Job Discussion Forums

[dudeteacher]

As an experienced native speaker, Journalist, CELTA qualified, 13 years of experience and an ex NATO Journalist/Editor what is the least I should accept from a school.

I realize that expenses differ from city to city but I would like some sort of gauge.

I am thinking not less than 10 000 CNY plus an apt or about 2000 dollars.

Feedback please?

Dude

[johntpartee]

4800 and an apartment with everything included (water, electricity), airfare reimbursement, travel allowance (1000 or so per semester), all the document stuff paid for (visa, FEC, health check). That's my bottom line, anyway.

This is for government universities.

[dudeteacher]

[Javelin of Radiance]

[johntpartee]

[choudoufu]

[Bat_Guano]

I taught in Xinjiang in a public middle school for ten months (2010-11) at a salary of 4500 RMB per month, plus apartment, utilities paid, visa/FE Cert/ Residence Permit covered, airfare reimbursed at 8000 RMB after contract. That's a pretty low salary as far as I know (not for University jobs, apparently, it's about average), but it was my first teaching job (overseas orotherwise) and I came with a B.A., passport, few years working as a reading tutor at schools in the US as an u/g, not much else. Since my housing and bills were paid for, I spent as little as 1000-1500 yuan on food, cheap beer and even cheaper cigarettes (I really miss my Chinese cigarettes), and saved the rest in the bank. Then again, that was in a small town in the desert where there is very little worth spending money on and the cost of what is there (product, service) are low. It wouldn't go far in Beijing or Shanghai, but starting salaries should be much higher in those places. With your experience I'd think you could do better than 5000 RMB for sure but as far as what is "acceptable" and what you can save on, all that depends on many factors relating to the individual and varies a lot from one to another... so... dunno.

(edit) I am currently teaching in a private school in Indonesia at double the salary I had in Xinjiang, and have an offer on the table for a 40% raise if I will stay another two years (= about 1600 USD after tax per month if I stay). I don't know whether I will take it as I'd like to go back to China or elsewhere for awhile, and I don't really want to stay here another two years. BUT I definitely can't afford to work for $700 USD / month anymore as I've gotten married and have to support my wife and also (partially) her family, plus we are trying for a wee'un (= I have to be more "grown up and responsible" about stuff - ugh ) Whether you have dependents and or other obligations would possibly have a lot of bearing on what is an "acceptable" salary too...

[rogerwilco]

For my first 18 months in China I taught at middle schools in Anhui.
I was paid 9.000RMb a month for 14 classes a week.
I then taught at a middle school in Nantong for 8.000 a month for 15 classes a week.
Free apartments, airfare reimbursement, etc.

[fat_chris]

[Bat_Guano]

9000 RMB for 14 hours a week is brilliant, RW. I did 20 forty minute classes per week in Xinjiang to get half of that... brings up a longstanding and still-simmering question (still on-topic, I hope): just how much of a cut do agents / recruiters take on salary in PRC? As in, I was hired through an agent and I'm surmising you were hired directly by the school or local education bureau...? Seems like both the teachers and the schools get a bit screwed when they use agents yeah?

[Bat_Guano]

3700-4000 RMB for a teacher with 'an MA TESOL and a few years' experience'...?

[fat_chris]

[rogerwilco]

[Bat_Guano]

I was recruited by an agent who is Chinese but married to an Australian and working out of her husband's law office in Sydney. She spent a few months in China each year managing her "human resources" , trying to finesse /gloss over any problems etc. (yes, there were problems, natch). I came to know her quite well - funny thing that I personally got on well with her and was treated well although some of my fellow FT's would definitely not say the same... anyway, in my town she was working with a VP in the high school who was in custody so to speak of we FT's... this gentleman is without reservation a liar, cheater, swindler, petty criminal and semi-expert manipulator, he stole a month's salary from me on a flimsy pretext at the beginning of my second term and it took three months and a direct visit to the leader of the education bureau by myself with an interpreter to get him to pay it to me... since either this gentleman or the agent were the ones paying us every month, usually in cash, and our salaries went through them after being released by the EB, we will never know for sure what kind of cut was taken or what our salaries actually might have been without**... anywho I'm afraid I'm going a bit off-topic but... yeah.

** They have managed to pretty much chase all the FT's out of the two schools in town at this point, so my opinion is well-shared.

[Denim-Maniac]