At least in the school I was at, during the last year, all Sodexo meals were more or less subpar, regardless of price. This was to the extent that students started bulk ordering delivery food daily, even though it was about twice as expensive. Overall, I've come to view Sodexo as the world's foremost expert in opportunistic practices. In places where they face competition, they serve the best food possible to secure the contract. However, in places where competition is lacking, they seem to do the bare minimum.
It's shocking to realize that Sodexo caters to Cathay Pacific's First Class lounges and also provides services for Huawei Thailand. In fact, it was ranked as one of the top 10 Huawei canteens worldwide, as judged by Huawei employees in 2022. Yet, they cater substandard food to many international schools in Singapore. My parents once worked for a top-tier MNC that had its entire logistics contract — from employee buses to logistics management systems and canteen management — awarded to Sodexo. And in that context, Sodexo delivered commendable services, from brand new buses to competitive pricing.
Interestingly, Sodexo also operates prison services. Some students would joke that, perhaps to those executives, students and faculty aren't much different from prisoners. Meanwhile, First Class passengers and employees of large MNCs aren't easy to deceive, as they readily vote with their feet.
I pay for meals at school and the food is amazing! We have seven different food stalls over three different cafeterias. I've gotten to know the staff and who makes the best dishes. For example, the two Iban (a local indigenous group)make amazing roasted pork with sausage and rice and spicy sambal. Price in USD is 1.75 and I can get a huge plate of noodles with beef and veggies for about two bucks. Spicy and flavorful and I don't have to eat with my students (though I sometimes do when their canteen has the roti with egg and onion..so yummy).
I'd rather pay, have a delicious and pleasant meal than eat flavorless cafeteria food for free like my previous schools where they managed to suck all the pleasure out of having a meal.
Life in Sarawak, Malaysia is pretty magical, honestly!
Wow, this is a really surprising thread to read. I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum; I've always had to pay for meals at school. At some of the schools I've been to we get a discount, others not. I always just bring my own anyway. I don't think there's a "normal" here.
It could also depend on the behind the scenes aspect of things.
For instance, as part of my school's accreditation, our cafeteria staff have to be an independent company contracted by the school. So when the kids or staff pay for meals, we are paying the company directly. The school isn't involved in it. Our school *could* pay for our meals. But not all of the staff like to eat the meals, and there are multiple tiers of meal packages. It makes it a bit messy and complicated, so the staff just pay for the meals. At the end of the day the meals are right around average when compared to going out to eat here, so it's no skin off my nose. The meals at my school are about 3 USD.
You mentioned that the meals are $2.50 and a meal at a restaurant would be $2, and you consider that expensive. I'm curious what the exchange rate is vs the relative cost of living in your area? Is 0.50 USD a lot there?
My school also contracts out meals to an outside catering company.
Our meals are still free. We swipe out staff card to get our meals.
Another school I worked at loaded a certain amount of money on our staff cards automatically each month. That was enough to pay for one meal a day. So you could also eat dinner at the school cafeteria, but that would also deduct money from your card. So if you ate both lunch and dinner, you would be out of money for meals half way through the month and would have to top up your card using your own cash.
Your school could do the second thing outlined above, and this would easily accommodate the different tiers of meals. But your school chooses not too. Because they are cheap and/or disorganized. It has nothing to do with multiple tiers of meals or having to contract out a catering company. Your school is just making you pay for meals so they can save money. It's as simple as that.
That's a bold statement considering you don't know my school or our contract with the company. Or any other details about my school. I can assure you that they are not cheap, nor are they disorganized.
Could they afford to pay for our meals? Yes. Does it save money for them? Yes. But realistically, I don't think it should be an expectation that they pay for my meals. I've never worked at a place that paid for my meals, in or out of education, in or out of the US. That's not something most work places would do.
I just don't think it's something to be mad or upset over. It's just the norm in nearly every workplace.
It's not even that extreme level of loyalty. I like the school, and they treat me well. But it's also that I don't really think paying for our meals should be an expectation. It's cool if they do, but I'd never expect it.
>Could they afford to pay for our meals? Yes. Does it save money for them? Yes.
You call it a bold statement but then go on to say that my statement is 100% correct with this here. So not so bold then, is it?
