I am mid career, still considering whether to switch to teaching since it would be for the long term.
I like children but teaching full time could be a different story. Prefer to teach primary school.
What are the chllenges and the working hours? And do you know the estimated starting pay for mid career?


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That is a really decent salary for your age. Being a teacher has become quite financially rewarding! I recall my JC teacher at close to 40 telling us his salary was under 6k.

what exactly is 5k going to do for you? fresh grads make 3.5k.

5k = 4k after cpf.
deduct one or two k minimum for living expenses.
you are left with one or two k.
if you rent or have your own home, deduct that, and budget some money for a kid if you have one, you are left with zero.

:rolleyes:

What am I missing? Fresh grad earn 3.5k, this teacher drawing 5k after 3 years but you are trying to say he is underpaid? No money to live? What is your imagined scenario, 28 year old single parent, paying off his hdb?

:rolleyes:

Not saying teachers are overpaid, just that they are quite well remunerated as compared to the past, and in general.

May I ask what subject and level are you teaching?

:)
 

hi there! i'm on the secondary school track, so i wouldnt be able to share much about primary school. one thing i'm certain about is that parents can really get very anxious about PSLE. (hope you get my drift). work culture in primary school differs from secondary sch, so hopefully there's a pri teacher out there who's able to provide you with more insights.

starting salary for mid career teachers differ, depending on many factors such as your current salary, academic qualifications, related job experience etc. my mid career colleagues suffered a paycut upon joining the teaching profession, but they're on 'accelerated track' to reach their last drawn pay.

contrary to popular beliefs, one's salary isnt dependent on the level he's teaching, but rather his academic qualifications. along the way, his performance determines his increment. it gets harder to 'perform well' after a few promotions because expectations get higher. so i'm mentally prepared if my pay reaches a plateau eventually.

Overseas Degree
 

I've heard from many that local uni grads (NUS/NTU/SMU) are usually favoured when applying for teaching jobs.

However, I just graduated from Monash University in Melbourne this year under Bachelor of Arts (Human Geography) and my degree was only 2 years since I got credit exemptions from poly.

I'm hence wondering, what are my chances of becoming a teacher under MOE? I've always been keen on teaching geography secondary school

it is called inflation. 20 years ago, 100k gets you a 4 room hdb, today, you need 400k.

seriously, what kind of lifestyle can 5k give you in sg? that is 4k after cpf.

case 1. single 28 year old who wants to live away from home.

rent: 800 (share with family, no privacy)
(survivor lifestyle) own food and bills: 2k

savings of about 1k? think of transport, health insurance, investments, etc?

case 2. typical married 28 year old.

rent for family: 2k
(survivor lifestyle) own food and bills: 1-2k
wife and other's spending: 1k

savings of about 0?

case 3. typical 28 yo living at home dating.

(survivor lifestyle) own food and bills: 2k
dating: 500/mth

savings of about 1-1.5k?

we are talking about survivor lifestyle. eating cheap food daily and buying cheap clothes and stuff. no health insurance/car/holidays/occasional shopping etc to pay for.:)

teaching is a dead end job. let no one else tell you otherwise. you can earn maybe 5-6k and that will be it. i think very few people can move into management or be hods principals trainers etc.

generally, the younger the students are the more tiring your classes will be.

looks like teaching pays quite decently. no wonder most teachers can drive car. can even earn side income via teaching tuition at $100++/hour due to the "teacher" status

survivor lifestyle is 2k on food and bills!?!? i bet you never heard of canteens, hawker centres and food courts ya..

and probably your accounting fail. double counting, unless your dating really excludes meals. then your girlfriend must be really blessed to have you as a boyfriend. good job bro (Y)

hahaha, that guy is a joke.

breakfast = eat at home
lunch = usual coffeeshop/hawker food, take a very generous amount $8
dinner = neighbourhood coffeeshop, again take a generous amount $8

1 day = $16 on food, 1 month = $480

can still afford to eat a $50 restaurant meal every weekend, total = $680.

interesting perspective. i believe one needs to manage his lifestyle and expectations in accordance to his financial means. not even a 20k monthly salary be adequate if one insists on leading king's lifestyle. i personally know of a family of 3 (one kid) with a combined household income of about 2k (take home pay) who're contented with what they have (and do not have). they lead a simple but yet meaningful life. it's hard not to envy families like them.

at the end of the day, what matters is happiness. no amount of lavish dinner or outlandish car or fancy job appointments or million dollar insurance can bring you joy if your soul is empty. while money is a definite necessity in Singapore's modern living, it should not rule over your life. to each his own. cheers! :)


"some people are so poor that the only thing they have is money"

sorry but your breakfast doesn't cost money? i will give you 20 sgd a day on food plus $50 restaurant every week, that means 800 a month on survivor style food.

transport? i will give you average 8 sgd a day, plus 100 sgd a week for taxis. that is 700 for transport.

