A Quick and Dirty Guide To International Schools For Teachers Seeking Overseas Employment #3

Military Schools

A US Department of Defense school is a school that is attached to a military base abroad. The Department of Defense is responsible for providing education for school aged dependents of all military and civilian employees who are required to live abroad in order to carry out their jobs.

There are over 100 US Department of Defense schools in Europe, and at when I was researching this post there are 210 schools located around the world in 12 countries. The children of military personnel can also be found in American schools abroad in countries where there is no Department of Defense school available.

The British Equivalent is Service Children’s Education (SCE) Schools which number only 27 schools world wide with the majority of them situated in Cyprus and Germany. SCE schools are designed to give the students the same kind of education they would receive if living in the UK and attending school there. So teachers in these schools will be governed by the National Curriculum and examination boards of the UK.

The good, the bad and the ugly of taking on a teaching job abroad in a Military School…

The Good, well it's easy to evaluate the package being offered because you will be employed on a contract similar to one offered to teachers from either the US or the UK, it's a national job so you'll get a national contract. And you're salary is going to be pegged to a value in either US dollars or Sterling. If you are working for the SCE you will be employed on a British teaching contract, with a few extras.

The Bad is that you're going to have to pay TAX! You will have to pay national taxes. One of the benefits that comes with teaching at an international school is that you can pay less tax or work in a tax free environment. When you work for a overseas military school you will be employed ‘in’ the country whose military the school serves.

The Ugly is that you're going to miss out of the best things about teaching overseas. You’ll be teaching American or British students the relevant curriculum. You will miss out on experiencing a true multi-cultural classroom and all the benefits of teaching international children.

Teaching Overseas