Job Discussion Forums

Hatcher · Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 602

I am surprised at how many schools are looking for chem, physics and eco teachers and yet pay so low....

I assume that demand outstrips supply but I am not in the country.

Any comments?

Guerciotti · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:53 am Post subject:

Yes most salaries are not very high but there are some in the 15k to 20k range.

In my experience, demand definitely exceeds supply.

Timer · Joined: 24 Oct 2010 Posts: 173 Location: China

It's pretty funny, and not just restricted to subject teachers. I've seen schools looking for masters/phd only for teaching oral English. Schools requiring teaching licenses from back home to teach 30 hours a week at 4k a month. It's ridiculous. Who in their right mind is going to leave a real job back home to come work here for peanuts? I swear these schools only get whackos or people with fake credentials.

Subject teaching should be paid a lot more than English teaching. Like Guerciotti said, 15 - 20k seems to the general offer on the high end of the scale and it seems fair enough to me.

Hilarious how some schools demand so much but offer so little.

Mikeylikesit114 · Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 129

Step 1: Apply to multiple positions

Step 2: Receive multiple offers

Step 3: Negotiate and put them in a bidding war

Don't sell yourself short. There are many positions in tier 1 cities paying in the low to mid 20's after tax.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

"Subject teaching should be paid a lot more than English teaching."

Why? Do you mean Oral English should be paid less than mathematics and science teachers? There are a LOT of qualified Chinese mathematics, chemistry, and science teachers in China--- more than there are western counterparts who are clawing their way into China to teach.

There's a lot more to teaching English in China than just speaking English at a group of students. Unless the western science, math, etc. teacher has experience teaching English as well as those subjects to E2 students, the effectiveness of the teaching is likely to be low. You see, the challenges of teaching any subject in English is a challenge. If one teaches science in English to Chinese students, he must be ready to explain terms in a way in which they will understand them. He must learn to limit use of unfamiliar terms and idioms, figurative language, and the like, a fact that English teachers are quite aware. I am uncertain that the garden variety degreed mathematics teachers are prepared for the rigors of teaching a math or science class in English. It still requires the experience of an E2 teacher to make the concepts understood.

Guerciotti · Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 1:35 pm Post subject:

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

I was responding to the statement that "subject" teachers should be paid more than English teachers. If one does not have the skills to teach a non-English subject (such as math and science) in English to foreign students, he's certainly not worth more to the school than his Chinese counterpart.

whitehouse · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 31 Location: CHINA

The real scumbags are the foreign universities running foundation courses, and similar courses, which demand Masters from their subject teachers but pay them far , far less than they would pay the equivalent in the UK or elsewhere. The fees they get from the foreign students are greater than from the domestic student when those students get to the UK. Those are the real rip-off artists some of them coming from some quite well rated Universities. It is a disgrace .

Timer · Joined: 24 Oct 2010 Posts: 173 Location: China

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

My classes aren't a joke. I have BA's an MA and an MFA in English language -related areas.

I don't think that any of the forum members who possess CELTAs and have worked for language schools for years agree that their jobs are a joke.

Be careful of generalizations.

There's no great demand for English-speaking math and science teachers, hence the pay scale.

If I were doing the hiring to fill a position for an FT math teacher in China, I'd probably go with an English major with strong mathematics skills.My experience in the U.S. is that math and engineering students have the worst communication skills.

LarssonCrew · Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 1308

Bud Powell, ever seen a Chinese Maths or Science teacher try to teach A levels?

I did.

It was a joke.

Sure, they could get the numbers down, but the 'explain x y z' they were in serious trouble.

NoBillyNO · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 1762

whitehouse · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 31 Location: CHINA

they do so in English and clarify any problems in Chinese

I was teaching economics on a UK university degree being run in China.
They flew out Lecturers from London to teach intensively for 4 or 5 weeks during the holidays running identical courses to mine but on 3 times the salary if you include benefits. One of these lecturers was Chinese who had got a PhD in UK. I had to mark one of her tests as she decided not to do it herself. It was supposed to be a 20 question m.c.q. test. It was 21 questions. 3 of the questions were identically repeated twice. I had to mark this c@@@ and the British university managers had no idea that this was the standard of work that she performed.

NoBillyNO · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 1762

we all have a story like diz .. but it for sure does not indicate the norm.... otherwise the British universities would highly inept in choosing lectures which would incl. a sufficient inability to choose any teacher... be it Chinese or British ....

I too have seen them in action and they seem to be more in-tune with the students than their counterparts...if they are a PHD they get the coin.... I get paid the same as a lecture at my home uni....so why shouldn't they?