TL;DR
- In order to determine where one could earn the best teaching salaries, individual’s need to think about the variables of salary, benefits, and cost of living collectively
- Those wishing to teach abroad or live in a foreign country need to consider that different language schools and centres offer different benefits, including paid leave, shorter probationary periods, etc, that would affect how much an individual makes.
- People wishing to teach abroad need to be realistic about how the quality of life in their chosen destination may factor into the benefits of working in a high paying country
- Some of the best teaching salaries can be found within the Gulf Arab States, Europe, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan
Before deciding to teach abroad at a school or language centre, there are many important questions to ask yourself. The first couple is probably going to be “what will my salary be?” or “how much can I save?”. Dux Recruitment helps you to answer these questions!
Salaries, Benefits and the Cost of Living
If earning and saving the most money is your main goal, then there are 3 main variables to consider collectively; (1) the salary amount, (2) the benefits with the school or language centre and (3) the costs of living in that country.
There is no point in looking at any of these variables in isolation. For example, someone may take the bait of a high salary while not researching how expensive it is to live in that country. This will leave that person scratching their head about not being able to save much each month. There are a few useful tools that you should use when researching which location to choose.
Tools
To simplify things, you should convert all income and costs to a single currency and use that currency only. This allows you to compare income and expenses across different countries. For example, if you receive an offer in Hong Kong and an offer in Vietnam, you should convert both offered salaries into United States dollars. Similarly, your monthly expenses (accommodation, food, health insurance, travel and luxuries) should also be converted to US dollars so that you can compare them with a single currency.
A more accurate option is to look at the purchasing power of the income you receive in each country. Purchasing power refers to the number of goods and services that can be purchased using a certain amount of currency. For example, the purchasing power of 1 US dollar in Hong Kong is equal to 1 bottle of water but the purchasing power of 1 US dollar in Vietnam is equal to 2 bottles of water. The purchasing power is calculated by using the average prices across the whole area. To compare the purchasing power of currencies in different countries, you can use the link at the end of this article.
Lastly, set a budget before you arrive and then adjust that budget after your first month of work. It is rare to be exactly on budget in your first month as there are often unexpected costs or one simply gets excited and purchases unnecessary goods or services when they first arrive. For example, you could mistakenly take a taxi from the airport to a destination without knowing that there is a free bus going exactly there.
Different Factors to Consider
These different factors, although not obvious, should be considered along with what your potential savings will be if you want to be fully prepared for your new destination and earn the best teaching salary.
Travel
If your goal is to travel, then you should factor this in when deciding on the country and specifically, the city. If you were to live far from an international airport, this would cost you both time and money to get to one. You should also look at the international flight prices from that airport and back to that airport from your desired holiday destinations. A useful tip is to check different days for the flight bookings as flying on weekends is more expensive. Another tip is to check the prices from a different and reasonably near airport as prices could vary largely.
Education
If your goal is to study at a university as a part-time student, then you need to research the university fees and whether they offer the courses you want in your language with night time classes. Many teachers further themselves by studying a PGCE or even doing Master’s degrees while they teach abroad.
Work Experience and Probation Period
If boosting your CV is your objective, then you should aim for a big city and work for a reputable and recognised company. This will allow future employers to understand that you have engaged with proper curricula and have had sufficient work experience in the education industry. Make sure to complete your contract as it doesn’t look good on your CV if you haven’t.
Most contracts for teaching English and other subjects abroad have a probation period in which you would earn a slightly lower salary until you have passed that probation period. Look for the length of the probation period and by how much your salary will increase after the probation period.
Paid Leave and Bonuses
You should understand the difference between ‘leave’ and ‘paid leave’ and if you are unsure, you should enquire with your potential employer before signing the contract. Paid leave entitles you to receive payment while you are on holiday. There is nothing like being on an island in Thailand while receiving a notification that your salary has been deposited into your account so make sure that your leave is paid!
Check your contract for year-end completion bonuses and factor this into your average monthly income by dividing it by the 12 months of the year. Some bonuses are as much as a full month’s salary!
Work Visas and Citizenships
Most schools and language centres cover your visa costs but others don’t. Be sure to find out about this with your potential employer if that information isn’t in your contract.