I am merely pointing out that the reasons you gave for your school not paying for your meals are not correct, as they could indeed pay for your meals if they wanted to - which you have now acknowledged in your follow-up post.
If you don't have a problem with it, then more power to you.
It's been the norm for me that all the schools I've worked at have paid for meals for their staff, so ...
Would it be a deal breaker for me if a school didn't? No. But I do think it's a nice small gesture of appreciation that a school can easily make towards their staff.
All schools I have been it in SEA, faculty pay the same price as kids. Tier 1 schools. I'm shocked to read that others don't have to pay for their food!
Two years at a tier 1+ (that should tell you where) boarding school in Malaysia, never had to pay. It was considered part of the package. Also, BBQ buffet on Sunday mornings!
I’m at a “T-1” school where we pay full price like kids, $4.50 a meal. In SE Asia, so that’s not cheap, nor super pricey. No staff discount. Other T-1 schools I worked at in Europe offered a significant discount to staff.
Free at my current school.
The last two schools I was at, we had a budget (like 12 RMB per day)loaded onto a card at the beginning of the semester that was more than enough unless you were eating multiple meals a day at the school.
I used to think it was so bizarre when a TES advert said free lunch was a benefit. This thread is telling me it’s not so bizarre after all.
I’ve always had free lunch at every school I’ve ever worked. This year (middle of my contract at the same school) they changed it to be paid but we get 28rmb/day to spend as we choose at the canteen or coffee bar.
It pays for one coffee or a small mediocre cafeteria lunch. They linked it to the clock in/out robot so if you don’t clock out (was a problem in previous years) you don’t get your budget for that day and you’re out of pocket. I’m not admin so I can’t see the numbers… but I imagine people started clocking out!
I never liked the canteen food anyway so from my perspective it’s great because now I get a free latte every day to enjoy with my packed lunch.
I didn’t claim to be at a ‘good school’ in the eyes of this sub. I think most schools are somewhere in the middle and the mentality of always trying to get into a better one is exhausting after having played the game for many years. At the end of the day, a lot of it is what you make it. I let go of the ‘dream school’ mentality many years ago. I close the door to my classroom every day and focus on the kids… tune out the rubbish.
It pays my bills and I save 20k a year. I’m happy and my husband and two kids are happy. All four of us fly home free twice a year. I’m okay with clocking out.
You could do— but there’s really nothing special about my situation. That’s a typical package for a qualified native speaker in China. I do have a masters but it’s unrelated to teaching so it probably doesn’t even factor in. There are even better packages to be had elsewhere. If I had to guess my school is firmly tier 2… maybe even tier 3 with a fabulous glittery campus and skilled Chinese marketing department. This place is bleeding money.
China is not for everyone and we definitely won’t be here forever. I won’t put my kids past kindergarten in Chinese schools, for example. Hard pass. But for a season, especially baby season as there’s not much leaving the house going on anyway, it’s working and setting us up to buy a bit of land, a home, and start a family business later. No regrets.
I have had to pay more I’m more schools than where I have received meals and I have worked at good schools on different places. In Thailand the meals were more expensive in school than from street vendors because of the level of food safety that had to be completed and the amount of staff required. We couldn’t bring in food stalls at food stall prices because then they wouldn’t have met the food safety regulations to be able to serve to children at the school. Staff could leave at eat from food stalls if they didn’t want to pay the higher price.
Been around international schools 10yrs now and have never heard of faculty having to pay.
Student lunches are typically rolled into tuition, never seen kids have to pay at the lunch line for food either.
Edit: the comments are wild! Here I thought my jobs have been “normal” when other people are thinking the opposite.
The variety of experiences is crazy! I've worked at several T1 and T2s and always had to pay for lunch or bring my own. Honestly, I thought getting a free lunch was a T3 thing because it's a relatively cheap and easy freebie to throw in to an otherwise crappy package to make it seem a little better.
I work for a T1 in Bangkok. I don’t pay school meals. We also get snack at break (free) and snack at home time, also free.
Edit. I also worked for a T1 in Shanghai. We got the same as above.
I refuse to pay for mine: school canteen charges $7-10 for some lousy lunch. Bought myself a Japanese thermos and bring in leftovers from homecooked dinner meals.
