers

I know that there are tons of people on this forum who have made teaching abroad their career, do you find it hard to save money to retire?

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:18 am Post subject:

Short answer- not really.

But it depends on so many factors. Like any job choice, if you have only minimal training, it's very hard to prepare for retirement.

If you have more job possibilities, you can make choices that suit your retirement plans...

But it depends on loads of factors.

Justin

tttompatz · Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:21 am Post subject: Re: career teachers

athenssoest · Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:30 am Post subject:

Do you guys plan on staying in teaching? Where do you teach/have taught? What kind of schools do you teach in?
Thanks!

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

I plan on staying in teaching. As Justin pointed out, without qualifications, it would be difficult.

How people on this board live, varies greatly, though, it's kind of a 'what does it mean to be a foreigner teaching English in any context whatsoever' board, and that's a good thing. It means that if you are thinking about doing this as a career, then blanket questions to people all over the world aren't going to give a very good picture of what your own life may be like. The best thing to do is to choose a country, or at least a general area (like South America, or NorthEast Asia) and investigate in individual boards.

With retirement savings, people may be married, they may have kids, they may be single, they may have retirement plans in their home countries as well as in the country in which they live. They may have chosen to live in one country for their career, or they may move from country to country. They may have decided to retire in their home country. They may have been in a single 'foreign' country so long that that country now feels like their home and they want to retire there. They may have decided to go to a third (less expensive) country to retire. They may HAVE to go to a less expensive country to retire because saving for retirement in an inner circle English speaking nation when you live and work in a developing nation would be impossible. They may already have enough savings for retirement from having worked in another industry beforehand and live paycheque to paycheque when they are teaching EFL because they can- don't need to save anything at all. Etc, etc, etc.

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

Bought first apartment cash after teaching in China and Peru for 3 years, Then a car, cash. Sold both less than a year later and boguht another apartment and car. And this was in Peru. Budgeting helps, a lot.

Back in ASia, I'm hoping to save HEAPS more.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

TeresaLopez · Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Posts: 601 Location: Mexico City

I live in Mexico City, where my husband and I own two small apartments, we live in one, rent the other. One is completely paid for, the other will be in another year or so. We are also in the process of buying a house in a small town in Zacatecas, where we will probably live one we retire. I worked long enough in the US to be able to collect SS, if it is still there. We will probably buy another apartment in the same building where we now live when one becomes available. We are also considering doing a Spanish Immersion kind of thing, where someone comes here, stays a month in the apartment, gets private classes from me, and then all the conversation they can handle from extended family that lives in the same building. It's not too far from downtown, but in a totally non-English speaking area.

nickpellatt · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1522

I currently work in one of the lower paying towns in China, and so dont earn anything like the salaries that are often discussed on the boards. (Im happy with my location and schedule though, hence taking the job!)

However, even this low paying job would allow me to save in excess of �4500 per year, which would be pretty hard to do in the UK. Granted, that isnt a fortune, but it really is an entry level job, and even with that saving one can still enjoy eating out in a restaurant every night! If I was so inclined, I could aim for higher salaries in subsequent positions in the future and if the money was carefully invested and saved I reckon a nice little nest egg is easy enough to accumulate.

It would be fairly difficult to save that amount back in the UK.

steki47 · Joined: 20 Apr 2008 Posts: 1029 Location: BFE Inaka

Sadebugo · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 524

I'm fortunate in that I work for the US government as a civil servant/ESL Instructor. Therefore, retirement is covered. Plus, I can still travel!

Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

timothypfox · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 492

OR .....

I started in Japan teaching at a large chain school, and went to Montreal (Canada is where I'm originally from) and scraped by at a language school.

I then tried to quit teaching in New York City, but failed and taught and scraped by at a conversation school there.

Now I work as public school teacher which has a pension, but the work is... well ... you know... Sad