English Primary School Teacher in Singapore

[Salky93]

Hi Everyone.

I am looking for a bit of advice about moving to Singapore next Summer. I am a 22 year old primary school teacher (with a degree) and a completed NQT year and, by next Summer, will have had 2 years of experience teaching children age 4-11.

My boyfriend (who is not a teacher) and I are thinking of moving to Singapore and I would love to teach in an English speaking school as I cannot fluently speak any other languages! However, I have a few concerns and don't really know where to start my research, so I was hoping that this forum could offer some insight.

- How hard will it be for my boyfriend to find a job there? Bearing in mind he doesn't speak any other languages, he's 25 and has a degree in journalism.

- What is the salary/ tax like for the average primary school teacher? I.e. will I be any better or worse off than I am in the UK.

- Is there anything else major that I should be considering when thinking of moving to Singapore?

Thanks in advance for those who have read my massive rant and have any insight to share!

Hannah

[Barnsley]

Hi Everyone.

I am looking for a bit of advice about moving to Singapore next Summer. I am a 22 year old primary school teacher (with a degree) and a completed NQT year and, by next Summer, will have had 2 years of experience teaching children age 4-11.

My boyfriend (who is not a teacher) and I are thinking of moving to Singapore and I would love to teach in an English speaking school as I cannot fluently speak any other languages! However, I have a few concerns and don't really know where to start my research, so I was hoping that this forum could offer some insight.

- How hard will it be for my boyfriend to find a job there? Bearing in mind he doesn't speak any other languages, he's 25 and has a degree in journalism.

- What is the salary/ tax like for the average primary school teacher? I.e. will I be any better or worse off than I am in the UK.

- Is there anything else major that I should be considering when thinking of moving to Singapore?

Thanks in advance for those who have read my massive rant and have any insight to share!

Hannah

Other than the fact that all the Teachers I know here look to be having a great life judging by their facebook profiles I can't really help.

Languages here isnt really an issue as most folk understand English and speak a bit of it as well.

Does your boyfriend still work in journalism , what is his work experiences?

[Strong Eagle]

Others here have much more experience in the teaching world than I. I can comment on your boyfriend. At 25, he's pretty fresh out of school and unless he has some kind of great jouranlistic content already under his belt, like covering a war zone, he's going to be in for some real tough sledding for two reasons. First, he has to convince someone that he'd be a better bet in the region as opposed to local talent. Second, the company would need to convince MoM that he has skills not available locally.

[casey5047]

Hi Everyone.

I am looking for a bit of advice about moving to Singapore next Summer. I am a 22 year old primary school teacher (with a degree) and a completed NQT year and, by next Summer, will have had 2 years of experience teaching children age 4-11.

My boyfriend (who is not a teacher) and I are thinking of moving to Singapore and I would love to teach in an English speaking school as I cannot fluently speak any other languages! However, I have a few concerns and don't really know where to start my research, so I was hoping that this forum could offer some insight.

- How hard will it be for my boyfriend to find a job there? Bearing in mind he doesn't speak any other languages, he's 25 and has a degree in journalism.

- What is the salary/ tax like for the average primary school teacher? I.e. will I be any better or worse off than I am in the UK.

- Is there anything else major that I should be considering when thinking of moving to Singapore?

Thanks in advance for those who have read my massive rant and have any insight to share!

Hannah

I think your boyfriend would be best looking for English tuition jobs with companies like I Can Read or L Central. This has generally been the best option for 'native English'-speaking expats with non-vocational / arts degrees in Singapore. It's probably not the best time though, with Singapore restricting EPs for English tutors under the (in my opinion) misguided belief that Singaporeans are already native English speakers. Still, I'm not sure what else there is, and it's still possible...

Unless there's a specific reason why you fancy Singapore, you might consider somewhere else in the region. You'd get along fine with your teaching qualification, and other countries might offer more opportunities for your boyfriend.

Finally the salary question is like the proverbial one about a piece of string. It can range from a bit above what you'd earn in the UK to comfortably double that (in the plum International Schools, although you'd be competing for those jobs with Aussies with 30+ years of experience). Tax will be much lower.