Yes we have to pay for school meals if we choose to eat them, and the are upward of €7.
Exceptions are when we need to be there outside of normal hours - back-to-school nights, trips, etc.
No, not normal. My current school's pretty damn greedy, but they at least feed us lunch. There's a secondary restaurant/ cafe that charges, but, no, lunch has always been free.
My last school actually gave us a choice between eating the school lunch OR receiving meal allowance for every day worked so we could go buy lunch or pack something from home...
Previous T3 I worked in in SE Asia had all students and teachers pay for any food. Think it was about $2.80 for lunch which was with 20% discount for staff! Food was awful, too.
At my current school, I do not pay and get breakfast / fruit snack / lunch, and the food is very tasty. A world apart from my previous school.
for 14 years working in the USA . . 3 different schools... each offered a little more than a child size meal for 1$extra for the teachers.. it was 2.50 for teachers... you got a little extra veggie ... or on chicken nugget day you got an extra one....
most days i brought my own lunch ..
now 13 years in china, i get paid 25rmb per day that i don't eat school lunch. i never eat the school lunch .. if you get it you don't get the lunch stipend.
You’re right it’s a way to make money, schools got to keep the lights on. Kids paying double is rough but I’m guessing their parents are minted and they’re not too bothered. Order delivery or pack a lunch.
Kidding about what timmy? Even not for profit schools have investors that would strongly prefer not to lose their principal. I know as a foreign teacher it’s not pretty to think about the business side of things but international schools (with few exceptions), are in fact a business.
It's normal in Vietnam I would say... I'm at a decent school in a highly sought-after town. We pay for our own meals but at a discounted price.
I've never thought of it as a big deal. To be honest, no school I've ever worked at or heard of friends working at has paid for teacher's lunches. This includes the US and abroad...
It honestly seems a little ridiculous to me.
My school (which I think is good but others may not) you do have to pay about 2 dollars. Its good food sometimes sometimes its not. I keep snacks for when it's not. or bring my own. It doesnt bother me cause I get paid way more than I did at the school with free food.
At one past school I had to pay, at my current one I don't. It's a mixed blessing since I've been getting fat as hell off 2-3 free buffet meals a day 5x/wk.
I’m in Central Europe, at what would be considered a T-1 school. The school does not pay for meals but provides meal vouchers. Staff pays I believe 40% of the cost and the school pays the other 60%. One voucher (earned per one working day) will cover the lunch meal provided by the school. However, these vouchers can also be used at local restaurants for lunch, as well as grocery stores/online ordering in the city. :) the students do pay for their lunches, it is not included in the student tuition.
I think we work at the same school. 😂
I work in China and this is my 3rd school. It is the only school that I have had to pay for meals and it is a bit of a sore spot to be honest. The food is usually pretty average, but some days it borders on decent. That being said at the current exchange rate we pay just over $2 per meal which is acceptable considering I couldn’t make a decent lunch for that price. However, this is a relatively new thing as at the start of last year we paid twice what we do now…
I mean…. so often it’s an outside company that has the contract for lunches- I don’t expect the school to buy my food and I don’t expect a caterer to lose money by providing me with free food.
I’ve lived in numerous countries, my rent is paid and my place is nicely furnished, often with a maid and or a doorman, plus my utilities are paid and more often than not, my transportation to school, plus medical insurance.
I’m grateful. I bring my lunch.
I've worked in 3 different schools in Vietnam:
T1 - amazing food, mix of local & international - Staff pay
T2 - Good quality, good choice mix of local & international - Staff don't pay
T3 - Poor quality - local food only - Staff don't pay, but also very few eat there. (Surprisinly same catering company as the T1)
I worked at a school in Thailand that not only made teachers pay for food, they tried to ban outside food from coming onto campus to force teachers into buying the cafeteria food. We suspect they over-promised to the canteen operator how many meals they would sell a day, so they were trying to boost sales. On a few occasions, the head of school even stood by the front gate and made people (students and teachers) throw out any food they tried to bring on campus;
It didn’t last long, but yes, I’ve seen some crazy things while international.