Many countries offer a path to citizenship or permanent residency if you have lived and worked in that country for a certain amount of time. If getting a second passport or a new domicile is your objective, you should know the length of stay required and the costs to acquire the new citizenship. This doesn’t mean that you should stay in the country permanently without being able to travel. But it does mean that you have to return to the country before your work visa expires so that you don’t need to apply for a new work visa and instead, only need to renew it.
Quality of Life
This is probably one of the most important factors. There is no point in making large sums of money if you are unhappy in the location you are teaching. Quality of life includes factors such as; whether you are able to communicate with people in that area and form a social life, whether there is access to entertainment and sports facilities, whether the accommodation and transport is suitable and so on.
Benefits and Additional Incomes
Check your contract for whether the school offers additional benefits. Benefits may include housing, medical insurance, paid flights, upskill opportunities, salary increments and many others.
Research about the possibility of making additional income in the destination you are headed to. This could be part-time tutoring or even travel blogging. There are many success stories of teachers who have saved fortunes while teaching abroad and this is usually done by establishing multiple streams of income.
Top 10 Countries to Save Money from Teaching English Abroad
Now that you are familiar with the additional factors to consider, let’s move onto the highest paying countries and those with the most saving potential. This list is purely based on income and the costs of living. It doesn’t include the additional factors mentioned above as those factors are mostly subjective.
Candidates with an undergraduate degree and TEFL/TESOL only are likely to get closer to the minimum salary while candidates with a PGCE and B.Ed are likely to be offered the maximum salaries if teaching abroad in a private or international school. The amount of teaching experience that a teacher has is also considered by employers.
1-4. United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar (The Gulf Arab States)
Salary Range: $3000-$7000 per month.
Expenditures: Housing, insurance and return flights are mostly provided.
Saving potential: Up to $6000 per month if salary is around the $7000 range.
Teacher Requirements: TEFL/TESOL certificate, a bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years teaching experience.
5. Europe
Salary Range: $2000-$7000
Expenditures: Housing is sometimes provided. Other expenses are insurance, food and transport.
Saving potential: Up to $5000 per month if salary is around the $7000 range.
Teacher Requirements: Different countries in Europe have different requirements. Most require that teachers have a PGCE or B.Ed but some countries accept candidates with a bachelor’s degree and TEFL/TESOL certificate.
6. Hong Kong
Salary Range: $2500-$8000
Expenditures: Housing (if not on the NET scheme), food and transport.
Saving potential: Up to $5000 per month if salary is around the $8000 range. Although salaries are higher in Hong Kong, living expenses are some of the most expensive in the world.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
7. South Korea
Salary Range: $2000-$6000
Expenditures: Housing, insurance and flights are mostly provided.
Saving potential: Up to $4000 per month if the salary is around the $6000 range. Although salaries are lower, most living expenses are paid by schools.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
8. Japan
Salary Range: $2000-$6000
Expenditures: Some schools provide housing and insurance. This is quite an expensive country for living expenses.
Saving potential: Up to $3800 per month if the salary is around the $6000 range.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate. Most schools require foreign teachers to have at least 2 years teaching experience.
9. China
Salary Range: $2000-$5500
Expenditures: Many schools provide accommodation and insurance.
Saving potential: Up to $3500 per month if the salary is around the $5500 range.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
10. Taiwan
Salary Range: $2000-$4500
Expenditures: Some schools provide accommodation and insurance.
Saving potential: Up to $3000 if the salary is around the $4500 range.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
***Bonus countries***
Vietnam
Salary Range: $1800-$3500
Expenditures: Some schools provide accommodation but most don’t. Fortunately, living expenses are very low in Vietnam.
Saving potential: Up to $2500 is the salary is around the $3500 range.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
Thailand
Salary Range: $1000-$3000
Expenditures: Most schools provide accommodation. Living expenses are very low in Thailand which enables almost everyone to save.
Saving potential: Up to $2000 if the salary is around the $3000 range.
Teacher Requirements: A bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
Now that you know the salary ranges and potential savings, we hope this helps you to make the correct decision when deciding on the country you would like to teach abroad in. Keep in mind that no amount of money in the world should come before your happiness and wellbeing so make sure you choose a country that is best suited to your character, desires and needs.
To start your teaching journey, simply enter your details in the link below and a Dux representative will be in contact to help place you in your desired destination.
Resources
Cost-of-Living Calculator:
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/calculator.jsp
Currency Converter
https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
