Is this figure basic salary or including bonuses?

Can I apply to HQ right after I complete my BT-ship?

Levante privata
 

Basic salary before CPF..

Edit: Confirmed the GEO 2 (Untrained) pay range.

You can definitely try for opening posting but be prepared to answer the question on why do you want to go HQ? If you are keen in specialist track, it is actually advisable for you to have a few more years of on the grounding training before you go to HQ.

How can we gain more info on the jobscope of the various divisions and departments in hq?

You have to wait until the period of open posting (usually in end June or early July) and view the postings that are available. Btw, some postings in HQ will require you to have a minimum number of teaching years and also, you need to hold certain positions before they will consider you. If you have friends in HQ, you can always ask them about their jobscope.

Hi all,

I am a local teaching scholar. I am in my final year at NUS, and there is an option for master sponsorship (both local and overseas), subjected of course to successful interview and good results. May I know the tangible and intangible benefits of having a masters as a teacher. I have heard stories where pay increment is negligible with a masters as a masters is not a pre-requisite for the job. Will job prospect be better with a masters? Lastly, is there a difference between local and overseas Masters in terms of salary and job prospects.

Thanks for all the response!

I was like you in the past... I weighed my options and consulted my scholarship officer. You should too. Her advice to me was not to jump into a Masters so soon after my Bachelors, because my interests might change. In addition, MOE is the most generous govt ministry in offering Masters sponsorships for in-service teachers. We can also get professional leave e.g lower teaching load while we pursue Masters. Of course the Masters must be related to your subject or teaching, not MBA etc.

Finally, MOE looks at your first degree for starting pay. My friend who had Masters had slightly lower pay than me because he was 2nd upper class while I was 1st class. And having Masters doesn't mean you are promoted faster. Your contributions to sch and teaching still matter the most. My colleagues who pursued Masters while teaching did so mainly because of genuine interest to learn more, and also because MOE sponsors a large part of the tuition fees, like 80 percent. They were not promoted faster. And I know overseas scholars who had Masters, they were posted to ordinary schools in their first posting, not much preferential treatment.

In short: very little benefit.

Thanks for the insightful reply!
Could I also ask you, as a teaching scholar, is the prospect any better than normal teachers. I have heard teachers/people saying that scholars will be given better opportunities to facilitate their faster progression, yet I have seen scholars who leave MOE when their bond ends - kinda contradictory. If there are better prospect, why leave?

Lastly, why do in-service teachers take leave from working to further their studies. Is it purely to gain more knowledge, or are there other benefits as I do seem to see many teachers doing that while teaching.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

And also, does university results affect job prospect in any way - apart from the slight difference in starting salary.

I was the guy who answered you previously. My short answer to your question - it depends on the school which you are posted, and the Principal. There are different tiers of scholarships - PSC (Teaching), Education Merit Service (EMS), Teaching Scholarship (Overseas & Local) and lastly Teaching Award. For PSC and EMS scholars, their career paths are centrally planned. So after 2 years in a school, they will be posted to HQ. Their progression is naturally faster because they are groomed to be future Principals.

For the remaining scholars, their career paths are not planned. So it really depends on the Principal. For example, I know a few local scholars who had Distinction in Practicum and also received awards while in NIE, they were given more prominent tasks when they were Beginning Teachers. One is already a SH just after 3 years, which is really fast. In their cases, it is because the Principal chose to groom them. But for most local scholars and awardees, unless you perform brilliantly, you will be like the average teacher. I was posted to a school where my peers were EMS/overseas scholars. They were placed in prominent positions e.g greater contact with School Leaders. I was lucky that my HOD allocated me a major task, so I didn't really lose out in terms of ranking. However, to be honest I'm glad I've more free time to focus on teaching instead of event planning etc. At the same time, I often wonder if I should expore alternatives when I'm young (thats why I'm in this forum). Many young teachers think like that hahah.

Oh one impt reason for why teachers study - they are tired of teaching/students/colleagues. It's a good mental break. Teaching is actually a very exhaustive job...

That's very enlightening! Haha. Thanks so much for the insight once again!! :)

Starting Salary (pre-NIE)
 

Hi all,
Would like to enquire about MOE's starting salary for a fresh grad who's yet to do contract teaching or do PGDE.

Am a female graduate from a local uni with 2nd upp. hons, however was offered the lower limit of those under the PGDE programme as stated on the MOE website. Is this typical of a graduate with hons, or is the lower limit only offered to graduates with a pass degree? Could it be because I haven't received my official transcript/scroll?