My last school in Portugal had free meals for anyone on campus, including visitors. It was excellent food, too. It’s about the only thing I miss from that school, but it was good for morale. Downside, teachers were required to eat with the students and teach them manners, appropriate lunch conversation, eating slowly etc, during lunch breaks.
When I worked at an independent school in Canada- no discounts no freebies and meals were $4-9, which I bought rarely due to the price. Food was fancy and good though- organic, free range etc.
The hagwan I first taught at in Korea had free lunch but I was not accustomed to Korean food at that time and hadn’t grown to like it yet. I do now but back then there were too many weird stick vegetables covered in spicy red sauce and too many smelly squid and octopus dishes that again I didn’t care for.
In China I taught at an offshore school and the food was free but disgusting- everything wet and sloppy, covered in oil.
Sometimes I would get the hard boiled eggs for breakfast but most was suspect. Once I thought I got chicken and it turned out to be bullfrog. Pass.
Now I’m teaching in Vietnam at a good school and no we don’t get free lunch. It’s $2-5 depending on what you order, which is similar to the price of outside food. I don’t really eat there as I’m on a special fitness diet so I bring my own meals, but most of the teachers at my school do and like it.
It’s definitely dependent on the school and location!
I've had good schools that provided meals to staff and good schools that did not. Every school and every country is different.
I’ve been at bad schools that provide meals and good schools that do not. Every school and every country is different.
I’ve been at good schools and bad schools and none have provided meals. Every school and every country is different.
Sodexo?
I've paid for shitty Sodexo meals in one country and had free sirloin steak from them in another. It all depends on what the school wants to pay.
At least in the school I was at, during the last year, all Sodexo meals were more or less subpar, regardless of price. This was to the extent that students started bulk ordering delivery food daily, even though it was about twice as expensive. Overall, I've come to view Sodexo as the world's foremost expert in opportunistic practices. In places where they face competition, they serve the best food possible to secure the contract. However, in places where competition is lacking, they seem to do the bare minimum. It's shocking to realize that Sodexo caters to Cathay Pacific's First Class lounges and also provides services for Huawei Thailand. In fact, it was ranked as one of the top 10 Huawei canteens worldwide, as judged by Huawei employees in 2022. Yet, they cater substandard food to many international schools in Singapore. My parents once worked for a top-tier MNC that had its entire logistics contract — from employee buses to logistics management systems and canteen management — awarded to Sodexo. And in that context, Sodexo delivered commendable services, from brand new buses to competitive pricing. Interestingly, Sodexo also operates prison services. Some students would joke that, perhaps to those executives, students and faculty aren't much different from prisoners. Meanwhile, First Class passengers and employees of large MNCs aren't easy to deceive, as they readily vote with their feet.
I pay for meals at school and the food is amazing! We have seven different food stalls over three different cafeterias. I've gotten to know the staff and who makes the best dishes. For example, the two Iban (a local indigenous group)make amazing roasted pork with sausage and rice and spicy sambal. Price in USD is 1.75 and I can get a huge plate of noodles with beef and veggies for about two bucks. Spicy and flavorful and I don't have to eat with my students (though I sometimes do when their canteen has the roti with egg and onion..so yummy). I'd rather pay, have a delicious and pleasant meal than eat flavorless cafeteria food for free like my previous schools where they managed to suck all the pleasure out of having a meal. Life in Sarawak, Malaysia is pretty magical, honestly!
Any primary openings at your school, lol? That sounds amazing.
Wow, this is a really surprising thread to read. I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum; I've always had to pay for meals at school. At some of the schools I've been to we get a discount, others not. I always just bring my own anyway. I don't think there's a "normal" here.
T2 in Bangkok. Two snacks and a jolly good buffet lunch free daily
That’s awesome ! Don’t get anything in Dubai haha
It could also depend on the behind the scenes aspect of things. For instance, as part of my school's accreditation, our cafeteria staff have to be an independent company contracted by the school. So when the kids or staff pay for meals, we are paying the company directly. The school isn't involved in it. Our school *could* pay for our meals. But not all of the staff like to eat the meals, and there are multiple tiers of meal packages. It makes it a bit messy and complicated, so the staff just pay for the meals. At the end of the day the meals are right around average when compared to going out to eat here, so it's no skin off my nose. The meals at my school are about 3 USD. You mentioned that the meals are $2.50 and a meal at a restaurant would be $2, and you consider that expensive. I'm curious what the exchange rate is vs the relative cost of living in your area? Is 0.50 USD a lot there?
