International school contracts: 12 red flags to check before you sign

Most international schools treat staff fairly. The problems teachers do run into nearly always trace back to something that was unclear in the contract. Before you sign, check these points.

Pay

1. Currency and payment location. Is salary paid in local currency, in a hard currency, or split? Who bears the risk if the local currency falls?
2. Tax. Is the quoted salary gross or net? Who handles local tax and social security, and will you also owe tax at home?
3. Salary scale. Is there a published scale with annual increments? Are years of experience and qualifications recognised?

Benefits

4. Housing. Is it provided or an allowance? If it is an allowance, does it match real rents in the area teachers actually live in?
5. Flights. How many flights per year, for whom, and are they booked by the school or reimbursed?
6. Medical insurance. Does it cover dependants, pre-existing conditions and evacuation? Is it local or international cover?
7. Tuition for your children. How many places, what percentage is covered, and are places guaranteed?

Exit terms

8. End-of-contract payment (gratuity). How is it calculated, and is it lost if you leave early?
9. Notice period. How much notice must you give, and by when, to leave at the end of a contract?
10. Early termination. What do you repay if you leave early, and on what terms can the school end the contract?

Legal basics

11. Work permit and visa. Will you be legally employed under the correct visa from day one? Never start work on a tourist visa.
12. Governing law and the full document. Which country’s law applies? Does the contract refer to a staff handbook, and have you seen it?

Before signing

• Ask for the full contract and any documents it refers to.
• Speak to current staff if you can, ideally without leadership present.
• Keep every promise in writing. “We always do that” is not a contract term.

Next: the recruitment timeline and what a typical package includes.