throw in 100 for phone/internet, 200 for shopping and replacing clothes and shoes and etc, 200 for vital health insurance/etc, you are spending more than 2k just to survive.

i am not even talking about cars, shopping for nice suits ocassionally, going to the movies, hobbies such as collecting cards, fishes, pets, dating, spending on kids, fixing spoilt furniture in houses, etc.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

again, dont double count..

may i know what premium buses and trains are u taking? $8/day?? or you go to work twice a day? $100/wk for taxi? that's like 4 rides/week. if one is spending $700/month just on public transports, then that person really deserves to be poor!

hullo...the train from sembawang to raffles place costs $1.90. two way, make it 4 sgd. and if i take a bus from my apartment to the mrt station, it is an additional 1sgd or so, so total 6sgd minimum a day to get to work and back, no including any shopping trips or trips to elsewhere to meet friends etc.

8 sgd is pretty reasonable. 100 a week is for additional costs, be it traveling around, taxis when you are late (about 30 sgd for one way from admiralty to city hall), etc, it is a little more than what is needed, yes.

there is also a premium bus for something like 5 sgd to my office. so that will be 10 sgd two way.

so what kind of standard of life will 5k give you in singapore? especially if you have kids or plan to have a family. :confused:

Live within your means. What is considered basic to you may be luxurious to others! For example, if I am really poor, no way will taxi be even within my consideration. Too late for public transport? Then don't stay out too late!

With your kind of reasoning, the bottom 20% of Singaporeans (family income less than $1,500 per month) must be living like 3rd world country standards to you. If you really open your eyes to look around, those who are really trying to squeeze their budget will bring food from home, drink plain water only, walk to MRT instead of taking bus, cut down on expenses (i.e. watch movies, buy clothes etc.), work 2 jobs intead of 1 etc. MRT now offer free rides before peak period, so transport can technically be free (if you're working in CBD area). Just wake up earlier!

So what is necessity to you? Obviously you have not been put through the mill to truly understand.

Back when I earned 4k per month (before CPF), I had some nice meals at restaurants over the weekend, covered myself with sufficient insurance, took a yearly holiday to a decent Asian country flying SIA (economy of course), and still had enough for savings and investment every month.

Over the years and after changing a few jobs, my pay has risen decently. Someone suggested $8 for lunch and dinner EACH? My lunch costs only $4, which gets me a decent plate of chicken rice with egg, or some fishball noodles, wanton mee, sometimes nasi lemak with chicken wing and sunny side up egg. For $9-10 I've settled lunch and dinner (something slightly better for dinner after a long day at work). And seriously, some of these food taste way better and are more filling than some $20 main course at a restaurant. All in all food costs $150 per week, inclusive of some good restaurant food over the weekend.

$400 for taxis? I don't even think I spend $400 in a year on taxis, let alone a month. I spend $200 on public transport per month, that's for a bus ride to the MRT, then a MRT ride into town, and vice versa to get home. No free rebates.

Over the weekend I just booked my new car, which fits comfortably into my monthly budget. But I guess for you, you will need to earn 10k or 20k per month first.

There's an adult monthly card for public transport. $120 a month.

so that guy doesnt know how to save money by buying a monthly card? he can reduce his 700/month transport budget to 120, even more reason to take public transport since it's unlimited rides, take taxi for what?

i have lived around the world, including in some really poor regions. :rolleyes:

i am not sure if you have tasted what is 'third world lifestyle' before, if you have, i guarantee you you will want to get as far away from it as possible, and appreciate every small thing in singapore or sydney or any developed city.

and those earning 1.5k are indeed considered poor in singapore, with 2 parents working they are merely surviving.

i am not rich but i am merely stating the reality of the cost of living/retirement in singapore. well thanks for letting me know about the 120 sgd ez link card i will buy it one day when i am back in singapore.

how long ago was this? what is your weight? an adult male about 70kg needs 2500-3k calories a day just to maintain his weight.

lunch and dinner like yours will not maintain 2500 calories and may be lacking in certain vitamins and minerals.

oh yes, i also take basic supplements such as fish oil, vitamins and try to eat some fruits and vegetables daily (another 3-5 sgd) daily.

we haven't considered the costs of those.

Maximum pay of normal teacher
 

Just to share with those interested. I have been teaching for about 12 years since I graduated from NUS. I don't hold any leadership position or posts in school. I'm an average performer who gets the standard promotions that come every few year so in other words, I'm just your basic teacher. I think I'm almost at the top of the pay scale for a normal teacher (Can't really tell after the changes this year. I was at my max on the old scale though). My gross pay is about $7700. Honestly if you include the employer's CPF contribution, 13th month pay and various bonuses, the total pay package for a normal teacher can easily be above 100k per year. That's not a bad deal given the fact that its a recession proof job. Still if you are in it for the money, its doubtful that you can last long. I've had so many friends who couldn't take it and have already left teaching. So do think about it carefully before you decide. It's painful to go to work when you really dislike what you are doing.

