Job Discussion Forums

eddie-johnson · Joined: 24 Jun 2015 Posts: 10 Location: South Africa

Hi Guys
i would like to know what the general salary is for 1st time ESL teachers as i have been offered from 6000-10 000rmb is that the norm or can i get more seeing i have normal teaching experience and a degree but just no ESL teaching experience?

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

eddie-johnson · Joined: 24 Jun 2015 Posts: 10 Location: South Africa

Teaching kids at kindergarten level. Sorry about that

OhBudPowellWhereArtThou · Joined: 02 Jun 2015 Posts: 1168 Location: Since 2003

Why not look at several dozen advertisements in several cities for jobs offered by several dozen different schools and find out for yourself?

Do your homework.

eddie-johnson · Joined: 24 Jun 2015 Posts: 10 Location: South Africa

I thought asking a question on this forum is part of doing my homework?
But thanks i will do more thorough investigation with different forms of media platforms

OhBudPowellWhereArtThou · Joined: 02 Jun 2015 Posts: 1168 Location: Since 2003

Deats · Joined: 02 Jan 2015 Posts: 503

There are many determining factors:

1) Which province you will work in
2) What kind of institute you will work for
3) Your qualifications - degree in related field, TEFL, work experience etc
4) Working hours
5) Holidays
6) Housing
7) Utilities
8. Airfare
9) 10 or 12 month contract

I'm sure there are some things I'm missing. There simply isn't an easy answer.

My advice would be to weigh up the whole package. Base salary (after tax) + benefits. Then divide by the number of hours you are expected to work over your contract.

In my case I get about 11,000 a month for 12 months + housing (2500) for 12 months + airfare (8000) one off payment - divide it by 512 hours. 170000 divided by 512 = 332RMB an hour. I think this is good money.

There will be jobs paying more than 11000 a month, but probably working far more hours. What is more important: quality of life or money. Some jobs may work the same hours for more money, but usually these would require better qualifications than what I have.

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

Hey Deats, that's great, I never though of working it out hourly, I always though about the yearly package. Mine works out at 289 an hour for 14 hour week, cool.

Tis true though, as Non Sequitur also often says, think package, package, package. Also think about the kind of experience you want, both from work and life. That will determine which cities and which jobs you'll be interested in. The reason some people on here get so frustrated with the 'how much can I earn/save' and 'what's the best place for me to live and work' kind of questions, is that there are so many variables, it's impossible to answer that for anyone other than yourself. Add to that the fact that so many of the promises and reassurances you'll get when coming to China turn out to be faker than an Iphone 7, that the experience you end up with may well be completely different from the one you signed up for anyway.

Daily life, even for those of us who've been here for a while and learned the hard way, can be a bit like standing on shifting sands. Sure, we can answer your question today, but by tomorrow the situation might well have changed. The only way to figure out what's the best deal for you in China is to get over here and try it out. Be prepared for a few surprises along the way though.

bograt · Joined: 12 Nov 2014 Posts: 331

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

bograt · Joined: 12 Nov 2014 Posts: 331

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

Deats · Joined: 02 Jan 2015 Posts: 503

Nice posts doogsville, couldn't agree more with each one of them.

In my last job I stayed for 4 years and each year I taught the same course. So, like you, I had all my stuff ready to go after the first year. Also, I was given a flight allowance and could spend it as I pleased. On occasion I flew back to Blighty, but usually I spent it on travelling. Some jobs don't give a flight allowance, so it certainly counts towards your overall package. Just like if you get your utilities paid - in my old job I did, in my new job I don't. So utility allowance counts towards your package.

If someone has part time work and they earn 200RMB an hour, they say they earn 200RMB an hour. They don't count the 30 minute commute each way, the hour preparation and the hour marking plus the hour lesson and say they earn 50RMB an hour. So why shouldn't we look at the teaching hours and work it out this way? I have never had office hours, so some weeks I have literally had no prep or marking.

Anyway Bograt, what does it matter which way people calculate their salary? Why does it bug you so much that I did this calculation? Presumably it is because you earn so little and this feeling is eating away inside of you? Rather than getting upset about it, why not try to find a better job, so you don't have to come on here whining about it.

For regular people who don't have a beef with the world, something else you can consider when looking at salaries - your general health and happiness. I think I could earn more in Beijing, but I don't want to subject myself or my family to the pollution and overcrowding. Money isn't everything. If you get sick then the extra money won't even cover your medical bills and you will come off worse in the long run. Also what price do you put on happiness? I'd rather work less hours, but receive a higher hourly salary and have an easier life than work more for less money per hour but save more in the long run at the cost of my free time.

Each to their own.

bograt · Joined: 12 Nov 2014 Posts: 331

Deats · Joined: 02 Jan 2015 Posts: 503

Bograt, I agree that when asked about your salary, you will always respond by telling your monthly salary, as that is what is easy to figure and what you are paid. However, there are other factors and I often mention these if the discussion goes further. In my new job I actually get a little over 10,000RMB a month, but I get bonuses of 13,500 a year, so I say my salary is 11,000RMB a month.

In my job in Russia I had ALL my food provided by my school (a private boarding school). I lived 2 minutes walk and there was food available 24/7. 3 cooked meals a day, 2 snack breaks and food in the kitchen if you wanted to eat at other times (such as fruit, biscuits, left overs etc). I still went shopping to buy things the school didn't provide, but my grocery bill was next to nothing. I also had heavily subsidised housing on the estate of a castle - this place would have cost a fortune, yet I paid $100 a month, including all utilities, internet etc.

So if I am asked for just my salary, I can tell it, but it doesn't give a true reflection of the job or savings potential.

You can just say how much you save, but this is also unreliable as people have different tastes which cost different amounts of money. As is how much cash you earn, if you have many other perks. So when you really dig into it, there are multiple ways of thinking about your salary. I merely listed one of them.

Another way of thinking is that I earn 170,000 for doing 7 months work. So that is about 25,000RMB a month for the months I work.

You can calculate however you please, it is only for your own reference anyway.

In a brief conversation, you probably just say your monthly salary. But for a person to truly understand their earnings they should consider many other things.

I always choose a job where there is no travel time. This saves me 1-2 hours a day. So this is 5-10 hours a week. What do I value my own time at? Of course I don't count this into my salary, but it really makes a difference. A person who says they work 40 hours (say 25 contact and 15 office) never tell you about the 10 hours they travel, even though this is time associated with their work. So really they have to give up 50 hours a week, and not 40. But that's how THEY want to calculate it, and that is fine.

I think the point that is being made is that you should weigh up not only cash in hand, but all perks of the job and look at how the overall package adds up when considering a job.