5 Top Tips for Your Overseas Teaching Contract

Here’s how to make the right choices to protect yourself when signing an employment contract for a teaching job abroad.

* Make sure that you receive a contract which states in writing all the employment conditions and benefits you and the recruiter agreed upon during the interview. Do not accept a verbal assurance because there is no come-back if the recruiter does not deliver. If the contract you receive misses out some part of the conditions and benefits you thought you had agreed upon, send it back to have them added.

* Make sure that you have a copy of your overseas teaching contract that it is signed by both yourself and the school’s representative.

* Keep a copy of your contract handy so that you can refer to the conditions written down whenever you have a question about your rights.

* Talk to people at the international teaching job fair (if you are attending one), to establish the school’s reputation as an employer. While you are checking out the international school’s reputation, check out the administration staff’s reputation too. Sometimes a great school can be destroyed by a bad administrator.

* Find out about employment laws in the school’s host country and how they affect your employment contract. When you sign an overseas teaching contract you are not signing away your rights for the duration of the contract and it is important to remember this. You do not become an indentured servant. Most countries have employment laws covering how many days notice you must give your employer in order to leave legally.

Overseas Teaching Contracts

Is An Overseas Teacher An Indentured Servant?

You may be holding back form seriously seeking an overseas teaching contract because you are afraid of getting trapped abroad. This rarely happens. When teaching abroad you will be expected to sign an employment contract covering 1-2 years and in return you will receive a plethora of benefits and the unique experiences the come with working abroad. But this does not mean you are powerless to end the contract early if some unexpected catastrophe should occur.

Breaking your contract (leaving the school before the contractual period runs out) should only be done as a last resort because it can seriously hinder your efforts to land another teaching job abroad. The community of international teachers is a very small one and word will spread if you break your contract without a good reason.

Most international school directors are reasonable people who are experienced international teachers and recognise that there are occasionally circumstances that force you to break contract.

Such circumstances may include:

* A critical change in the political situation in the host country which changes the level of safety for foreign workers.

* The health status of a close relative at home or one of your dependents changes and you need to go home.

In these circumstances your best course of action is to approach the school’s director and discuss your options. By approaching the director and negotiating a timeline for your departure you will preserve your reputation as a good employee and receive a good reference. Most likely you will be expected to work out a period of notice in line with the country’s employment laws and you are likely to lose your bonus and repatriation benefits.

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Salary and Overseas Teaching Contracts

One thing to watch out for when you are signing an overseas teaching contract is that you are going to be paid for a full 12 months in the year, rather than the 10 months you'll be working.

Getting paid for only 10 months of your year teaching is not a common practice in international schools but it does happen and it could have devastating result on your family's fincances if you are not prepared.

Your overseas teaching contract should clearly state how much you will be paid, when you will be paid, the period of the contract that you will be paid for and who is responsible for any local taxes.

For more details on what benefits you should also have outlined in your contract, and the questions you need to ask to establish the real value of any benefits offered get The Complete Guide to Securing a Job at an International School!

Salary and Overseas Teaching Contracts