Job Discussion Forums

[c-way]

Is money really the top motivation for anybody that leaves their home country to teach English in China. I may be a bit green since I haven't even arrived in China yet, but it seems like someone has to have some alterior motives for moving to a country's whose culture is so different than simply a paycheck.

For me, I am going to China to experience culture shock, isolation, a language barrier and all the things that one needs to overcome to adapt to a new culture. I'm going because its going to be quite difficult, but if I can perservere I will be a far wiser and experienced person for it. Even if I fail I'm no worse off than if I had stayed in the US. The value of the experience I feel far outweighs any monetary gain or lower cost of living that we get from going.

But at the same time, I want to get paid enough so that if something comes up where I need to come up with some money fast, I'm not stuck holding my pockets out. Now I'm still not really sure what constitutes a fair salary or how much one needs to get by in China, so in my job searches the salary is certainly a big factor.

the biggest factor of all is trying to be sure that my employer is not going to rip me off, do a bait and switch, treat me like dirt, change the rules etc. I've read so many posts on this forum of sheisty employers that I would gladly take a 1000 RMB paycut if I could be safely assured that my employer was on the up and up.

So don't be so cynical about the newbie college grads. Its not all about the money, but I believe it will make the transition a whole lot easier.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

You guys, it's not all about money. Think of this logically for a moment, please.

If someone offers you a job for 12,000 RMB a month with two days off, and your boss offers you a bit less then that to stay on one more year with no days off (the current offer), where would YOU go?

Stay on another year?

I doubt it.

And Roger et al., you really should look around. Those job are out there.

For example, Kids Castle in Shanghai pays 9100 a month, with Mondays and Wednesdays off. I was offered a job there as well.

All I'm asking is why are we not asking for more money? Schools CAN afford it, but don't want to pay out anything higher because of greed and nothing more.

I'm not an economist, I'm just being logical. And logic tells me that the job paying me 12,000 RMB plus two days off is a better deal when compared to less than 12000 RM with no days off.

If anyone disagrees, feel free to correct my logic.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Oh, and I will know by tonight whether or not I am staying on another year or moving on.

Final round of negotiating is after work (there goes my New Years).

But it has to be tonight otherwise I won't be able to give my boss 30 days notice as per contract.

Wish me luck...

[shuize]

Just out of curiosity, since I have never worked in China, what would happen if you came straight out and asked your boss: I have an offer for 12,000/mo and two days off a week elsewhere, can you beat it?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[Jolly]

[Roger]

I often read in these fora that we have a lot of bargaining power; in my experience that's simply not true. And schools have money - perhaps, but whose money is it? They won't account for it but rather it gets pocketed by the Director, Principal or whoever has the power to do that. Have you ever looked at Chinese accounting books? A farce if ever there was one.

I do believe you command significantly higher salaries in the SAhanghai/Ningbo/Suzhou/Hangzhou area, but you also have to pay for your accommodation, and pay a lot for it. This is acceptable for long-term residents who know the locale and the market.
As for driving up your rate that sounds to me like the foolproof recipe to not get a job. My university, for instance, ups FTs salaries in the second year, and that's why no one can stay more than two years... The increase is virtually automatic (it does depend on certain economic factors, but in any event your salary is lower than that of a Chinese!).
Am I alone in my situation? Not at all! Amazingly, I am privy to the hiring practices of a number of recruiters; these are people who negotiate with schools, then offer you up to them but pay you from the tuition fees they pocket in the first place. Can you negotiate with them? Not at all! What's more, you get part-time jobs that pay handsomely on paper but in reality you have a lot of unexpected releases to deal with - classes cancelled or tentatively given over to toerh teachers, while you must suddenly take over someone else's class... no matter how well you are discharging your duties nobody except dedicated students will appreciate thjat; many students don't really care (because you are doing extracurricular lessons with them that their parents pay for without the kids' being asked...), and your employers pay no attention to how well you get received. Besides, are students, unmotivated students, objective jurors??? I don't think so. Anyway, to cut a lengthy paragraph short: I did very well with many classes and was always surprised that suddenly those classes were no longer being conducted.
Also, you have to discuss your hourly wages with a keen mind set on exact numbers. You may be paid "150 RMB per hour", and it may translate into 100 kuai net because they are not paying you for breaks between lessons.
Lastly, I was quite taken aback a few months ago to learn that one of Guangdong's worst employers has her house full again with teachers from Canada. Her training centre is in the sticks, her pay is in the basement, and her treatment of FTs is haughty and intimidating. Yet she is allowed to continue doing her business. She offered me an hourly wage of, yes: fasten your seatbelt: RMB 65! Oh, and she seemed to be incredibly desperate to find anyone willing to be her corvee slave! Well, she has always had willing slaves...

Once I had an interview with an expat that ran a IELTS centre; he informed me I was one of around 300 applicants, and I was chosen for the job simply because I was physically present...

[7969]

[writpetition]

You're bang on, 7969!
I had the same experience at a state-run university (details mentioned elsewhere on this board). To restate it in short : they had initially invited me and the dean wanted me to stay a long long time. Come the end of the contract period, after I did not immediately accept their offer to continue, all offers vanished into thin air.
And I've been at the receiving end of offers ever since...you know what that means!
My being non-white etc didn't help matters either.
My search for an equal-opportunity university employer continues, regardless...drawing blank after inexorable blank.
Methinks I shall have to revisit my emotional ties with the country and job I have loved.
Methinks life sucks hell into you!