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Show Me the Money

© Tracy Bowens

Sometimes the problem isn't finding a job overseas, it's getting paid for the work that you do.

I discovered this myself when I began teaching in a Third World Country. English teachers were desperately needed and with my qualifications (a native English speaker, a degree in English, and a Masters degree) the administration was eager for me to start.

Even though the school year began in September, I was told that I probably wouldn't be paid until January. Since this seemed to be the norm and I had enough money to last until then, I agreed. However, January came and went and there was still no money. On top of that, I was told that my file had been lost, so the whole process to get me into the system would have to start again. When I expressed some slight displeasure about the situation, I was told that even though it would be awhile before I would be paid, the school would give me a loan. Now, I'm slightly allergic to the word "loan" so at the time I didn't take them up on the offer. However, in February my financial situation made my allergy go away. To my alarm, when a co-worker and I did finally ask for a loan, we were told that getting a loan would be a problem because the school was "having financial problems." Finally, we were told that we would not be getting a loan because there was no money. Now, the school year is almost over and I'm still saying, "Show me the money!"

Of course, this situation isn't the norm for people teaching English abroad, but as my situation shows, it can happen. So how can you protect yourself from potential financial ruin? Here are some things that I've learned.

Know the hiring and payment policies of the organization for which you are working. I hadn't originally planned to teach, so I entered the process rather blindly and trusted the word of others. On the other hand, one of my co-workers knew how the process really worked and even though he hadn't received all of his pay at the time this article was written, he did receive some of his salary on time.

Have your papers in order. It's possible that you may be able to speed up the process by having all the papers you need on hand and ready to go. Not having them will definitely slow the process down and may halt it indefinitely.