NoVa teacher with offers to teach abroad in Asia, Middle East, and Europe. WWYD?

[Anonymous]

Long story short, DH has been a foreign language teacher for over 10 years.

Sibling of his got a teaching job (English teacher) in Asia, with a lot of perks I could’ve never imagined:

-Healthcare in and out of country of employment
-yearly flight covered by employer back to their country of choice
-3 bedroom/2bathroom paid for by employer
-low prices for purchasing tech (think of Apple and the likes)
-children study for free at international school but receiving exposure to local culture and language

In USD sibling is bringing after taxes approximately $45K. Can easily save $2000 monthly if living rather frugal but doesn’t have any necessities per se.

Consequently, I asked DH to submit out of curiosity some applications in China, Dubai, Spain, Ireland, and England.

I was shocked to see some interview requests come in a mere 48 hours later (this was summer 2025). Recently, two (different schools in different countries) have asked for a second interview planning for 26-27 year.

Never thought about it but seriously considering the experience of a 2-3 year contract, save money we can’t save here in our American dream lifestyle, and return to drop that money in a house we could never afford at this rate.

Am I crazy or delusional?

[Anonymous]

Delusional

People talk a big game with plans to live frugally, but it rarely works that way and the big savings never materialize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Delusional

People talk a big game with plans to live frugally, but it rarely works that way and the big savings never materialize.

You think it’s delusional to someone to think they can save money with schooling and housing expenses paid for?

[Anonymous]

Are you young? Do you have your own kids?

Something not factored in is retirement impact. Are you getting/losing credited service for a pension or 401K contributions?

What are the U.S. tax implications?

Are you renting? Will you store your possessions for 3 years?

Will both spouses be able to work? That's often an issue in expat situations.

Make sure the hosting institution is financially stable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you young? Do you have your own kids?

Mid 30s

Something not factored in is retirement impact. Are you getting/losing credited service for a pension or 401K contributions?

[/b]I would assume we do. Frankly speaking, with inflation and big bank going unchecked I think it’s delusional to believe the current 401K is going to mean much in 20-30 years

What are the U.S. tax implications?

[b]None, paying taxes at local country eliminates Uncle Sam’s authority

Are you renting? Will you store your possessions for 3 years?

In America, yes. We will sell everything we ‘own’

Will both spouses be able to work? That's often an issue in expat situations.

Yes, already lining up different options that would be remote and paid in USD so increasing the savings CONSIDERABLY

Make sure the hosting institution is financially stable.

they’ve been in operation for decades and has presence in dozens of countries. It’s baffling tbh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you young? Do you have your own kids?

Mid 30s

Something not factored in is retirement impact. Are you getting/losing credited service for a pension or 401K contributions?

[/b]I would assume we do. Frankly speaking, with inflation and big bank going unchecked I think it’s delusional to believe the current 401K is going to mean much in 20-30 years

What are the U.S. tax implications?

[b]None, paying taxes at local country eliminates Uncle Sam’s authority

Are you renting? Will you store your possessions for 3 years?

In America, yes. We will sell everything we ‘own’

Will both spouses be able to work? That's often an issue in expat situations.

Yes, already lining up different options that would be remote and paid in USD so increasing the savings CONSIDERABLY

Make sure the hosting institution is financially stable.

they’ve been in operation for decades and has presence in dozens of countries. It’s baffling tbh

Messed up the format. Our kids would study at the same institution for free and still have more perks than ‘local’ students due to DH employment. Plus, imagine the immediate impact in terms of marketplace competition when they are adults and they have Chinese mandarin or Arabic as fluent speakers. You just can’t compete against that even if Larla was the class president and captain of the cheerleading team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you young? Do you have your own kids?

Mid 30s

Something not factored in is retirement impact. Are you getting/losing credited service for a pension or 401K contributions?

[/b]I would assume we do. Frankly speaking, with inflation and big bank going unchecked I think it’s delusional to believe the current 401K is going to mean much in 20-30 years

What are the U.S. tax implications?

[b]None, paying taxes at local country eliminates Uncle Sam’s authority

Are you renting? Will you store your possessions for 3 years?

In America, yes. We will sell everything we ‘own’

Will both spouses be able to work? That's often an issue in expat situations.

Yes, already lining up different options that would be remote and paid in USD so increasing the savings CONSIDERABLY

Make sure the hosting institution is financially stable.

they’ve been in operation for decades and has presence in dozens of countries. It’s baffling tbh

Messed up the format. Our kids would study at the same institution for free and still have more perks than ‘local’ students due to DH employment. Plus, imagine the immediate impact in terms of marketplace competition when they are adults and they have Chinese mandarin or Arabic as fluent speakers. You just can’t compete against that even if Larla was the class president and captain of the cheerleading team.

Only if a job even cared about those foreign languages. Many do not.

[Anonymous]

I would never consider totalitarian countries like China or direct-rule kingdoms like Dubai.

I would consider many other countries such as Spain, England, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, or Taiwan.

[Anonymous]

The IRS taxes US citizens on global income.

For many overseas places, but not for every overseas place, a tax treaty means that the US IRS gives credit for foreign taxes that were paid. The specific language in tax treaties also varies widely. One needs to check carefully into what the tax implications are for each country being considered.

[Anonymous]

Another option would be to take a teaching job with the Dept of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).

These are the (civil service) teachers at US military bases. Schools cover grades K-12 most places. Most of those positions are outside the USA. I am not sure of the current location list of where openings might be, but examples of possible locations include Japan, S. Korea, Germany, Spain, UK.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention, DoDEA employees have access to military exchanges (BX) and commissaries while they are working overseas. That can mean a big cost savings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The IRS taxes US citizens on global income.

For many overseas places, but not for every overseas place, a tax treaty means that the US IRS gives credit for foreign taxes that were paid. The specific language in tax treaties also varies widely. One needs to check carefully into what the tax implications are for each country being considered.

This.

The fact that you said this: "What are the U.S. tax implications?

[b]None, paying taxes at local country eliminates Uncle Sam’s authority"

Shows to me you don't understand the tax issues of living abroad as a US citizen. You will still need to file a US tax return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never consider totalitarian countries like China or direct-rule kingdoms like Dubai.

I would consider many other countries such as Spain, England, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, or Taiwan.

Foreigners usually hold a very high status in totalitarian countries while making a pretty penny.

Are your thoughts stemming from a moral high ground or other factors you have not conveyed?

[Anonymous]

"Yes, already lining up different options that would be remote and paid in USD so increasing the savings CONSIDERABLY"

are you sure these options are ok with you living in a foreign country while working remotely? it's not enough to just be able to work remotely. having an employee work in another country can have a lot of tax and legal implications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The IRS taxes US citizens on global income.

For many overseas places, but not for every overseas place, a tax treaty means that the US IRS gives credit for foreign taxes that were paid. The specific language in tax treaties also varies widely. One needs to check carefully into what the tax implications are for each country being considered.

This.

The fact that you said this: "What are the U.S. tax implications?

[b]None, paying taxes at local country eliminates Uncle Sam’s authority"

Shows to me you don't understand the tax issues of living abroad as a US citizen. You will still need to file a US tax return.

Not PP but not understanding the tax issues doesn’t equate to an absolute obligation to do so when you’re paying taxes at a foreign country. Uncle Sam is stubborn. But there are many different loopholes around every single lax. Especially in taxes.