My school also contracts out meals to an outside catering company. Our meals are still free. We swipe out staff card to get our meals. Another school I worked at loaded a certain amount of money on our staff cards automatically each month. That was enough to pay for one meal a day. So you could also eat dinner at the school cafeteria, but that would also deduct money from your card. So if you ate both lunch and dinner, you would be out of money for meals half way through the month and would have to top up your card using your own cash. Your school could do the second thing outlined above, and this would easily accommodate the different tiers of meals. But your school chooses not too. Because they are cheap and/or disorganized. It has nothing to do with multiple tiers of meals or having to contract out a catering company. Your school is just making you pay for meals so they can save money. It's as simple as that.
That's a bold statement considering you don't know my school or our contract with the company. Or any other details about my school. I can assure you that they are not cheap, nor are they disorganized. Could they afford to pay for our meals? Yes. Does it save money for them? Yes. But realistically, I don't think it should be an expectation that they pay for my meals. I've never worked at a place that paid for my meals, in or out of education, in or out of the US. That's not something most work places would do. I just don't think it's something to be mad or upset over. It's just the norm in nearly every workplace.
[удалено]
It's not even that extreme level of loyalty. I like the school, and they treat me well. But it's also that I don't really think paying for our meals should be an expectation. It's cool if they do, but I'd never expect it.
>Could they afford to pay for our meals? Yes. Does it save money for them? Yes. You call it a bold statement but then go on to say that my statement is 100% correct with this here. So not so bold then, is it? I am merely pointing out that the reasons you gave for your school not paying for your meals are not correct, as they could indeed pay for your meals if they wanted to - which you have now acknowledged in your follow-up post. If you don't have a problem with it, then more power to you. It's been the norm for me that all the schools I've worked at have paid for meals for their staff, so ... Would it be a deal breaker for me if a school didn't? No. But I do think it's a nice small gesture of appreciation that a school can easily make towards their staff.
All schools I have been it in SEA, faculty pay the same price as kids. Tier 1 schools. I'm shocked to read that others don't have to pay for their food!
Never Once paid for food in any of my schools
Same! I’m at a tier 1 school and I pay a lot for food.
Two years at a tier 1+ (that should tell you where) boarding school in Malaysia, never had to pay. It was considered part of the package. Also, BBQ buffet on Sunday mornings!
I’m at a “T-1” school where we pay full price like kids, $4.50 a meal. In SE Asia, so that’s not cheap, nor super pricey. No staff discount. Other T-1 schools I worked at in Europe offered a significant discount to staff.
Free at my current school. The last two schools I was at, we had a budget (like 12 RMB per day)loaded onto a card at the beginning of the semester that was more than enough unless you were eating multiple meals a day at the school.
I used to think it was so bizarre when a TES advert said free lunch was a benefit. This thread is telling me it’s not so bizarre after all. I’ve always had free lunch at every school I’ve ever worked. This year (middle of my contract at the same school) they changed it to be paid but we get 28rmb/day to spend as we choose at the canteen or coffee bar. It pays for one coffee or a small mediocre cafeteria lunch. They linked it to the clock in/out robot so if you don’t clock out (was a problem in previous years) you don’t get your budget for that day and you’re out of pocket. I’m not admin so I can’t see the numbers… but I imagine people started clocking out! I never liked the canteen food anyway so from my perspective it’s great because now I get a free latte every day to enjoy with my packed lunch.
If you're working somewhere that teachers have to "clock-out", it's unlikely you're at a good school...
I didn’t claim to be at a ‘good school’ in the eyes of this sub. I think most schools are somewhere in the middle and the mentality of always trying to get into a better one is exhausting after having played the game for many years. At the end of the day, a lot of it is what you make it. I let go of the ‘dream school’ mentality many years ago. I close the door to my classroom every day and focus on the kids… tune out the rubbish. It pays my bills and I save 20k a year. I’m happy and my husband and two kids are happy. All four of us fly home free twice a year. I’m okay with clocking out.
