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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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 Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 7:41 am Post subject: Suzhou salaries and cost of living? |
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What's a liveable salary in Suzhou? I have been offered a job there. I have never been, but believe it's quite a nice city with a very high standard of living.
The bottom line, I have been offered 10 000 plus free apartment. But I will ask for more. It's a director's position managing 30 teachers, plus full-time teaching load. Before you say it, I agree it's a ridiculously low salary for that kind of responsibility (tell me if I'm wrong). The guy I'm dealing with seems OK, but has not been up-front about the salary. The job ad clearly gives figures 6000+ a month more than the salary quoted over the phone.
I certainly won't do it for 10 grand. Might consider 15000, though.
Anyway, for those in Suzhou, what's the cost of living?
RM |
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Unchained English
Joined: 31 Dec 2014
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:17 am Post subject: Re: Suzhou salaries and cost of living? |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
What's a liveable salary in Suzhou? I have been offered a job there. I have never been, but believe it's quite a nice city with a very high standard of living.
The bottom line, I have been offered 10 000 plus free apartment. But I will ask for more. It's a director's position managing 30 teachers, plus full-time teaching load. Before you say it, I agree it's a ridiculously low salary for that kind of responsibility (tell me if I'm wrong). The guy I'm dealing with seems OK, but has not been up-front about the salary. The job ad clearly gives figures 6000+ a month more than the salary quoted over the phone.
I certainly won't do it for 10 grand. Might consider 15000, though.
Anyway, for those in Suzhou, what's the cost of living?
RM |
Your wobbly post is baffling. You are qualified enough to manage 30 teachers, but at the same time you don't know if you should get more than 10,000 and you need to know the conditions in Suzhou before making that final decision?
Why do you assume 15,000 is better? Do you have Suzhou connections to verify this?
I suggest you post a better gloating post. |
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Simon in Suzhou
Joined: 09 Aug 2011
Posts: 404
Location: GZ
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:50 am Post subject: |
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I lived in Suzhou for a year making 5500 a month. I was only teaching 10 hours a week, and it wasn't much money, but I was comfortable and enjoyed my time there. I don't drink, but I ate out in a nice restaurant at least once a week and cooked western food for myself (buying cheese and more expensive meat, etc.). As well, I knew some people blowing through 20,000 a month. They were out every night, always took taxis instead of the bus, never cooked at home...
Liveable is totally different for every person. Suzhou can be as expensive as Shanghai or as cheap as any other 2nd tier city in China. It's up to you. Do you go to bars? Do you eat at western restaurants every day? Suzhou has really nice street food (a fantastic bowl of noodles for 5rmb outside my school) and they have a very upscale area with all the western amenities and prices. Downtown Shanghai is also only about 30 minutes away by high-speed train, which is great if you love that city, bad (financially) if you like to live large in that city.
I found Suzhou salaries (in teaching) to be a bit low for such a nice, modern city. Nice place to live. LOts of expats with loads of cash there in the business world. Most of the teachers I met were either in relaxed jobs making nothing or, like your job offer, working themselves to death for a very mediocre salary. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:02 am Post subject: Re: Suzhou salaries and cost of living? |
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| Unchained English wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
What's a liveable salary in Suzhou? I have been offered a job there. I have never been, but believe it's quite a nice city with a very high standard of living.
The bottom line, I have been offered 10 000 plus free apartment. But I will ask for more. It's a director's position managing 30 teachers, plus full-time teaching load. Before you say it, I agree it's a ridiculously low salary for that kind of responsibility (tell me if I'm wrong). The guy I'm dealing with seems OK, but has not been up-front about the salary. The job ad clearly gives figures 6000+ a month more than the salary quoted over the phone.
I certainly won't do it for 10 grand. Might consider 15000, though.
Anyway, for those in Suzhou, what's the cost of living?
RM |
Your wobbly post is baffling. You are qualified enough to manage 30 teachers, but at the same time you don't know if you should get more than 10,000 and you need to know the conditions in Suzhou before making that final decision?
