Job Discussion Forums

[Hainanien]

G`day all

I am talking with a gentleman that just opened a language center & western style Bed & Breakfast in a pretty popular tourist area in China. He wants someone to help him promote his Chinese classes & also his B&B to English speaking peoples..

I�ll help him design his website,
Write advertisements in English,
Help to make sure the house & staff is up to �Western� standards as far as what he provides & the cleanliness of the B&B,
Help putting together package deals for short & long term students of Chinese, emersion type classes with outdoor activities around Hainan,

I�ll also help him find good English teachers as the need arises.

Many other things that I will surely do for him to get his company known by English speaking folks in China & those that will be coming.

All of what I do will be long term for him, I might only be here a year or less but what I do will stay.
I�ll make his web site a catch all for people interested in Hainan on their own without having to deal with a travel agency, what�s available, costs & times to come. Of course hic B&B�s & Chinese classes will be the main goal of the site.

With his being Chinese, I�m not sure how to talk with him about what our contract should contain, most of what I�ll do are things that will pay off in the long run.
He�ll need to be convinced to look & plan ahead.....
He has an MBA from University of Leicester in the U.K & is a really nice guy with a pretty open mind when dealing with foreigners; all the ones living here like him & have no horror stories about him.

His English is very good but he is not good on the computer nor does he know a lot about western style marketing.
That is where I�ll come in, do a lot of it for him while teaching him what English-speaking foreigners expect & want...
& Setting up programs he can implement on his own after I am gone.

How should I approach him on the salary part of this?

Anyone who might have ideas & suggestions, Please don�t hold back..!

Also... I will be available to him to teach classes if he needs a teacher to fill in for the English classes he has at his school too but that is simple hourly work.

TIA for any advice you give, I�ll have more questions after I see more of what he wants.

Danny

[Mideatoo]

10000 minimum monthly for a part time job, 16 hours MAX per week. Do what ever he requieres to be done.
Your Teaching class on the side will be paid liek any other FT.

[Hainanien]

Have you done this work here in China & got the 10,000 per month, outside of the big cities?

I'm guessing he'll think that is rather high.
He just opened a couple months ago, I'm not sure he'll be ably to rationalize spending that much.

& I'd like it to last more than a month or two, with that few hours, it will take a few months to see results, I believe.

But if it is somewhat standard, how should I go about convincing him it's worth it?

I know it's worth a lot to him.... `just need him to be able to look ahead &....

If you are anyone has done this kind of work for a small Chinese company, I'm interested in how you worked out the pay,
more though on how the contract was worded.

[Roger]

This guy is not likely going to pay you for your work; it is a start-up, and in China start-ups don't pay back unless they generate income right from the start.
You must negotiate BEFORE you actually start helping hem, and your goal must be to get a just reward; make it a lump sum or offer to be partners with him for a while and put your time and related investments down as your share in the venture.

He may be nice at this stage but later he will see the yuan signs floating all over; he will not share the dough with anyone.

Make a BINDING CONTRACT, signed and notarised in the presence of a lawyer.

[Hainanien]

Thanks Roger,
That is the kind of reply I was hoping to see.

I understand what you are saying, that's why I was asking around if others have done it & how they made the contract up.

I'm a little fearful of a lump sum upon completion; I could end up doing a lot of work & then never see the end.
`heard story..... Never good enough or misunderstandings in contract language...

How about a fair monthly pay with larger payments made in installments as things are completed & implemented.
Think a Chinese businessman will go with that?

Much of what I do won't generate any income for months to come & will bring in most after a longer time. I won't be here when it really starts to pay off.

I�ll be setting up a long-term promotion system for his to follow, like the web site, it won�t be income generating...

`thanks

[brsmith15]

I spent many years as a consultant, mostly to medical practices, and here's what I suggest:

Come up with an hourly rate, say 150-200 yuan. At the end of the week submit your hours and ask for payment. No payment, no more work. It's simple and limits your exposure to one week's pay.

[tofuman]

I definitely agree with Roger and Oedipus Smith, with the observation that I was unaware that binding contracts existed in China. I have had some opportunities to do things that could bring a lot of money to principals. One involved translating a martial arts encyclopedia, a book that might have a potential market in the USA. Its author was from a major Chinese university. We talked for a while, but when I got around to my remuneration, the conversation halted. Absolutely no interest in paying me for translating and marketing a book.

Apparently, for some, as a matter of principle, a Chinese may not do business with a foreigner if the foreigner is going to be justly compensated for his time, expertise, and risk.

Be careful, unless you enjoy being used and discarded like rubbish.

[tw]

[Chris_Crossley]

[tw]