1. Did you ever have any trouble getting paid on time, or were you ever cheated? No. I never had a problem with any of the schools for which I worked. The school in Saudi Arabia paid 4600 Riyals promptly at the end of each month. Though, the contract on the previous pages show my total at 4400, I received a 200 Riyal raise after I arrived in Saudi because I was able to verify another year of teaching experience. At that time 4600 Riyals was equivalent to about $1300. I received this in cash with no deductions. We did pay a small fee, 5 Riyals, about $1.50 for electricity for the apartment, and the principal asked us to contribute another 5 Riyals for the man who cleaned the steps in the apartment building. In Japan I was paid by check at the end of the month. The breakdown was as follows: Gross 180,000 Yen which equaled at the time $900. Taxes were 9,720 Yen, or $48 Rent was 23,000 Yen, or $115 Apartment gas was 5,580, or $28 which left me 141,700 Yen or $730 Net pay. In England I was paid each week either by check or in cash. On one occasion the director, after not seeing us for two weeks, met us at a train station in pouring rain. Under our umbrellas he pulled out an enormous wad of pounds and asked, Now, what do I owe you? He gave each of us 220 pounds or about $500 tax free. 2. What were your accommodations like? In England I was provided with a furnished room, maid service, and meals at the residential schools. (This is a school where the students sleep, eat, and attend their classes.) In Japan I paid partial rent (115.) for a spacious one bedroom apartment that was completely furnished. My first night in Japan I needed only to buy some food. All of the cooking utensils, television, bedding, etc., were provided. I was also required to pay for the gas I used in the apartment which was between $25 and $30 per month. In Saudi Arabia I shared a two bedroom apartment with another single teacher. The school provided and paid the full rent of the apartment. It had wall to wall carpeting, and all the furniture and utensils were provided. Teachers with families had larger apartments in the same building or elsewhere in town. The apartments were new and everything worked, including refrigerators and air conditioners. There was one exception to this. On one occasion I was nearly electrocuted while taking a shower. The heating element in the water heater had rusted through and was sending electricity through the water. I managed to jump free, but the real problem was that it took the administration a week or more to locate another water heater and have it installed. In Spain I located and paid the rent on a small one bedroom apartment. The rent was 16,000 pesetas about $150. It was completely furnished except for dishes and linens. The landlord charged me a $100 security deposit which I got back in full. 3. What about transportation into and out of each country? And while you were working did the school provide you with a car? This varied. I paid my own transportation to and from England, as it was only a summer position. And while I was in the country I provided my own transportation unless it was a school sponsored event, in which case the school would reimburse me. The same situation existed in Spain. Japan offered to fly me out of the country at their expense once I had completed my contracted year, but I had to pay my way into the country. While I was working, they provided me with a motor scooter and free gas, and then later a car. I would simply save up my gas receipts and then the owner of the school would reimburse me. The scooter I kept at home. The car stayed at the school and was used mainly for school business, although I did use it for personal trips on several occasions. In Saudi Arabia the school paid the cost of the flight into the country, and, provided that one completed the contract, it would pay the way out. Also, the school paid the full price of a ticket to America, even though I was only going as far as England, which was an added bonus. For transportation within the country, the school owned a bus which would pick us up each morning and take us home after classes. Many teachers purchased their own cars simply for convenience and in order to explore the country on the weekends. 4. What were the facilities like at the school? Each school reflected the administrator or owner who ran it. In England, the year-around school was housed in an old, four-story brick building in the center of town. The stairs creaked, and on the cooler days the rooms were chilly, but the school was kept clean and neat. In each classroom there was a chalk or felt board, tables, chairs, and desks. There was also a wealth of books and materials for teachers to use. During the summer the school was expanded to other sites, including an all girls school that wasnt being used in the summer, and a local university. Both of these facilities were quite nice. In Japan the school was one large room on the second floor of an office building. Half of my classes took place there. The others were out in the country side in peoples homes or other rented offices. I would either take the train or drive to these classes. On many occasions the adult students would make me dinner if the class was scheduled in the evening at their homes. Also one of the bedrooms in my apartment served as a classroom once a week. The school in Saudi was an abandoned Aramco Oil Company apartment building. It was not in good shape. The toilets were clogged; the once beautiful swimming pool was half filled and looked like a swamp with coke cans and bottles floating in it. There were enough books, but the selection was limited. The classrooms were small, and as one teacher put it, This is basically a chalk and talk school. 5. Did you have a wife and children with you? No, but my friends, Bill and Jo, took their twelve year old daughter with them to England and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi, she was enrolled in the same school at which her mother taught. Also a couple from Ireland enrolled their seven year old daughter in the girls section of Manarat International School. They claimed it was the best educational experience Cindy could have had. On top of that she learned Arabic better than any of us. Another couple from New Zealand had their first baby in Saudi Arabia and two years later, their second in Indonesia. Each year they send me a photo Christmas card, and they all look well and happy. From 'How To Find Jobs Teaching Overseas' by Jim Muckle |
