Job Discussion Forums

matador · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281

Simple question: How much do you get each month and which city are you in??

struelle · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai

16,000 per month and in Shanghai but this is 1.5 times my usual salary as it's the busy season now. It may sound nice but I'm working 6-day weeks which is rough.

Steve

MatthewC · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 355

I make 3500 RMB a month. It's my first year teaching, and I only have TEFL.

TEAM_PAPUA · Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 1679 Location: HOLE

5500 in a provincial town where everything is cheap. I work for the International federation & union of sausage factories: EF

All EF salaries are the same regardless of where you are in China.

EF sucks - i did it as I have friends here from a previous job and the job here is easy as anything, but elsewhere its HELL (so I hear)

T_P Cool

cimarch · Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 358 Location: Dalian

8000 in Dalian but no benefits, I take everything in cash 'cos we live with the in-laws. 18 class hours (50 mins) per week.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

Slim Pickens · Joined: 25 Nov 2003 Posts: 299

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

For my pay last term, I was to teach UP TO 18 periods per week for my 4000rmb per month. The first semester I had 16 periods and the second semester I had 12. I have no idea how many I will have come September, but my contract still clearly states up to 18 periods only (and I'm getting an extra thousand to boot!). I do put in office hours but it is at my discretion. When I'm preparing a test or grading a test, then I may put in more hours, but lesson planning is a breeze for me, so not as much. I really, REALLY don't mind putting in office hours as my free apartment, free utilities, free internet, free food, free TV and DVD player, free . . . more than takes care of my feelings that I'm working too much.

My school is having a problem right now hiring enough foreign teachers. They are hoping for 10 (or more?) but only have 5 definites for Sept. 1st. I know the senior department is going to be much bigger this term than last and I told them that they will really need a second FT as there is no way that I can handle/keep track of 400+ students in, you know, 15 different classes or something. But I'm not going to hold my breath. My guess for primary and junior school is they just won't have "oral english" if they can't get enough teachers (although the school advertises as a so-called international school).

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

Good point Mr Pickens. Strange as it sounds there is often not much difference between 4000 and 14000. First with 14 you will pay tax utils rent furniture etc.(1000 for a fridge-5000 for an AC)..You will also work 6-7 days a week and run all over the place in taxis. Not to mention free time. Money isn't everything although that statement is blasphemy among EFL teachers.

Ijust finished a 10 month contract (6500) where I estimate I actually had a teaching schedule for 5 of those months. Yes 5 months holiday out of 10. We had 40 days off for exams and Spring Festival. 2 weeks each for Oct1 and May1. We were paid for all of June but classes finished on June 2. Etc Etc. Which brings me to my 2nd point (or 1st Wink

) . Are people making the top salary getting this sort of time off? I highly doubt it. In fact in 3 years of casually looking at job boards I have never seen an offer over 10. Yes I know the best jobs aren't advertised. I heard of one at 15 but the employer was a Canadian University and hired in country. It means if you are over 10 you are moonlighting and working 2 or 3 jobs. You can have it to be honest.

Matador we have a question for you! You have made very coherent posts on the subject of teaching. Why this sudden pre-occupation with our salaries. and the suggestion we are "wasting our time." Nobody is wasting their time.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Yeah, I second that: I had a full week off in October, a full month off in January, two weeks off in May, several canceled classes throughout the year, a schedule that was so light in June I could have slept through my classes (but I didn't) AND I was still paid the same $$ each and every month.

By the way, I usually worked two "full" days (4 periods) twice a week and two half days (two periods in the morning) twice a week. Essentially, I had 4 days off each week. You won't see me doing THAT back in the states!

David Bowles · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 249

I can understand wanting to keep wages up in private language schools- no-one wants to be exploited.. but can you apply the '3500-5000 is too low' to middle schools, colleges and universities? Even if students pay, there's a lot of other costs- and how justifiable is it to get paid loads more than equivalent Chinese teachers?

Taiping04 · Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 188 Location: East of Aden

A good salary is whatever you're happy with, and it's no one elses business. Imagine going into a pub back home and asking strangers how much they made.

hahahaha · Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 79 Location: China

What a thread Rolling Eyes

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

5800, and I have re-signed a contract for another year. Call my crazy maybe, although the good aspect is that I have zero living expenses, no bills, no rent, no food to buy (except not in the holidays). So the money is for playing with. So its really not too bad...

I'm in Wuhan btw where things are still pretty cheap (cabs start at 3 yuan)

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

[quote="kev7161"]For my pay last term, I was to teach UP TO 18 periods per week for my 4000rmb per month. The first semester I had 16 periods and the second semester I had 12. I have no idea how many I will have come September, but my contract still clearly states up to 18 periods only (and I'm getting an extra thousand to boot!). I do put in office hours but it is at my discretion. When I'm preparing a test or grading a test, then I may put in more hours, but lesson planning is a breeze for me, so not as much. I really, REALLY don't mind putting in office hours as my free apartment, free utilities, free internet, free food, free TV and DVD player, free . . . more than takes care of my feelings that I'm working too much.

My school is having a problem right now hiring enough foreign teachers. They are hoping for 10 (or more?) but only have 5 definites for Sept. 1st. I know the senior department is going to be much bigger this term than last and I told them that they will really need a second FT as there is no way that I can handle/keep track of 400+ students in, you know, 15 different classes or something. But I'm not going to hold my breath. My guess for primary and junior school is they just won't have "oral english" if they can't get enough teachers (although the school advertises as a so-called international school).[/quote]

Yes, Kev, one thing that makes it worthile to me is just remembering how damn expensive everything is in London. Let's forgo the 'tefl' aspect and imagine we are newly qualified, (i.e. PGCE, which pays about 50,000 a month in Hong Kong) teachers in Londno. We start on 20k a year, i.e. about 1300 UK pounds a month. Take out the rent on the flat my school her gives me, plus bills (London council tax), internet charges, meals etc, and you would be left with about what I get paid here, where everything is far cheaper than London.

Reading Whiner's post I do wonder if I'm underearning, whether I was dumb to sign another year at this school (incidentally next year I'm planning to return to the UK to do g PGCE so I can get an International school job), but still I've had a good time, I've never had so much disposable income, its great not having to worry about bills and rent and crap like that.