Job Discussion Forums

[garamamin230]

Hey, just thought I would ask you guys to weigh in on my offers.

Offer A
¥280k / 9 months
¥18k perks (flights/relocation/misc)
No housing subsidies
Heavily polluted city, albeit much cheaper than the other options
Not very cultural / "civilized" (to use an overused Chinese term) as it's way out of town and the city is second tier
Yet, I've lived in the city before and have visited the school and love the people working there and the campus; the school is more or less brand new so lots of room for professional growth

Offer B
¥330k / 12 months
¥22k perks
¥3k housing / month (though according to posts by current employees, you would still need to pay around ¥1500 on top of that for a decent place)
More cultured city both in history and in nightlife (according to the Internet)
Not as polluted as City A but still pretty bad
A little more convenient in terms of location
School is more developed but since there are many old timers, might not have as many opportunities to be creative
Have read very, very mixed reviews on the school both here and elsewhere

Offer C
¥320k / 9 months
¥17k perks
No housing
Location of the school is sparse but is supposedly just 1 hour from downtown but some people have said that it's too optimistic
In a 1st-tier city so everything is more expensive, but 100% more fun and convenient than the other two, let alone less polluted (by China's standards)
School is also small but full of PhD's so someone with an MA like me might not be heard/considered for promotion
Know the least about this school b/c there are no reviews here and elsewhere

So what do you guys think?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

You asked my opinion, so here's my reply: These are fairy tales.

[nomad soul]

[getbehindthemule]

[HeidiHector]

First off, congratulations. I am sure you have made up your mind already, but I am replying anyway since others might still be interesting.

Those are fairly standard offers for those with an MA in TESOL/Lit and several years of experience. Don't know why some people see them as fairy tales. Yes, 300k to 330k is a pretty decent package, but to be honest, most people with those credentials make that here.

Anyway, after factoring in taxes and housing, which makes the biggest difference to your budget, your living expenses, esp food and transportation, will be very similar no matter where you are, assuming that you are in a Tier 1/2 city.

So for me, I agree with nomad that air quality is probably the biggest factor. But it looks like you are settled for A since you like the people and the city, which is certainly understandable. And my experience tells me that you will probably have more opportunities there to ask for raises as the program expands.

Cheers.

[RiverMystic]

Most people with an MA most certainly don't make 35K a month. An MA isn't that unusual these days.

There are two kinds of places that offer this kind of salary: international schools, and some Chinese-foreign university collaborations.

MAs and PhDs working standard ESL jobs in Chinese universities would be lucky to crack 10 000 in many jobs.

As for the job offers, go for the one in Shenzhen. Is clean and modern. But you'll need a helicopter to get into the city to enjoy the nightlife in any decent time.

[LarssonCrew]

Sorry but I agree with a couple of the posts.

Firstly, the lowest offer was 30,000 plus, which is what? Over $4000 a month, with the highest being 40,000 RMB a month.

I've seen top international principal jobs go for 38,000, so this is fiction.

To the guy who claimed an MA and a few years experience earns you 30,000, also ridiculous.

People working in unis may make 12-15 and top up with work to 30, but rarely is anyone getting 30,000 or more from any kind of ESL job.

I looked at the job listings here on Dave's and only one, which required a master's from a top 20 UK or US university, and was a 45 hour a week slog, offered above 30,000, and that's in Shanghai, so take 8,000 off for housing.

International school jobs also don't pay that well, at least the ones offered online don't.

Most international schools pay 20,000 or so, some with housing, some without, but I feel the value of the jobs has gone down and they are [like normal in China] trying to cheapen out on things.

Many jobs in international schools have become worse. Half salary on holidays, for instance, and also I've even seen some jobs paying 15,000 before tax without housing in Shanghai for 45 hours a week.

[HeidiHector]

At the end of the day, it's a very bifurcated market. On the one hand, you have the vast majority of the workforce with only a BA and a TEFL "certificate" making next to no money at local universities, but they teach "oral English" and the like with little to no prep or grading. On the other hand, you have experienced teachers from English speaking countries with MA's and PhD's teaching at Sino-Foreign schools making twice the "average", but they really work (or are worked) for that number.

Let's just leave it at that.

[getbehindthemule]

[HeidiHector]

Clearly, you are in the first group of "teachers" that I described in my last post.

Condolences.