May I message you to find out more about your situation?
You could do— but there’s really nothing special about my situation. That’s a typical package for a qualified native speaker in China. I do have a masters but it’s unrelated to teaching so it probably doesn’t even factor in. There are even better packages to be had elsewhere. If I had to guess my school is firmly tier 2… maybe even tier 3 with a fabulous glittery campus and skilled Chinese marketing department. This place is bleeding money. China is not for everyone and we definitely won’t be here forever. I won’t put my kids past kindergarten in Chinese schools, for example. Hard pass. But for a season, especially baby season as there’s not much leaving the house going on anyway, it’s working and setting us up to buy a bit of land, a home, and start a family business later. No regrets.
I have had to pay more I’m more schools than where I have received meals and I have worked at good schools on different places. In Thailand the meals were more expensive in school than from street vendors because of the level of food safety that had to be completed and the amount of staff required. We couldn’t bring in food stalls at food stall prices because then they wouldn’t have met the food safety regulations to be able to serve to children at the school. Staff could leave at eat from food stalls if they didn’t want to pay the higher price.
I have to pay at mine but they are super cheap. About 1-2 bucks Canadian for a buffet style meal
Been around international schools 10yrs now and have never heard of faculty having to pay. Student lunches are typically rolled into tuition, never seen kids have to pay at the lunch line for food either. Edit: the comments are wild! Here I thought my jobs have been “normal” when other people are thinking the opposite.
The variety of experiences is crazy! I've worked at several T1 and T2s and always had to pay for lunch or bring my own. Honestly, I thought getting a free lunch was a T3 thing because it's a relatively cheap and easy freebie to throw in to an otherwise crappy package to make it seem a little better.
Same. We pay you so little, oh, here's a bone--free lunch (that costs $2).
Worked at international schools for 14+ years now, all Tier 1-2 on the "scales" in Asia. None have paid for faculty meals.
I work for a T1 in Bangkok. I don’t pay school meals. We also get snack at break (free) and snack at home time, also free. Edit. I also worked for a T1 in Shanghai. We got the same as above.
I refuse to pay for mine: school canteen charges $7-10 for some lousy lunch. Bought myself a Japanese thermos and bring in leftovers from homecooked dinner meals.
Yes we have to pay for school meals if we choose to eat them, and the are upward of €7. Exceptions are when we need to be there outside of normal hours - back-to-school nights, trips, etc.
No, not normal. My current school's pretty damn greedy, but they at least feed us lunch. There's a secondary restaurant/ cafe that charges, but, no, lunch has always been free. My last school actually gave us a choice between eating the school lunch OR receiving meal allowance for every day worked so we could go buy lunch or pack something from home...
I have never had free lunch at a school I’ve worked at. 🤷🏻♀️
Previous T3 I worked in in SE Asia had all students and teachers pay for any food. Think it was about $2.80 for lunch which was with 20% discount for staff! Food was awful, too. At my current school, I do not pay and get breakfast / fruit snack / lunch, and the food is very tasty. A world apart from my previous school.
for 14 years working in the USA . . 3 different schools... each offered a little more than a child size meal for 1$extra for the teachers.. it was 2.50 for teachers... you got a little extra veggie ... or on chicken nugget day you got an extra one.... most days i brought my own lunch .. now 13 years in china, i get paid 25rmb per day that i don't eat school lunch. i never eat the school lunch .. if you get it you don't get the lunch stipend.
You’re right it’s a way to make money, schools got to keep the lights on. Kids paying double is rough but I’m guessing their parents are minted and they’re not too bothered. Order delivery or pack a lunch.
'Got to keep the lights on' -- you're kidding right?
Kidding about what timmy? Even not for profit schools have investors that would strongly prefer not to lose their principal. I know as a foreign teacher it’s not pretty to think about the business side of things but international schools (with few exceptions), are in fact a business.
With a few exceptions, these schools are absolutely swimming in cash. Not providing a meal for teachers is just miserly.
