Job Discussion Forums

MidwestWanderer · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 4 Location: U.S.

I'd like to teach English in China for a few years, and I'm wondering if it's at all possible to save money while doing so. From what I gather, salaries are highest in Korea, but I'm far more interested in living in China. Obviously one doesn't take a teaching job for monetary gain, but I'd rather not return home broke. By the time I begin teaching, I'll have an MA (not in anything related to TEFL, I'm afraid) and several years experience as a graduate teaching assistant. I don't much care where I live, though it would be nice to be somewhere with a relatively warm climate. Assuming a decent salary and a job in a region with moderate living expenses, what can one reasonably expect to save over the course of several years?

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

your question is really impossible to answer as there are too many variables to consider. you'll know how much you can save once you get here and determine how you can live on each month.

7969

MidwestWanderer · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 4 Location: U.S.

Well, maybe you could answer the question by discussing your experience in Guangdong, a place that interests me. I'm not expecting some sort of standard response; I'd just like to get a sense of people's ability to save given the circumstances of their job, its location, etc.

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

3 years in Shanghai. Made 10,000 a month, saved 5-6,000 a month.

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

How much do you ant to save?

I'm having the same dispute in my head . I 'm thinking of the move to Korea if I can't start saving . I've saved pretty much f all in 3 years . I can save 1000 pounds in one semester and that was on earnings of 6500 a month . I was saving about 4500 a month and being frugal (spending 2k a month on living )

I've been looking at positions and really it does not look good for standard teaching jobs . But I have seen jobs that pay up to 15 k if you have a specialised skill . The ones I 've seen are Business and a DOS position . One of those was for Pricewaterhouse Coopers and they offer BUPA health package as well !!

If you have a Business Masters perhaps you could try and go in this direction . I think if I can get a DOS position that pays 15k I can afford to stay in China . If that does not happen I simply have to leave as I 'm gonna end up without a pot to pish in !!

Ariadne · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 960

My salary is 5500rmb per month at a university, with accommodation provided, and I can save about half of it quite easily. It's just me though.. no family here. I usually take cabs instead of busses, often go out for dinner, and spend the occassional night at a nice hotel. Saving money doesn't mean I take it all home though, since the savings are usually spent on some type of travel. There are other teachers here who have trouble making it to the end of the month on their salary. As someone mentioned earlier, it's different for everyone. Don't forget your start-up costs, which are usually less for men than women. (Women tend to like having more than one towel, spoon, cup, sheet, etc.)

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fitzgud · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 148 Location: Henan province

(Women tend to like having more than one towel)

I have also met some large women here!

MidwestWanderer · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 4 Location: U.S.

Thanks for your responses. As much as I'd love to spend some time in China teaching, I'll likely end up in Korea as the ability to save a bit of money is an issue for me. I'm a pretty frugal guy, but it doesn't appear that one can earn in China anywhere near the typical Korean FT salary without a wealth of experience or some specialized skill.

mondrian · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:04 am Post subject:

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

daeckardt · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Zhuhai

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

Um, it's fairly easy to answer your question here I teach at a government college here in China and get $800 Australian a month plus accommodation, airfares etc. South Korea I would get $3,000 Australian plus accommodation and airfares as a level one EPIK teacher in the public school system. Food isn�t that expensive in South Korea if you want to eat cheaply. Here in China it�s very cheap.

Let�s say I can save half my wages here if I want to, that�s $400 Australian. In South Korea I could save $2.000 if I wanted too. It�s also easy to spend the lot here or there if you don�t want to save.

Hours are about the same.

Yesterday I had a half hour back massage and then I went and had a one hour foot massage, the lot came to $6 Australian. Um and I find the Chinese teachers better to work with than the Koreans. Japan the wages have been more or less fixed for a long time and usually you have to pay for accommodation. Tiawain used to be hard to get enough hours in at just one place, I don't know about these days and the food is not the best but great students.

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Anda . what's with the 'Um'

Ummmmmmmmmmmm Smile

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

Sheeba
Um, is a sound that some, um, people make, um, when they, um, are hesitating and um, trying to decide um, what to say next, um,

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

you like a good um don't you . don't let me ummmmmm stop you .