Job Discussion Forums

[wanderer]

As someone considering a move to China I read a lot of the posts here. Seems like a diverse range of opinions exist on what is a good salary.

Could someone set the record straight for us? What is a reasonable salary in China generally, or specific areas like East China, Dalian, Beijing, Shanghai?

Please

[davis]

Depends on you wanderer. What is reasonable to you? Everyone here would want you to ask for no less than 4000RMB plus the usual amenities. As long as people accept less, the going rate will remain lower and the- recruiter/laoban/school- profit will be much higher. This is China so don't hesitate to at least try and negotiate your salary. They offer the minimum,you ask for the max. Somewhere in between might be acceptable. Just depends on you. I'm in southern China and from what I know Shanghai and Beijing are very expensive places to live. You might want to bump that 4000 RMB starting price to 6000 RMB.

[gmat]

How many hours do you want to work?

[Minhang Oz]

You don't say anything about your qualifications and experience: if you don't have these you don't have any bargaining points.
The east coast is expensive only if you set out to replicate a Western lifestyle. Live like a middle class Shanghaier and 4000 will get all the meals, DVDs and beers you can handle, but with not much left to save for traveling.

[Roger]

The minimum pay is set at 2200 RMB, and you can survive on that provided your school houses you (which almost all do), subsidises meals (or makes them available for free) and foots the bills for your visa and your return ticket.
However, I have never seen anybody who stooped for so low a salary! Most go for 3000 at a public school, which might rise to 5000 at an university.

Then, the maximum contact periods per week do not exceed 20, often it is around 12. Then, 3000 is a good salary, and if you moonlight you can up it to 5000 easily.

In private schools, they work you 20 to 30 hours a week. Work is more repetitive, and schedules are more disruptive. There is less constancy and less job security. Schools also want to see you spend time in their offices.
The pay is anywhere from 4000 to 9000.
The higher the pay, the more input they will expect from you.

Private training centres offer fewer holidays a year, and getting your work visa and airfare paid are major challenges.

Some will allow you to freelance, which, strictly speaking, is illegal.
If you freelance, you factor all the overheads a school has to accept into your hourly wage, and you get a minimum of 100 RMB per hour, often 150 or double , depending on where you teach. It goes without saying that cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen offer brighter employment prospects.
Which also means that they attract more competitors!

[arioch36]

I won't repeat everything Roger said.

3,500 a month at a university...enough to live a quite comfortable life, assuming you don't want to live like a rich foreign businessman who gets paid a western salary while living here. And beijing and Shanghai are not that more expensive then other cities. It is just that there are so many more temptations. Good steak in Beijing 40-45 yuan. Much worse steak in Zhengzhou Henan....50 yuan. Bus trip in Zhengzhou...1-2 yuan, taxi 8-14 yuan Bus in Beijing 1-2 yuan, taxi 14 -24 yuan grocery store...roughly the same price.
Broadway type shows in Shanghai 80-500 RMB..In Zhengzhou they are free (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA)

Universities will pay for most of your needs, housing, internet computer, etc. Universities have much longer vacations, can employ you legally, don't work you nights or weekends, work you about 14-16 hours.

Private language schools students often are not fun, work you nights and weekends, and per hour worked, you are probably not getting more money. Once you have been here a year or semester (or sooner), teaching at a university, there will usually be many side jobs that you can accept as you desire