Thread: Teachers making over 100k?

Let me try to clear up some misconceptions about international schools.

Fist let me say that I am one of those people who are at the lower end of the high end salaries. Why? Simply because I am a local guppy. Still, it is a very nice wage.

The oversea hires are fished from a deep hole and treated as such.

The top schools like ISB, Harrow, RIS, NIST, and BPS all tend to hire from overseas. These teachers want a salary just like they were getting back in their home country. Normally they get that and then some. I personally know teachers (not administrators) making 170 baht per month. Keep in mind this does include housing, etc. And these teachers are still not happy. Most of these teachers will only be here about 2 years before moving back home.

Back to the money. The big schools as mentioned above will all start out at least with a basic salary package of 120,000 per month. Throw in housing from 20,000-40,000 per month, along with a free airline ticket home once a year. Most teachers depending upon their home country might not have to pay taxes for the first two years while teaching in Thailand. In comparison, I pay almost B10,000 per month to the Thai government.

But this is just the basic package for many teachers. Throw in some additional responsibilities and the net income can increase dramatically.

Has been mentioned, the medium tiered international schools will offer salaries from B60,000-90,000 depending upon qualifications and needs of the particular school.

Now the administrations of these schools are a different fish all together. I have met one head guy who was only making B125,000 per month. Another had a package worth B240,000. And finally, I met a big fish who was having trouble with his half million baht per month and his living expenses both here and abroad.

Much more to this issue but perhaps you got your line baited.

^the white on white is a bit hard to read HB

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

Just out of curiousity, do teachers get annual pay rises? It's just that Thai inflation has averaged about 6% per annum which is pretty high. Just a couple of years without a pay rise would mean a pretty hefty pay cut in real terms.

Normally get a pay rise, but not based on inflation and they also generally have a ceiling.

I'm on the ceiling.

Hence I'm going back to the UK on Wednesday

Originally Posted by NickA

Hence I'm going back to the UK on Wednesday

What? For ever and ever?

My ex worked at Harrow as a supply teacher for a bit. He was on about 87k baht, told me a few other teachers were well on over 100k.

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

What? For ever and ever?

See how it goes. I've got an interview to do a PGCE. My son is already enrolled in a school and he'll be starting in September. If the family is happy and teaching is OK then I'll stay and only holiday in Thailand. If things are shit then i'll slug it out for a year or two and then get a job at an international school, probably in thailand, but maybe somewhere else.

Really, it's been so long since I've lived there I can't remember what i disliked about it. Plus maybe living there with the family might be good, might not. We won't know until we've tried it.

NickA and I are in the same boat. Albeit there will be alot of water in between us. Should be interesting.

good luck to both of you fellas.

Hillbilly's earlier post for those of you with the white forum skin

Let me try to clear up some misconceptions about international schools. Fist let me say that I am one of those people who are at the lower end of the high end salaries. Why? Simply because I am a local guppy. Still, it is a very nice wage. The oversea hires are fished from a deep hole and treated as such. The top schools like ISB, Harrow, RIS, NIST, and BPS all tend to hire from overseas. These teachers want a salary just like they were getting back in their home country. Normally they get that and then some. I personally know teachers (not administrators) making 170 baht per month. Keep in mind this does include housing, etc. And these teachers are still not happy. Most of these teachers will only be here about 2 years before moving back home. Back to the money. The big schools as mentioned above will all start out at least with a basic salary package of 120,000 per month. Throw in housing from 20,000-40,000 per month, along with a free airline ticket home once a year. Most teachers depending upon their home country might not have to pay taxes for the first two years while teaching in Thailand. In comparison, I pay almost B10,000 per month to the Thai government. But this is just the basic package for many teachers. Throw in some additional responsibilities and the net income can increase dramatically. Has been mentioned, the medium tiered international schools will offer salaries from B60,000-90,000 depending upon qualifications and needs of the particular school. Now the administrations of these schools are a different fish all together. I have met one head guy who was only making B125,000 per month. Another had a package worth B240,000. And finally, I met a big fish who was having trouble with his half million baht per month and his living expenses both here and abroad. Much more to this issue but perhaps you got your line baited.

^Ahhh, the plot thins!

I thought he'd posted in invisible ink. Just spent the last 1/2hr rubbing half a lemon on my screen trying to get it to 'magically' appear.

Going to be a bugger to clean all that juice off now.

i know a number of "tefl scum", not "proper" teachers making over 100k a month
they work a lot of hours for it but the money is there for them
some teach business or specialist classes like IELTS, others specialize with kids

Very seldom do I do the MicroSoft and paste thingy. Enjoy...

