Singaporean Teachers Help!?

Question

hello all. before i ask my question i want to make something clear so that i am not misunderstood by anyone: i enjoy teaching. i think that it is wonderful and i am very passionate about it. there is no feeling like that of wonder and understanding when a student finally gets it. i'm currently an undergrad and i'm planning to make teaching career in the future.

but i'm also a practical person and money really is important esp in singapore where costs seem to be rising every second. (eg GST hike from 5% to 7%) what i like to ask is this: does the salary for teachers increase every year? if so what is the rate of this increase? and in your unbiased opinion, is the pay scheme fair? the moe webbie doesnt tell me anything about pay increment and i would really like to know.

i hope that i dont come across as someone who thinks about money all the time. practicality is the driving force of this question and i would really appreciate it if you guys can help me out.

thanks all!

Answer 1

Teaching as a career is rewarding, In Singapore, it helps that teachers are relatively well paid.
How much you are paid depends on your substantive grade and not on your appointment. Each substantive grade has a fixed increment point and a salary cap. If you are not promoted to the next substantive grade after a number of years, your salary may be capped and will stay stagnate until your next promotion or if they adjust the pay scale.
If you are a university graduate, you will first be emplaced on GEO 1. Say for instance, the increment point for GEO 1 is $160 and the salary cap is $3400. If your starting pay is $2600, your pay will increase by $160 every year until the sixth year where you will hit the salary cap of $3400. Your salary will stay the same from the seventh year onwards.
However, it is rare that one doesn't get promoted beyond the first GEO 1 grade. Within GEO 1, there are three subgrades GEO 1A1, GEO 1A2 and GEO 1A3, each with its own increment point and salary cap. So unless you really '**** up', you should be able to survive in Singapore with a relatively good salary.

Answer 2

Dude, don't count on any pay increment to help you absorb any 7% GST s^hit man! After having slogged 5 1/2 years in the education field, I realised that every cent of increment meant working 3 cents of extra work. So if the press ever trumpets about increase in teachers' wages, that means we are gonna work our butts off even more!

And truthfully, if money matters to you, teaching really isn't your calling. I'm forewarning you before you sign your name foolishly on the dotted line. You will somehow end up paying out of your own pockets for your students' assessment books, needy students donation, class prizes, school building fund donations, games and prizes etc.

And after working for so long, my salary had only increased by a couple of hundred dollars. My non-teaching friends are living the high life and jetsetting round the world. Now...why are I not surprised to see teachers wearing the same blouse every week...hmmm.

You can moonlight as a tutor, but honestly, the commitment level of a Singaporean teacher's too high. You clock in 9 to 10 hours a day, but the marking, meetings, CCA, remedials, setting of worksheets and testpapers and admin s*hit work will imply you'll bring work home to do.

To cut the story short, we don't have a high turnover rate of teachers for nothing!

Answer 3

I'll can tell you, in Singapore the teaching professions are consider among the best pay compared to other professions in the civil service. Every year, there is a revision of the salary, so don't worry about the cost of living. Just make and do yourself a sincere service to the nation, that all.

Answer 4

sorry I cannot