Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

Hi

How important is it for you that TEFL jobs which are advertised actually quote a salary within the ad.

I have been looking back at some on-line ads from earlier in the year, as well as more current ones, and the ones that do NOT mention salary appear to be in the majority.

I can't recall ever having replied to an ad that says 'competitive salary' or 'dependent on qualifications" or "depending on experience" or, in some cases, not even mentioning remuneration at all. Who does apply for these jobs ?

Organisations seem to think that salary is not worth describing when, for most of us (I think), it is one of the key reasons we might decide to apply for a job.

When job searching, not all of us go seeking tropical sunsets and golden, palm tree-lined beaches, which is what the likes of EF seem to think we all do by the look of their ads. While this would be wonderful, it's not exactly of critical limportance or ..... is it ?.

So, how do you react to jobs that, while they might SOUND interesting and environmentally pleasing, do not give details of salary or quote a ball-park figure ? Do you spend the time to apply with covering letter etc or do you just pass them by ?

Personally, I am reluctant to apply for such jobs because the effort one has made to apply (and lets face it; if you want to apply, it is always better to spend some time on it ... like I do) might easily come to nothing because salary, when or if it is eventually quoted in a reply, is so poor. That's, of course, if they bother to reply at all.

Or is it because organisations are embarrassed about quoting it for the world to see ? Or perhaps they don't want competitors to know what they are offering ?

Any thoughts from others ?

Best
Basil

[naturegirl321]

It IS pretty important. I figure one of two things when I don't see a salary: salary is horrible or salary is fantastic. Since I'm looking at only one country, I can pretty much guess if the salary is good or bad by the name of the school.

If I were applying to a country I wasn't familiar with, I'd probably do a bit of research on the boards before applying to the school. Also, if the reqs were pretty easy, I'd apply. But if they wanted a fulll-on application that I would have to fill in, I'd definitely do a bit more research.

I honnestly think you can tell the ballpark figure due to the job reqs and the name of the school. If they just require a BA and it's ABC institute, I'd say the salary was low. If it requires an MA, plus experience, plus publications, and is a school or uni, I'd assume they'd pay more.

[Teacher in Rome]

Organisations that are not transparent about their salary ring alarm bells for me. Why don't they want to tell you? So they can low-ball you when the time comes to discuss it?

Either try and get some info before applying (will calling get you some sort of answer?) or go for places that you know are reputable and pay commensurate with your experience.

[Teacher in Rome]

Sorry - wanted to add that you can get a lot of relevant info from Dave's ESL (i.e. average pay scales country-wide) or from your network. Get a twitter account, start following teachers in countries that appeal to you, ask them for good places, etc.

Good luck!

FWIW, if you're looking for expat-type salary, flights paid, accommodation and low tax rates, Italy is not for you. Just saying...

[bulgogiboy]

'Competitive salary' usually makes me lose interest straight away. If employers have an impressive salary to advertise then they usually do it, in order to attract the best potential candidates possible.

'Competitive local salary' makes me curse for wasting my time reading the ad in the first place!

[Glenski]

Sometimes they can't give an exact figure because it depends on a lot of variables. If they can't give a range, though, even when asked directly, think twice unless you know something about the market where you are applying.

[sistercream]

In Hong Kong it is standard practice throughout the job market - not just for TEFLers - NOT to advertise or even indicate salaries. The onus is on the applicant to tell the potential employer what s/he believes s/he is worth.
For teachers, the only real exceptions are when applying for government or subvented local schools, or "state schools abroad" among the international schools.

[Teacher in Rome]

Really sistercream? I remember the BC being quite forthcoming about rates of pay for local hires...

[naturegirl321]

[Mike_2007]

It's standard practice in Romania, too. I asked one of my students about it and she said that the job candidate is the one offering the 'product' (his/her skills as an employee) so it's up to the candidate to set the 'price' (salary). They, the employers, will choose the candidate who offers the best product for the lowest price.

[naturegirl321]

I guess it's ok if you're familiar with the country, but if you're not, it can be pretty problematic.

[sistercream]