Should I reach out to HR about this?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

From my understanding. My friend in NIE was paid 3.3k (female second lower). MOE pays $200 more for each levels of honours. Guys are paid $200 more ontop of that for NS. So you should be paid around $3500 during PGDE. How much are you offered?

Police AIRRI
 

Just to add on, if you are offered contract teaching, and not doing the PGDE program, pay should be 2k+ - 3k

Hi, thanks for your response!

I'm offered to do contract teaching before NIE, so the pay that they are offering me now is actually for contract teaching? Will an increase be reflected when I'm admitted to NIE? :)
I'm offered the lowest amount listed on the MOE site for PGDE.

It's correct because you are not on the pgde yet. You are still at the pre-pgde stage so will be lower.

Not too much, it's mostly based on work performance, leadership qualities and willingness to take on appointments. Seen plenty of HODs without Honours degrees, and many fch who are happy ordinary Teachers.

not true. contract teaching will get just as much as those doing PGDE as they are both on the GEO1.2(untrained) scale.

not true. contract teaching will get just as much as those doing PGDE as they are both on the GEO2.2(untrained) scale.

apologies for the typo

I have read through this forum. It seems that there are contradicting accounts of how long it takes for a normal teacher to max out their payscale at ~7.8k.

I understand that not every teacher get to 7.8k. Most stagnate at around 7k? There seemed to be accounts of teachers who reached 7.8k (7.7k to be exact) within 15 years (while doing the minimum with an average C grade), and some teachers who are stucked at ~5k+ after 15 years.

Can someone clarify on this? Which exactly is the norm? After 15 years as a normal C grade teacher, what should be the expected pay?

TIA :)

For guys with good hons, 10 years is the average.

10 years to reach ~7.8k? So results do matter?

returning ex-teacher
 

Does anyone know for an ex-teacher who manages to get re-appointed on permanent establishment, what's the pay like?

I know in MOE's FAQ, it's stated that the sub grade remains the same as the previous subgrade before leaving the service, and that additional increments can be given for years of relevant experience.

However, assuming there's no additional experience, and one does get re-appointed back at same sub-grade, would the pay be (minimally) the same as last pay at MOE before leaving, or start from the lowest in that subgrade?

Salary after 1 year of contract teaching when u enter NiE will be higher due to annual increment. There is no change in salary except annual increment. The increment is about $180 from $3.3k(contract teaching) to 3.5k (NIE).

Try relief teaching first. If u like teaching, then apply for NIE.

These few years it's gonna be very hard to enter teaching as positions all filled up. You may want to further studies or pursue other options and trying coming back to apply as mid career teacher.

Just completed my first year in service and successfully completed my probation. Just saw the pay slip today that came out, there was an increment. Was that due to the confirmation?

it could be the yearly merit increment

after graduating from NIE, you should be on the geo2(trained) scale and that will give you an increment after NIE. one year on, you'll get a merit increment. after promotion to GEO 3 you will get a promotion increment as well

How much? Increase from how much to how much?

Being a teacher is good, you get increments yearly and pretty teachers to mingle with.

NUS big balls? graduates are everywhere.

this Asian mentally equating academic qualifications to good jobs is appalling. please don't bring such culture to ang mo countries. l love that shops closes at 5pm and i get to switch off my phone after 6pm

Hi, are contract untrained teachers awaiting entry into NIE eligible for the July mid year bonus?

contract teachers have mid year and end year bonus. no performance bonus or $500 SEP in september

May I check with current secondary school teachers. Is it normal to reach school by 7am and leave by 5-530pm. I understand that there is a rule - school dependent - where teachers are officially allowed to leave by 230pm or something.

If you were to leave before 5pm, say 440pm. Isit considered a blacklistable offence?

Yes many Sec sch Teachers reach sch at 7am. Some reach at 7.10am also ok. Can leave school at 12 plus or 1 plus, if you have no lessons. The exact timing is school dependent. My close Colleagues and I leave school at 1pm once a week as we stay past 4.30pm on most other days due to CCA, meetings and committee work.

It is important to leave early (1 plus pm) at least once per week to keep your spirits up and recharge. Usually no one will say anything if you are at least the responsible type of teacher.

Woah 1pm - that's really early. Is this generally okay in most schools? Haha, or is your principal a really nice principal :)

I think different schools have different cultures. The Teachers in my school leave at 5 to 5.30 on average.

Teaching in specialised schools
 

Hi,

Anyone has any idea how is teaching in specialised schools (eg. SOTA, Sports School) like?
How is the workload like as compared to teaching in mainstream schools?

TIA!