Methodology & Calculation Engine
How Leopardfish Intel converts fragmented overseas compensation packages, local living expenses, and payscale tiers into verifiable, apples-to-apples financial intelligence.
The Monthly Disposable Surplus Equation
Raw contract salaries rarely tell the complete story. A £50,000 gross salary in London often yields less unencumbered surplus than a SAR 16,000 tax-free package with furnished housing in Riyadh. We normalise all packages into a single key operational metric: Monthly Disposable Surplus.
Monthly Inflows
- Base Net Salary: Monthly take-home salary after local statutory deductions, social insurance, and regional income taxes.
- Housing Stipend / Allowance: Monthly cash housing benefit if accommodation is not directly provided by the school.
- Flight Allowance: Annual return flight benefit pro-rated across the 12-month calendar.
- Gratuity Accrual: Pro-rated monthly accrual of contract-end severance bonuses or 13th/14th month structures.
Monthly Outflows
- Accommodation & Utilities: Market rent (if self-leased), building maintenance fees, and heating/AC energy costs.
- OECD Standard Living Basket: Groceries, dining, household sundries, and personal essentials for an expat teacher profile.
- Connectivity & Telecom: High-speed home fiber and local mobile data eSIM packages.
- Commuting & Health Co-pays: Local transport costs, ride-hailing, and standard insurance copayment allowances.
OECD Baselines & Standardized Data Models
To eliminate the bias of forum noise and personal spending outliers, our cost-of-living models are indexed against verified OECD Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) baselines and cross-referenced with local statistical agency baskets.
Step 5–8 Payscale
Assumes 5+ years of verified post-qualification teaching experience and standard curriculum leadership.
Mid-Tier Furnished
1–2 bedroom modern expat accommodation in safe, school-commutable residential districts.
Quarterly Refresh
CPI indices, currency pegs, and inflation buffers are recalculated every 90 days.
School Scoring Algorithm (8.0 / 10 Framework)
Every school rating on Leopardfish Intel is derived from an explicit mathematical formula, avoiding subjective opinion. The overall score is weighted across three fundamental pillars:
Evaluates actual disposable savings rate relative to local cost of living and regional peers.
Housing standard, annual relocation flights, worldwide health cover, dependent tuition coverage, and gratuity terms.
Historical staff tenure, senior leadership stability, international accreditation status (CIS, BSO, NEASC, WASC), and contract completion rates.
Currency Normalisation & Volatile Market Protections
We normalize local compensation figures into key reference benchmarks (USD, GBP, EUR, AUD, CAD, SGD) using real-time interbank foreign exchange feeds.
Volatile Currency Safeguard
In jurisdictions subject to rapid foreign exchange volatility or hyperinflation (e.g. Argentina, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria, Lebanon), our engine applies real-time currency risk flags and cross-checks local payscales against hard-currency benchmarks to protect candidate budgeting.
Due Diligence & Legal Compliance
All figures, surplus estimates, and benchmarks displayed on Leopardfish Intel are non-binding mathematical models provided for comparative guidance only. Individual financial outcomes will vary depending on your specific payscale placement, family structure, dependent tuition discounts, and individual tax liabilities.
Every job vacancy on the platform links directly to the hiring school's official public website or HR recruitment portal. We never host application forms or modify original school specifications.
Ready to model your overseas surplus?
Put our mathematical engine to work with live school data.