There are two references above to DODDS (Department of Defense Dependant Schools). If no one had mentioned it yet, I was about to. The system operates elementary, middle, and high schools for dependent children of American military personnel on bases all over the world, outside the US.

My brother and sister-in-law teach in the DODDS system. It's a pretty sweet deal, but I don't think job openings come up too often. It's worth looking into, just in case you can find an opportunity.

Pay is determined by averaging the going rate at the five highest-paying school districts in the US. Also ~ and very importantly ~ housing is provided as an additional "benefit" (i.e., teachers do not pay rent or mortgage out of their paychecks.) You can live in military housing on base if you wish, but you can find a place in the local community and Uncle Sam will pay the rent ~ or the mortgage! That's right, the government will buy you equity in real property in some foreign country, and when you transfer or retire, you can sell your house and keep the proceeds.

I know that the days and months for which classroom time is not scheduled do not necessarily means that teachers "work less" than the rest of us. Moreso than students, teachers have to do a lot of "homework"; that is, they have to put in many hours of preparation, bureaucratic paperwork, etc.,. in addition to the time spent "on duty" in the classroom.

However, it cannot be denied that teachers have more flexible work schedules than the average 9-to-5er. When school shuts down for the summer, or for a two-week hiatus, teachers are free to travel ~ and DODDS teachers are especially well-positioned to do so. My brother and his wife have spent Thanksgiving weekend touring Turkey rather than eating turkey, they've spent Christmases with the Vienna Boys' Choir, etc. (It's worth noting that the DODDS schools observe US holidays ~ obviously ~ which means that some of the days-off are normal workdays in the area where a given base resides.)

The bureaucracy is undoubtedly as bad, or nearly so, as that found at any stateside school, but the kids are generally better behaved, since their entire environment always involves a degree of discipline. They don't know anything different, and are therefore relatively manageable in comparison to their stateside/civilian peers.

It's also worth noting that DODDS teachers, as civilian employees of the military, have the same educational opportunities as military personnel, including a full selection of correspondence-type university courses. My brother essentially married into the system: he had only one year of college credit when they got married. As his wife's "dependent," he was able to take courses, fairly quickly qualifying to student-teach and then to become a full-fledged teacher, and now has both bachelor's and master's degrees.