The first question when choosing a school/country is, more often than not, 'How much will you pay me?'
The first thing is check the type of school. The main two types are those that need to make a profit and those that do not. The not-for-profit schools tend to pay staff more than the profit making alternative. The not-for-profit schools are not shy about the fact and why should they be! They know it's a big attraction for staff and parents alike. The country is key, the salaries tend to match the cost of living in a particular place.
So for example one recently advertised job in Madrid showed a salary range of 20,000-26,000 Euros. This is pretty poor but not unsurprising for Spain, which has a low cost of living (though Madrid is not cheap)
I was offered a job in Qatar (which I turned down) the salary was £2400 pounds a month plus a rent free apartment. This was at the lower end of the Qatari salary scale. You can earn £4000 a month plus accommodation and benefits. The Middle East varies but one rule always applies, the not-for-profit schools pay the best salaries.
When you think about the Qatar pay I was offered and compare it to say a high end school in Vietnam, you can see why it was considered poor. This school in Hanoi will pay around £2700 a month plus a free apartment, flights and medical. Vietnam is a cheap country to live in and infinitely more interesting that Qatar (even with the World Cup).
China is a massive country with a huge variety of schools. In fact by the time you have read this sentence I am pretty sure another couple will have popped up. The wages, as you would expect are vastly different. One recent offer I heard of in Shanghai topped out at about £56,000 for an experienced classroom teacher. However this did not include the luxury of a free apartment.
Here is our ball park guide supplied by Go Overseas.
China in the range of RMB 11,800-29,900 (£1,300-£3,300) per month.
U.A.E. £2,700-£4,300 per month.
Saudi Arabia - £2,300-£3,000 per month.
£2,000-£3,100 per month in Kuwait.
South Korea £1400-£1900 per month
The figures are of course only a guide but do give you an idea of what to expect.