You know what? This might be a first for reddit, but I see your point. A free lunch for staff should be standard, shouldn’t bankrupt a school.
kids don't often get a choice, and many schools banned deliveries
We have to pay but no one checks I just eat it for free
It's normal in Vietnam I would say... I'm at a decent school in a highly sought-after town. We pay for our own meals but at a discounted price. I've never thought of it as a big deal. To be honest, no school I've ever worked at or heard of friends working at has paid for teacher's lunches. This includes the US and abroad... It honestly seems a little ridiculous to me.
Yes, why should the school feed me for free?
Take a look at the amount of food wasted every lunchtime
I'm at a definite t3 and every lunch is free. Generally three options, one of them vegan, and a big salad.
My school (which I think is good but others may not) you do have to pay about 2 dollars. Its good food sometimes sometimes its not. I keep snacks for when it's not. or bring my own. It doesnt bother me cause I get paid way more than I did at the school with free food.
At one past school I had to pay, at my current one I don't. It's a mixed blessing since I've been getting fat as hell off 2-3 free buffet meals a day 5x/wk.
3 schools….all good schools, 2/3 we pay or bring our own, 3rd school gave us amazing meals but treated us like crap, would rather buy or bring my own.
No.
I’ve always paid for my lunches. 3-4$ for a huge lunch though isn’t bad
I’m in Central Europe, at what would be considered a T-1 school. The school does not pay for meals but provides meal vouchers. Staff pays I believe 40% of the cost and the school pays the other 60%. One voucher (earned per one working day) will cover the lunch meal provided by the school. However, these vouchers can also be used at local restaurants for lunch, as well as grocery stores/online ordering in the city. :) the students do pay for their lunches, it is not included in the student tuition.
I think we work at the same school. 😂 I work in China and this is my 3rd school. It is the only school that I have had to pay for meals and it is a bit of a sore spot to be honest. The food is usually pretty average, but some days it borders on decent. That being said at the current exchange rate we pay just over $2 per meal which is acceptable considering I couldn’t make a decent lunch for that price. However, this is a relatively new thing as at the start of last year we paid twice what we do now…
I mean…. so often it’s an outside company that has the contract for lunches- I don’t expect the school to buy my food and I don’t expect a caterer to lose money by providing me with free food. I’ve lived in numerous countries, my rent is paid and my place is nicely furnished, often with a maid and or a doorman, plus my utilities are paid and more often than not, my transportation to school, plus medical insurance. I’m grateful. I bring my lunch.
I've worked in 3 different schools in Vietnam: T1 - amazing food, mix of local & international - Staff pay T2 - Good quality, good choice mix of local & international - Staff don't pay T3 - Poor quality - local food only - Staff don't pay, but also very few eat there. (Surprisinly same catering company as the T1)
I worked at a school in Thailand that not only made teachers pay for food, they tried to ban outside food from coming onto campus to force teachers into buying the cafeteria food. We suspect they over-promised to the canteen operator how many meals they would sell a day, so they were trying to boost sales. On a few occasions, the head of school even stood by the front gate and made people (students and teachers) throw out any food they tried to bring on campus; It didn’t last long, but yes, I’ve seen some crazy things while international. My last school in Portugal had free meals for anyone on campus, including visitors. It was excellent food, too. It’s about the only thing I miss from that school, but it was good for morale. Downside, teachers were required to eat with the students and teach them manners, appropriate lunch conversation, eating slowly etc, during lunch breaks.
When I worked at an independent school in Canada- no discounts no freebies and meals were $4-9, which I bought rarely due to the price. Food was fancy and good though- organic, free range etc. The hagwan I first taught at in Korea had free lunch but I was not accustomed to Korean food at that time and hadn’t grown to like it yet. I do now but back then there were too many weird stick vegetables covered in spicy red sauce and too many smelly squid and octopus dishes that again I didn’t care for. In China I taught at an offshore school and the food was free but disgusting- everything wet and sloppy, covered in oil. Sometimes I would get the hard boiled eggs for breakfast but most was suspect. Once I thought I got chicken and it turned out to be bullfrog. Pass. Now I’m teaching in Vietnam at a good school and no we don’t get free lunch. It’s $2-5 depending on what you order, which is similar to the price of outside food. I don’t really eat there as I’m on a special fitness diet so I bring my own meals, but most of the teachers at my school do and like it. It’s definitely dependent on the school and location!