Why do you assume 15,000 is better? Do you have Suzhou connections to verify this?
I suggest you post a better gloating post. |
Sure. I can gloat better if you insist.
If you remove the projections from your posts people might like you more.
My post is fine. Yours is a mishmash of paranoid projections and self-constructed phantasmagoria.
I sense your fear of inadequacy. Fear leads to anger. And anger leads to the dark side. Save yourself!
Meanwhile the rest of us will get back to politely discussing the theme of the thread. Feel free to contribute if you have something useful to say. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
I lived in Suzhou for a year making 5500 a month. I was only teaching 10 hours a week, and it wasn't much money, but I was comfortable and enjoyed my time there. I don't drink, but I ate out in a nice restaurant at least once a week and cooked western food for myself (buying cheese and more expensive meat, etc.). As well, I knew some people blowing through 20,000 a month. They were out every night, always took taxis instead of the bus, never cooked at home...
Liveable is totally different for every person. Suzhou can be as expensive as Shanghai or as cheap as any other 2nd tier city in China. It's up to you. Do you go to bars? Do you eat at western restaurants every day? Suzhou has really nice street food (a fantastic bowl of noodles for 5rmb outside my school) and they have a very upscale area with all the western amenities and prices. Downtown Shanghai is also only about 30 minutes away by high-speed train, which is great if you love that city, bad (financially) if you like to live large in that city.
I found Suzhou salaries (in teaching) to be a bit low for such a nice, modern city. Nice place to live. LOts of expats with loads of cash there in the business world. Most of the teachers I met were either in relaxed jobs making nothing or, like your job offer, working themselves to death for a very mediocre salary. |
Thanks, Simon. I go to bars only on weekends, and wouldn't eat in a western restaurant more than once a week. But like you suggest I'm not interested in ridiculous working hours for little money. I can just go back to HK and earn six times as much for a fraction of the work.
What I like about this job is some of the extra responsibilities, especially in terms of teacher training and liaison with schools in the region. But it looks like two full-time jobs in one to me. Twenty 45 minute lessons a week, and then the teacher management on top of that. |
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Clicker
Joined: 18 Sep 2014
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
I lived in Suzhou for a year making 5500 a month. I was only teaching 10 hours a week, and it wasn't much money, but I was comfortable and enjoyed my time there. I don't drink, but I ate out in a nice restaurant at least once a week and cooked western food for myself (buying cheese and more expensive meat, etc.). As well, I knew some people blowing through 20,000 a month. They were out every night, always took taxis instead of the bus, never cooked at home...
Liveable is totally different for every person. Suzhou can be as expensive as Shanghai or as cheap as any other 2nd tier city in China. It's up to you. Do you go to bars? Do you eat at western restaurants every day? Suzhou has really nice street food (a fantastic bowl of noodles for 5rmb outside my school) and they have a very upscale area with all the western amenities and prices. Downtown Shanghai is also only about 30 minutes away by high-speed train, which is great if you love that city, bad (financially) if you like to live large in that city.
I found Suzhou salaries (in teaching) to be a bit low for such a nice, modern city. Nice place to live. LOts of expats with loads of cash there in the business world. Most of the teachers I met were either in relaxed jobs making nothing or, like your job offer, working themselves to death for a very mediocre salary. |
Thanks, Simon. I go to bars only on weekends, and wouldn't eat in a western restaurant more than once a week. But like you suggest I'm not interested in ridiculous working hours for little money. I can just go back to HK and earn six times as much for a fraction of the work.
What I like about this job is some of the extra responsibilities, especially in terms of teacher training and liaison with schools in the region. But it looks like two full-time jobs in one to me. Twenty 45 minute lessons a week, and then the teacher management on top of that. |
Don't do it! Just my thought.
It's as you say, that's a full time teaching schedule PLUS management. No way.
My father once told me 'never take more responsibility without more pay/compensation'. You're going the other way.
I can understand you wanting to get the management side of things on your CV, it looks good, but don't be used. That salary may be good for a teaching position, but with management responsibilities on top? You've been around long enough to know the sort of 'teacher' China attracts, do you want to be at their beck and call?
