Support Information
I don't think I want to raise financial support.
Actually it is much easier to raise financial support than you would think. Rarely does anyone have to do anything other than letting family, friends and your church staff know of the need and ask for help. Most people want to help and want to be a part of God's ministry in your life. If God wants you to go He will make a way, don't sell God short. NICS will help you in getting started and even give you coaching along the way. Most people are initially apprehensive about raising financial support but usually it is because the Lord has never placed them in this sort of situation before now. The reality is, God will use this process to draw you closer to Him and to give you unbelievable encouragement and confirmation. Just one word of caution . . . the support that God raises for you will probably not come from where you think it will.
Why would I have to raise financial support?
Most of our positions are fully salaried. Which means that for a single person the school would pay a salary that would allow them to live comfortably in that country. By comfortable we mean able to cover all living expenses (Apartment, utilities, clothing, food and able to go out to eat a couple of times each week and still be able to save enough money to come home for Christmas or travel during the summer break). Usually families will have to raise some support depending on the size of your family and the location that you choose. Some of our schools pay only a partial salary and some pay no salary at all. This all gets a little confusing but it depends on the school and that schools location.
Missionaries who serve in our schools will be ministering to students from every major religion and many countries all over the world. Most of the students are there because their parents want them in an English speaking school and don't necessarily care that it is a Christian school. The benefits should be obvious. NICS has three basic types of schools:
Pioneer (Start Up) - Our missionaries who serve in these schools have to have a pioneering spirit and love to the idea of being on the ground floor of a project. These schools generally start from the ground up and will struggle for a couple of years before they really take off. The research has already taken place to determine the need for an International school in the area but the real work has only just begun. Just like if you wanted to go start a church in the jungle somewhere, most people who serve in a Pioneer school would have to raise their own financial support. These schools are the future of NICS. As the school grows the need for your own financial support should decrease.
Transitional (Becoming an Established School) - Our missionaries who serve in these schools have to be flexible. Usually the school is undergoing some significant changes. Maybe it started as a Pioneer school and has grown past the start-up phase but is not yet established. Maybe this school was started by a different mission agency and was turned over to NICS to run. Maybe the dynamics of the school have changed and the school is adjusting to a new focus. Whatever the case these schools are not quite a Pioneer school and not yet completely established. Usually these schools pay a partial salary and try to move a little closer to paying a full salary each year.
Established - These schools are usually very stable and experience a steady growth. Usually these schools pay a full salary but this is still ministry work and depending on the situation, the salary may need to be supplemented with some financial support.
While each school has different positive aspects that make it unique, the Pioneer and Transitional schools may require the raising of some financial support and the Established schools will generally provide a salary.
If you have any other questions or would like more information about raising financial support please do not hesitate to contact us. Each year we help nearly 100 new missionaries and families go to the mission field and rarely does anyone not make it to the field because of a lack of funding.