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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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 Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| tw wrote: |
| In Hohhot I was only able to save about 45% of my salary every month because of the high cost of living and having to pay for my own Internet access. Here in Changchun I've been saving about 65% of my salary. |
Sadly I didn't save much while I was in Changchun. Shopping, not bars or discos was my weakness. And I didn't budget. All my money was in an envelople and I simply took it out when I wanted to buy something.
I also had to pay utlities, but they weren't that much. Just water and gas, heating was free, it came out to less than 100 RMB a month
Kids are expensive. That's why we're saving now to buy houses and rent out rooms to unis students here in Peru. Houses are relatively cheap. We'll be buying one next Jan. We figure that we could live off that money and save everything we made in China. |
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william wallace
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2869
Location: in between
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Have you given up on Romania ? |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| william wallace wrote: |
| Have you given up on Romania ? |
No. My mom finally got her new US marriage cert with her new name, name number five. And is going to go to the COnsulate in two weeks. Right now her mom's sick and has to visit her in CA in hospital, as soon as she goes back, she's going to the Consulate. Hopefully, the Consulate will let her register her marriage. If not, then we're thinking of getting a lawyer. |
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SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 740
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:16 am Post subject: |
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The answer to this questions depends on where you live, expect to save "not much" if you live in Beijing on anything less than 5000 rmb a month (without extra private jobs)
You might be able to save 2000-3000 rmb a month if you limit your activities and sit in your room.
Now 3000 a month is 50% of your salary but going back to visit the USA will use all of this up very quickly.
I saved 40,000 RMB this last year and it's all gone with house repairs back here in the USA.
China isn't a great place to make money being a teacher unless you can network and get the good private jobs. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| SnoopBot wrote: |
The answer to this questions depends on where you live, expect to save "not much" if you live in Beijing on anything less than 5000 rmb a month (without extra private jobs)
You might be able to save 2000-3000 rmb a month if you limit your activities and sit in your room.
Now 3000 a month is 50% of your salary but going back to visit the USA will use all of this up very quickly.
I saved 40,000 RMB this last year and it's all gone with house repairs back here in the USA.
China isn't a great place to make money being a teacher unless you can network and get the good private jobs. |
HOw did you save so much money? Sitting in my room sounds great as now I have three jobs and leave at 630am and get back around 730pm
We're not going there to save, we're saving right now. We're going there to have a better life. |
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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:44 am Post subject: |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| SnoopBot wrote: |
The answer to this questions depends on where you live, expect to save "not much" if you live in Beijing on anything less than 5000 rmb a month (without extra private jobs)
You might be able to save 2000-3000 rmb a month if you limit your activities and sit in your room.
Now 3000 a month is 50% of your salary but going back to visit the USA will use all of this up very quickly.
I saved 40,000 RMB this last year and it's all gone with house repairs back here in the USA.
China isn't a great place to make money being a teacher unless you can network and get the good private jobs. |
HOw did you save so much money? Sitting in my room sounds great as now I have three jobs and leave at 630am and get back around 730pm
We're not going there to save, we're saving right now. We're going there to have a better life. |
better life? in what ways?
if you like having free time, travel opportunities, and a variety of interesting and tasty foods, then china can be a good place.
if you hate noise, crowds and pollution, then china might not be the place for you.
as for saving money, even the lowest paid teacher in china can probably save at least RMB10,000-20,000 over the course of a year (including end of contract bonus). |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:00 am Post subject: |
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| Free time, time with my husband, safety, are all reasons why we're going to China. |
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SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 740
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| Free time, time with my husband, safety, are all reasons why we're going to China. |
Yes most of us can relate to this, you can save lots of money but something might need to give.
I was being paid the typical 6000 RMB a month for an university position.
My original hours were 14 during my first 2 years, so I sought private positions and built up a few jobs on the side.
However, in 2005 many contracts changed to 20 hours a week plus I also was travelling between areas teaching. I found myself working almost 35 hours a week. (Private Hourly rates were from 150-250 rmb an hour)
I'm telling you it was not fun, I often lost my voice and often felt worn down.
I will not do this again, unless I work for a new school and back at the 14-16 hour levels.
I worked 7 days a week with some classes ending at 10 pm at night.
So you can earn + 20,000 a month, you will just need to put in lots of hours.
To be honest I should have saved more but bought a car in Beijing with some of my salary.
I got married too  |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 237
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| This year we will save somewhere between 3,000 - 5,000 rmb a month, next fiscal year we will save somewhere between 30,000 - 50,000 rmb minimum a month if everything goes good and I finish teaching forever tomorrow if they do go good. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| danswayne wrote: |
| This year we will save somewhere between 3,000 - 5,000 rmb a month, next fiscal year we will save somewhere between 30,000 - 50,000 rmb minimum a month if everything goes good and I finish teaching forever tomorrow if they do go good. |
What? 30K RMB a month? Where are you working? An international school? |
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jammish
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 1704
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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| danswayne wrote: |
| This year we will save somewhere between 3,000 - 5,000 rmb a month, next fiscal year we will save somewhere between 30,000 - 50,000 rmb minimum a month if everything goes good and I finish teaching forever tomorrow if they do go good. |
Sweet.  |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 237
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| No more teaching for me, one hint Canton International Commodities Trade Show. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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| danswayne wrote: |
| No more teaching for me, one hint Canton International Commodities Trade Show. |
So now you're a salesperson? |
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SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 740
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| danswayne wrote: |
| No more teaching for me, one hint Canton International Commodities Trade Show. |
Good luck, many former teachers moved on to better avenues and got out of the teaching circuits.
They did a survey a few years ago in "That's Beijing" magazine to rank laowai social-status in the expat community , the rankings went something like this from highest to lowest.
1. Big CEO expat types
2. Officials of foreign governments
3. Big company staff
4. Private owners or foreigners working in joint companies
5. Crusty types that lived in China for +++ years
6. Students studying Chinese e.g BCLU students
7. Backpackers and tourist
8. English teachers, and bums (Sexpats, drunks, ect.)
Yes at the very bottom was English teachers lumped together with bums.
This was supposed to have been a survey of expats and the from the staff members of That's Beijing.
I found it interesting how we ranked lower than number 6? Students still working on their 4 year degree at a Chinese university.
Of course the staff at "That's Beijing" must think most of us have no education or abilities at all.
The rest of the article was about former teachers who went into bigger and better job positions. That was interesting to read how some did actually make it in some other area. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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That's the problem with CHina, English teachers go in with stereotypes which is why schools can get away with paying such low salaries. HOpe things change so that experienced teachers get what they deserve.
Maybe it's because it's so easy to teach in China, that anyone can do it. So taht's why English teachers have a bad rep. |
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