Job Discussion Forums

[Shookran]

I know that 'good' can be relative, and I am aware that the cost of living is 'low' in China. How low, I don't really know. Low can also be relative. But having overseas working experience in Saudi only I'm trying to get my head around what a good family-friendly package should look like in China. Starting with the basic is 20,000 RMB for an English Teacher role considered good, excellent or even unrealistic?

My third question would be could I land a well-paying job with family package teaching adults or young adults in China with my qualifications and experience?:

Masters (Anthropology with a heavy emphasis in Linguistics)
PGCE (ESOL & Literacy Specialisms)
CELTA
5 years teaching experience in EFL/ESL (mainly adults 16 upwards)

Lots of questions, sorry

[LAR1SSA]

Well that is a good question. It really depends on where you want to go and what your qualifications are but here is an overview from my months of research. I personally set a 20,000 RMB limit and achieved it.


I see salaries advertising 7,000-10,000 RMB all the time and I am always thinking who on earth would work for so little. I'm guessing those without any experience. Recruiters will salivate over you. DON'T FALL FOR AGGRESSIVE RECRUITERS who don't meet your salary demands. They often advertise a high paying job and when you mail them they say its been filled and offer something lower. One of the first recruiters said I was asking too much, when I said I will only accept 18,000 RMB after tax or more w/ flat. I told him about jobs I saw that did pay this and he said they are probably fake. I told him I'll find a new recruiter. I found a British one and it made a big difference.

Here are the legitimate offers I got:

1. Qingdao with teens at a Korean International School for 18,333 RMB after tax (no housing unless I stay in the dorm but lots of extra, but paid mandatory work) (2nd tier)

2. Wuhan primary school for 2,200 USD flat on campus included.

3. International primary school in Shenzen with 20,000 RMB (before tax) flat included

4. Private kindergarten in Shanghai with 22,000 RMB (before tax) 8,500 flat allowance.

5. Head teacher at a training school for 23,000 RMB (no flat allowance) in Ningbo (2nd tier)

All jobs had round trip tickets, all jobs had at least 5 weeks vacation in addition to all national holidays, some had 10 weeks. All sponsored VISA cost. All offered for dependents to attend schools heavily discounted or free.

I made a budget and I could live a very comfortable life with all of those. Even with the 2,200 in Wuhan, a dirt cheap city. I've never been to China before but I had 4 years ESL teaching experience from Russia and Ukraine. I also had an online TEFL and a master's in a liberal arts subject. You could go for 25,000 if you wanted, but you are quite late in the game. Most good jobs are taken, but you could get lucky and get some teachers who quit for personal reasons (and not that school sucks).

My only concern though, is that teaching children is where the money is at. That is where my experience was. You've been teaching adults and only adult teaching is at universities (oddly, very low paying but with lower hours usually) and training centers (shit hours not so great money).

[Non Sequitur]

These are 'international school' pay rates and you're not a registered teacher.
Well done but I'm not totally convinced.
If you could add the contact and non-contact (but onsite) hours pw it would add some perspective.

[LarssonCrew]

Ummm NS

If he has a PGCE then he is a registered teacher...

[Jmbf]

[Non Sequitur]

Yeah it was lar1ssa.
Then again thanks for clarification on PGCE.
I'm not from the US/Nth America.
Be interested to see what L says.

NS

[LAR1SSA]

[Non Sequitur]

There is a history of posters on Dave's weighing in with higher than usual packages and (like you) wondering aloud as to why anyone would go for 7k at a uni.
Thanks you've clarified a lot.

[thechangling]

[maj0915]

I've been teaching in Changsha for over two years, and I'd say in a typical month I spend about 3,000 yuan, although I'm not the type of person who does a lot of shopping, traveling, bar-hopping, etc. I also have a girlfriend and our total cost is the figure I gave, not just mine alone. I spent around a year living on about 2,000 yuan before we started dating. So I'd say if you're a fairly low-key person, just plan to pretty much go to restaurants, take taxis, and live a regular life, you shouldn't have much trouble getting by. But I'd say you should aim for round-trip airfare, a provided apartment, and at least 6,000 yuan per month if this is your first job in China. If you have some experience or a Master's degree or something, you could easily get over 10,000. Generally I can save pretty much anything I make over about 3,000 yuan, which I'll use to take my girlfriend on some trips between semesters. Keep in mind that costs of living could be much higher in cities like Beijing or Shanghai.

