Teaching in Ontario (Canada) is brilliant for a number of reasons; the pension’s reputedly one of the best in the world, and the teacher salary benefits: massage, dental, optometry, even orthopedics! — are something to write home about.

But of course traveling the world is kind of amazing…and a developing–or feeding, for some!–your sense of adventure is exactly the reason you’re leaving home.

Australia does not offer employee benefits.  It’s not really a big deal, since most people only come over here for the year–you can probably organize your dental and contact lenses before moving to Australia–and if you are moving permanently, you have to accept the need for ‘extras’ medical insurance cover. It’s just one of those ‘culture shock’ differences.

The Good news:

Your Australian employer will automatically contribute 9% of your salary to your superannuation fund. And another 9% of your salary will be deducted from your salary and invested into your super fund.

If you don’t plan on becoming a permanent resident, you can collect this money when you leave (as well as the tax you paid, by the way). Yahoo!