Guide · updated 2026-10-16
Teacher salaries abroad: where to find real figures and how to compare offers
There is no public salary table for international schools, so most figures you see are recruiter claims. Use published pay scales as a home benchmark, ask each school for written package details, and check tax residence on GOV.UK.
Search for teaching abroad salary and you will find round-number averages with no stated source. International schools set their own pay, and they are not obliged to publish it, so no single official table covers the sector. This guide does not give you a salary figure for any country because we could not source one we trust.
What we can do is show you which published numbers exist, what they can and cannot tell you, and how to line up two offers on a like-for-like basis so the comparison is yours rather than a recruiter's.
What is actually published
The clearest public pay data is the home-country benchmark. The Department for Education's School teachers' pay and conditions document, valid from 1 September 2025, gives the England main pay range for qualified teachers as 32,916 to 45,352 pounds a year outside London, with higher figures for the London zones. Its upper pay range outside London runs from 47,472 to 51,048 pounds. These are statutory ranges for maintained schools in England, so they are a benchmark for what you earn now, not a prediction of what you will earn abroad.
On the demand side, ISC Research data reported by ICEF Monitor in February 2026 counts 15,075 international schools enrolling 7.7 million students and employing 730,000 staff. That tells you the sector is large. The article gives no teacher salary or turnover figures.
What regulators publish and do not
Regulators tend to publish who can teach, not what teachers are paid. KHDA's guide for appointing teaching staff in Dubai private schools covers qualifications, checks, notice and conduct rules. Its contents list has no section on pay. If you want to know what a Dubai school pays, the school has to tell you in its offer.
The same applies to inspection reports. The DfE's BSO reports tell you about education quality and staffing checks, not pay, so they help you judge the school but not the package.
Treat recruiter averages as marketing until sourced
A guide on a recruiter's website is written by a business that earns when you apply. That does not make the figures wrong, but it does mean you should look for a stated source and date. If an average has neither, ask the publisher where it came from before you use it.
The same caution applies to tax-free claims. Rules change, so check a figure's date and read it against the current position of the country's own authority.
Comparing two offers line by line
Put each offer into the same list so nothing is missed: base salary and currency, who pays for housing or what allowance is given, flights home and how often, tuition for any children, health insurance, end-of-service payments, contract length and what happens if you leave early. Ask for each in writing and in the same units.
Then compare what you could realistically save, not the headline pay. Rent in the city, school fees and the cost of visiting home may matter more than a salary difference between two offers.
Tax: check your UK residence status
GOV.UK says UK residence for tax is decided by the statutory residence test, and that you are resident only if you meet at least one UK test and none of the automatic overseas tests. One overseas test is working full-time abroad, averaging at least 35 hours a week, with fewer than 91 days in the UK and no more than 30 of those days involving work. Another is spending fewer than 16 days in the UK.
GOV.UK also says you will not get split-year treatment if you live abroad for less than a full tax year before returning. Use the HMRC residence status checker or speak to an adviser, since we cannot give tax advice.
Questions teachers ask
Where can I find official teacher salaries abroad?
For international schools there is usually no official table, because schools set their own pay. Regulators such as KHDA publish appointment rules, not pay. Ask each school for a written breakdown and treat unsourced averages cautiously.
What is a fair benchmark for my current UK pay?
The DfE's 2025 pay and conditions document gives the England main pay range as 32,916 to 45,352 pounds outside London, from 1 September 2025. Check the current document for your zone and any newer year.
Will I pay UK tax if I work abroad?
It depends on the statutory residence test. GOV.UK says you may be non-resident if you work abroad full-time and meet its day-count limits. HMRC has a status checker, and an adviser can confirm your position.
What should be in a package comparison?
List salary, housing, flights, tuition for children, health cover, end-of-service payments and contract length. Get each item in writing from every school. Compare estimated savings after living costs, not just headline salary.
Does ISC Research publish salary data?
The ICEF Monitor report on ISC Research's 2026 snapshot gives school, student and staff counts but no salary data. Treat any pay claim attributed to ISC as unverified until you see the source.