[ghost]

I know a famous teacher in China, originally from the UK who accepted a position at a famous university in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The pay for his 10 hours a week of teaching is 'only' 5500 yuan per month ($839) - but he gets a wonderful several bedroom apartment, and also free Chinese lessons at the campus, with foreign students who go there to study Chinese.

This is a guy who was earning twice as much last year at a university in Guandong Province. He chose the lower pay for a higher quality of life and other tangibles. One assumes he can also moonlight on the side and double his salary.

Back to the original question. For university positions - anything in the 7000-8000 range is decent - above 9000 is good, and over 10,000 is better than average.

Ghost in China

[LarssonCrew]

Depends what you really want.

As someone in my late twenties now is the time for me to make bank.

I work in a small town and work 8-1 with about 2 hours of breaks, I teach 18 40 minute classes a week and bank 14000 plus an apartment. This is the first job I had an included apartment and stepping off the plane and having my own place straight away without having to book into a hotel, look, pay deposit etc. is a godsend. I'd definnitely not look at a job without housing now unless the housing allowance was realistic [Say 8000 or more in 1st tear to 4000 in 2nd tear].

Because my workload if small I do some online work for another 10000 or so, the only annoying thing is I'm chopped in half 8-1 and then 6-9 5 days a week. The gap doesn't bother me, I come home, nap ,reaed a book, cook etc. and since this is purely a financial year I don't want to study Chinese further or train martial arts or something others want to do.

I am budgeting 5000 a month but 1000 of that is taken up by insulin and about 400 by phone internet and bills, which is cheap. I eat the school lunch although it's not great and therefore just need to eat something small in the late afternoon,

One work day I spent 6 yuan on a cola and a packet of chips to eat before I started the online work and wasn't hungry again, so that shows the cost.

Going to a bar set me back about 400 splitting a botle with a friend, so if you're a bar goer it soon eats it up. I eat out at the five star hotel once a week and spend about 150-200.

I guess that I'm; actually happy to have more work because if I only worked 8-1 I would be bored out of my mind here with nothing to do.

So in my opinion to get a 'great' job offer, you need a few things:

Typically a university job with low low hours and a good apartment in a tier 1 city, then you blast the part time classes to raise your salary to 20k+

Somehow get on an international course or school where they pay you 20k and apartment, if it's in a small town you're laughing, if it's in a bigger place you may spend more.

Do not get stuck in a 12000 without housing 9-5 in any city, that's madness. 12000 is no longer alot.

One of my friends works as a receptionist in an interntional company, straight out of college and she is making 7000.

[Shookran]

Let me add that I have a PGCE but not done the QTS/QTLS yet, and little intention of going through with it, but I haven't seen any mention of QTS in any China recruitment advertising anyway.

My wife and I and 2 small kids love the big cities, we love the malls, eating out half the week or more. In Saudi, on an average Saudi salary we afforded a new car and a modern, new 2-bed apartment (cost: equivalent of 3 months salary). All mod cons. Lovely life-style. 20-25 hr working week. Beautiful climate. Culture shock to get over at the beginning but once over that we loved the life-style. We are considering a Saudi uni offer that even includes compound accommodation and education allowance. The Saudi packages however, as is widely known are being chipped away at and all the advice is look at China. You get the immediate impression when looking at China packages that they are mainly looking for newbie, single, school teachers who want the travel experience. But thanks to LAR1SSA for the research which seems to add new light to our first impressions.

Would 6,000 RMB/month get you a very nice, modern 2 bed apartment in a big city in China?

Given that LAR1SSA was looking for children teaching jobs, are there any unis or colleges hiring EFL/ESL teachers to tech adults 16+ with a good salary and in a big city?

[LarssonCrew]

No because colleges go low hours low salary.

For a nice 2 bed place you'd want to live in in a tier1 city look for 7500+

Everyone will come on and say oh but I was living in a studio on line 15 outside the 5th ring and it was only an hour to work for 3500, but you don't want to be there.

The problem in big cities is that the housing allowances just aren't realistic. In Shanghai you might get 3000, in Beijing the same. But that's basically the 22-25 year old crowd living 4 in a place.

[Jmbf]