Nobody considers employer's CPF as pay actually.

So if I am correct you are probably on a 16 month package, i.e. 7700 X 16 = 123,200?

It reaffirms my belief that civil service is actually very good in terms of total pay. Thats why I don't understand why all those young grads are so narrow view that they just want to join a bank no matter what even if its ops or branch sales.

Civil service glass ceiling is definitely lower than a bank and most people won't make it to superscale even when they retire, but honestly unless you are really good at sales or in the IB side, I don't think there are many 'bankers' that are making 123k after working 12 years.

What will be the starting pay for mid career who join the teaching profession? Any one knows?

What do yr friends don't like abt the job? Or in your opinion, what are the difficulties that deter people from staying?

What do they ask during interviews? How many rounds are there?

I totally agree with u. I spent 10 yrs in MOE as teacher and thinking that the grass is greener on the other side I naively joined bank sales. Perhaps it is the perceived prestige or otherwise I am only currently earning less than half of what I used to earn in civil service. The title civil servant may not be as glamorous as a so called banker but it is the money that ultimately counts as deciding factor. Of course the top bankers will still earn much more than a top teacher or principal but don't forget that likely the civil servant job is probably more stable in the greater scheme of things. But to each his own.there is no right or wrong lah. Will I go back to teaching? Likely not since I have made the decision. I do enjoy my sales role though meeting people and trying to improve my sales month on month..year on year.

I can assure you the $20-30 restaurant meal you eat is no better in calories and vitamins as compared to a hawker centre meal.

But anyway, I make good money now so it's a conscious choice to eat hawker food. We have very good hawker food at cheap prices. Go overseas and it's hard to find cheap and good food.

It depends on your class of degree and relevant working experience.. There will give some increments based on your working experience, up to a cap of about $4300 for untrained teachers.. After completing the compulsory contract teaching in school (anything from 1-2 years) and training in NIE (1 year), there will be additional increments given..

Mid-career applicant
 

Hi, I'm doing the exact opposite from u. I'm in banking sales for about 15 yrs now and making a switch to teaching. The income in banking sales is good if u do well and basic pay is also very substantial when u move up to private banking, which is where I am for the past 10 yrs. BUT the stress is even more substantial. Don't envy what u see of bankers, yes there are big bonuses, fast cars, big houses. But more often than not, unless u truly love selling, it's a matter of time before u get burnt out by the sales targets. And during recessions, this job is not safe. Of coz, teaching job is not easy either, but it's undeniable that it's a recession proof job. All being said, it's good that u enjoy your work, all the best.

Yes I agree. Maybe that's why MOE seems more keen now to hire mid-career people, bcoz they have experienced the 'real' world outside and it's definitely not a bed of roses either :)

Thanks for sharing. May I know what's the typical working hours like for a teacher?

Did u make the switch to teaching successfully?
How's the interview and did u get to choose the subject and level u want to teach?
What's the starting pay for mid career?
Hope you can share yr experience with people considering whether to make the switch.

Hi, I have gone for the MOE interview and now awaiting for the outcome. I chose my preferred level which was primary general and was also given primary general. The interview was relatively smooth, we have to write a essay in 20mins on a topic given by them, the do a 5min classroom presentation to the panel who will act as the students, and lastly sit down for the actual verbal interview.

No discussion yet on the pay but I know from others that it will prob be ard $4k+ before going to NIE for training, and will be increased after that. The standard of 6k-7k is quite accurate. I will be taking a severe pay cut but money is not the deciding factor for my decision to switch. I value the stability of the job and I also enjoy interacting with children.

This is very good salary. All the more so when this is supposed to be the progression of an average performer. May I know how old you are this year?

typical frog in the well mentality. most bankers can reach 123k total package easily in 2-3 years.

U take a average performer in banking see how much he earns?

AVP in banking ~200k all in & most bankers can reach this level in a few years.

I'm 39 this year. I guess the only sad thing is that since I already hit the ceiling, I won't have any more increments unless they change the scheme or I aim to be in a leadership position. I can't complain too much since my working hours are relatively decent.

Although the pay you get is the same if you teach in primary, secondary or junior college, the working hours and what you will do is quite different. This is just my opinion. In primary school, work is sometimes more tedious and if you teach lower primary, it includes even cleaning up at times. In a Junior College, I guess its more intellectually challenging since the students are older and the subjects are more advanced. Technically teaching secondary school is the "worst" as the hours and workload are the heaviest (although this might still depend on the school) but many students are usually most grateful to their secondary school teacher. From what I know, most teachers burn out teaching in a secondary school but I guess it also depends on the individual.

tats the prob with gov sector, as long as ur not a scholar, they max out ur pay at a miserly rate by 40 yo.