Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by justsharing

male singaporean, 28years old.
about 3.5 years in the teaching profession.
direct NIE intake after A levels. obtained a 2nd class upper. now earning 5090 (after the recent 4% increment). average performer.
i expect future increments/promotions to be of a slower rate, but i'm very much satisfied with what i'm earning

if you have a passion for teaching, join us! you wont get filthy rich like the bankers and lawyers, but you'll definitely get to build a comfortable life. i find it meaningful and fulfilling to be able to reach out to students and try to make a (positive) difference in their lives. cheers!

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?


I

Originally Posted by justsharing

male singaporean, 28years old.
about 3.5 years in the teaching profession.
direct NIE intake after A levels. obtained a 2nd class upper. now earning 5090 (after the recent 4% increment). average performer.
i expect future increments/promotions to be of a slower rate, but i'm very much satisfied with what i'm earning

if you have a passion for teaching, join us! you wont get filthy rich like the bankers and lawyers, but you'll definitely get to build a comfortable life. i find it meaningful and fulfilling to be able to reach out to students and try to make a (positive) difference in their lives. cheers!

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.

[jjason]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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.

Originally Posted by jjason

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.

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?



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

Originally Posted by justsharing

male singaporean, 28years old.
about 3.5 years in the teaching profession.
direct NIE intake after A levels. obtained a 2nd class upper. now earning 5090 (after the recent 4% increment). average performer.
i expect future increments/promotions to be of a slower rate, but i'm very much satisfied with what i'm earning

if you have a passion for teaching, join us! you wont get filthy rich like the bankers and lawyers, but you'll definitely get to build a comfortable life. i find it meaningful and fulfilling to be able to reach out to students and try to make a (positive) difference in their lives. cheers!

May I ask what subject and level are you teaching?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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?


I

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.

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

[jjason]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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?



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

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.

[jjason]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

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?

I

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.

Originally Posted by justsharing

male singaporean, 28years old.
about 3.5 years in the teaching profession.
direct NIE intake after A levels. obtained a 2nd class upper. now earning 5090 (after the recent 4% increment). average performer.
i expect future increments/promotions to be of a slower rate, but i'm very much satisfied with what i'm earning

if you have a passion for teaching, join us! you wont get filthy rich like the bankers and lawyers, but you'll definitely get to build a comfortable life. i find it meaningful and fulfilling to be able to reach out to students and try to make a (positive) difference in their lives. cheers!

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