Job Discussion Forums

[golsa]

Preface: I've already used the search function and haven't found many recent or relevant results.

Hello all,

I'm currently negotiation salary and housing allowances for Harbin. The school I'm most interested in is located in central Harbin and they claim that 2,500 RMB per month will be the average cost for housing. They don't provide housing, but do provide a housing allowance. I did some basic research on the housing costs in Harbin and have concluded that an apartment in the center of the city should cost approximately 2,500 RMB per month with utilities costing approximately 250 RMB per month. I've also seen winter heating costs stated as 1,800 RMB, which I assume is spread across the entire winter.

I also collected recent (since July 2012) salary postings and have concluded that the average position in Harbin expects 22.18 teaching hours per week for an average monthly salary of 7,522.72 RMB per month, which works out to 84.78 RMB per hour.

The position I'm currently negotiating over requires 25 teaching hours per week (where 1 teaching hour = 1 man hour) and lesson planning, office hours, and English Corner hours that round the remaining time up to 40 hours per week.

Given their requirements, I want a solid offer of 9,000 RMB per month plus housing allowances in the order of 2,925 (2,500 rent, 200 utilities, and 225 heating) RMB per month. Most positions include housing, but this one doesn't.

Does any of this sound out of line or extremely high? It's difficult finding precise information about the cost of living and salaries in Harbin. Most of the information on the internet and this forum is quite outdated.

edit: there are several things about this position I like, including the location, student demographics, and small class sizes. I've adjusted for this in my salary expectation, but want to verify that I'm not asking for an absurdly high monthly salary given the number of hours they want me in the office each week.

[johntpartee]

Too many hours, even if the COL is very low.

[Denim-Maniac]

Do you know how much the students are paying for each class hour? Some may say that figure isnt relevant, but it might help you understand the negotiation process better. If your small classes are just 6 students and they pay 20-30 RMB per class hour ... well, you can do the math.

Did the employer advertise a salary or discuss any figure prior to you entering negotiation? Have you spoken to other teachers employed at the school?

If they started at 8k per month, and none of the teachers have a housing allowance, then I wouldnt hold out much hope in your securing the package you want.

[golsa]

[chinatimes]

[golsa]

[MisterButtkins]

I was under the impression that most buildings in the NE get free heat in the winter. If your apartment is reasonably new you shouldn't need to spend extra money on heat.