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

Just out of curiousity, do teachers get annual pay rises?

depends on the school, there is no set standard.

Usually get something in terms of increase with inflation (if 3% is somehow related to 6/7% inflation rate) plus an increment up to a limit, again actual amounts, and top level varies from school to school.

In real terms, my pay had dropped almost 20% in the past year.

(damn useless US$)

I am not sure why some posters here feel the need to denigrate those who chose a teaching career because of the relatively low salary.

Teaching is not generally a high paid position anywhere in the world. Does that make it a poor career decision?

There are a few hundred teachers in Thailand making above 100K and tens of thousands making far less. So what? Is teaching kids of the rich the only teaching occupation that is worthwhile?

If some individuals find teaching for 35, 40 or 50 K or baht (or even less) a month fits their needs, good for them.

I assume some posters have such low self-esteems that they have a compulsion to seek out others to criticize in order to make themselves appear more successful.

Screw that, live and let live.

I recently left an expat management job to return to “teaching.” Although I obviously took a pay cut (but I do make more than an average TEFL teacher), it was a good decision. I love what I do and the life is pretty stress-free. I wouldn’t make the claim that teaching is for everyone, but for those of us who have made the choice are not inferior to those who have different options and have made different choices.

I think the denigration is against the TEFLers that only turn to teaching to be able to stay in the country. The ones who buy there degrees, arrive in the mornings with hang-overs and try and shag their students.

^

Are teachers the only foreigners who want to live in the country, drink and attempt to have relationships with the locals?

I don't see the benefit of being so judgmental, but maybe you can enlighten me?.

^a fake degree is illegal, having relationships with students is either illegal or immoral (depending on age), going to school with a hangover is irresponsible.

Thanks NickA. Thought it would be obvious to everybody.......seems not.

I must say that I have found teaching rewarding.
I never entered into teaching for the money, but to give structure to my life, meet people and do a job that I felt was giving something back to society.

I'm all for paying teachers a good salary, even over the odds, if it means attracting good teachers. I don't think you can or should put a price on a good education and obviously the quality of the teacher is a huge part of this.

I also have a lot of respect for dedicated career teachers. All those holidays be damned, it's sure as hell not something I could do.

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

I think the denigration is against the TEFLers that only turn to teaching to be able to stay in the country. The ones who buy there degrees, arrive in the mornings with hang-overs and try and shag their students.

Problem is, most people talk crap about all TEFL teachers as if they are all like this. "TEFL scum" is a quality example of how they're often referred to.

This is just typical sterotyping, like saying all thai women are just whores. It is that degrading.

I've met good and bad TEFL grads, its a shame they all have to be lumped together as bad by some people.

I'm heading back to do my PGCE next September but all the "hiso" students I have come across were the worst snivelling, arrogant, little shits imaginable. So I probably wont teach at an International school in Thailand.

Originally Posted by mad_dog

I'm heading back to do my PGCE next September but all the "hiso" students I have come across were the worst snivelling, arrogant, little shits imaginable. So I probably wont teach at an International school in Thailand.

dunno, I think that's another sweeping generalization of a stereotype ......

nearly all the wealthy students I've taught, have actually been fantastically nice and extremely nice students.

Originally Posted by mad_dog

I'm heading back to do my PGCE next September but all the "hiso" students I have come across were the worst snivelling, arrogant, little shits imaginable. So I probably wont teach at an International school in Thailand.

Why not go this september as a remedy for your current boredom?

Originally Posted by KW

dunno, I think that's another sweeping generalization of a stereotype ......

What percentage of your 20,000 posts point out other people's generalisations? Are you the generalisation police or summit?

Originally Posted by gamerdude

Problem is, most people talk crap about all TEFL teachers as if they are all like this

Most are a little foked up in the head and dont have two cents to rub together, and tend to hang around corner shops and drink cheap chang, not that I see anything wrong with that but I can see where the label TEFL scum comes from.
Some TEFL I have met have been good at what they do and have a natural talent and passion for teaching others are just buying time and scapping by as TEFL scum until the final day when they will have to go back to there own country broke with a drink problem and a few STD,s.
Lets face most of the TEFL here are of the sorriest looking cnuts I have ever seen.
I dont label all TEFL as scum but just most of them

^ Yeah - they need to get a real job like on an Oil Rig and be productive members of society. Don't hear 'bout no John Mark Carr's in the 'Patch', eh?