International School Community Blog

Blogs for international school teachers: “Cliff Jumping: Risk-taking and New Beginnings” (From a retired international educator)

Our 37th blog that we would like to highlight is called “Cliff Jumping: Risk-taking and New Beginnings”  Check out the blog entries of this retired international school teacher that currently is back living in her home country (United States).

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A few entries that we would like to highlight:

Cracked

“I’ve slowly dealt with the red tape of health insurance, car purchase, phone decisions, computer, internet, cable, condo painting/remodel/furnishing, and getting my household shipment through the delays of NY homeland security exams, Mpls. customs, and condo association regulations. Each step has been fraught with exasperation.  Why am I so thin-skinned, so impatient? How could I deal with daily power rationing, hideous traffic, and oppressive heat in India, and not be able to accept the processes I must go through here more easily? I feel as though I’ve been in a time warp for 40 years, and I don’t know how to do things in this new age. I’ve lost my confidence…”

Are you a veteran international school teacher thinking about retiring soon?  We have a very popular article on our blog that discusses this issue.  An International School Community member shares her experiences about working for 30+ years in international schools and what her plan is for her retirement.   It is called ‘Where do international teachers go when they retire and what do they do?‘. Check it out here.

We also have a few other articles on our blog related to this topic of going back to your home country and feeling a bit of reverse culture shock:
Culture Shock and Misplaced Normal (An int’l school teacher’s experience in Tanzania)
Going home for the holidays: No one cares about your international life
The summer vacation dilemma: To go home or to not go home…that is the question!

Elegy to my Beloved…Profession

“I have had the privilege of enjoying a 40-year career in the most exciting and satisfying field there could be: international education. It’s a vocation that young and old should consider, whether at the beginning of their working years, midway through as a ‘reset’, or after retirement. If you’re already a teacher and you’re bored, worried about getting ahead financially, tired of overcrowded classrooms, or wanting to see the world, this is for you. Take a leave of absence or sabbatical, or attend a recruiting fair, and take a job at an overseas school with an American or western curriculum. You’ll earn more money, experience more adventures, and probably never look back. If you’re young and unsure of your direction, love working with kids, feel curious about other cultures, and want to make a difference, this is also for you. And if you’ve already got a pension, going overseas could be icing on the cake. Or if you can’t find a job– get your teaching certification, and head on out…”

If you don’t already have a pension and want to know more about what pension plans are like at other international schools, take a moment to check out one of our 40 comment topics on the school profile pages in the Benefits Information section.  It is called: Pension plan details.  Right now there are 320 comments in this comment topic. Here are just a few:

“No pension plan, hopefully the school will address this issue in the future. (Although the school gives a bonus of one monthly pay for every year served at the school after 3 years and this may be considered retirement, but technically it isn’t.)” – Western International School of Shanghai (Shanghai, China) – 54 Comments

“The school provides no pension, but 9% is deducted from the monthly paycheck to pay into IPS, which is sort of like Social Security. If a teacher retires in Paraguay, he or she will receive money through IPS. So for the most part, saving for retirement is in the hands of the foreign hires; they must have the discipline to do it themselves.” – American School of Asuncion (Asuncion, Paraguay) – 58 Comments

“There is a pension plan that is in accordance to the labor law. For every year you work you are to receive 12 days pay. After your 6th year you will get 24 days pay. (roughly 2 weeks pay for the first 5 years and a month for every year after 5). Now for clarification: Your pension (called indemnity) is to be paid at the end of service at your highest pay, according to the labor law. However, the school does not follow this and will pay it to you yearly when you return in September. This seems like a good plan until you realize after 5 years how much money you lose out on.” – American Creativity Academy (Hawalli, Kuwait) – 31 Comments

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If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.