You don't know me under this user, but you gave me some great advice a while ago, I'd like to think I'm returning the favour with this!
I'd be supportive if they cut the teaching hours! But as it stands, that's 2 jobs in 1. And a recipe for a headache. |
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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Like Simon said (no pun!), you can spend a lot or a little here, it's your choice.
I live in Suzhou and my monthly expenses depend on my style of living, which does occasionally change. I can spend anywhere from 2000 per month when cooking at home, or easily spend 5000 per month if I eat out a lot and frequent the bars. Same as everywhere, I guess, but in Suzhou you have quite a range of choices on what to spend money on. You could spend 300 a day, or live simply.
Frankly, with my job, I don't really have time and energy to spend a lot.
The food prices in the supermarkets are a little higher than many less popular cities, but it won't break your budget. Perhaps 20% higher cost overall here.
Right, 10k for that is crazy. Maybe 15k is ok. I don't think you were asking for input on this, though. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Clicker wrote: |
Don't do it! Just my thought.
It's as you say, that's a full time teaching schedule PLUS management. No way.
My father once told me 'never take more responsibility without more pay/compensation'. You're going the other way.
I can understand you wanting to get the management side of things on your CV, it looks good, but don't be used. That salary may be good for a teaching position, but with management responsibilities on top? You've been around long enough to know the sort of 'teacher' China attracts, do you want to be at their beck and call?
You don't know me under this user, but you gave me some great advice a while ago, I'd like to think I'm returning the favour with this!
I'd be supportive if they cut the teaching hours! But as it stands, that's 2 jobs in 1. And a recipe for a headache. |
Yeah, good advice. I won't accept anything under current terms. Also, I just did a bit of research on the recruiter, and found they are bad news. Basically dump teachers and then never respond to emails after that. So as the director, I'd be doing all their dirty work, looking after 30 teachers, many of whom will have issues.
And they lie, so I read. Which is why the position advert mentions 16000-18000 for the position, but then in the Skype interview they quoted 8000-10000. That's a pretty sudden drop in salary!
So, I'll ask for the original salary and probably reduction in classes. Not interested otherwise. I've been a DOS and head teacher before, and know the deal. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 3:17 am Post subject: |
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Well, I asked for more and they wouldn't go beyond 10 000. That's what I was earning as DOS 12 years ago. So, I politely declined.
Why have all that extra work and responsibility when you can earn a lot more with a basic teaching job, given my experience and qualifications? These guys need a reality check. But I suppose someone will agree to do do the job. Probably someone totally unqualified. Given that it's a new provincial government initiative bringing 30 foreign teachers into the area, they are simply inviting disaster by paying peanuts to the person who is supposed to do much of the ground work. I'm pretty good at summing situations up and thinking ahead, and IMHO these guys don't really know what the are doing. So they really need someone in there with a lot of experience to get it up and running. Looks like there's a good chance it's not going to happen. And given the teaching programme starts in four weeks, the stuff may hit the fan pretty soon. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:16 am Post subject: |
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A few short years ago, I was doing the job you have described ("director" + 20 periods of teaching per week) for about the same money you described (around 15,000 - can't remember exactly what it was). Let's just say it was a less than ideal situation.
Suzhou is like any other major city I imagine. I probably spend around 4000 a month because I can. I shop at a nearby grocery and pay more money than I should, but their offerings are great and it's convenient for me. I go out to eat or a movie or a massage or whatever from time to time. Also I order items on occasion from Taobao, and getting ready for some travel soon. Yes, the money gets used up. But that still leaves me with a sizable amount of my take-home pay to convert and send home every month. Suzhou is a nice city to tool around in during the spring and autumn months, but horrible in the hot humid summers or the cold, damp, rainy winters (like, oh, just about now!) Also, if you like really big city life, Shanghai is just a short train ride away. Glad you turned down that horrible offer. |
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litterascriptor
Joined: 17 Jan 2013
Posts: 360
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:15 am Post subject: |
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| Sounds like an English first gig. |
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