ITP - 106: What Schools Don’t Tell You About Salaries (And How to Find Out)

JP:
Welcome to the International Teacher Podcast with your host Matt the Family Guy, Kent the Cat Guy, Jacqueline from JP Mint, and Greg the Single Guy, bringing you episodes from around the world about the best-kept secret in education.

Kent:
You got it. International teaching.

JP:
Welcome to the show.

JP:
Well, welcome to the International Teacher Podcast. I’m here with Kent the Cat Guy. Hi, Kent.

Kent:
Hi JP Mint, good to see you again.

JP:
And Greg is away, but we have this fantastic guest who is an alumni of ITP. If you go back to episode 25, you will hear Greg interview Tony Deprato. Tony, have I pronounced your last name correctly?

Tony:
Deprato. It’s totally fine. I lived abroad too long to worry about it. My family says Depredo, but we’re Italians from Kentucky, so I don’t think we’re an authority.

JP:
Welcome to ITP again. Thanks for coming.

Tony:
You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

Kent:
Welcome back, Tony. Great to have you.

JP:
Tony, I have to admit, when I saw you were coming on the show, I fangirled a little bit. I’ve been following you for about three years on LinkedIn.

It’s all about job postings. Sometimes it’s in the US, sometimes overseas. Whenever I see you post, I click on it and think, what am I going to get today?

Can you tell us how you got into LinkedIn and give us your elevator pitch?

Tony:
Sure. I wouldn’t call it an elevator pitch because every week I ask myself if I should stop doing the newsletter.

I’m a technology professional. Right now I’m building another Substack focused on helping schools free up their data.

If you have systems like PowerSchool, eventually you grow to hate them. I’m helping people extract and use their data more effectively.

I’m also mixing in AI tools. Used well, AI can reduce workload dramatically. One person can do the job of four.

During the pandemic, I helped people find jobs. I’m a natural networker with long-term relationships, so I thought I’d put it online.

I started on Substack because it’s free. I planned to shut it down after COVID, but the more ridiculous the content got, the more people subscribed.

Now I get new subscribers every day. If I go five days without one, I’ll shut it down, but that hasn’t happened.

Kent:
Don’t shut it down before recruitment season ends.

Tony:
Recruitment is year-round now, but it slows around May when HR goes on holiday.

I use tools to track school websites and updates. I’ve indexed about 1,300 pages to pull job data from.

Now I collect data daily and compile it in about an hour.

If something looks suspicious, I investigate. If it’s dodgy, I don’t include it.

JP:
That’s what makes your newsletter feel vetted.

Tony:
I try to be transparent about what I know. I also separate recruiter content.

I don’t use ads. I used to accept donations, but changes in US payment rules pushed me to subscriptions.

Now it’s $8 a month, cancel anytime.

Kent:
For listeners, Substack is a platform where you publish writing and people can subscribe.

Tony:
Exactly. No ads, no affiliate links. Most of the money goes to the creator.

Kent:
So it’s direct support.

Tony:
Yes. I also have a second Substack with code resources. It’s more technical and time-intensive.

There are many ways to do things in tech, so I have to be careful with what I publish.

People argue endlessly about things like tabs versus no tabs in code.

Kent:
I was a fan of Tab in the 80s, but that was a different Tab.

JP:
Tell us about your international background.

Tony:
I went overseas in 2002 and didn’t return until 2019.

I started in Japan, working multiple jobs and studying Japanese. When my visa expired, I was deciding whether to stay when a job in Dubai came up.

I moved to Dubai in 2005 to build a tech program at Dubai American Academy and stayed eight years.

Then I went to China for four years, Korea for two years, and then back to the US.

Kent:
Were the roles similar?

Tony:
Yes, mostly tech leadership. The last two were boarding schools, which were more demanding.

Kent:
Did you have boarding duties?

Tony:
Yes. In Korea, everyone had duties. I ran tutoring programs and did weekend supervision. Sometimes I took students on trips.

JP:
That was Jeju.

Tony:
Yes.

Kent:
Why return to the US?

Tony:
Family and logistics. Travel from Jeju was difficult, and we wanted our child closer to family.

We also wanted strong early English language development. Now we have three kids.

JP:
Where are you now?

Tony:
Mississippi.

Kent:
I thought that was in Tennessee.

Tony:
My wife is from Winnipeg, and our kids are dual citizens.

Kent:
They can keep both passports?

Tony:
Yes.

JP:
Did you keep up your Japanese?

Tony:
Not as much as I’d like. I try to practice, but I’ve forgotten a lot.

I’ve visited Japan regularly and plan to take my son there when he’s eight.

Kent:
Try Duolingo.

Tony:
I might.

JP:
Tell us about your new project.

Tony:
I’ve launched a salary survey.

In IT, salary surveys are powerful tools. I first used one in China to advocate for underpaid staff.

Using external data, I showed HR that salaries were below market, and they adjusted them.

Since then, I’ve used salary data to negotiate contracts.

We need more transparency. Many teachers don’t know their net income or savings.

That’s a problem.

Tony:
I’ve also spoken to people earning less than they did 20 years ago while living in more expensive places.

There are misconceptions about lifestyle and savings. I want to give people better tools.

JP:
You help people negotiate.

Tony:
Yes. If a subscription costs $50, I can probably help you get $1,000 more. But many people don’t ask.

The survey is anonymous but structured to filter bad data.

I ask about tuition and enrollment to estimate revenue and financial health.

JP:
So you can assess whether raises are possible.

Tony:
Exactly.

JP:
Do you distinguish between for-profit and non-profit?

Tony:
No. Financial behavior is similar. Money gets reinvested either way.

JP:
Quick break.

JP:
Find us at itpexpat.com or email [internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com). We’re also on Facebook and Instagram as ITP Expat.

Thanks to listeners in over 100 countries.

JP:
Back to the show.

Kent:
Is pointing out available money enough to get a raise?

Tony:
Often, yes. Most people don’t ask.

But systems vary. In some places contracts are fixed. In others, like the UAE, raises depend on government approvals tied to inspections.

So even with inflation, schools may not be able to raise salaries.

JP:
So context matters.

Tony:
Exactly. Some schools can’t give raises, others choose not to.

I’ve seen cases where teachers haven’t had raises in seven or nine years.

JP:
That’s surprising.

Tony:
People need to compare themselves to others in similar roles.

I’m building a simple metric focused on savings potential, not just salary.

Kent:
Do you account for experience?

Tony:
Not directly. Contracts vary too much.

Timing matters. Late hires can negotiate higher salaries.

Kent:
How much data do you need?

Tony:
About 200 responses. I have around 120 now.

JP:
Any pushback?

Tony:
Some groups didn’t approve the survey. Likely due to concerns about salary transparency.

Some respondents didn’t like required questions, but they’re necessary.

Understanding tuition and enrollment helps teachers understand school value.

If enrollment drops, it’s a warning. If it grows, you may have leverage.

JP:
Good insight.

Kent:
Let’s move to final questions.

JP:
Did you ever have a run-in with the law?

Tony:
Not personally, but I’ve dealt with serious situations in my role.

I’ve had to extract data for police investigations involving students. Those situations are difficult.

I’ve also dealt with incidents involving staff housing. One time, an apartment was illegally sublet and used for illegal activity.

We had to intervene quickly to avoid police involvement. It was a complicated situation, but it was resolved.

JP:
That’s a cautionary tale.

Kent:
Final question. What would you show your son in Japan?

Tony:
Mountains, a ninja castle, and Himeji Castle.

Also Nara, so he can see the deer.

I’d avoid monkeys. They can be aggressive.

I’d also take him on the high-speed rail and explore smaller cities like Gifu.

JP:
Sounds like a great trip.

Kent:
Where can people find you?

Tony:
On LinkedIn as Anthony “Tony” Deprato. Also at pancakeonastick.substack.com.

JP:
And the survey link will be in the show notes.

Kent:
Final thoughts?

Tony:
You never get your time back. Career and financial decisions matter long-term. Take them seriously.

Kent:
Thanks to JP Mint and Tony Deprato. I’m Kent the Cat Guy. See you next time.

[End of transcript]